It was probably nothing. Who freaked out over freakingvibes? Paranoid wierdos, that’s who. But my heart was still beating a little too fast, my skin buzzing like it hadn’t gotten the memo. I glanced at the security camera’s red light and shuddered as I thought of Levi’s quiet“Text me if you need anything.”
I pulled out my phone, thumb hovering over his name.
I didn’t text. But knowing I could made the quiet feel a little less heavy.
I was still standing there when the bell chimed again. This time I jumped.
“Whoa—hey, hey—sorry,” a familiar voice said quickly.
Levi.
Of course, it was Levi. Did he have a sixth sense of knowing when I needed him? I didn’t need him. I didn’t need anybody. What the hell was wrong with me?
He stood just inside the door, palms up like I was a skittish horse he was trying not to spook, eyes already scanning me with concern.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Totally,” I said immediately. “Thriving. Flourishing. Living my best gas-station-attendant life.”
He didn’t smile right away. He stepped closer and rested his palms on the counter. Close enough that I caught the faint cedar-and-smoke scent that always clung to him. Close enough that the knot in my chest loosened just a fraction.
“You jumped,” he said softly. “When I came in. I?—”
“You startled me,” I admitted before he could ask questions. “That’s all.”
His gaze held mine. “If it’s more than that, you can tell me.” He studied me for another second, then leaned forward, closeenough that I could see the faint line between his brows. The one he got when he was worried but trying not to push. “Did Travis stop by?” he asked quietly. He assumed I was jumpy because of Travis.
I blinked. “No.”
His jaw flexed once. Protective without being bossy about it. It did something extremely unhelpful to my pulse. “You sure?” he asked, voice dropping lower, eyes flicking over my face like he was cataloging every micro-expression. “You can tell me. I wish you would. I’ll handle him for you. I’ll do anything you need.”
“I haven’t seen him in a while,” I said. Then, to change the mood, “You’re going to give the guy an ego if you keep assuming he’s lurking around every corner.”
Levi exhaled through his nose, the tiniest almost-laugh. “That’s not what I meant.”
“I know,” I said, softer now. “I’m okay.”
It wasn’t entirely a lie. I wasn’t in immediate danger. I was just vibrating internally like a live wire. Half because I was still freaked out, and the other half because of the six-foot-four-inch firefighter currently standing way too close and looking at me like I was the only thing worth seeing.
He tilted his head, studying me with that slow, deliberate gaze that made my stomach flip. The silence stretched, warm and electric, full of everything we weren’t saying out loud.
“Okay,” he said finally, but he didn’t move away. Instead, he leaned one hip against the counter, arms crossed loosely, like he had all night. “If you say so.”
“You just startled me, that’s all.” I smiled. Big and bright, forcing myself out of the fear that had taken over. “Promise. I’m okay.”
A small, crooked smile tugged at his mouth as he studied my face. “Startled you, huh?” He leaned in just a fraction more,voice dropping to that low, teasing rumble. “Didn’t know I still had that effect.”
My cheeks heated. “Don’t flatter yourself.” I was thankful he decided to change the mood, even though it got me all flustered.
“Too late,” he murmured, eyes crinkling at the corners. “Already flattered.”
I rolled my eyes, but the smile slipped out anyway. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Ridiculously charming,” he corrected, grinning now. “Admit it.”
“Pass.”
He laughed under his breath—that quiet, warm sound that had always felt like it was just for me. “Alright, I’m grabbing a drink. Be right back.”
