The Next Best Thing
She wasn’t in love with Levi. And Levi certainly wasn’t in love with her.
This was ridiculous. Of all the men she might pick, Levi was not a likely candidate for husband/father of her adorable children. A) he barely liked her. And B)...well, who knew what B was. Hot or not (well, he was definitely hot), he was probably not the guy to—
He reached up and cupped her cheek with one hand and studied her, his expression unreadable—eyebrows drawn, the slight, omnipresent frown on his face. Faith swallowed, her throat dry.
“Do you want to sleep with me, Faith?”
The question took her by surprise. His voice was low and gentle, and Faith felt a tug low in her belly. “If you don’t mind,” she whispered. He smiled the slightest bit, then ran his thumb over her lower lip, and she drew in a shaky breath. Then he pulled out the clip that held her hair up, causing it to tumble down in a sweep. Slowly, almost carefully, Levi bent his head and kissed her neck, his arms going around her, and, oh, mercy, his mouth was warm and gentle, and a rush of molten gold seemed to flow through her limbs, heavy and electric. Her bones seemed to soften, and her head tipped back, her breath suddenly ragged.
Her hands didn’t know what to do. Levi took one in his and kissed her palm, then flattened her hand against his chest so she could feel the slow, hard thud of his heartbeat. And this time, when his mouth touched hers again...this time it was right. His hands moved through her hair, then down her back, pulling her against him, and, oh, he was as solid as granite, utterly dangerous and absolutely safe. Her mouth opened in a sigh, and he took advantage, tasting her, and the hot golden feeling was stronger now, pulsing hard. Her hands slid against his ribs, feeling the play of muscle against skin, and his kiss became deeper, more insistent, hotter. Faith’s knees loosened dangerously, a little moan escaping her throat.
Then Levi pulled back, and it took Faith a minute to open her eyes. Her breathing was ragged. So was his. His eyes...bedroom eyes. That was the term.
“You sure you want to sleep with me?” she said, her voice breathy.
He smoothed some hair away from her face. “I’m sure.”
She bit her lip. “Okay, then. Take me to bed.”
“I was thinking against the wall.”
“Good God!” she blurted. The golden heat surged hot, hard and heavy. “Okay, fine, whatever you think. You’re the expert here.”
His smile was slow, and it made the throbbing hotter, stronger. Then he bent and picked her up so that her legs wrapped around him of their own accord, and Levi Cooper did what he said he was going to do.
* * *
THEY DID END UP IN BED, and bed was good, Levi thought. The wall had gone well until Faith’s dog kept dropping his ratty old tennis ball at their feet, and she started to laugh. Besides, given that Faith had never been with a straight guy, he wanted to give her the whole experience, as it were. She was worth exploring, her body lush and soft, all pink and cream, and she made the most gratifying little noises, and had done a fair bit of exploring herself, her hands sliding over him, her mouth soft and sweet.
And when they were done, and her eyes were wide and her cheeks flushed and her skin damp with sweat, he rolled on his back and pulled her against him, a fierce sense of...something...swelled in his chest.
Even she was quiet. “So, was this, um...pretty typical?” she asked eventually.
No. “Pretty much,” he answered, his fingers playing in her hair. Now why’d you say that, dumb ass? his brain scolded.
Because he didn’t want too much too soon. That was all. He was being careful, and careful was smart.
The dog decided it was bedtime, too, and jumped up, draping himself over their feet. “Do you mind him?” Faith asked.
“He’s fine.”
She propped herself up on her elbow and looked at him. “Do you need to go?”
He blinked. “Kicking me out?”
“No. I just...I didn’t know if you wanted to spend the night. If you do, I have to take off my mascara and hide my, uh, undergarment.”
“I’ve seen your undergarment. I’ve also seen combat armor that looks more comfortable.”
“Is this your pillow talk?”
“Is this yours?”
“Don’t crinkle your forehead at me, Levi. I’m new to the game here.”
He felt a smile threaten. “You’re pretty good for a rookie.”
“Shush.” Here came the blush. He turned and pressed a kiss on her shoulder. Her blush deepened.
“You’re pretty and soft and you smell like cake. How’s that?” he asked.
She smiled a little. “Cake?”
“Yes. Edible.”
That flustered her. She pressed her lips together and looked away, still a little spooked around him. “So, are you staying?”
“Do you want me to?”
Her gaze flickered to his and away again. “Okay. If you want to.”
He could’ve claimed ten things, nine of them true, that would’ve gotten him home. He was on call. He had paperwork. Emails to answer. A grant to finish. He could take a cruise through Manningsport, just to let the good citizens know he was out there. He probably should’ve used any one of those because there was sex, and then there was spending the night, and this was way too early to spend the night.
“Sure,” he said.
“You really want to stay?”
“Yes. Now be quiet and go to sleep.”
She looked at him another second, unconvinced, and he felt a pang of remorse. He picked up a strand of her hair and gave it a gentle tug, then pulled her head back down to his shoulder.
“Levi?”
Women. Always with the talking. “Yeah?”
“Thanks for doing me.”
He laughed. “You’re welcome. Did you have fun?”
“What do you think?”
“You made a lot of noise. That’s generally a good sign.”
She raised her head to look at him, her coppery hair falling half over her face. “Well, well, well. Look at that. Levi Cooper, smiling.”
And sure enough, it seemed he was.
Then she kissed him, hesitantly, sweetly, then less hesitantly, and nobody went to sleep for a long while.
Except the dog.
CHAPTER TWENTY
LEVI COOPER HAD washboard abs.
Not that Faith was ogling or anything. Okay, she was totally ogling. So was Blue, for that matter, still hoping Levi would throw the ball ten or five hundred times.
But Levi was asleep, so ogling was allowed. Plus, how could a woman drag her eyes off that perfect, beautiful body? His arms were ridiculously male, heavy and thick with muscle, his chest solid and broad. And those abs...rippled and hypnotic and magically perfect.
Yes. Levi Cooper was a sparkly unicorn of wonder.
Granted, Jeremy had been gorgeous. Movie star, NFL chiseled handsome, and, yes, Faith had loved looking at him, too. Then again, he hadn’t known what to do with her.
And Levi most definitely had. Hand to God, yes.
Sex with a straight guy—definitely the way to go. Especially this straight guy, because, much to her surprise, he hadn’t just been hot and, er, competent, he’d been...sweet. There was really no other word for it. And Levi Cooper with ruddy cheeks and sweaty hair and beautiful arms, asking her if she liked what he was doing...crikey! She was getting turned on just thinking about it.
Time to go. Blue needed a walk before she jumped Levi again. She pulled on some clothes, then slipped out of the bedroom with Blue. Realized she was grinning. Kinda felt like skipping.
She set up the coffeepot and turned it on, then grabbed Blue’s leash, causing her dog to freeze in wonder before springing for the door. “Yes! We are taking a walk! I know! It’s so exciting, isn’t it?” she whispered (because she had a beautiful man sleeping in her bed, had she mentioned that?). She opened the door and Blue bounded out, whimpering in excitement.
Sarah Cooper was standing in the hallway.
“Do you know where my brother is?” Sarah blurted, her face creased with worry.
“Oh, honey, yes, I do. He’s, uh...he’s in there.” Faith nodded back at her place.
“I called him last night, but he didn’t pick up,” she said.
“Shoot. I— He’s...sleeping.”
Sarah’s expression changed from worried to astonished. “Holy heck,” she said. “Did you guys do it? Are you sleeping together?”
“Um...maybe your brother should answer that.”
“You are! You’re doing my brother. OMG, where’s my phone? I have to tweet this.”
“Calm down, Sarah,” came Levi’s voice. The man himself came out of her apartment, his dress shirt untucked. “If you tweet this, you’re dead.”
“Dude, I’m completely supportive. Faith is much nicer than G.I. Jane. I approve.”
“Super,” Levi said. Faith smiled at Sarah, grateful. Always good to have family on your side.
Levi tucked in his shirt. Too bad. He looked better naked. “What are you doing home, anyway?” he asked his sister.
Sarah’s eyes widened. “Levi! This was the weekend you allowed me to come back, remember? The weekend I wasn’t forbidden to come.”
Levi took a short breath, held it, and then said, “Right. So get inside and stop bothering Faith. I’ll be right there.”
“I’m not bothering her,” Sarah said. “We’re bonding. In case I’m gonna be an aunt sometime soon.”
“Sarah. Go. Inside. Now.” There was a fascinating knot in his jaw. His sister obeyed, pulling a face at Faith as the door closed.
“Don’t be mad at her,” Faith said.
“I’m not,” he said. Jamming his hands in his pockets and ignoring Blue’s whimpers of adoration, Levi finally looked at her. “Hi,” he said, his voice just a soft scrape.
A two-letter word, and she was a mushy puddle. “Hi,” she whispered.
“How are you?” he asked.
“Fine. How are you?”
His eyes dropped to her mouth. “Also fine. But I have to go.” He looked as somber as somber got.
“Okay.”
“I’ll see you.”
“Yes. As we live not too far from each other.” She bit down on a smile.
“Right.” Only then did he seem to realize she was joking, which he acknowledged with a raised eyebrow. Then he grabbed her, eliciting a squeak, and gave her a hard, fierce kiss, and before she could even respond, let her go. “See you around, neighbor.”
With that, he was gone.
* * *
“YOU HOT BITCH,” Colleen breathed the next evening, her eyes full of admiration. “You slept with Levi Cooper? Get outta town! Tell me everything. How many times did you—”
“Okay, whoa. Easy, girl.” Faith sat back in her seat at O’Rourke’s, which had just opened. She hadn’t seen Levi since The Night, though she’d smelled chocolate again at three this morning. Today, though, his car wasn’t at the station or in back of the Opera House, so she assumed he’d driven his sister back to school. Not that she was stalking, though, yes, she had just followed Sarah Cooper on Twitter.
“I want every detail,” Colleen said. “You owe it to me. My friend got it on! I’m so happy!”
“Yay! But could you just lower your voice a teensy bit? That’d be great.”
“No one’s here, pet.”
“Your brother might come in any second.”
“He doesn’t count. Right, Connor?”
“That’s right.” Connor appeared from the kitchen. “Hi, Faith. Glad you’re getting some.”
“Thanks, Con. And thank you, Colleen, for not telling me your brother was lurking.”
“What color dress should I pick out for the wedding?” Colleen asked. “You definitely owe me another gig as maid of honor, since Jeremy ripped me off the first time.”