Halfway through my sandwich, Mr. Hargrove from the English department stuck his head in the doorway. His gaze landed on Levi, then flicked to me, lingering a beat too long.
Levi’s entire demeanor shifted. His jaw tightened, and he sent the other man a glare that could have stripped paint off a wall. Mr. Hargrove mumbled something about catching me later and disappeared fast.
I arched an eyebrow at Levi, fighting a smile. “Was that really necessary?”
He reached across the desk and brushed his thumb along the back of my hand. “Yeah. It was.”
His possessive tone should have bothered me. Instead, it made those pesky butterflies flap their pretty wings more quickly in my stomach. I turned my hand over and laced my fingers with his. “You keep feeding me and glaring at other men, I might get used to it.”
“That’s the plan, baby.”
Laughing softly, I shook my head. “It’s a good thing you’re on the approved visitors list, or else he could kick up a fuss about you being here.”
“He’s welcome to try.” Levi flashed me a cocky grin. “With everything the Kings do for this school, the principal would laugh him out of his office.”
Pressing my elbow against the desktop, I propped my chin on my hand. “Does that mean the rumor I heard is actually true?”
“Only one way to find out,” he drawled.
Our school offers an Automotive Maintenance and Light Repair track as part of the Career and Technical Education program, and one of my third-period students was in it. “Do you really help Mr. Brandon out sometimes?”
“Yeah, whenever he’s in over his head at the on-site auto shop, he calls The Pit, and one of us comes over to lend a hand.”
When I first moved to Crossbend, I would’ve been surprised by bikers helping out at the local high school. But with everything Levi and Rain had shared with me about the RedlineKings, I knew how involved they were with the community. “That’s really nice of you.”
“Helps us, too,” he pointed out. “Some of our best mechanics came outta this school.”
“Uh-huh, I’m sure that’s the only reason you help out,” I teased.
“Got plans tonight?”
“Grading,” I replied with a reluctant sigh. “I have a stack of essays due back tomorrow.”
He nodded, squeezing my hand. “Then I’ll get you home early after dinner. You can grade. I’ll stay out of your way…mostly.”
I was thrilled that he wanted to have dinner with me again. We’d already gone to the steakhouse his club owned on Sunday night and the pizza place across the street from the bookstore yesterday. I’d assumed lunch was the only time I’d see him today, and I couldn’t be happier about being wrong. “Mostly?”
His smirk was pure trouble. “Can’t promise I won’t steal a few kisses while you work.”
We finished eating, and he helped me clean up the containers before I walked him out to the visitor parking lot. As soon as we stepped outside, his arm slid around my waist, and he pulled me close against his side.
When we got to his motorcycle, he turned me to face him, one hand coming up to cup my jaw while the other stayed on my lower back. Pressing me closer, he captured my mouth in a deep kiss that made my knees weak and left me wanting so much more.
He finally pulled back, and his eyes burned with a passion I wanted him to unleash on me. “I’ll see you tonight, Saylor.”
I watched him ride away, already counting the hours.
The restof the week passed in a delicious blur. Levi brought me lunch again on Friday, took me to dinner twice, and I even stopped by The Pit one afternoon after school just to watch him work. Every day brought another thoughtful gesture, additional kisses that left me aching for more, and a growing certainty that I was falling for this man faster than I could keep up with.
By the time Saturday evening rolled around, I buzzed with nervous excitement for our night at Redline Speedway.
I stood in front of my bedroom mirror, turning side to side as I smoothed my hands down the soft black leather pants Rain talked me into buying earlier today. They were nothing like my usual teacher wardrobe, hugging my hips and legs like a second skin.
My phone was on speaker on the dresser. Rain’s voice filled the room. “Stop worrying. Those pants are lethal. Century’s not going to know what hit him.”
I tugged at the hem of my fitted black tank top. It was simple but clung in all the right places. “You’re sure? I feel a little extra. We’re going to the races on his bike, and I wanted to look like I belong there. Plus, I’m hoping it drives him a little wild, like he does to me every time I see him.”
“I was there when you tried them on in the store, so I know I’m right when I say he’s going to lose his mind.” Rain cackled. “You look hot. Own it.”
