Running into Love
Page 7

“What?” I repeat, getting lost in his gaze and touch as the fingers on his other hand slide up my temple and through my hair.
“You have paper in your hair,” he says, gently flicking his fingers out, causing a small scrap of white paper to float to the floor.
“Oh.” I drop my eyes from his and shake my head, trying to get rid of the dizziness and the feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“Come on, let’s get you home.” He drops my wrist and moves his hand to my lower back, where it burns a hole straight through his jacket and my dress into my skin, until he finally drops it away so he can help me into the front seat of his SUV. He makes sure I’m settled before he slams the door.
“So are you going to tell us who this guy is to you?” Libby asks from the backseat as I put on my seat belt.
“Leave her alone, Lib,” Mac says quietly, and I watch in fascination as Levi moves around the hood to the driver’s side. I’ve never really noticed the way a man walks before, but his walk is confident and sure.
“I’m just curious,” Libby grumbles right as Levi opens his door.
“Are you all going to the same place?” Levi questions, sliding in behind the steering wheel, putting the key in the ignition, and starting up the engine.
“Yes, and thank you for giving us a ride. We really appreciate it,” Mac says from the backseat as we pull out into traffic.
“It’s not a big deal. I was heading home anyway,” he replies as we stop at a red light.
“What are you doing?” I tense as he reaches across the middle console between us.
“No need to yell fire, babe,” he jokes, reminding me of our first encounter, and my cheeks heat as something in my stomach twists on the word babe. Holding my breath, I watch him adjust the heater vents on my side to blow directly on me before turning up the warm air.
“I thought you were going to kill me,” I defend myself, hearing him chuckle as the light turns green and he presses the gas.
“I thought about it.”
“You did?”
“Yeah, I also thought about a couple other things,” he says, and I wonder what those things were, but I don’t have enough guts to ask him.
“Did you have a good night at work?” I ask instead, then wish I hadn’t, because he’s obviously a homicide detective and I can’t imagine any part of that being good. “Sorry, that was a stupid question. Ignore me.”
“It’s all right.” He turns his head toward me and smiles. “Can’t say it was a good night, but there is always a little bit of satisfaction involved when I bring someone to justice.”
“Did you . . . I mean, did you bring someone to justice tonight?”
“Yeah, but now I have a new case to solve.”
“The guy who killed the prostitute?” I ask softly, watching his expression change in the green lights coming off the dash.
“Yeah.” He nods once, and his fist tightens on the steering wheel.
“It must be difficult witnessing firsthand the worst parts of humanity, day after day.”
“It’s not easy,” he agrees, and I wrap my hands together in my lap to keep from reaching over and touching him in some way. To assure him that what he’s doing is important and appreciated. “I’ll drop you girls off out front, then go find parking,” he says, and I pull my eyes from him and realize we have already reached our block.
“Sure, thanks again.” I give him a small smile as he pulls up in front of our apartment building and I unhook my seat belt.
“Yeah, thanks for the ride,” Libby and Mac say.
I open my door and hop down, slamming my door as he says, “No problem.”
Heading to the building, I punch in the code for the door and let my sisters in ahead of me. “Um, how are we going to get into your apartment?” Mac asks as we head up the stairs to my place.
“My hidden key,” I tell her, walking across the open space between Levi’s apartment and mine. Bending, I lift the corner of the mat in front of my door and pull off the spare key I taped there when I moved in.
“That’s not very safe.” Libby eyes the key as I peel it off the tape.
“The building’s safe, and only tenants have the code for the front door.”
“Still, Dad would kill you if he knew you had a key hidden under your mat.”
“Dad will never know.” I shove the key in the lock and push the door open. “Hey, baby, did you miss us?” I smile at Muffin, who greets us with her tail wagging a hundred miles an hour. Giving her some love, I pat her head, then walk around her. “Let Mama change; then I’ll take you out to potty.”
“Yeah, and when you come back, you can tell us about Levi,” Mac says, dropping to the couch. Muffin climbs up next to her, pushing her head under Mac’s hand.
“There’s nothing to tell,” I mutter to myself, kicking off my heels before taking Levi’s jacket off and laying it across the end of my bed carefully. Pulling the dress off over my head, I roll it into a ball, then head for the bathroom, where I toss the stupid thing in the trash.
“There is some serious chemistry going on between you and Mr. Officer,” Libby informs me as she leans against the bathroom door while I grab a makeup removal wipe and start to scrub my face clean.
“He’s just a nice guy.” Shrugging off the look she gives me, I pick up my hairbrush, then drop it back to the top of the counter and grab a hair tie instead and tie my hair into a ponytail. As soon as I’m done, I look at her in the mirror. “I’m not interested.”
“Sure, you’re not,” she says sarcastically, stepping out of my way so I can leave the bathroom.
“It’s the truth,” I grumble, opening my closet and grabbing a pair of my favorite sweats off the top shelf, then a tank top from my drawer. I put both on quickly before slipping on my Toms.
“If you say so.” She turns and leaves the room. Biting my tongue to keep from replying, I head for the living room behind her and watch as she flops down on the couch next to Mac.
“I think he likes you,” Mac says, and Libby agrees as she kicks off her heels.
Ignoring both of them, I open the closet next to the front door and grab my windbreaker and Muffin’s leash.
“Ready?” I ask my girl, who is already waiting at the door, looking at me like I need to hurry up. As she wags her tail in reply, I attach her leash, then look toward the couch. “I’ll be right back.”
“We’ll be here,” Mac says, flipping on the television.
Swinging open the door, I groan when I find Levi on the other side with his hand ready to knock.
When will this night end?
“Hey, hold this.” I shove Muffin’s leash at him before he has a chance to say anything and turn back to my apartment. Going to my bedroom, I quickly grab his jacket and head right back to the door without looking at the couch, where I can feel two sets of eyes watching me. I have no doubt both my sisters are smiling.
“Night, Levi,” Libby calls, and I shut the door quickly, cutting off the sound of her and Mac laughing.
Feeling my face heat in embarrassment, I shove his jacket into his chest without looking at him, muttering, “Here’s your jacket. Thanks for letting me borrow it,” while attempting to take Muffin’s leash from his tight grasp with my free hand.
“Are you taking her out?” he asks, placing his fingers under my chin and forcing me to look at him.
“Yeah.”
“I’ll go with you.” His hand drops away, and he finally takes his jacket from me. At a loss for words, I watch him as he walks the four steps to his apartment—still holding Muffin’s leash—opens his door, and tosses the jacket in carelessly before slamming the door.
“You don’t have to come with us. We’re just going across the street to the park.”
“I don’t mind.” Okay, what the hell do I say to that? I don’t want you to go with me because you make me dizzy and I don’t know how to act when you’re close?
“All righty then,” I murmur instead, catching his lips twitch before I drop my gaze to the top of Muffin’s head so I can avoid looking at him.