To be free with him.
The urge was strong—so strong—she was almost shocked to find she hadn’t begun to pull at his T-shirt.
But what would she even do if she...succeeded?
He released his hold then, but she could still feel his touch lingering long after he’d taken away his hand. She felt dazed, thrown.
Stunned to discover the world hadn’t collapsed around them in those moments that had seemed like hours, but had actually been a breath.
“You should go.”
She should. She really, really should.
But she didn’t want him to know he’d scared her.
It’s not even him that scares you. You’re scaring yourself.
“I’m going to go sketch,” she said, swallowing hard. “This has been very enlightening.”
“If your plan is to go off and design me a prison cell now...”
“No,” she said. “I’m a professional. But trust me, I’ve learned quite a bit about you. And my first question to you wasn’t leading, not necessarily. But everything that we’ve discussed here? It will definitely end up being fodder for the design. You’re truly going to be in a prison of your own making by the time I’m through, Levi. So you best be sure you like what you’re using to build it.”
She didn’t know where she got the strength, or the wit, for all of that. And by the time she turned on her heel and walked out of the A-frame, heading back to her car, she was breathing so hard she thought she might collapse.
But she didn’t.
No, instead she got in her car and drove away, that same rock-solid sense of resolve settling in her stomach now that had been there only a moment before.
Attraction.
Was that what had just happened back there? Attraction to a man who seemed hell-bent on warning her off.
Why would he want to warn her off?
If he really did see her as a little girl, if he really did see her as someone uninteresting or plain, he wouldn’t need to warn her away.
What he’d said about threats...
By the time she pulled back into GrayBear Construction, she wasn’t hyperventilating anymore, but she was certain of one thing.
Levi Tucker was attracted to her, too.
She was not certain exactly what she was supposed to do with that knowledge.
She felt vaguely helpless knowing she couldn’t ask anyone, either.
Her brothers would go on a warpath. Hayley would caution her. Mia would... Well, Mia would tell Devlin, because Devlin was her husband and she wouldn’t want to keep secrets from him.
Faith’s network was severely compromised. For one moment that made her feel helpless. Then in the next...
It was her decision, she realized.
Whatever she did with this... It was her decision.
She wasn’t a child. And she wasn’t going to count on the network of people she was used to having around her to make the choice for her.
And she wasn’t going to worry about what they might think.
