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“Why?” Levi asked, making room for me.

He had short brown hair, like my former clean-cut style, and a flirty smile. He wore a yellow polo shirt and khaki slacks, looking like his preppy software developer self.

“I like the view. Never been here before,” I said, as a pretty waitress with a red clip in her hair arrived.

She introduced herself as Trish and tapped her pen on the pad. “Y’all ready to place your order?”

“What’s the special for today?” Levi looked up from the menu and raked a gaze down her curvy body.

Levi loved women just as much as I did. But my preference was now reserved for the one woman who didn’t seem interested in me.

My boys called me a flirt, but we were all flirts in our own right, especially when we were single men. But that had changed for Remi, Royce, and Grayson, who were now attached to their significant others.

As a single man, it was a requirement for me to flirt with the opposite sex. It was human nature to do so. However, after one night with Kiera, my flirtatious behavior changed. I hadn’t had the urge to flirt with any other woman. Whathad once enticed me no longer had the same effect.It was as though when she left, she also took away something primal in me.

I should probably sit down and analyze this further, because no man wanted to be transformed without his knowledge. That was a dangerous game. I liked to have control over my life. I liked knowing when something happened, how it happened, and why it happened. Goals could only be achieved with clear vision, and muddiness led to a dead end.

I’d worked too damn hard to walk into a roadblock.

Somehow my life had gotten complicated, and I didn’t know how to untangle that area of my life that involved Kiera. Perhaps leaving it alone would clear up the snarl. When she left me, she tossed me into this repetitive loop of desire, denial, and doubt. The last two were signs of weakness, which I couldn’t afford.

The waitress burst out laughing at something Levi said, and I jumped back to the moment. Trish took my order of a shrimp taco plate to go with my Whiskey Smash. I pretended not to see that the waitress had slipped Levi a napkin that probably had her number written on it.

Good for him.

He had a great mind, but his personal life was chaotic. Dating two women at once meant trouble.

I watched as Levi added Trish’s number and sent her a message.

“Now you have mine.” He smiled and didn’t even bother hiding his endeavor. “Call me sometime.”

My gaze darted back to Kiera while I asked, “You’re not afraid that your girls might find out?”

He shrugged. “I’m in an open relationship with them. They knew what they were getting into when they hooked up with me.”

Levi came from a wealthy family, but he made his own money in software development. I admired men who made it on their own. His flirting brought him to several elite clubs, so when he invited me to a private gathering, I couldn’t resist.My eyes and ears had been open for any links that could help me take down The Trogyn.

“What do you have for me?”

“The party I told you about has been moved.”

“Why?” I’d rearranged my schedule to ensure I could make it to this party that was supposed to happen in three weeks. If they moved beyond that time, there was no way I could stay. I had other commitments back in Providence.

Levi shrugged. “Beats me. I heard someone couldn’t make the set date, so they’re moving to an earlier one. It’s just a few days from the initial date.”

Relief settled in me as I reorganized the calendar on my phone. “How did you hear about this party anyway? Who’s attending? Where is it being held?”

“I know someone who knows someone helping with the party. It’s hush-hush. He’s not supposed to tell me. It was a slip of the tongue. He owes me money, and I told him he didn’t have to pay me back if he got me and a friend into the party.”

I leaned into the table. “How do you know I wanted to go to the party?”

I’d never told Levi anything about the crime organization. The less he knew, the safer he’d be.

“Educated guess. I knew you’d be here in Texas, and you’re a wealthy, single man. I figured you’d enjoy it. Besides, you took care of my little brother when his specialist didn’t have a clue about his condition. You saved him.”

On top of a staph infection, Cole had an underlying issue that was overlooked by his doctor.

Dinner came a few minutes after our drinks. Three stunning women entered the patio, walking toward our table.