Levi hesitates. Did I see a smile? He takes another step in my direction.
“Will you be joining him?” The silence is broken only by the rasping sounds of Levi’s shallow breath.
I shake my head. “No.”
I expect him to smile, but he narrows his eyes.
“Why not?”
His need for reassurance runs so deep. He truly is a wounded soldier in need of rescue, if ever I met one. Lucky for him, I’m the perfect woman for the job. I’ll love every minute of it.
“I’d rather stay here . . . with you.” Now it’s my turn to hold my breath. What if he doesn’t want more than a casual fling?
I scan his face, praying for a grin, but he turns and walks back toward the kitchen without saying a word. I can’t breathe. He walked away?
Thankfully, he returns quickly, carrying a small bag in his hand. When he sits on the coffee table, I resist the impulse to touch him. He faces me and drops the bag in my lap.
“I bought you a gift.” He straightens his back, grimacing from what I presume is back pain.
“Wow. I’m stunned.” My eyes shift between him and the bag. “What did I do to deserve a present?”
He evades the question by asking his own. “Don’t you want to open it?” One brow quirks up while a grin forms. I love those wonderful dimples.
I gingerly open the bag and pull out a flat, square box. It’s a jewelry case. Involuntarily, I gulp. My mind scatters in several directions. When he left my house this morning, he’d been dour. Why, between then and now, did he decide to purchase jewelry . . . for me? I open the box and lift a funky pearl and leather necklace from the case.
My mouth falls open in surprise. I lace it through my fingers and hold it up for inspection. Blinking back tears, I look at Levi, who’s nervously observing my reaction.
“It’s beautiful. I love it.” I twist it around my neck twice and continue touching it. “I don’t understand. Why’d you buy this for me, Levi?”
He’s battling to find the words. My heart grows larger just watching him work so hard for me.
“I’m not good at talking about feelings. Hell, until recently, I hadn’t experienced so many of them.” He smiles to himself and then looks at me. “Earlier you asked me to tell you what to do. I wouldn’t, but not because I didn’t care about the outcome. When I left your house this morning, I’d convinced myself you’d be leaving. I vowed not to let it affect me. So I took off for the day, the way I used to before you came along. It didn’t take long to realize nothing’s the same without you. I came back hoping to talk you into staying here. I figured the necklace might help advance my cause.”
“Turns out you didn’t need the necklace after all.” I lean forward to kiss him. Within two seconds, he’s pinned me back against the sofa with a hungry kiss.
He drags his lips from mine, wincing. “Sorry, it feels like someone’s using my back as a dartboard. Scoot over. I need to lie down. I think I’ve pushed too hard these past few days with all the travel and other activity.”
Once he’s on his back, I burrow against him and lay my head against his chest to listen to his slow, heavy heartbeat. His fingers comb through my hair, and he kisses the top of my head.
“Lindsey, are you sure about me? It’s nearly impossible for me to trust anything good to last. And I’ve never been in a relationship. I can’t make many promises, but I swear I’ll never lie to you or take you for granted.”
Exhausted from the emotional fallout with Rob, I’m not particularly in the mood for a serious discussion at this moment. But this is important. I touch his face.
“Would you consider a suggestion?”
“Sure.”
I take a deep breath. “Well, you’ve mentioned your inability to trust, your disinterest in emotional intimacy, your feelings of unworthiness—”
“Can we skip to the point, rather than reciting all of my faults?” He cuts me off, but his fingers continue to lightly skim up and down the length of my arm.
“I wouldn’t call them faults. Learned habits, perhaps.” My fingers brush along his collarbone. “Anyway, the point is, maybe you should consider talking to someone, professionally, who can help you. Especially now, since you’ve seen your mother and everything’s been dragged to the forefront.”
He’s silent for a minute. “Is this a condition of your decision to stay?”
“No.” I caress his chest. “But I think it would help us if you heal some of the damage your parents caused and learn to have faith in love.”
I feel his lips on my scalp. “I’ll consider it.”