Page 41 of Needed You

“Hey, Dare.”

My stomach is instantly in my throat, and my head turns to the side. Lev is sliding onto the counter seat, settling with his legs spread as he barely manages to fit himself under the counter. God, he’s so good-looking. He’s wearing a leather jacket, which is sexy as hell, and I immediately recognize his scent. I think it’s my new favorite smell. My mouth goes dry, and my heart starts racing.

I try to answer, but I seem to have turned into some tongue-tied weirdo all of a sudden, and that’s not me at all.

Mentally shaking myself, I force what I hope is a sly smile. “What are you doing here?” I pop a french fry in my mouth and tell myself I have to chew and swallow. Do NOT choke, Dare. Do not choke. I manage to get the fry down and take a big gulp of my drink to help it.

Before he can answer, Lindsey comes over to us, a grin on her face that means nothing but trouble. “Well, hiiiiii, Lev!” she croons. “Whatever brings you in tonight?” She giggles as I roll my eyes, smirking at her.

It’s almost too obvious that she must have messaged him that I was here when she was putting my order in. Lev just shakes his head, but his cheeks are flushed and he can’t quite meet my eyes.

Lindsey giggles again, then sobers up a bit. “What do you want to eat, brother?”

Lev orders, and she grins at him again before tapping the counter between us and walking away. We sit in silence for a few minutes as I struggle to take another bite of my sandwich. My heart is still in my throat. I chew and swallow, then grab my water and take another big gulp. I feel like I should be saying something to him, but I am not sure what to say and the silence is awkward.

When I finally glance over at him, Lev’s smirking knowingly at me. “How is your face feeling?” he asks.

I shrug. “It’s okay. I’m sore, but it’s manageable. Am I pretty again?” I tease.

Lev chuckles. “Always.”

My stomach flips, and my face heats up.

Lindsey brings Lev’s food and sets it down in front of him. “Enjoy,” she tells her brother. I don’t miss that she sends Lev a wink. His cheeks pinken again, and I shake my head. Lindsey turns and disappears through the doors into the kitchen. I can’t help but smirk.

“How was today?” Lev breaks the silence between us. He picks up his burger and takes a big bite.

I turn my head and watch his strong jaw move as he chews, and I swallow hard and turn back to my food. Why is that so sexy? “I worked,” I choke out, coughing and clearing my throat.

“So full of words,” he teases, taking a drink of his soda.

“What?” I say. “I worked. Drew up some prints, came up with a campaign.” I’m not telling him about my walk down Memory Lane with Nate. “What did you do?” I ask cheekily.

“Worked,” Lev mocks back, a smile spreading across his face and that dimple sinking deep. If I knew it wouldn’t bother him, I would lean over and stick my tongue into it. I love it that much.

Not much more is said, and we eat in a comfortable yet charged silence. When Lindsey brings over our checks, she puts mine in front of me and Lev’s in front of him. He reaches out and grabs both of them.

“Dude,” I say, reaching for mine.

“I got it,” he says, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket.

My racing heart stutters. He wants to pay for my dinner. Why?

He pulls out several bills and lays them down, and I shake my head to force myself out of the daze.

“I can pay for my own dinner,” I insist, my eyes meeting his glistening blue ones.

“I know you can,” he says. “But let me get this. I want to. Consider it our first unofficial date.”

A little gasp leaves me. As I go to protest, Lindsey shows up and grabs the two twenty-dollar bills and the two checks before disappearing.

I shake my head again. “You really don’t have to do that,” I tell him.

“I know,” he answers. “But let me.” He says it with such finality that I know I’m not going to win the argument.

When Lindsey comes back with his change, he lays another twenty down and turns his entire body toward me.

I smirk at him. “Thank you,” I say as I stand up.