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“Oh… okay,” I dumbly stuttered back. Faced with the elation in my blood that reddened my cheeks, I pivoted around and vanished into my kitchen.
Once I’d placed the roses in a vase and left them on my counter, I flattened my palms on the cold counter, hoping to cool myself down. An unfairly attractive rockstar was leaning in my doorway waiting for me, and I was hiding in the kitchen to calm down.
Part of me wanted him to burst in here with his shirt half off like the models on romance book covers and sweep me off my feet. But this was real life, and I needed to cool my heels.
I grabbed my black clutch and sucked in a lungful of air until my cheeks inflated. With my nerves settled, I blinked rapidly, then blew the air past my lips. My boots clicked on the floor, echoing through my ears on my way to the door.
“Your chariot awaits,” Levi joked, gesturing toward a black charger rumbling in the driveway. He opened the front passenger door for me, and his intoxicating cologne lured me closer.
“Thank you,” I breathed, stealing a whiff of his scent before lowering into the car. When I sat down, the heated seats warmed my bottom and more of his aroma invaded my body.
Caged in the dark interior of his car with nowhere to go, and his fiery sideways glances, I felt like I was trapped with a starving animal. The red lights from the road glinted in his dangerous eyes, like a demon materializing from the shadows. When he smiled, I half expected to see fangs in his mouth.
His brief glances were full of hunger and a possessive desire that provoked liquid heat between my thighs. If he didn’t stop staring at me, he’d find a puddle by the time we arrived at the restaurant, and I’d hate to ruin his leather seats.
“So, where are we going?” The words clung to the inside of my throat like tar. I glued my eyes to the road, otherwise I wouldn’t stop staring right back at him.
“I heard your favorite food was sushi.” Levi left it at that, smirking like a devil.
“Well, you heard right.” The muscles around my mouth ached from the smile etched on my face. I kept my head turned to hide my expression from him. I didn’t want it to go to his head.
However, the embarrassing gasp out of my mouth when he parked the car was all the victory that he needed to inflate his ego.
I whipped around, gaping at him. “Kogane? You got us a table here?”
His confident smile grew, and he winked. “One of the best sushi places in Los Angeles still isn’t good enough for you, but it’ll do in a pinch.”
Levi hopped out of the car, and I was too stunned to do anything except watch him jog around the front of the vehicle. When he opened my door and offered his hand, I made myself look away from the brilliant restaurant lights to accept.
My palm slid against his warm hand, and the heat of him tore the veil of shock from my eyes. Under my breath to avoid his ears, I mumbled, “There’s an absurdly high deposit to get a dinner reservation here.”
If we made it through dinner, I was fucking Levi Stark tonight.
Fifteen
Levi hooked his arm through mine, guiding me under the golden neon sign. The swell of his hard bicep against my arm was almost more tantalizing than the aroma of food wafting through my nose.
Warm lighting, pale walls, and a simplistically elegant design lured me in. I noted four small tables with two chairs each on one side of the restaurant and a long bar table facing the back wall on the other. The emptiness in the building caught my attention next.
“Why is it empty? I thought this place was popular,” I whispered.
Levi chuckled out, “I rented out the whole place tonight.”
I dropped his arm and took a half step away. “You’re a rockstar, not a billionaire. Why are you renting out restaurants for a date?”
He inhaled slowly, steadily, circling around to place his hands on my shoulders. Squeezing my arms gently, he peered into my eyes as a charming smile graced his sensual lips. The sensation of his thumbs skimming up and down caused my nipples to tighten against my bra.
“This is a very important date for me. On top of that, I didn’t think you’d want to be recognized in public with me at your side. This gives us privacy.” The low rasp of his voice produced a manic fluttering in my heart.
Our date was important to him?
A flush of heat rose under the surface of my cheeks, staining my face red. Flustered, I turned my face away from him, though it only gave him a better view.
After so long away from the public eye, and the change in my hair, I didn’t get recognized as often. Being here with Levi almost guaranteed pictures would be posted online by morning. The seclusion eased my nerves more than I’d admit.
“Thank you.” I’d need to get used to saying that around him.
“Anything for you, songbird.” Levi winked, prompting my knees to weaken. That nickname would do dangerous things to me if he continued using it.
