“Yeah, and you therapized and traumatized me, so now it’s your turn.”
She chuckled. “That’s not how that works.”
I smirked. “I don’t care. I’m nosy.”
She rolled her eyes, and I had deja vu from when we were younger and I’d try to hang out with her, Claire, and Savannah, but I was too young. But now I wasn’t, so I wasn’t taking no for an answer. “Fine. It’s your jackass of a brother. I had him before you, and he wants to quit therapy. He thinks it’s not helping.”
I frowned. That didn’t sound like Emmett to just quit something. “Do you think it is?”
“It would if he’d open up to me and say more than two words,” she grumbled, staring out at the pastures. “He’s not even giving it a real chance. I’m not giving up on him, though. I can see that he wants the help deep down. I think he’s just scared to talk to me.”
“It’s hard to be vulnerable like that,” I said. I could only imagine the things he’d seen and done while he was in the Army.
“Yeah,” she sighed. “I’ll just have to wear his ass down.”
I squeezed her arm. “If anyone can, it’s you.”
She smirked, determination sharp in her eyes when she looked at me. “You’re damn right.”
I left Golden Bridle feeling motivated. I rehearsed what I was going to say to Levi the whole ride home. I’d sit him down when he got home from work, tell him I didn’t know what I was doing, and to be patient with me because I wanted to be with him, however that looked.
It sounded like a great plan until I pulled into the driveway and saw his car.
“What is he doing here?” I whispered to myself, panicked.
My heart was pounding when I walked inside, shutting the door quietly behind me. I looked around, and he wasn’t in the living room or the kitchen. I turned to go down the hall to his office, barely able to breathe with anticipation after my conversation with Delilah. He came out of my room—his room—at the same time, in nothing but a towel slung low on his hips.
My jaw dropped.
He stopped short when my keys hit the ground with a crash, his eyes wide. “Tess.” He swallowed hard. “What are you doing here?”
There was so much skin. Wet, golden, perfect skin. A drop of water rolled down his chest and along the trail of black hair that disappeared beneath the towel. My mouth went dry. “Levi,” I breathed, dazed, taking a step towards him.
“Sorry,” he said, gripping the towel. “I thought you were still at the ranch.” His voice was rough, grating in the best way.
“No.” Another step.
He cleared his throat. “I’ll uh…I’ll go put some clothes on.” He was so close, I could smell his body wash.
“Don’t,” I whispered, stopping in front of him. He was frozen, his eyes locked on mine, waiting with bated breath to see what I’d do next. Funny thing was, I was waiting to see what I’d do, too.
I was right, he did look sexy with his hair wet, and I wanted to feel it.
I took Delilah’s advice and reached up, brushing the wet strands of hair off his forehead. My fingers skimmed down the side of his face and along his strong jaw. He swayed, his lips parting with a shallow breath. “I like you just like this,” I whispered.
His eyes fluttered shut, his breathing erratic. His knuckles went white around the towel. “Are you trying to kill me?”
I met his gaze, licking my lips. His eyes were like fire, blazing with the same need that was burning through me. “Maybe.”
His chest was heaving now, brushing against mine with every quick inhale. “Where’s Luke?”
“At Anna’s. He won’t be home for hours.”
He nodded and threaded a hand through my hair before crashing his lips against mine. The kiss was punishing, brutal, and hard to keep up with. My back met the wall with a thud, but we didn’t stop. Couldn’t stop. His hair was wet between my fingers, water droplets running down my hand. He touched me everywhere, like he couldn’t decide where he wanted to explore first. Like he wanted to memorize every inch of me. My head fell back with a gasp when he kissed my neck, trailing his tongue along my feverish skin.
“Levi,” I whimpered when his teeth skimmed my collarbone. My blood roared through my veins, drowning out everything but the pounding of my heart.
“Fuck,” he groaned against my skin. “You sound better than I could’ve imagined.” His hand slid under my shirt, reaching for my bra. The clasp popped open, and I ripped my shirt and bra off, tossing them to the floor.
