“What I’ve come to realize is that it doesn’t matter how many women want me, just which woman wants me. And there’s only one woman whose opinion of me matters right now.”
I hold her narrowed gaze until dawning lights in them. For a split second, the little lines around her eyes vanish and I almost think she might smile, but she recovers herself quickly.
“Keywords: right now. I wasn’t born yesterday, Levi, so don’t presume me to be one of your nitwit groupies who can’t tell the difference between the truth and a crappy pickup line.”
With more strength than I would have guessed her to have, Vista places her hands on my chest and shoves. Knocking me off balance, I fall back a couple steps, just enough to give her room to pass.
“So you’re saying I need to work on my technique?”
Gripping the door, she’s practically seething as she stares up at me. “I’m saying you need to find yourself a different practice dummy.” Then she slams the door in my face.
A smile tugs at my lips. Vista has more guts than I realized. No woman has ever turned me down. Up until last night, I thought that was pretty damn awesome. I never understood why some men got off on chasing women around, dating, and buying them things to earn their attention. Now, I’m beginning to appreciate the thrill of the chase. Is that what Vista’s looking for, a guy who will chase her?
Leaning in, I push my face close to the door so I know she’ll hear me. “You know what I think, Vista?” Her silence only spurs me on. “I don’t think you want me to go away. I think you want me to chase you. Well, princess, you’ve got your wish, because you’re the only dummy I want to chase.”
Something slams against the door and bounces twice on the floor. A shoe? Throwing my head back I belt out a laugh. Damn, she’s a spitfire.
Game on.
7
That son of a bitch! He thinks he’s so funny. He won’t be laughing when I finally snap and lube up his shower floor with massage oil. Temporary insanity. No judge in the world would convict me.
I’ve been finding little tokens of his humor around the penthouse all week. It started with the “Dating for Dummies” handbook, followed by a CD waiting on the foot of my bed after stepping out of the shower—Crash Test Dummies. Today, I answered the door to a bundle of white calla lilies delivered by a man dressed as a crash test dummy.
I have to admit, the last surprise gave me a chuckle. Levi is pretty creative when it comes to winning a girl over, and I’m sure that’s exactly what he’s doing. I just don’t understand why. Why would he want me now, after all this time, when it was so easy for him to cast me aside before? If I were still a naïve eighteen year old girl I might be taken by all of this, but instead I just find it upsetting. I don’t want to be wooed, and I refuse to be snowed. Levi Black is good for a laugh, and that’s about all.
Carrying the giant bouquet of flowers into the kitchen, I take a moment to inhale their scent before dumping them in the sink. He thinks a couple of laughs and a few flowers will make me want to fall into bed with him? Then he’s a fool.
Speak of the devil. I’ve just pressed the button on the disposal when Levi descends the stairs.
Instantly, I feel the heat of guilt creep into my face, and I move to plant myself in front of the sink in order to block his view. But the noise is loud enough to garner his attention.
Smiling, Levi enters the room and heads straight for the refrigerator, pulling out a jug of chocolate milk. “What are you doing over there?”
“Reducing some garbage,” I say with a shrug.
“Yeah, I know. It interrupted my beauty sleep.” Craning his neck, he attempts to see past me. “That’s not the neighbor’s dog, is it? I know he can be a little rowdy sometimes, but it’s no reason to stuff him down a drain.”
“You don’t have any neighbors,” I point out.
“Oh, that’s right.” He nods slowly, pondering this as a suspicious smile begins to creep across his face. Before I have time to react, Levi is all motion, leaping at me and moving me aside by my shoulders.
I freeze, knowing what he’s about to see. The disposal has done its job, grinding the flowers down, but not fast enough. Levi’s expression flattens when he sees the green stems sticking out of the drain.
I half expect him to shout or scold me or make another wise crack, but Levi just reaches over and turns the water on. I’m holding my breath, studying him closely, just waiting for his reaction...but it never comes.
In a low voice that rumbles from deep within his chest, Levi says, “It works better if you run the water.”
Turning away from me, he starts off toward the stairs again and I know—I’ve hurt him. Instant regret slams into me and I reach out. “Levi, wait.” My hand on his arm stops him in his tracks, but Levi doesn’t turn around. He just stands there, staring straight ahead, his back and shoulders rigid, and the tension continues to grow.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t—I thought it was just another joke.”
Waiting for him to say something is torture, and when he finally does decide to speak, I hear the defeat in his tone despite the lightness he tries to inject into it.
“Nothing to be sorry for. Like you said, it was just another joke.”
This time he doesn’t stop when I call his name. I wait for him the rest of the day, ordering Chinese takeout for dinner and setting up a movie for us to watch together. We’re supposed to carve out some time to work on his flexibility, too, but he leaves me waiting. Wondering.
Levi Black has checked out on me, and even though I have every right to be angry with him, I’m the one who feels like an s.o.b.
***
Bump…Bump...Bump.
I toss and turn in my bed, listening to the repetitive sound that’s slowly driving me insane. What the hell is that noise?
Bump...Bump...Bump.
Focusing my attention, I get up on my knees and listen.
Bump...Bump...Bump.
The abstract of naked women hanging over my bed vibrates subtly as the noise continues, and I release a low growl of annoyance.
Damn Levi.
Leaping from the bed, I march into the hallway and pound my fist against his door. “It’s seven in the morning, asshole!”
The jerk doesn’t answer me, but I know he’s in there. Standing outside his bedroom door, I can hear the bumping sound even clearer. My nerves twitch as I grab for the handle and shove the door open, but I’ll be damned if he’s going to keep this up.
Decorated in rich, masculine tones, Levi’s room is a mirror image of mine. He’s lying on the bed, his head at the bottom and his feet buried in pillows. In his hand is a soccer ball and I watch as he pulls his arm back and throws it at the wall.
Bump.
“Do you know what’s on the other side of that wall? My head,” I answer as he continues to throw the ball. “What’s your problem? Are you still butthurt over the flowers?”
His head twists on the blankets and he scowls at me. “I told you, I don’t care about the flowers.”
“Then why have you been moping around up here in your room for the last twelve hours?”
“Your face was starting to annoy me.”
“Ha, I’d almost believe that if you didn’t get a hard-on every time you looked at it.”
“You can leave now.”
“Make me.” He throws the ball again and I snort a little laugh. “See, moping.” Even if he won’t admit it, I know he’s upset, and I can’t bring myself to walk away. For some reason, I feel the need to fix this.