When Ash came, having totally abandoned herself to me, I couldn’t stop myself from cradling her in my arms, totally satiated even though I hadn’t orgasmed.

  What. The. Fuck.

  We both tensed at the same time.

  Ash reached for my waistband but I stopped her. I loved sex and loved pleasuring my partner, but I suddenly felt too exposed. If she touched me, I’d fall apart.

  “I don’t have a condom,” I said.

  Of course, Ash took that as a dare and wriggled against me.

  35

  “Ashira.” My Italian accent was coming out. It was too much. I had to stop this before I revealed a part of myself that might feel amazing to unburden in the dark of night, but that would come back and hurt me in the morning.

  Sunlight wasn’t good for shadows.

  “I can think of at least six things that don’t require one,” she said. “Seven if you’re very good.”

  Pulling away from her was one of the hardest things I’d ever done. Even so, I couldn’t help giving her one last, brief kiss. “I’m going in.”

  “Good idea,” she said frostily. “My fingers are prunes.”

  I was an asshole. But the whole “it’s not you, it’s me,” would only make things worse.

  Maybe it was better if she hated me. I mean, it had worked for us up until now. But when she locked the sliding door once we got inside, that click resonated in my hollow chest.

  “Ash…”

  “Yeah?” She could barely look at me.

  “Nothing.”

  She wrung out her hair. “If you were going to ask me not to ever mention this, don’t worry. I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  I’d brought this on myself and I still couldn’t stop the flash of anger that speared through me at her relegating me to a dirty secret. “Good. So long as we understand each other.”

  “Perfectly.” She swept out of the room.

  Leaving me to a night of cold sheets and regret.

  36

  Scene #4: It’s Complicated

  Caitlin was smart, funny, and beautiful. I’d been looking forward to our date, so what the fuck was wrong with me that all I felt was a mild buzz of enjoyment in her company?

  I threw some salt into the pasta water, laughing at her animated story about a recent meeting with some funders. She was charmingly self-deprecating about her mistake, making a wry face as she laughed off her case of mistaken identity.

  The buzzer to my front gate rang. “Sorry,” I said. “Let me find out who that is.”

  “Should I–?” She motioned topping up our glasses.

  “Sounds good.” I strode into the foyer and pressed the button. “Yes?”

  “It’s Ash. I need to talk to you.”

  I hadn’t seen her since she’d run out of my office, upset about her mother. I wanted to ask her how she was doing, if she wanted to talk about it, or if she still saw the Van Gogh lying dead on the floor in a pool of his blood when she closed her eyes, but that wasn’t my place.

  “Can this wait until tomorrow?” I said.

  “I found out something about Talia that you need to know.”

  This was going to ruin a perfectly pleasant evening. On the other hand, I couldn’t afford to wait on news like this.

  “Oh. Uh, okay.” I buzzed her in, and opened the door.

  She wore leather pants that made her legs look a mile long, with a fitted tank top, and this skinny metallic scarf around her neck. I curled my fingers into my palms so I didn’t reach for her to unwind it and press my lips against her skin.

  “Come in,” I said and led her to my study.

  37

  It was pretty basic except for the massive aquarium filled with tropical fish. Ash had an affinity with jellyfish, and I wondered if she’d recognize I understood the appeal of watching an underwater world filled with strange and beautiful creatures, but she didn’t comment on it.

  I sat on my desk. “What’s up?”

  “It’s about Talia.”

  “The Party told the press about the virus,” I said. “It’s an excuse to finally get us under their thumb.”

  “While they’re confirming your involvement with the third-party smudges.” She nodded.

  “Remember that woman in hot pink who was fairly insistent about the House being behind the smudges at the auction? She works for my mother. I met her today.”

  “How did they find out about the smudges? Or the auction? It wasn’t public knowledge outside the criminal fringe.” Picking up the fish food, I fed the little guys, organizing my thoughts of how this could have come about. And why everything kept circling back to Ash.

  “Talia’s tight with them, is she?”

  “No, but she’s chummy with Daniel Hughes, the criminal defense lawyer.”

  Hell. The fish were swimming like mad to the surface. I stopped myself before I accidentally shook in the entire can. “Why are you telling me? Talia is your mother. I’m just your…”

  Finish the sentence.

  She didn’t.

  “You don’t owe me this confidence,” I said.

  “I don’t owe Talia anything either.”

  38

  Caitlin cleared her throat from the doorway. “Hi. Sorry for interrupting. The timer went off for the pasta.”

  “I didn’t realize you were entertaining.” Ash’s voice was mild, but the glint in her eye was anything but.

  I tamped down on a grin.

  “No worries,” Caitlin said. “My work phoned at least four times before Levi poured the wine. I’ll take the pasta off.” She left.

  Caitlin was a remarkable woman and about a thousand times less annoying than Ash.

  “You neglected to mention your girlfriend,” Ash said.

  “My what?” I frowned.

  “Dr. Ryan.”

  “I see lots of people but if you’re implying I’m exclusive with someone, I’m not.” I was an asshole, not a douchebag. “If I was seeing someone, I wouldn’t cheat.”

  “Maybe you don’t consider it cheating when only one of us got off.”

  “Cheating is cheating.”

  “I’ll take your word for it. But if that’s the kind of woman you usually date, you’re way outside your comfort zone hanging around with me. I’m nothing like her.”

  “Stop selling yourself short.”

  She laughed bitterly. “I wasn’t.” She stood up. “I’ll see myself out. And note to self, don’t bug you outside office hours.”

  “Wait.” I slid off the desk. “We made this date weeks ago.”

  “You're my client. You don’t owe me an explanation.”

  39

  No, I didn’t, and there was no reason to justify myself, except I didn’t want her walking out of this room mad.

  I stroked her palm with my thumb and she shivered. “I had my fingers inside you last night,” I said in a low voice. “You called my name when you came. I’m a bit more than your client.”

  For a second, she wore that same soft, dreamy expression as when she’d orgasmed, and my dick went hard.

  “You were also ill-advised, right?” She jerked away. “I’d had a shock. You were there and did an admirable job of getting my mind off things. Thank you for your service.”

  I swept an arm through the air. “Ma vaffanculo. So anyone would have done?”

  “Well, they’d have to be pretty. I do have standards.”

  I ground my teeth together, willing her to take those words back, because that wasn’t what it had been and we both knew it.

  Ash folded her arms under her chest, clearly done with this entire conversation. I should have moved aside and let her go, but I was stuck on the swell of her breasts under the curved edge of that top.

  I met her eyes, dilated to a rich chocolate brown. The truth of that night, even if we couldn’t name it and didn’t understand it, shimmered between us like static electricity.

  “Levi,” Caitlin called out. “Where’s the parmesan?”

  “That’s my cue,” Ash said. Move.”

  I did. “I’ll see you at work.”

  40

  I listened for the front door closing, then I mustered up a smile, and went back to Caitlin, who’d found the colander and was draining the pasta. “Here, let me. Sorry about the interruption.”

  The rest of the evening passed by in a blur of enjoyable conversation and good food, but there wouldn’t be another date with Caitlin. It would be so much easier if I wanted one. Which didn’t mean I’d see Ash or–

  “This has been fun, but I’m going to head out.” Caitlin smiled at me. “Good luck with her.”

  I winced. “I really did enjoy tonight and I hope I didn’t make you think otherwise.”

  “You didn’t. I foresee a long friendship between us.”

  “That would be nice.”

  I walked her to her car, kissing her cheek when she left, and waving her off into the night.

  Then I headed inside, bound for a cold shower, and determined not spend yet another night fantasizing about infuriating women who fought me at every turn, filled my world with chaos, and tasted like sunshine and redemption.

  Thanks for reading!

  @2020 Deborah Wilde

 

 

  Unknown, Microsoft Word - Levi Collection Vol 1.docx

 

 

  Thank you for reading books on GrayCity.Net
Share this book with friends