I woke up, feeling more rested than I had in years. For a moment, I was disoriented and then I remembered I was in the guest bedroom at Levi’s house. Given the events of yesterday, it was a miracle I’d slept as deeply as I had. I rolled onto my side and looked out the window, which faced the field in front of the house. Mist was rising off the tall grasses as the sun rose above the trees, its rays landing on the dewy landscape.

I took a deep breath and let it out. I had no idea what time it was. I didn’t have my purse, or frankly anything. I’d left my purse in Amelia’s truck when she took me to the hospital to have my arm looked at. I lifted it, relieved to experience only lingering soreness when I carefully shifted my wrist inside the brace. I sighed, recalling I’d subsequently gotten into a fight with my landlord and had no good plan for where to stay. Finding a new apartment in the summer in Willow Brook was no easy matter. Most places were booked to capacity with tourists.

It was so odd Levi had been the one who helped me yesterday. I hated thinking of what happened in these terms, but rescue me he did. I briefly wondered why he’d ceased his teasing attempts to get me to go out with him and then forced my mind off of those thoughts. Romance wasn’t in the cards for me. It didn’t matter that Levi made my body feel all kinds of crazy. Restless, I kicked the covers off and hopped out of bed. I dragged my t-shirt on and put my ear to the door. It was still early, so I was hoping I could sneak to the bathroom.

When I didn’t hear anything, I slowly opened the door. Levi’s bedroom door, directly across from me on the opposite wall, was closed. The house was completely quiet. I stepped out quickly and ran on my tiptoes to the bathroom, dashing inside and closing the door quickly.

I took care of business and tiptoed back out, only to find a brown and white hamster in the middle of the balcony walkway. It paused to look at me and then scurried over to sniff my foot.

What the hell? Levi has a hamster? Wow.

The incongruity of it made me burst out laughing. I leaned down to stroke my fingers over its fur. The little hamster wiggled under my touch and looked up.

“Ah, I see you’ve met Ham.”

Levi’s voice was low and gravelly, roughened from sleep. The sound of it sent a prickle down my spine. I stood quickly and spun to find him rounding the corner of the balcony.

Sweet hell.

The moment I saw him, heat unfurled in a wave through my body. Did I mention he was calendar material? I knew he was handsome, but my imagination had not done him justice. He wore nothing more than a pair of navy blue cut off sweatpants that hung low on his hips. His chest might as well have been carved from stone. Every muscle was delineated. He was so fit, it should’ve been illegal. My eyes soaked him in. I couldn’t look away. My mouth went dry, and my pulse took off like a rocket.

All the while, I stood there with a hamster who decided to climb on my foot. I was so discombobulated, I’d forgotten I was wearing nothing other than a t-shirt. It hung just past my hips. When this fact occurred to me, I flushed straight through. I realized Levi probably had a perfect view of my bottom when I bent over to pet the hamster who was apparently named Ham. I was all kinds of hot and bothered. This ranked up there with one of the most mortifying moments I’d experienced. Ever.

I couldn’t seem to snap out of it, just staring at him while heat bloomed in my center and radiated outward. If Levi noticed anything amiss, I couldn’t tell. He closed the distance between us until he was right in front of me. Only inches away.

I wanted to touch him. Desperately.

My hand apparently had a mind of its own. Because I touched him without even thinking, reaching out and sliding my palm down his chest. His skin was warm, lightly dusted with hair. His rich blue gaze locked to mine. The air around us felt alive, shimmering and pulsing with need.

I couldn’t seem to take my hand away, but I suddenly got anxious, nudged by my past and all the reasons why I didn’t do things like this. As if he could predict my next move, he curled his hand over mine. His touch was warm and strong. His thumb brushed across my wrist in that spot where the skin was so sensitive, it made me ache. Hot shivers raced through me.

I swallowed, beating back against the anxiety building. Somehow it was mingling with the intense desire I felt and amping it higher and higher.

“Have coffee with me,” he said.

I didn’t know what I’d expected, but it wasn’t this. He made no other move, simply standing there with my hand held in his and his thumb hypnotically coasting over the wild beat of my pulse.

“Okay,” I blurted out.

He uncurled his hand. I had to force myself to take mine away. I instantly missed the feel of his warm skin under my touch.

His mouth curled at one corner. “So this is Ham,” he said, gesturing to the hamster.

Ham had his haunches propped on my foot as he stared ahead. “Um, you have a hamster?”

Levi nodded. “I do. My sister gave him to me. She said I needed company.”

“You let him run loose?”

I was hyper focused on this because I couldn’t seem to get my body under control. With my channel clenching with need and my belly fluttering, it was all I could do to stay sane. I was also way, way too aware of how close Levi was and how insanely sexy he was. With his honey amber hair mussed from sleep and his glorious chest there for me to see, it was fair to say I wasn’t thinking too clearly. At all.

He shrugged. God, even his shoulders were sexy, the muscles rolling with his easy shrug. “Yeah. He got out once and nothing came of it, so now I leave his cage open. He goes in and out and does his thing. Anyway, did you need the bathroom?” he asked, thumbing toward the door.

I shook my head wildly. “Nope. All set.”

At that, I dashed off, desperate to create some distance between Levi and me and maybe, just maybe, get my body under control.