That’s what his attention makes me feel like. And he hasn’t even touched me.
With a thick swallow, I peek up at him.
“You ready?” he murmurs. His voice is low and husky, amplifying the electric connection thrumming between us even further.
I nod, my lacquered lashes fluttering like a damn schoolgirl as I try to get a grip on myself.
Come on, Charlie. You’re better than this.
“So…,” I say awkwardly before standing up and slipping on my jean jacket. “Know any good jokes?”
He laughs. “Usually, I do, but you’ve rendered me speechless.”
Grabbing my keys off the hook by my front door, I wait for him to follow me before closing it quietly behind us.
“Is that right?” I ask.
“Yeah. You look gorgeous tonight, Charlie. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a dress before.”
“You saw me in a skirt the other night,” I mention. As soon as the comment slips past my lips, I grimace and turn my back to him before locking my apartment door.
Is it okay to bring up the outfit I wore when I went out with Conner? And that it happens to be the same night that Levi caught me kissing another guy? I’m gonna say no.
Welp. Might as well end the date right now if this is any foreshadowing of how the whole night’s gonna be.
Foot meet mouth.
Thankfully, Levi senses my unease and tosses his arm around my neck, just like always. And I melt into the familiar gesture as we walk down the hall and into the elevator.
“I was too distracted to notice the skirt, but maybe you can wear it for me next time. Although, I don’t want you to feel like you’re not sexy as hell in a T-shirt and jeans, either,” he adds.
His reassurance causes a warmth to spread from my chest out to my limbs, but it’s quickly followed by a hefty dose of self-doubt.
Peeking up at him with a forced smile, I ask, “You think so?”
“Of course, I do. I like this side of you, Charlie. But the original is a classic. As long as you’re being the real Charlie Bannon, then I’ll be lucky as hell to be around you.”
If that were true, a voice whispers inside of me, he would’ve asked you out a long time ago, instead of waiting until you were practically off the market.
Opening the main door to my apartment building, he ushers me outside, and the sound of the busy street almost drowns out my response.
“Now, you’re just being ridiculous,” I deflect.
“Bullshit,” he growls in response.
Pulling me aside, Levi presses me up against the side of my building. The brick digs into my back, and there are people passing us on the street who aren’t even bothering to hide their interest. But it doesn’t stop the intense look in Levi’s eyes as his hips pin me in place.
“I’ve let your insecurities slide for too long without disproving them. Mainly, it’s because you’re a badass, and I always assumed you knew it. It doesn’t hurt that you beat me at any video game we play and have a penchant for distracting me in your running shorts when we run too, so I didn’t want you to get a big head.” His mouth quirks in the corner as he continues, “But I need to make this very clear to you. We both know I’ve been with a lot of girls. That I’ve dated a lot of girls. That I’ve never had trouble making them fall at my feet. But I’ve never been interested enough in any of them to even consider pursuing something real. But let me tell you this, Charlie. With you? I want the real deal…whether you’re a sweaty mess after taking a damn greyhound for a run, or you’re dressed up in a fuck-me black dress that shows off your killer thighs.” He grinds into me, making me whimper when I feel something very hard rubbing against my lower stomach. “We’ve already learned you could be with a different guy if you wanted to be. But you’re here with me. Which makes me the luckiest guy in the world.”
My heart is pounding in my chest as my fingers tangle with Levi’s cotton baseball shirt.
With a deep breath, I attempt to make an argument, no matter how feeble it is. “Levi—”
“Listen. I promised myself I’d take you on a date tonight, and that it wouldn’t end with sex because I was afraid that’s all you’d assume I want out of whatever’s going on between us. Because of this, I’m going to back away right now and resist from proving to you how fucking sexy you are. But I don’t want you to ever question your self worth again. No matter what. We clear?”
Clearing my throat, I peek up at him to see his eyes blazing.
“We clear?” he pushes.
I nod. “Crystal.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Levi
I’m an idiot. How did I not notice the way she looks down at the floor anytime I compliment her? Or that she nibbles her thumbnail, her cheeks turning pink anytime I toss a grin her way? She’s been in love with me for years, and I was simply too wrapped up in my own world to notice.
Leading Charlie to the subway, my hand touches her lower back, and she quivers in response.
Quivers.
It takes everything inside of me to resist the urge to push her back up against the nearest wall and take her the way she so desperately wants me to.
Not tonight, I promise myself.
“So, where are we going?” Her voice is soft as she looks over her shoulder at me.
“You’ll see.” I check the time on my watch then usher her onto the right train. Scanning the area, I find two seats next to each other then guide her to them.
It’s quiet between us, and I’m grateful for the comfortable ambiance of the subway that is doing exactly what it was meant to.
“Nice touch,” Charlie notes, glancing over at me before staring lazily out the window. It’s showcasing a less than stellar view of the subway.
“You noticed, huh?” I tease.
“That you brought me to one of my favorite spots in the city?”
My mouth quirks. “Only crazy people find comfort in the underground transit system, Charlie.”
“Then send me to the loony bin, my friend,” she quips. “And come on. Let’s be real. This place is perfection. If anyone ever wants an up-close and personal experience of the city, they only gotta jump on the nearest subway train.”
“Is that right?” I challenge, taking in her thick, dark lashes. I’ve never noticed how damn long they are. Hell, they’re practically reaching her arched brows.
“Yup.”
I’ve heard this argument before, but there’s just something about the way her face lights up with passion that encourages me to keep prodding. “How so?”
“The people. The smells. The hustle and bustle of hopping on and off. It’s got the whole package.”
“Except the food,” I argue.
Sighing, she rubs her stomach. “Ooo, good point. I’m a sucker for the food.”
“And the baseball.”
She grins up at me. “Are you trying to prove a better point than the one I just made?”
“Of course not!” I raise my hands into the air as though she’s got a gun pointed at me instead of the mocking, narrowed glare that’s pinning me in place. “I’m just saying that if there were a lineup of baseball players and your favorite hot dog within reach down here, you’d find your own quirky Utopia.”