Levitate (7 page)

I DOWNED THE entire bottle of water, trying to cool my shit down. I had to stay back in my room for a few minutes to talk my dick down. Fuck, the sight of her leaning back on her elbows, her legs around my hips. I want nothing more than to sink inside her and stay there… for days.

Kensington James.

I click the button to send her a friend request. Out of the corner of my eye, I see her phone vibrate on the counter with a notification, I assume. I watch as she picks it up and slides her finger across the screen. A small smile plays on her lips. My phone dings with a notification. Looking down, I see “Kensington James has accepted your friend request.”

I lean over and bump my shoulder against hers. No words are said as we sit and play with our phones. The silence is comfortable. I scroll through her friends list and see Nicole. I send her a request as well. Brighton is head over heels for her, and maybe if I get to know her better, I can find out what it’s going to take to crack my new friend Kensington.

After I’ve exhausted my daily dose of Facebook, I close out the app and slide my phone back in my pocket. “Why don’t we go start a fire? It’s hard to tell what they’re doing in there,” I suggest.

“Sounds good. I love bonfires,” she says, standing. Her eyes glance back at the hallway. “She really likes him,” she states as she turns to head outside. I grab a blanket from the back of the couch, as well as my sweatshirt, which she folded and placed on the table by the patio door.

Once we are outside, I make my way down to the patio and throw a few logs on the fire before lighting a match. The blaze starts a slow burn. I take the lounger next to Kensington and hand her the sweatshirt. She happily slides back into it and burrows her arms in front of her. Once she seems to be settled, I stand and shake out the blanket. I drape it over her legs and tuck it around her. I don’t want her getting cold.

Once I have her covered and wrapped in a cocoon, I sit back on the lounger and watch as the flame starts to grow. “He really likes her too, just so you know. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him the way he is with her.”

“How long have you guys been friends?”

“Since kindergarten. We met on the first day and we’ve been inseparable ever since. How about you and Nicole?”

Her face lights up at the mention of her best friend. “Our freshman year at college. I was in a rough place and Nicole… she saved me.”

I wait for her to elaborate, but she doesn’t. I want to know more about her. What had her in a bad place and what did she mean by Nicole saved her? I have a million questions running through my mind.

“Bright and I have been through some shit together, that’s for sure,” I offer that little tidbit, hoping she’ll elaborate. She doesn’t. “So Bright said you are both seniors this year?” I inquire. I want to keep her talking.

“Yeah. I’m kind of sad about it, if you want to know the truth. I don’t know where life is going to take us. I hate the thought of losing touch with her.”

“Sounds to me like the two of you are tight. It’s hard to break that bond,” I tell her.

“So you own Cooper’s? I’ve been there a few times, but I’ve never seen you.”

“Yeah.” I hesitate to tell her more. I decide to go with it and skip over the details. “My dad passed away a few years ago. He and my mom were divorced and he left the business and this place to me.” I point toward the house.

“This place is amazing. Honestly, when I first walked in, I was shocked. It’s not what I expected for two bachelors,” she says sheepishly.

I throw my head back and laugh at her assessment. “You’re right.” I shrug. “I just… I grew up here and construction was my thing, what I was doing before I inherited the bar. I just wanted a nice place to come home to. Dad and I always worked on projects together. In a way, it felt like each time I fixed up something else that he was here with me. Sounds crazy, huh?” I’m an idiot. I want this girl in my bed and she’s fighting it. Then I go and tell her the crazy shit bouncing around in my brain. She’s really going to run from me now.

I sit up on my lounger and study her. Her head is tilted back and her eyes appear to be closed. She’s so fucking beautiful bathed in the moonlight. A gust of wind blows and a shiver runs through me. I look at Kensington all cozied up in my sweatshirt and blanket. She’s on the double lounger, so there’s room for me. Decision made, I stand up and walk to the other side. Her eyes pop open when she feels my weight beside her.

“What are you doing?” she asks. Her voice is soft as she watches my every move.

“It was starting to get cold, so I thought we could share.” I point toward the blanket. I hold my hands up in front of her. “No funny business, I promise.”

She chews on her bottom lip, debating. “I promise,” I repeat. She gives me a slight nod of her head and reaches for the cover and lifts it. I scoot in beside her and she drops it on my lap.

We sit there in silence, both watching the night sky. After several minutes, she takes a deep breath and starts to talk. “It doesn’t sound crazy. My mom, she umm… she passed away a few years ago, and I like to think that she’s here with me, you know?”

She’s still looking at the sky and I’m looking at her. I watch as a lone tear slips over her cheek. I reach over and gently wipe it away with my thumb. “We have something in common,” I whisper. It’s then that her sad eyes meet mine. The devastation I see guts me. Leaning over, I place a tender kiss against her temple.

Leaning back against the lounger, I return my gaze to the night sky. I feel Kensington tilt her head against my shoulder. “Yesterday was her birthday. It’s a hard day for me. I’m sorry if I came across as a bitch. I just… I’m a mess.”

I reach over and link my pinky with hers. “I’ve never seen a mess more beautiful,” I tell her. I have no idea where the words come from, but I believe them with all that I am. I’ve never been that guy, the one who passes out compliments or sits with a girl and watches the stars. Tonight, I am. The game is changing and I’m in uncharted waters.

I FEEL HIS pinky link with mine and my heart melts. Maxton Cooper has just shocked the hell out of me. I was sure he wanted to sit with me to make his move, but he didn’t. Instead, he offered me comfort. Something that no one other than my father and Nicole have ever offered. I’ve never given anyone else the opportunity. I don’t know if it’s the dark of night, sitting with him under the moonlight. Maybe it was his confession about feeling like his father is here. I can’t pinpoint exactly, but I allowed him to learn more about me tonight than anyone else.

What the hell was that?

“Hey, you two.” Nicole’s chipper voice rings throughout the night. Brighton sits down on the lounger that Maxton was using before he invaded mine. He pulls Nicole onto his lap. “You two look cozy,” she says to me.

“We’ve been out here for over an hour. It got cold, so we shared the blanket,” Maxton explains, pointing to the blanket.

The wind picks up as soon as the words are out of his mouth and Nicole sinks back against Brighton. “Brrr. It’s freezing. I guess we should go.” She’s talking to me, but looking over her shoulder at Brighton.

“I’ll walk you out,” he says, allowing her to pull him up from the lounger. I stand and fold the blanket, then hand it to Maxton. “Thank you.” I lift my arms to take off his sweatshirt, but his hand on my arm stops me.

“Keep it. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again with the way those two are acting. I’ll get it another time,” he tells me.

I turn and follow Brighton and Nicole out to the car. As I reach the passenger door, I feel his hand on the small of my back. Maxton reaches around me and opens the door. I didn’t even know he was behind me. “See you soon,” he says.

“Thanks again for the sweatshirt,” I tell him before climbing into the passenger seat. Maxton leans in the door and fastens my seat belt. He looks over to Nicole who is already sitting in the driver’s seat.

“Drive safe,” he says. Then he’s gone. He pulls his big frame out of the car and gently shuts my door. He taps twice on the roof and walks back toward the house. My eyes follow him all the way. I hear Brighton tell Nicole to text him when we get home, another quick kiss and her door is shut, too. The blast of the heater immediately warms the inside of the car. Nicole reaches over and turns it down.

“Sorry I left you for so long. Brighton… his kisses.”

“It’s fine. Maxton built a fire and we just sat and talked.”

“You too looked pretty close when we walked up.”

“Not really. He had only been beside me maybe ten minutes. He was on the other lounger the rest of the night. At first, I thought he was trying to make his move, but he didn’t. He just sat beside me and we kept talking,” I tell her.

“What did you all talk about?” she questions.

I debate on telling her. Nicole will read more into this than what it really is. I can’t, however, lie to her, even by omission, more than I already have. Someday soon, I need to sit her down and tell her everything with my mom. Someday. “He just talked about how he lost his dad a few years ago and he left him the house and the bar. I told him that I lost my mom a few years ago as well.” I keep my answer simple. It doesn’t feel right telling her Maxton’s thoughts about his dad being near. She already knows I feel that way about Mom, especially when I go to the stables.

“Wow,” she whispers. “I can’t believe you told him. Kens, that’s a huge step for you. Do you like him?”

“Yeah, I guess. First impression, he’s a player with a cocksure attitude. Today he was… not. At least, not like he was at the bar last night. He seems like an all right guy.” An all right guy who has my hormones in overdrive and makes my heart race, but it’s whatever. I know he’s still that first impression guy. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself. “I just… I don’t know… something about how he was telling me about his dad. The words just came out before I could really think about them.” That is the honest truth. I was thinking it over, contemplating if I should say anything when the words just spilled out. Telling him was not as bad as what I had imagined. Only one lone tear escaped, but Maxton took care of that.

“They both seem like great guys. He has to be for you to open up like that.” She doesn’t say anything more. I know she wants to. She wants to talk about how great we would be together, but she knows better. She knows that if and when that happens, it will take time.

“Classes start Tuesday,” she says, changing the subject. This girl knows me so well.

“Senior year, here we come! What’s on the agenda for tomorrow?” I ask her. I’m sure she and Brighton have something planned.

“Nothing right now. You?” she asks.

“I got nothing,” I tell her. “I figured you and Brighton would take full advantage of an extended weekend.”

We pass under the street light close to our apartment and I can see her happiness has faded a little. “He didn’t mention it. I didn’t either. I didn’t want to sound needy or clingy.”

I laugh aloud at her comment. “First of all, I’ve never known you to be either. Second of all, the guy is freaking crazy about you. Maxton even said that he’s never seen Brighton act this way about a girl. He’s into you, just as much as you are him. Trust me,” I tell her.

She pulls the car into our complex and shuts it off. Turning her head to face me, she demands, “You have to tell me everything.”

I chuckle at her excitement. “I already told you. Maxton just said that Brighton really likes you and that it’s the first time he’s seen him like a girl this much. That’s it, I promise,” I tell her.

“I know it’s too soon to like him this much. I’m not in love with him or anything, but he’s just… gah! His kisses…” She touches her lips as if she can still remember the feel.

I run my fingers over my palm as I remember the tender touch of his lips there. That wasn’t the only time his lips touched my skin tonight. It also wasn’t the only time I wanted them to. I wanted him to kiss me in the gazebo. Hell, I wanted him to kiss me in his bedroom. I’m glad he didn’t. I’m not sure I would have found the will power to resist his hard body. I need to be very careful around one Maxton Cooper.

Nicole and I end up sitting in her car, just listening to the radio and talking. We eventually decide that ice cream sounds good, so we drive to McDonalds and get a McFlurry. When we get back to the apartment, we grab our treats and head inside. Just as we are getting out of the car, a big black truck roars into the parking lot. We both freeze as we watch Maxton climb out of the driver’s side and Brighton the passenger.

“Where in the hell have you been?” they say in unison.

Brighton is beside Nicole within a few strides of his long legs. Maxton is on his heels, rounding the car and pulling me into his chest. I feel him release a shuddering breath and kiss the top of my head. I step away from him and look over the car to see Brighton with his hands on both sides of Nicole’s face.

“You were supposed to call. You said you would call when you got home and you didn’t. I tried calling your cell, but there was no answer. I didn’t have Kensington’s number.” He pulls her into his chest and wraps his arms around her. I can tell by the look on his face that he was worried sick about her.

Maxton tucks a loose hair behind my ear. He doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t need to. The embrace when he got here tells me he was worried as well.

“Sorry, we sat in the car talking, and then decided to go for ice cream,” I say, holding up my McFlurry.

Maxton grabs my spoon and takes a big bite, returning the spoon as if nothing happened. I ignore the move and walk around the car to join Nicole and Brighton, Maxton right behind me.

“You want to come in?” Nicole asks Brighton.

“No, babe.” He runs his fingers through his hair. “I was just worried. I wanted to make sure you were okay.” He leans in and kisses the top of her head, then turns to me. “Can I please have your cell number, so the next time my girl forgets to call me and her cell dies, I can at least try you before I freak the fuck out?” he says.

I smile at Nicole as I recite my number to him. Maxton places his hands on my shoulder as he tells Brighton to text him my number. I roll my eyes at his request, but I don’t argue.

I hear Maxton’s phone beep behind me and he gives my shoulders a gentle squeeze. “All right, let us walk you to the door and then we’ll go,” Brighton says.

“Bright, we can—” he places his finger up to her lips to shush her.

“I need to know you’re safe and sound. I’m already here; there is no reason for me not to make sure of that,” he says, pulling her toward the entrance of our apartment.

Maxton turns me by my shoulders and I lead him to the door. I take my time, letting Bright and Nic have a minute. They are pulling out of a lip-lock when we reach them. Maxton leans in; his lips are next to my ear and his hot breath sends shivers throughout my body. “Goodnight, Kensi,” he says. His hands leave my shoulders, and just like that, he’s gone.