When I turn back to the action, Levi has his arms full of little boy. The kid is wrapped around him like a blanket, and Levi is speaking softly to him. The boy nods once, and then he pulls back, his smile revealing a gap where he’s recently lost a couple of teeth. As I sit here watching him cuddle the small child, I feel my stomach perform flips and there’s a funny tightening in my chest that forces all the oxygen from my lungs. And the only thought that runs through my head is that this man is amazing. Totally, completely, and utterly wonderful and I know…I might be falling for him.
“Same time next week?” Levi asks him.
“Hell yeah. Make sure you remember to bring a box of tissues, ‘cause you’re gonna be crying like a baby when you lose.”
“The only thing I’m going to bring with me is a bar of soap ‘cause you’re gonna need it after I mop the floor with you.”
“Dude, lame.”
“What? I thought that was pretty awesome.” Levi pouts, but it’s quickly forgotten. Reaching out, he rubs the boy’s head the way he would if he still had hair, then holds out his fist for him to pound. “Next week, bro.”
“Better bring that A-game.”
“Dude, always.” Turning, Levi finds me and walks over. “You ready to take off?”
“Yep.” Standing, I stretch my legs then head for the exit with Levi’s hand at my back to guide me. We’re only stopped a handful of times on the way so some of the parents can thank him for spending time with their kids. One couple, though, nearly brings me to tears at the sight of their own when they thank him for settling their hospital bills so they won’t lose their house while their daughter receives treatment.
What Levi is doing here is far more than just providing recreation to a bunch of bored kids. It’s more than a pet project. He’s changing lives.
Levi is quiet on the way back to his motorcycle. I’m not sure what he’s thinking, but I get the feeling that his head is back upstairs with those kids instead of here with me.
“Does David know what you’re doing here?” I ask him as we navigate the maze of hallways back toward the parking garage.
“He knows I have a foundation for kids,” he responds darkly.
“He doesn’t know you’re helping all those families?”
The set of automatic double doors slide open as we approach, granting us access to the underground garage, and our footsteps echo on the concrete as we make our way to his bike.
“This,” Levi says as he helps me fasten the helmet on, “is mine. It has nothing to do with my father, and that’s how I plan to keep it.”
“So it’s a secret?” I ask, confused.
“No, like I said, he knows it exists. He just doesn’t know my level of involvement. If he did, I’d never hear the end of it.”
“But why? Wouldn’t it be good for your image to be involved with something like this?”
Swinging his leg over the bike, Levi gets situated then waits for me to join him. The moment I do, he reaches back, grabbing my thighs and pulling me snug up against his back. I love when he does that. It causes little flutters in my stomach to be so close.
“What’s good for the image isn’t always good for the wallet. At the end of the day, my father is more concerned with the bottom line.”
The engine roars to life, filling the cavernous space. I guess that’s my cue to close my mouth and enjoy the ride. Flattening my palms against his rigid abdomen, I press my cheek to his shoulder and close my eyes as we pull out and blend into the city traffic.
16
When Vista came down the stairs in her little red polka dot bikini showing plainly through a flowing sheer dress, I thought I’d mixed the wrong pills and was hallucinating. Turns out she was serious when she said she wanted to use the pool. Indulging her, I put on my swim trunks and escorted her downstairs to the in-house pool. It’s fancy, even by my standards. Made to look like some Roman bathhouse, it’s decked out in imported tiles with reliefs on the ceiling depicting what I assume to be mythical gods, and there are potted ferns every-freaking-where.
Even a rich prick like me has to shake his head at the sight.
“This is where we’re going to do it?” Vista’s eyes are wide, darting everywhere as she tries to soak it all in at once.
“As many times as you want,” I tell her, smirking when she levels me with one of her disapproving frowns that make her forehead wrinkle adorably.
“I’m not even going to dignify that with a response.”
With her chin held high, she takes the lead. There are chairs set up around the entire perimeter of the pool for the residents, and Vista chooses one¸ dropping her towel at the foot and, no lie, when she strips off the sundress, I think I have a stroke.
She has the most beautiful body I have ever seen on a woman. Fit, firm, curvy in all the right places. I love her ass most of all. At the pond, I had my fingers buried in those cheeks so hard she probably had bruises for days after, and I’ve been anticipating when I can do it again. Despite her determination to keep me at arm’s length, I can’t get her off my mind.
Approaching the edge of the pool, she dips her toes into it to test the temperature. “I’m assuming you know how to swim?” she asks sarcastically over her shoulder.
“Like a fish.” Dropping my towel at the foot of the chair next to hers, I stand facing her with my arms folded over my chest.
“I think we’ll start with a couple laps to get your blood pumping.”
“I can think of a few other things that will get my blood pumping.” She casts me another look over her shoulder and I wink at her, which only irritates her more. Or so she pretends. Personally, I think she likes it when I play with her. I know I do.
“So laps. I think one or two should do it. Just remember to take it easy. The water provides a natural resistance. You won’t realize how tired your muscles are until you get out of the pool.”
“I know how it works, princess. Are you planning to join me?” Taking the hem of my shirt between my fingers, I pull the material over my head and toss it aside with my towel. When I look up, I find Vista’s eyes on my chest, openly staring.
A small smile forms as I walk toward her. “If you want it, don’t be ashamed to ask for it.”
Blinking up at me, that deer in the headlight look she has from being caught quickly morphs into a death glare. “I’m not asking.”
“Maybe your mouth isn’t,” I say, leaning down and placing mine next to her ear, “but your body definitely is.” Turning my face toward hers, I let my beard scrape gently across her flushed cheek before placing a light kiss beside her mouth. Her lips part slightly, and I hear the sharp intake of breath at the contact. She wants me. I don’t know why she resists so hard.
“We already did it once. What’s one more time?” I hold her gaze in mine for a few beats before backing off. “When you’re ready to live again, let me know.” Then I dive into the pool and let the water envelope me.
My breath momentarily evaporates as my lungs constrict and my body adjusts to the change in temperature. Kicking my legs, I push myself through the water at a furious pace, making it to the opposite end of the pool in a matter of seconds. I haven’t been swimming like this in a while, unless hot tubbing with super models counts. It’s nice to be back in the water, the smell of chlorine everywhere.
When my hands touch the smooth tiled wall, I flip deeper beneath the surface. Once I’m turned around, I kick off, using the wall to jettison me back to the opposite side and returning even faster than I went.