Love & Rodeo (9 page)

Levi pulled her body to his and held her tight as he laid her back down on the couch. He positioned himself above her and grinded himself against her. It wasn’t the real thing, but he was so horny, anything would have worked. He grinded against her again, close to the edge. She gripped his arms on either side of her head and moaned again. He thrust one last time and collapsed on top of her as his orgasm spread through his body. It was the release he’d been denying himself and damn did it feel good. She held him close until they heard a knock on the door.

“
You coming?” Travis yelled from outside the door.

Levi laughed. Yeah, he was, but not the way Travis expected.

“
Give me a minute,” Levi yelled to Travis.

He looked back down at her and the way her hair fanned out around her. She was stunning, and he didn’t want to leave her. He wanted to stay here with her head on his chest as she read and he tickled her back.

“
They’re waiting for you,” she told him.

“
I have to change again.”

Kallie laughed. “You wanted the kiss.”

He kissed her lightly. “I don’t want to go.”

“
You have to. They’re waiting for you. Go!”

She pushed him away, and when he tried to go back to her, she mouthed “go” to him. He hurried to the bathroom and changed again. He walked back out into the living room and she was reading her book once more. He kissed her forehead and walked out the door.

“
There’s, Cowboy Casanova!” Travis yelled from his truck.

Deuce and Luke sat in the back with another guy he didn’t know. He climbed into the passenger seat and they were off. They spent the majority of the night, bar hopping and Levi was enjoying himself, but he couldn’t help but wonder what Kallie was doing. He drank beer after beer and watched his buddies dance with all the girls, but he wanted no part of it. His mind was on Kallie. They’d never defined their relationship, but he wanted no part of any other woman.

“
Steph over there needs a partner. You should ask her to dance,” Travis told him.

“
I’m good.”

“
Look at you! You’re a fricking lovesick puppy,” Travis told him.

“
Stop it, Travis.”

“
Luke!” Travis called over his shoulder.

Luke appeared, laughing at something from the conversation he was having.

“
I’ve been talking to Levi here, and what I can’t figure out is how she has you two wrapped so tight.”

“
Travis…” Levi warned.

“
She must open those legs real wide for you!” Travis said the words and Levi reacted. His fist hit Travis’s face the same time Luke’s did.

Levi looked at Travis as he hit the floor. He was out cold. Damn him! Damn him for making him do that, and damn him for ruining the night. He watched Deuce move to Travis’s side.

“
What the hell happened?”

Levi looked at Luke who was staring at him. Levi half expected him to throw a punch in his direction. Instead, he stuck out his hand and Levi shook it.

“
I had my doubts about you, but you’re a good guy. Take care of her,” Luke told him.

Levi didn’t know what to say. He didn’t think Kallie was an object to be claimed, but this was huge.

He nodded and then looked back at Travis who was still out cold on the floor.

“
I’ll take care of this. Go on back,” Luke told him and nodded toward the door.

Levi thanked him and hailed a cab. He needed his arms around her. He needed to be near her. It was that moment, he realized he was falling in love with Kallie Davis, and maybe he already had. A few minutes later, the cab driver pulled up to the trailer and he climbed out. After he paid the driver, he went inside, closing the door as quietly as possible to see her asleep on the couch. He stood there and watched her for a minute before he peeled his shirt and jeans off. He grabbed a blanket and cuddled up behind her. She curled up against him and they fell asleep.

The following evening, Levi rode and took the win as well as Kallie. Together they earned over ten thousand dollars. Levi couldn’t decide if he was more excited for himself, or for her.

Since Levi and Travis’s falling out, Travis drove the truck to Nashville, leaving Levi to ride with Kallie. There was no way he was riding with Travis after the stunt he pulled the previous night. Levi didn’t care how drunk his best friend had been. Travis didn’t even try to apologize. He knew he messed up.

Kallie insisted on driving at first, but quickly gave in. He drove the better half of the trip, but he didn’t mind. Not with Kallie tucked neatly under his arm. They were halfway to Nashville and Levi decided he wanted to do something nice for Kallie. So, he called his brother Mark. It turned out Mark was out of town touring right now and his ranch house outside of Nashville was empty. They arrived Tuesday afternoon.

“
Where are we? This definitely isn’t the arena.” Kallie sat up looking around.

“
Nope. It’s not the arena.”

Levi drove down the long driveway until he pulled up to his brother’s large farmhouse.

“
Levi? Do you know who lives here?”

“
Yeah. This is my brother’s place. We can sleep in an actual bed for a couple of days. He’s got a couple of horses and a pool.”

“
Isn’t your brother using it?”

“
No. He’s on tour right now. We’ve got the house to ourselves,” Levi told her.

She smiled at him with an excited smile and kissed him before climbing out of the truck. He followed her to the garage, opening the security box and punching in the code Mark had given him. As soon as the alarm was disengaged, they walked in the door to a hallway that led to the rest of the house. They started in the kitchen where a note on the counter waited for them. Levi told Kallie to go explore while he read.

Dear Mr. Cavanaugh,

I have put fresh bed linens on the bed in the guest room. Also, there is some food in the refrigerator. If there is anything else you’d like, leave me a list, and I will run into town to fetch it for you. I will be back at 7:00 am. Thank you.

Housekeeping

Levi shook his head. This was luxury at it’s finest. He walked up the stairs to see Kallie lying on a bed. He ran and jumped beside her. She laughed and his heart warmed.

“
A real bed!” Kallie told him.

“
I know.”

She rolled over on her side so that she was propped up on his chest. “Thank you for this.”

He kissed her lightly. About that time they heard a whinny from the fields.

“
Do you think there’s an empty stall for Blaze?”

“
Let’s go see.”

* * * *

Wednesday morning, Levi woke to Kallie’s green eyes watching him sleep.

“
Hey, you,” he said.

“
Hey, yourself.”

“
What are you doing?”

“
I’ve never been to Nashville.”

“
Me neither. Maybe I’ll call Mark and see what he recommends.”

“
Do we have to get up right away?” Kallie asked.

“
Not if you don’t want to.” He flashed her a wicked smile.

He knew they wouldn’t make love, but there was plenty of other things they hadn’t done.

A couple hours later, Kallie came down the stairs wearing a tight pair of jeans and a pink button-down sleeveless shirt. She wore her hair long and wavy.

“
Have mercy, Kallie.”

She stopped, looking at him worried.

“
Is something wrong?”

He walked to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You’re impossible to resist.” He kissed her long and good.

After a moment, she pulled away. “If you keep doing that, we’ll never get out of here.”

He slumped his head.

“
So? What did Mark say?”

“
It’s a surprise.”

“
I don’t like surprises.”

“
Well, get used to it, because I’m not going to tell you.”

He started for the garage, grabbing the keys to his brother’s convertible as he went.

Chapter Ten

Kallie’s long hair flew in a swarm around her. At first, she tried to control it, but five minutes in, she surrendered, laughing almost hysterically. She’d never ridden in a convertible and her heart felt light, buzzing in her chest at lightening speed. She gazed at Levi for a moment before she looked out over the rolling hills around them. Tennessee was beautiful. Her thoughts drifted to Nora, and she thought about how much she would love Tennessee. The last six months had been hell, but once Kallie got the money, she would adopt Nora and they could start over anywhere. Maybe Nashville could be their home?

As they drove, she put her hand out the window and felt the wind flow over it. Gosh it felt good. She felt Levi’s touch on her thigh and looked before entwining her fingers with his. She watched as he lifted her hand to his mouth kissing it lightly. He was so handsome that it almost took her breath away just to look at him. Her heart thudded wildly in her chest, while her stomach did somersaults. She felt something for this man, she just wasn’t sure how deep her feelings ran. Not wanting to think about it, she pushed the thought from her mind as they approached the outskirts of Nashville.

Fifteen minutes later, they pulled up at their destination.

“
Country Music Hall of Fame?”

“
We’re in Music City. It’s number one on the list of things to do on the travel site.”

She looked into her bag to make sure she had her camera.

They spent the next couple of hours looking at old guitars, fancy costumes, and much more. Every now and again she’d glance at Levi and find him watching her. They’d laugh and Kallie would go back to whatever she was in front of her. The way his eyes focused on her put her senses on end, making it hard to concentrate.

Around two o’clock they left for a quick lunch, and then afterward found a sidewalk farmer’s market. They walked from stand to stand, and Kallie bought something from each of the stands. She also found a basket full of peaches. Walking around with Levi felt so natural to her. When she stopped at a booth, he did as well and just watched her as she went about her business. They were so in tune with one another that it scared her a little. She’d only been with Levi a little under two weeks and she hadn’t felt more at home with a person since before her parents passed away. The feeling warmed her heart and caused a smile on her face that just didn’t seem to go away.

Before heading home, Kallie found a store that sold bathing suits. She let Levi pick one out for her and they headed back to Mark’s house. For the rest of the afternoon, Kallie lounged by the pool reading her book while Levi called home and talked to his family.

That night, they grilled steaks and readied some vegetables. They ate just as the sun was setting, talking about nothing and everything all at the same time. His words worked themselves inside of her and gripped her like she’d never experienced. He could have talked about mucking stalls and she would’ve been all ears. The warm conversation enveloped her like a blanket. Afterward, they cleaned up and headed to bed.

Thursday had been laundry day and a lazy day. They caught up on their laundry while Kallie read and Levi held her, with war movies playing on the outside patio. It was nearing dinnertime.

“
What do you want to do about dinner?”

“
Why don’t you go put something nice on and we’ll go into town.”

“
Yeah?”

“
Sure.” His eyes sparkled.

“
This isn’t one of your surprises, is it?”

“
Maybe...” He smiled hugging her body to his.

She could’ve stayed there in his arms forever, but Levi nudged her and she started for their room. Kallie showered, washing the chlorine from her body before dressing in a pair of tight jeans and a fancy shirt. Her skin was glowing with her new tan. She felt good. She felt...happy. A tear fell down her face at the realization. Just then, there as a light knock on the door. Levi’s face appeared as she wiped the tear away.

“
What’s wrong?”

“
Nothing. I promise, they’re good tears.”

His hands cupped her face and he brought his lips to hers. “Ready?”

“
Whenever you are.”

His hand found hers and pulled her from the bathroom.

That night Levi took her to The Listening Room Cafe, and they listened to Kadee Abernathy and Piper McGraw while eating dinner. It was a night she’d never forget. She was sure about that.