When he set her down on her feet again, he pressed his forehead to Jilly’s. “What now?”
“Now, you kiss me.”
She would absolutely never have to ask him twice.
Twenty-one
Teenaged Jilly had written many diary entries on what it would be like to be teenaged Levi’s girlfriend. The way he would look at her, talk to her, how he’d make her feel. Adult Jilly couldn’t believe that all of those imaginings and wonderings would have paled in comparison to actually being Levi Bright’s girl.
After their amazing date, he found ways to let her know he was thinking about her even with both of them being busy. They also found a way to merge their schedules with him helping out for not one but two events at the lodge. Shane had politely requested he not be on the schedule until June first when the lodge opened, and Grayson asked Levi if he’d be interested in cooking for Ollie’s class on their overnight.
Ollie, unsurprisingly, found the presence of another adult in her life perfectly acceptable and fun. Jilly and Levi tried to keep the PDA down to a minimum with her daughter around, but all that did was make her feel desperate in the moments she got Levi alone. Part of her didn’t recognize herself. She didn’t understand thecravingto see him and make him laugh.
Standing in the foyer of the lodge, one of her favorite rooms, she pulled in some deep breaths, let them out. Grayson would bestaying the night tonight so she could get home for Ollie, but the team from Inspire Fitness was currently en route. She was really doing it.
Levi startled her when he approached from behind, slipping his arms around her waist and nuzzling her neck. She felt like Ollie, amped up and excited, wanting everything all at once.
She tilted her head, inhaling the scent of him and herbs she couldn’t identify. “You smell good,” she told him as she put her hands on top of his.
“I just took focaccia bread out of the oven. You’re smelling the rosemary.”
She turned in his arms, pressed her lips to the underside of his jaw. He hadn’t shaved in a couple of days. An image of his few days’ growth rasping over sensitive skin burned into her brain.
“It’s my new favorite,” she said, going up on tiptoes.
“You’re my favorite,” he said, kissing her lightly, his lips nearly ghosting hers as his hold on her tightened. He trailed up to her ear, taking the lobe between his teeth. When his lips found hers again, he swallowed her gasp of pleasure, and she couldn’t stop her hands from tunneling into his hair, her fingers from curling around the soft locks.
She pulled back, stepped out of his embrace, her fingers going to her lips. “We need to stop.” She pointed at him. “You’re too good at that.” Smoothing her hands down her shirt did nothing to temper the fire inside of her for this man. “We have people arriving. How the hell do Presley and Beckett work together and get anything done?”
Jilly was talking more to herself than him, so his bark of laugher surprised her. “God, I adore you. You’re so freaking sweet and wonderful.”
Oh.Her breath whooshed out of her lungs. “See? That rightthere, along with your lips. You need to go. Back to the kitchen. I have things to do.”
He smiled, took a step toward her with an adorable glint in his gaze. She held out her hand, flattening it in a “stop” signal. He held both hands up, still laughing.
“There’s snacks in the dining room for guests. Dinner will be ready for seven, which gives you enough time for the team-building activities. I made pastries and muffins for the morning that Gray will put out and I’ll head back over with you in the morning to prepare lunch.”
Jilly nodded briskly. Good. Right. This was better. On track. He was still laughing when he walked back toward the kitchen. Fresh air. She needed fresh air.
The grounds were in good shape, the cabins were ready, and, unlike last year, all of the rooms were ready to be occupied. She’d updated the online calendar this morning and there were six weeks of the summer that were booked to capacity.
Passing one of the larger, unused outbuildings next to the shed on the right side of the house, Jillian took the little footpath into the area where Grayson, Beckett, and Levi had created a challenge run. Beckett, who owned a small percentage of the sporting goods store in Smile, had a connection to a company that sent them a simple ropes course and a handful of easy-to-implement activities that worked within the insurance they had for guests.
Staring at the thick yellow corded rope stretched low between several trees, she imagined Ollie becoming an expert at this. Taking her phone out, she started to text her mom to send Ollie a picture when her phone rang.
“Hello?”
Noise from the front of the lodge alerted her that the guests were there.
“Jillian,” Andrew said.
She sighed. “Not a good time, Andrew. I’m at work.”
“I saw on Facebook. Camping? Right? That’s your new job? Playing in the woods with your brother?”
She squeezed the bridge of her nose and dug for patience. “Sure. What do you want?”
“I’ve spent a lot of time thinking and planning and working toward rebuilding our lives, Jillian. What Iwantis to see my wife and daughter.”
