When Life Happened by Jewel E. Ann
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Levi loved brilliant ideas, drawing tall buildings, racing down the interstate at insane speeds, and making Parker smile. He didn’t know for sure what changed her mind, but he didn’t wait to find out. The faster he could get her out of town—out of her head—the better. By the time they reached Wichita, it was past dinner time. It surprised him that she didn’t say anything about being hungry. Parker didn’t say much at all. She seemed content staring out the window, maybe watching the road passing, maybe reflecting on something he couldn’t understand.
He had time to figure her out, but he didn’t want to rush any of it. She would surrender those pieces in her own time. Everything given. Nothing taken.
“I thought we’d never stop. I’m starving.” She unbuckled as they pulled into the hotel’s parking garage.
Levi gave her a narrow-eyed look. “I asked you at least a half a dozen times if you needed me to stop.”
“No.” With stiff movements, she eased out of the car and stretched her arms over her head. “You asked me if I needed to use the restroom, not if I needed to eat. You let Rags out at two different rest areas, but never did you stop for food.”
He got Rags out, attaching his leash. “I want to know what you need, even if I don’t ask it in the correct way. Okay?”
She grinned, a little shy, a little foolish guilt as she shrugged. “Okay.”
“Let’s get checked into a room and then we’ll grab some dinner.”
They let Rags do his business then went to the front desk.
“We need a room for the night, please,” Levi said to the gentleman at the front desk.
“Two beds,” Parker whispered in Levi’s ear.
“Two queen beds, please.” He didn’t give her a second glance. She asked him to forget about what happened so he couldn’t use it as an excuse to assume it would happen again.
“Did you have a reservation?” the front desk clerk asked.
“No.”
“We don’t have any rooms with two beds. In fact, I only have two rooms available, and they’re both suites.”
“We’ll take them.”
Parker nudged his arm. “No. Don’t get two suites. One is going to be plenty expensive. I’ll sleep on a sofa or in a chair.”
He twisted his lips, looking down at her. She would sleep on the sofa? He’d never allow it.
“There’s an extra fee for pets.”
“That’s fine. Well take one of the suites, thank you.”
They took the elevator to the twelfth floor.
“We should stick to more affordable hotels for the rest of the trip.” Parker grinned with a wrinkled nose. “And maybe plan it out tonight so we can make reservations and not get stuck with suites. You realize they probably had a cheaper room, but you were too agreeable. You really should have pushed him harder for a regular room.”
“Hmm … maybe.” Levi twisted his mouth, looking straight ahead at the mirrored elevator doors and the reflection of the beautiful woman beside him with a shaggy dog in the middle.
They stepped off the elevator and made their way to the corner suite at the end of the hall. Levi opened the door and carried in their suitcases as she led Rags inside by his leash.
“Dang, this is a nice room. How much is it a night?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t say, and I didn’t ask.”
“What?” She let Rags off his leash to sniff the huge suite. “You just don’t want to tell me.”
“True. If I knew, I probably wouldn’t want to tell you, but if you asked enough times, I’d either tell you or have to sweat through my lie.”
“Oh …” She winked. “No Lie Levi.”
“I don’t love that name.” He frowned.
“Sorry. I’ll come up with something more original.”
“Levi works.” He sat on the purple velvety-looking sofa, arms stretched across the back. The simple-but-elegant furnishings had rich fabrics.
Parker followed Rags into the bedroom, situated in the corner of the building, showcasing two different nighttime views of the city. The king bed had an inviting, puffy, down comforter and equally fluffy pillows. White painted double doors opened to a spacious, marble walk-in shower and a separate soaker tub.
“Monogrammed robes. Yup, you’re spending a fortune on this room.”
He looked over her shoulder as she continued to gawk at the bathroom.
Parker turned, invading his space with hints of vanilla and lavender that still clung to her skin after hours in the car. Levi wanted to do very dirty things to her. The night in the back of the pickup wouldn’t stop replaying in an endless loop in his head.
He took a step back to give her some space and so he could breathe. “I saw a McDonald’s on the corner. We might want to eat cheap.”
He eyed her suspiciously. “Do you like McDonald’s?”
She shrugged. “It’s fine. I don’t usually eat fast food but in a pinch, it works.”
“There’s a restaurant downstairs. We could eat there.”
“Probably pretty pricey. McDonald’s is fine.”
“I’ll call down and order something to be delivered.”
“What?” Her head jerked back. “Don’t do that. Then we’ll have a delivery fee. I’ll go down and get it.”
He sat on the edge of the bed and dialed down to the restaurant. “What sounds good?”
Parker shrugged. “Anything. I’m not picky.”
Levi ordered two of their specials for the night and a bottle of wine. He covered the speaker to the phone. “Do you like wine?”
Another shrug as she stared out the window. “If it’s good wine.”
“What do you consider good wine?”
She laughed. “The kind that doesn’t taste bad.”
He removed his hand from the speaker. “Forget the wine. Two bottles of beer, IPAs, something local if you have it. Okay … thank you, bye.”
Parker turned to face him, her hands behind her back, resting on the ledge of the window. He leaned back on the bed, fingers laced behind his head. His T-shirt rose up a couple inches, exposing some skin. Her eyes zeroed in on it for a few seconds before meeting his gaze.
“Comfy bed?”
“It’s not bad.” He patted the area beside him.
With a pensive expression, she studied the bed for a few seconds before walking over and easing onto it, keeping as close to the edge as possible without falling off. He wasn’t so sure that she wouldn’t fall off if he moved and caused the mattress to shift even an inch.
“Tell me what being a person in your life involves. My job description is a little sketchy.”
“Well …” He pursed his lips. “You travel with me if I want you to and if you want to. We eat together. Walk Rags together. Golf together. Go to concerts, movies, and Broadway shows. Attend car shows. Get coffee. Exercise—”
“Exercise?” She rolled on her side, head propped up on her bent arm. “And by exercise you mean?”
“Whatever you like to do. Interval training, rebounding, whatever.”
“And your favorite exercise?”
Rolling toward the middle, he mirrored her. “What about it?”
Parker swallowed hard, cheeks blooming red. “Did you ask me to be a person in your life to have sex with me?”
The corners of his lips curled. She didn’t say again. “No.”
“Really?”
Levi cocked his head a bit, giving her a frown. She nodded once as if acknowledging his truth. It was a half-truth. After years of practice, No Lie Levi figured out how to give half-truths without breaking a sweat or fidgeting too much.
“Hypothetically, if a woman had sex with you, would she have to worry about anything like … I don’t know, maybe STDs?”
Levi grinned. “Not unless the last woman I had sex with gave me something.”
Her eyes narrowed before giving him a sour smile. “Well, I hope for your sake she didn’t give you anything, and I hope for her sake you didn’t get her pregnant.”
He trapped his lower lip between his teeth and nodded slowly. “Terrible assumption on my part, but I’d guess most single women her age are on some sort of birth control, but … I pulled out anyway, so the chances are pretty slim that she’s pregnant.”
“You did not pull out.”
He chuckled. “How would you know? Were you there?”
She picked at invisible lint on the bed. “Well … no. But, I’m just saying if I were having sex with a guy, I’d know if he pulled out.”
“What if you were too drunk? What if you were doing something so fucking stupid you couldn’t remember the end?”
“Can we talk about something different?”
“You brought it up.”
“Well, now I’m dropping it.”
“Then we drop it.”
“Show me your tattoos,” she whispered.
“Tattoos? How do you know I have more than one?”
Biting her lower lip, her eyes roamed his body as if she was trying to figure out the answer. “Just a hunch.”
Levi held out his arm. She traced the outline of a skyscraper.
“Explain.” Her eyes shifted to meet his gaze. A toothy grin that he adored took over her lips.
“It’s the first building I designed.”
Her shiny eyes reflected depths of places he hoped to go some day. “Where is it?”
“Right here. On my arm.” He chuckled.
“No kidding. I mean where is the actual building?”
“On my arm.”
She glared at him.
He laughed. “I’m serious. I designed it for an insurance company in Manhattan. Two other architects submitted designs too. Mine wasn’t chosen.”
He didn’t want to move as Parker absentmindedly continued tracing it. Maybe if she touched him, she’d remember how it felt when he touched her. Because he wanted to touch her again so fucking bad.
“I’ve designed over a hundred structures, this one is still my favorite. I’ve brought out the blueprints dozens of times trying to figure out what I could have done differently—done better. But even now, eight years later, I still can’t find a single thing I’d change. I think it will forever be my best design.” He laughed. “And the only one that doesn’t actually exist.”
“I like that story.”
He curled his arm across his stomach as if she’d punched him in the gut. “No! Don’t say that. It’s a terrible story. So tragic.”
“Over a hundred of your designs are out there in the world, probably being occupied by all walks of life. I bet millions of pictures of your ‘art’ exist in cyber photo world, even blown up on peoples’ walls in sleek frames. So what if the one you didn’t get to share exists only on your arm. You get to see it every day, like a car you love, or a favorite coffee shop on your way to work, or the wet nose of your dog nuzzling your face before your alarm goes off.”
Or the girl before me.
She tugged at her lower lip, but it didn’t hide her grin—the grin he wanted to kiss off her face more than anything else at that moment. But … she would have to give it to him. He would take nothing from her again. No more regrets.
“Think about it, Levi, it’s pretty cool that you’ve made so many ‘marks’ on the world, but the one you love the most will be with you for the rest of your life.”
“Nice spin.” He smiled. “Maybe you’re selling yourself short by looking for a job as a sports reporter. I think your ability to spin things would be a huge asset in the political world.”
“Yeah? Well, we’ll see how my current job goes. I need to make a good impression so I can have a glowing recommendation when my dream job calls me in for an interview.”
“So far, I’m very impressed.”
“Thanks, boss.” She winked. “Now, where else are you inked?”
“My back. Surprised? As in nothing you have ever seen before?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Sometimes people think they see things they don’t. For example, if it’s dark outside. Just saying … So what’s back there? Wings?”
He chuckled. “No.”
“Buddha?”
“No.”
“Serpent? Skull? Tribal markings? Wolf? Samurai? Angels? Jesus? Devil?”
Laughing, he rolled onto his stomach while pulling up his shirt.
“Oh, not what I expected.”
Again, her finger traced it. He jumped, feeling her touch in certain places that needed to calm the fuck down.
“It’s raised.”
“It’s over a scar.”
“From what?” Her fingers ghosted along his side and lower back.
“Stab wound.”
She stilled. “Someone stabbed you in the back?”
“Cowardly, huh?”
“A mugging?”
“Nope. Consequences of the truth.”
“Someone stabbed you for telling the truth?”
“Yes. My best friend in high school got hooked on drugs and stole a car one night. When the police asked me about it …”
“You told them the truth,” she whispered.
Levi nodded. “He found me before the police found him. Then my mom found me face down in our garage, bleeding out from a stab wound.”
“When life happened …” she read the words that covered his scar.
When her soft, warm lips pressed to it, he stiffened—everywhere. He wanted to roll over and pull her to him. It pissed him off that his stupid scar got the kiss that his lips desired.
Rags barked when room service knocked at the door.
Parker leaped off the bed like a teenager caught with a guy in her room. Levi lumbered to standing at a much slower pace, the kind that gave his erection time to relax.
“Time to eat.”
*
The gravity ofhopping in the car with Levi had yet to settle into Parker’s conscience. She felt a what-the-fuck moment on her horizon; until then, she let herself explore life lived in moments instead of expectations. Her high-school sweetheart derailed her future. Gus did too. They promised her love and hope.
Levi promised her a job, even if it was the craziest job ever. Parker had no expectations beyond one day. If Levi changed his mind, she would go home, get a new job to pay the bills, and look for a different adventure. Comparing her life to anyone else’s life wasn’t fair.
So what if she didn’t run an engineering firm before she turned forty? So what if her jobs never required more than Chucks and a Timex? High heels and flashy technology were overrated.
“This is the best salmon I’ve ever had.” Parker closed her eyes as she chewed, savoring every bite. After a click, the air conditioner hummed to life.
They both sat on the sofa with their feet propped up on the coffee table, plates in their laps.
“I’m glad you approve.” He took a drink of his beer.
“I wonder what rub they used on it? Maybe it’s better than mine because they used a wood plank.”
He chuckled. “I can’t wait for you to cook for me.”
On a sideways glance, she narrowed an eye. “You didn’t mention cooking in my job description.”
His gaze fell to her lips, it felt tangible. She shivered, adjusting her body to cover up his effect on her. It was the first time she put down her guard enough to let him have an effect on her without alcohol.
“Fair point. I’ll cook for you.”
“Stop,” she whispered, her gaze finding his lips just as appealing.
“Stop what?”
“Being perfect.”
“Ha!” He sat up, resting his feet back on the ground, setting his plate on the coffee table. “I’m far from perfect.” Running his hands through his hair, he curled his fingers, scratching his scalp. “Has no man ever cooked for you?”
Parker shook her head.
“Well, you need better men in your life.”
Agreed. One-hundred percent.
Rags eyed Levi’s plate, a string of drool hanging from his jowl. Levi pushed the plate closer to the edge, silent permission for Rags to lick what was left, which wasn’t much.
Parker inspected Levi’s body every time he turned away from her. She’d seen it, touched it, tasted it, but only in the dark and under the influence of too much alcohol. Levi was a solid form built of defined muscles. She’d nearly self-combusted when he lifted his shirt to show her his scar and tattoo. Skin so tan and taut.
It felt crazy that he could want anything from her—a jobless girl in her twenties who had an affair with his brother-in-law. A truth she couldn’t share, not without also sharing Sabrina’s indiscretions. Why taint memories with truths that no longer mattered?
“Do you need a shower?”
Her eyes snapped to his as her neck and cheeks flushed. Levi gave her a caught-you smile, but he didn’t say anything.
“Um, I usually shower in the morning, but if I smell—”
“No.” He chuckled. “I’m going to shower, I was just going to let you go first if you needed to.”
“Nope. You go ahead. I’m going to give my mom a quick call.”
He nodded once then stood and headed to the bathroom.
“Shit,” she whispered, fanning herself. It felt like one hundred degrees in the room, even with the air on. Parker coined it ‘The Levi Effect.’
Her mom picked up on the second ring. “Parker!”
“Hi, Mom. I’m fine. Not abandoning you. I will return.”
“Where are you?” Her words were clipped.
“Wichita.”
“For a job interview?”
“Sort of, yes.”
“When will you be home?”
“I’m not sure. I need some time away to clear my head. Find new direction. Maybe a week or two.” A month or two. She had no idea, no expectations.
“Do you need money? Have you thought about where you’ll stay and how to keep yourself safe? It’s not smart for a young girl to travel alone.”
“I’m good for now. And I’m not alone. I actually caught a ride with Levi. He rented a vehicle to drive Rags to Arizona.”
“Oh … well, you’re not planning on going all the way to Arizona, are you?”
“Maybe, I just don’t know yet.”
“I don’t like this, Parker, not one bit. Stay aware of your surroundings. Don’t go out at night by yourself. Don’t even leave the hotel room by yourself. And definitely don’t use the stairwells in hotels. I know you like to use the stairs to exercise sometimes, but that’s where people get raped and murdered.”
She prayed the drama gene skipped a generation. “Really? Now I would have thought back alleys of bars where unsuspecting drunk women could wander would be a better playground for rape and murder.”
“Parker!”
“Sorry,” she laughed. “It’s just crazy how your mind always jumps to rape and murder.”
“Just …” Janey’s voice deflated. “Be smart. Be safe.”
“I will, Mom. Love you.”
“Love you too. Call me tomorrow.”
“I’ll try. Good night.” Parker grabbed her charging cord from her purse and plugged in her phone at the desk. Then she fished a pair of shorts and a nightshirt out of her suitcase. Listening for the shower in the bathroom, she hurried and changed before Levi came out.
There wasn’t extra bedding in the closet, so she called down and asked for an extra sheet, blanket, and pillow. Within minutes, Rags barked at the knock on the door. Parker expected nothing less than timely service from the expensive boutique hotel.
By the time Levi emerged from the bathroom in nothing but a pair of jogging shorts riding low on his hips, Parker had her bed made up on the sofa. She stood and grinned, holding her tooth brush, toothpaste, and her breath.
Holy fuck!
Levi used something or sprayed something on himself. An intoxicating mix of sandalwood, warm spices, and patchouli radiated from his half-naked body. Every inch of her hummed in recognition. On their drunken night together it was faint along his skin, but she still recognized the scent that seduced her in the back of Old Blue.
He narrowed his eyes at the sofa. “You’re sleeping in the bed.”
“No way.” She slid past him to the bathroom, holding her breath, one inhale away from begging him to reenact the pickup scene. “You’re paying for the room. You will sleep in the bed.”
When she came out of the bathroom, Levi was sprawled out on the sofa under the blanket, one arm tucked behind his head. The whole damn room smelled like his cologne, which had to be the brand called ‘Fuck Me, Parker.’
“Get up. Go to bed.” She flipped her hip, resting her fist on it.
“I am in bed.” He nodded to the light switch. “Mind turning off the lights before you get in bed?”
“You’re making me feel terrible.”
He flinched a bit. “Rags hasn’t developed a love for sleeping with me yet. You two take the bed. Consider it part of your job.”
“Sleeping with Rags? Seriously?”
Levi’s white teeth peeked through his boyish grin. “Good night, Parker. Today’s been a less bad day.”
Parker returned a sad smile. A less bad day. Putting the previous two weeks into perspective, that meant something pretty great. She dragged her fingers through his wet hair, surprised by how much they ached to touch him, even more surprised by the way he released a quiet, deep moan. “Good night, Levi.”
