Page 6 of Perfect Storm (Toronto Thunder #1)

The sun was falling behind the tree line when they piled back into the boat and headed back to the house.

Levi was warm and toasty around the edges, pleasantly relaxed, except for the buzzing under his skin.

He’d spent the afternoon trying not to watch Aidan and mostly failing.

Aidan had always been attractive, but Levi had never been particularly interested in doing anything about it before. Of course, he hadn’t thought he could do anything about it before.

And you still can’t, Levi reminded himself. Not til next year.

When Aidan pulled the boat back to the dock, Riley was already complaining about how hungry he was, even though they’d decimated the enormous amount of food they’d brought out.

“We should order pizza,” Landry suggested, and Aidan sighed.

“One cheat day isn’t going to kill you,” Riley said, like he already knew what Aidan was going to say. “And the best place in town finally delivers out here.”

“That was all Charlie,” Aidan said. “That kid could charm anyone to do anything. He spent the last few summers convincing them to deliver out here.”

“Charlie?” Levi asked.

“We’re gonna get you to watch hockey, at some point,” Landry said, ruffling Levi’s hair. “Charlie Barnes? The Barnes brothers?”

“Oh, right. And Charlie’s charming, eh?”

“Could charm the paint right off a house,” Aidan said.

“He cute? Single? Into guys?” Levi asked. Not that he was actually interested, but spending the whole day trying to pretend that Aidan wasn’t the best-looking, most mouth-watering option he’d seen in awhile was killing him.

Landry rolled his eyes. “Calm down, bro.”

“Not sure about the middle one, but one and three? Yeah,” Riley said, shooting Landry a knowing look. Landry just groaned.

“And Charlie’s practically a baby,” Aidan complained. “He’s what . . .twenty-one? Twenty-two?”

“You get drafted at eighteen and go straight to the NHL, you’re not a baby,” Riley said staunchly. “He’s a good guy. Even better for finally batting his baby blues at Gio, down at the pizza shop, and convincing him to deliver out here.”

“I heard he did a lot more than just bat his eyes,” Aidan said. He was frowning now as he parked the boat and turned it off. Was he jealous of Levi wondering if Charlie Barnes was single? No way, he couldn’t possibly be jealous. Not when he was still in love with Morris Jeffries.

“I like him already,” Levi joked. “Knows how to get the job done.”

Aidan’s frown deepened. “I need a shower. Ri, you wanna order?”

Levi half considered doing something stupid and wandering into Aidan’s bathroom. Joining him in the shower.

It would be a good time. No question about that. But after it was over, Aidan would probably wish he hadn’t done it, and Levi could deal with a lot, but he never wanted, with anyone, to be something they regretted.

“Levi—you want your regular?” Riley asked him as Landry piled shit into his big arms—damp towels and empty bags and the cooler with only the remnants of melted ice rattling around inside.

“Yeah. Pepperoni mushroom.”

“Make that two,” Aidan said.

“Another pepperoni with ham and pineapple and jalapenos,” Landry said.

“Ew gross,” Riley said. “You’d better be eating that one by yourself.”

“Riley, I hate to break it to you,” Aidan said, slinging an arm around his brother’s shoulders, “you’re not only dating the man, but his excruciating taste in pizza toppings.”

“Kinda like whoever ends up finally taking Levi off the market has to tolerate his ugly shorts?”

Levi snorted out a laugh. His shorts were great, thank you very much.

“Exactly,” Aidan said. “You’d better hope they’re colorblind.”

They trooped up to the house, bags and cooler divided among them, and went their separate ways, Riley’s voice echoing in the living room as he put in the order with Gio.

Levi didn’t wander into Aidan’s shower. Kept to his own, even though he let himself drift off as the cool water flowed down his body, cock taking more than a healthy interest once he let his mind wander in Aidan’s direction, again.

His orgasm was satisfying, but the moment he walked back into the kitchen and saw Aidan’s throat working as he swallowed half a bottle of Gatorade, backlit from the fridge light, it was like he hadn’t even bothered to touch himself.

Levi tried to ignore it. No, scratch that. He did ignore it. Nothing had changed. Aidan was still Aidan. Annoying and the most big brother to ever big brother. Hot yes, but what a holy pain in the ass.

And Levi was still Levi, someone who just wanted to have fun whenever he could, with whoever he could.

“Hey,” Aidan said, setting the bottle down. “Food should be here in about fifteen. Riley and Landry went up to shower.”

“Together?” Levi slipped around Aidan and pulled a bottle of beer from the fridge, popping the top off with a twist of his fist, a trick he’d perfected over the years.

“Uh, yeah. They might be awhile.” Aidan lifted his eyes heavenward, like he was praying for patience.

Levi took a long sip of his beer but it didn’t help. That thirst still lingered.

Probably because Aidan was still damp, an old Thunder T-shirt clinging to his pecs and biceps. Hair falling in soft blondish-brown waves from his face. Looking, honestly, just about good enough to eat.

“Hey,” Aidan said quietly, “I wanted to talk to you.”

“Yeah?” Levi felt a frisson of something work itself up his spine as he leaned back against the kitchen counter. Not worry, not exactly. But there was an awkwardness in Aidan’s stance, and he had a feeling last night’s conversation—and possibly last night’s promise—was about to come up again.

“I . . .” Aidan wet his lips and glanced away. “I was drunk last night.”

“Oh, I know,” Levi said. But if Aidan tried to claim he hadn’t known what he was doing, what he was agreeing to, Levi would strongly disagree with that. There’d been heat and want in Aidan’s gaze. In his touch, when he’d slipped his fingers under the hem of Levi’s shorts.

“And well. Sad, too, and a little desperate.” Aidan gave a self-deprecating laugh, still not meeting Levi’s eyes. “You caught me at a really down moment, dude.”

“I know that, too.”

Aidan flushed. “I was thinking about that, and not thinking through what we talked about. If I had, I just wouldn’t have agreed to . . .well, what I agreed to.”

Levi nearly asked him if he was going to say something that Levi didn’t already know.

But if he did, this train wreck might end, and there was a perverse part of Levi, who had been suffering, at least a little, all day, at how fucking good Aidan suddenly looked to him.

It only felt fair that Levi wasn’t alone here.

“Sure,” Levi said.

“So we can forget it?” Aidan asked hopefully. Like he really thought Levi would let him off the hook. Levi would, possibly, but he didn’t really think Aidan even wanted to be let off. Aidan wanted to get off. Levi was ninety-nine point nine percent sure he was just freaking out.

Time to make sure.

“No,” Levi said, pushing off from the counter. He took a few steps closer, right into Aidan’s space. He held his ground, which didn’t surprise Levi at all. Aidan wasn’t a person who was easily intimidated.

“No?” Aidan squawked.

“Why do you want to forget it?”

Aidan’s gaze went shifty, looking right over Levi’s shoulder. Aidan might be a lot of things—a football god and a pain in the ass and suddenly painfully, ridiculously hot—but he was a shitty liar. Always had been. Landry had been making fun of him for it, forever.

And because Levi had been around forever, too, he knew exactly how Aidan always gave himself away.

He was definitely lying now. The only question was why.

“I just . . .it seems so stupid and impulsive,” Aidan claimed. “Who even knows what I’m going to be doing in a year. What you’re going to be doing in a year.”

“So you’re wanting to forget it for my sake, then?” Levi asked archly.

“Well. No. Yes. I . . .” Aidan trailed off. Looking flustered and annoyed. “I just think it’s a bad idea.”

“No, you think it’s a great idea, which means you want to believe it’s a bad one.” Levi took another step closer. He was near enough now that he could smell Aidan’s shampoo. Something strong and masculine, with a hint of citrus. Sweeter than lemon. Orange, maybe?

It smelled good. So good, Levi kind of wanted to wreck him.

Not now. Not yet.

“That’s not how it works.” Aidan frowned.

“With you, yeah. I know you, remember?”

Aidan didn’t refute that. Didn’t say anything. Levi tried again.

“How about this,” Levi offered, “we’ll try . . .an experiment of sorts, just to check if it’s still a good idea.”

“Are you joking?” But Aidan didn’t let him even answer the question before he was already plowing ahead, looking nervy. Aidan looking nervy. If Levi wanted evidence that this was the right call, there it was. “What kind of experiment are you talking about?”

“Kiss me,” Levi said.

Aidan’s jaw dropped. “Are you freaking—you’re actually serious.”

Levi shrugged. “If you hate it, if it doesn’t do anything for you, sure, then, we’ll forget it.”

“And if it does?” Aidan challenged, then looked like he regretted asking. Clearly he hadn’t really thought about what the alternative meant. That he enjoyed it. That he liked kissing Levi. That he might want to do it—and more—again.

“Then in a year we’ll both come back here and it’ll be us together in the shower upstairs.”

Aidan licked his lips. Like he was already thinking about it.

“This is a bad idea.”

“If it was such a bad idea, you wouldn’t be so worried about it,” Levi pointed out dryly.

Aidan made a face. “Fine, fine.” Then suddenly he was the one in Levi’s space, leaning all the way in.

The last thought Levi had before Aidan kissed him was that it was definitely oranges he was smelling.

Then Aidan’s mouth was on his, tentative and gentle, softer than he’d imagined Aidan Flynn would kiss.

Not that he’d ever imagined what kissing Aidan Flynn would feel like before this, but now Levi wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to forget it.