“A couple hours ago. I don’t know why I didn’t think about it before, but maybe she can help me, or Whitney can? I’m out of options, and I don’t want to lose what I’ve worked for, Levi.” She sniffs, and reaches up to wipe moisture out from under her eyes.
What can I do for her? What will she allow me to do for her? “Is there anything I can do for you, Magnolia?” I ask quietly. It’s the only thing I know to do.
Her eyes lift to mine, and the blue there is enough to take my breath away. “You’ve done enough, Levi. I thank you so much for bringing me home with you tonight, but there’s nothing I can ask you for.”
Reaching forward, I push her hair back behind her ear, and then run my finger along her chin, tilting her head. “You can ask me for anything. Whether I can help you or not is another thing all together, but you can always ask me.”
She closes her eyes. “I wish I would’ve married someone like you.”
I wish she would’ve too. Wish she would’ve known how much I wanted her way back when. But maybe it wasn’t time for us then. Maybe it’s time for us now. “You didn’t the first time.” I grin. “But who’s to say your next husband isn’t going to be me?”
She laughs, sniffling as she does. “I’m not sure I’ll ever get married again, Levi, but I’d be lucky if that’s the case.”
“Nah, I’d be the lucky one.” A yawn cracks her jaw, and I look up at the clock on the microwave. It’s almost three am. “Tired?”
“Worn out to my damn soul,” she admits.
“Me too, it’s been a long night. I had to carry some hot chick off the table in a bar. It was rough.”
She throws her napkin at me, laughing when she does, and that sound goes right to my soul. It’s nice to hear, and I hope it means she’s on her way to feeling better. At least for tonight. “Shut up, smart ass. No one asked you to come and get me.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” I tip my can of Coke toward her. “Ronnie came out and was all, you gotta get this lady off the table. People are about to start stripping her bare and this is a place of business. It’s not a brothel.” She’s laughing again. Getting up, I grab both our plates and take them over to the sink. Dishes will have to get done tomorrow. “C’mon, let’s get to bed.”
“Do you have a guest room?” She asks softly.
“No, but I do have a king size bed, and if you can promise to keep your hands off me, I’ll keep mine off you.”
I begin walking down the hallway, her following. “I don’t know how I’ll do it, hotshot, but I’ll try to keep my hands to myself.”
Hearing her call me a nickname makes my chest loosen slightly, and as we get ready for bed, I wonder what the hell I did to deserve all of this.
Chapter 4
Magnolia
It’s warm in the bed I’m in. Warmer than I’m used to. Lately, it’s been downright cold. In the back of my mind, I can hear a noise, like a whisper of someone breathing, which is weird, no one has slept next to me in over a year.
Popping an eye open, I gasp silently as the person next to me comes into full focus. It’s Levi Harrison. What the fuck did I do last night? I remember going to the Laurel Lean-To, pissed because my soon-to-be-ex-husband contested our divorce at the eleventh hour. I’d desperately wanted to go into the holiday season without the failure of my marriage hanging over me. More than anything, I’d wanted a new beginning, but he couldn’t even give me that. Vaguely I remember Levi showing up when I’d gotten on the table at the bar and started taking my clothes off.
Holy shit. It’s probably going to be posted in the local gossip group, and I’m never going to hear the end of it.
I’m old enough to know better, pushing the edge of twenty-nine. I should’ve had all my stupid decisions like this out of the way at this point in my life.
“I can hear you thinking over here,” Levi says, his morning-deep voice giving my body a visceral reaction. My nipples peak, in between my legs ache, and my fingers itch to reach over and touch him.
“Sorry if I woke you up.” I have to clear the gravel from my voice, and cobwebs from my mind. “I was just trying to figure out how I got here.”
“You don’t remember your show at the bar? And then riding in the back of my SUV to get you here?”
“Yes to the bar, no to the SUV.”
He smirks. “Next time I’ll have to cuff you before I put you in the back.”
“Why did you make me ride in the back like a criminal?” I huff, as I turn over and look toward the ceiling. This bed is comfortable, much more comfortable than mine. I have to admit the company isn’t half bad either.
“Because you can’t ride in the passenger seat. There’s too much gear, and there isn’t enough room unless you’re a child. Designed to be that way.” He rolls over, propping his head on his palm.
I allow myself to glance over and take the man in. He’s got dark circles under his eyes, but they’re an impossibly deep brown this morning. Lashes that are way too pretty to belong to someone who doesn’t know how hot he is fans against his cheeks. Stubble darkens the bottom half of his face, and I’m reminded that this isn’t a boy anymore. He’s not my best friend’s brother who had trouble growing a mustache. He’s my best friend’s brother who owns this house, this bed, and looks like if I let him, could own me too. “Thanks for getting me last night, if I haven’t thanked you yet. I kind of remember some of the conversation we had once we came back here, but the rest is a little fuzzy.”
