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Like Mr. Right.
Like the most right thing she’d ever experienced.
But he was in this short term, was the player she’d pretended to be.
He was like Simon.
No, Levi wasn’t like Simon.
Simon had been a liar and a cheat and wasn’t fit to wipe the mud off Levi’s boots, so to speak.
“Madison?”
She glanced toward Levi, forced a smile to her face, and wondered why she was having to force anything. The most amazing man she’d ever met had asked her to help him with a grand opening gala in honor of his mother, had asked her to dinner, and apparently was taking her on a late-evening picnic. At a secluded area of a private lake. She should be smiling for real, enjoying the moment, not worrying about the past.
She was a grown woman and deserved a little fun without having to worry about what the future held. Without having to over-analyze every aspect of their relationship.
“Tell me what smells so good,” she encouraged, hoping he’d let her change the subject, hoping she really could focus on just having a good time rather than on worrying about her heart getting broken again. “What did you do? Pack a picnic basket full of goodies in the hope of buttering me up?”
She smiled at him. A real smile because he was so beautiful how could her smile not be real when he was with her, wanted to be with her, even if only for a short while?
“Exactly.” His smile was breathtaking, just as he was, and she struggled to breathe normally. “Is it working?”
“For the record, you don’t need to butter me up.” Now, why was she telling him that? “I’m already yours for the taking.”
And she certainly shouldn’t have told him that.
“Even if I text you cancellations?” he teased, opening his truck door, but waiting on her answer prior to getting out of the vehicle.
“I prefer actual calls.” Her fingers toyed on the passenger-door latch. “But there are extenuating circumstances. I understand that.”
“You probably shouldn’t be telling me this.”
Yeah, she’d just told herself that, but asked, “Why not?”
He nodded to where the sun had begun to sink in the sky, where the sky was streaked with reds, purples, pink and blues and every shade in between. To where the glassy lake reflected all the beauty of the early stages of the evening’s sunset.
“Because we’re here.”
Madison wasn’t sure she understood what that had to do with her admitting to being under his spell, but she climbed out of the truck and helped him grab items from the back of the SUV. A thick fuzzy blanket, a basket, a small cooler.
Loaded down with the blanket and a pillow, Madison followed Levi, his arms full, toward the lake.
“Who owns this place, anyway?”
“I do.”
He owned this beautiful, peaceful paradise?
“I inherited the land after my grandfather died. There’s a small lake house. I’ve done some work on it, but someday I’m going to build a permanent house here.” He gestured to the area where they were.
“And go fishing every day?” she teased, feeling as if he was sharing something with her that he didn’t typically share. Which was foolish. For all she knew, he’d brought dozens of women to this exact spot. Packed dozens of picnics.
“Among other things.” He turned, grinned, as if to confirm her thoughts.
She met his gaze head on, grinned back. “Like have late-evening picnics?”
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “Then again, late-evening picnics might just make me think of you.”
