Page 21

Watching reruns of my favorite comfort show wasn’t how I planned on spending my Saturday night. Not that working would have been much better, but at least I wouldn’t be curled in the fetal position for half the night.

My period cramps are rarely this bad. But every so often, there’s the odd month when it feels like tiny hands are squeezing and twisting my baby-making organs on the first day of my period.

Thank God Macy was able to cover my shift, or else—

The doorbell rings, cutting off my internal monologue. Frowning, I sit up straighter and lift the comforter off me before padding to the front door.

Since I’m not expecting anyone, I swing it open without thinking, only to find Levi standing on the other side.

Despite being dressed casually in jeans and a hoodie, my stomach clenches in a way that has nothing to do with cramps.

Is it the hallway lighting, or does he look extra good tonight?

“Levi, hey.” I rake my fingers through my hair, suddenly aware that I just rolled out of bed without checking my appearance. “If this is about the project—.”

“It’s not.” He interrupts, and my brows dip together.

“It’s not? Then why are you here?”

He opens his mouth to respond, but his eyes drop to my chest before his jaw snaps shut.

Following his line of sight, horror fills me at the sight of my nipples straining against the thin cotton material.

Not only didn’t I bother fixing my hair, but I’m still wearing the cropped tank top I put on before climbing into bed.

Levi’s gaze locks onto mine, and the fiery intensity in those amber eyes sends a wave of heat through my skin.

Clearing my throat, I cross my arms in a weak attempt to cover my attraction to him. His full lips tilt up, and I dig my short nails into my biceps to feel something other than complete mortification.

“What are in those?” I nod to the bags in his hand.

Redirection. Distraction. Die of embarrassment later.

He glances down, like he’s just remembered they exist. “Oh, right, I bought you some stuff. Mind if I come in?”

“Uh, sure.” I step back and gesture for him to enter.

He slips past me, and the faint scent of his cologne tickles my nose. No matter how often I catch a whiff of it, each time is as delicious as the last.

Levi heads toward the kitchen, and I follow closely behind.

I'm a bundle of nerves by the time I slide onto one of the barstools. I don’t know why he’s here, but I’m curious enough not to send him away.

I prop my chin on my hand, letting the other rest freely on the counter, watching as he fiddles with the bags on the counter.

“Mack and I had dinner at Static tonight,” Levi starts to explain. “I asked Macy where you were, and she mentioned you called out sick because of cramps.”

He says the last word so casually, but my ears burn at the thought of him knowing I’m on my period. I know it’s nothing to be embarrassed about, but still.

Hunter avoided the topic like the plague. It became one of those things we didn’t discuss in our relationship. Plus, we always used protection, and I have an IUD, so missed periods were never something we had to discuss either.

Finding my voice, I say, “It’s not always this bad, but occasionally...” I shrug, not sure how much he wants to hear.

Levi leans over the counter, curling his hand over mine. The gentle touch is unexpected but comforting. Our eyes lock, and my skin tingles beneath his touch.

When a cramp hits me, I wince slightly, but it’s enough for Levi to pull his hand back, taking its warmth with him.

Straightening, he grabs the bags again. “I shouldn’t have made you come to the kitchen. Let’s go to the couch where it’s more comfortable. Or do you want to lie down? I don’t mind sitting on the floor if you want the bed to yourself.”

“Levi.” I bite back a smile and place a hand on one of the bags to stop him from taking off with it. It’s sweet that he’s being considerate, but it’s completely unnecessary. “I’ll be fine. I took a pain med a few hours ago, and it’s probably wearing off now.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind the couch.”

“Yes, I’m sure. This isn’t my first rodeo.” I interject some tease into my voice, but his expression doesn’t waiver. “Show me what you brought, please .”

Reluctantly, he nods and loosens his grip on the bags. He then takes out the items individually, explaining each as he sets them down. With each one, my stomach flutters faster.

“I grabbed some Ibuprofen since I wasn’t sure you had any.

Electrolyte drinks to keep you hydrated.

” He pulls out three bottles. “Different flavors, in case you have a preference. Some of these heating pad thingies you can stick on your stomach. It’s supposed to help with the pain.

And I found these shower steamers meant to relax and soothe you.

Or at least, that’s what the packaging claims.”

Levi slides the items over to me, and moisture pools in my eyes—stupid hormones . I bite my lip to stop them from spilling over and focus on the items until I’m confident I won’t turn into a blubbering mess.

“Wow. This is one of the sweetest things anyone has done for me.” I risk a peek up at him.

“I haven’t even gotten to the best part yet.” He grins, reaching for the second bag.

And when I don’t think it can get any better, he pulls out three takeout containers stamped with the Static logo. Flipping each one open, he shows me the contents.

“You did not!” I gasp.

My eyes light up as I stare at the cake slices. Red velvet, carrot cake, and chocolate. They all look delicious, and my mouth waters just staring at them.

“Oh, I totally did.” He laughs.

The sound pulls my attention from the sugary goodness, and I catch his eye. His smile doesn’t waiver, and I realize that being more than friends with Levi could be easy. Almost effortlessly so.

The direction of my thoughts brings a lump of emotion to my throat, and I quickly avert my gaze.

I don’t want to get hurt again.

What if it’s an act?

Did you forget about Hunter and how that ended?

No, I didn’t forget. But Levi is not Hunter, I remind myself. And assuming otherwise wouldn’t be fair to him.

Shaking off the heaviness creeping in, I plaster a smile on my face. It doesn’t take much effort. I’m genuinely happy he knocked on my door tonight.

“Thank you,” I say softly. “I can’t believe you went through all this trouble for me.”

His face softens. “None of this was trouble, Bear. Not for you.”

My heart races at his words. Not out of fear, I realize, but something else. Lingering nerves? Gratitude? I’m not sure, but whatever it is makes my chest squeeze as I stare at him.

In moments like these, when not even my mind can conjure a reason to run, he manages to chip away at my walls.

After a beat, Levi says, “Why don’t you take some pain meds and have a shower? I’ll be here when you get out.” Then, as if second-guessing himself, he quickly adds, “If you want me to be. Or I can leave if you’d rather be alone.”

I nibble my lip, knowing my answer carries more weight than I’d like to admit. But I’m tired of overthinking everything and don’t want him to leave.

So, I shake my head. “No, stay. I mean, if you don’t have any plans or anything.”

“Okay.” He offers me a soft smile, then grabs the Ibuprofen bottle while I unscrew one of the drinks.

He shakes out a tablet into my waiting palm. I pop it in my mouth and swallow.

“I won’t be long.” I slide off the chair, grabbing the box of shower steamers before heading to the bathroom.

After my shower, I feel refreshed and more level-headed when I join Levi back in the living room.

He must have gone home while I was busy because he’s changed into sweatpants and a T-shirt.

He’s also turned the couch into a makeshift bed by pushing the ottoman against it and bringing out my comforter from the bedroom.

The cake slices sit neatly on a tray with forks and drinks.

“You’ve been busy,” I say, sitting beside him on the couch.

While showering, I decided I wanted to enjoy my time with Levi. There’ll be plenty of time to overthink tomorrow, but tonight, I just want to be carefree and soak up the damn moment like everyone else my age seems to do so easily.

“I hope you don’t mind. I thought this would be more comfortable for you.” He offers me a lazy smile that has my core tightening.

“It’s perfect, thank you.” I manage to squeeze out without my voice betraying me.

Grabbing the box of heating pads, he tells me to stand. “Let’s get one of these on you.”

I offer to do it myself, but he shakes his head, so I push to my feet instead of arguing.

Levi gently tugs my sweatpants down, exposing my lower belly.

His hands settle on my hips, thumbs caressing the smooth skin, causing goosebumps to ripple across my flesh.

The skin-to-skin contact feels so good that a shiver racks through me.

Levi’s lips pull into a small smile as he continues stroking the pebbled skin.

Neither of us says anything; our shallow breaths are the only sound filling the space between us.

When he pulls back, I force myself to ignore the pang of disappointment from the loss of his touch.

Instead, I watch as he peels off the backing of the heating pad before carefully placing it where I point.

Once he’s done, he slides my sweatpants back into place, giving my hips a tiny squeeze before releasing me.

“Let’s eat some of this cake.” Levi pats the space next to him. “I’m starving.”

He settles back on the couch, and I sink in beside him, our shoulders touching, legs pressed together. His body heat seeps into me, and a content sigh slips past my lips as I relax into the cushions.

“I thought you already had dinner?”

“I’m hungry again.” He offers me a fork, which I gladly take.

We take turns sampling each cake before picking our favorite—chocolate for me and carrot cake for Levi.