Well this is certainly unexpected.
“Party?” I arch a brow, interest piqued.
“Yeah, at the Norbury packhouse.”
Annnnnd I’m no longer interested.
“No thanks,” I scoff, shaking my head.
“C’mon,” Levi urges, gripping the edge of the bar and pushing back against it. The muscles of his forearms tighten as he leans his weight forward in a push-up position. He must work out like crazy- nobody his age should have muscles like that. Chase and his friends are freaks of nature. He tilts his head, green eyes pulling me in. “I wanna see you again, and it’ll be fun. What do you have to lose? If it sucks, you can leave.”
I’ve gotta admit, his roguish charm is starting to work on me. Levi’s like junk food- you know it’s bad for you, but it tastes so good that you keep going back for more, even as you know it’s slowly killing you.Damn, am I actually considering going to this party with him?
I heave a sigh, glancing over my shoulder toward Nessa. “I’ll think about it. But only if my girl can come too.”
Levi looks over at Nessa, giving her a painfully obvious once-over and wetting his lips with his tongue. “Definitely.” He tips up his head to her in greeting. “Hey. I’m Levi.”
“Nessa,” she replies enthusiastically, stepping up beside me. “We’ll be there.”
I turn to shoot Nessa a death glare, but she just smirks back, bumping me with her hip.
“Great,” Levi drawls, grinning in satisfaction. This is usually the moment that guys pivot their interest to Nessa instead of me- but to my surprise, Levi returns his gaze to lock with my own. He pushes back off of the bar, tossing me another wink. “See ya tomorrow then, Vienna.”
I swallow hard, heat crawling up my neck as Levi turns on a heel and walks away, heading back the way he came. I watch after him and as soon as he steps through the doorway, I whip around to face Nessa, slapping her arm with the back of a hand. “What the hell wasthat, Ness?!”
She rolls her eyes, giggling. “Ohplease. Like you didn’t want to say yes to that guy.” My cheeks burn because she’s right. Levi’s the kind of guy you can’t help but say yes to. “Who is he, anyways?”
“A friend of Chase’s,” I groan.
“And Chase is…?”
I pin her with a dubious stare. “Uh, the Alpha from Norbury, the one who cracked my phone? Were you not listening to anything I told you yesterday?”
The smug grin that comes to her lips tells me she had no lapse in memory- she was testing my reaction.Sneaky bitch.
“That’s right,” she snaps. “The sexy one.”
“Yes. I meanno. I mean…” My face grows hotter. “Yeah, he’s sexy, but he’s a dick.” I heave an annoyed sigh. I know what she’s doing, but I hate when she calls me on my bullshit. Can’t I despise the guy and want to jump his bones at the same time?
Okay, I now realize how crazy that sounds. Maybe Iamgoing crazy after all.
“Besides,” I say with the wave of a hand. “He’s younger than us.”
Nessa snorts. “By what? Six months? A year, at most? If he looks anything like his friend that just came in here, the boy isfull grown,” she says with a mischievous smirk.
I laugh, giving her a playful shove. “Whatever.”
She’s right, though. Again. Maddeningly so.
Nessa turns away, strolling back over to the garnish container to raid it for another cherry. I can hardly keep the damn thing stocked when she’s around- girl has a major sweet tooth. It must fuel that sugar-sweet demeanor of hers. “So which one are you interested in then?” she asks, plucking a cherry from the tray and spinning back around to face me. “Chase or his friend?”
“Neither.”
“You can’t tell me you’re not into that guy!” she points in the direction Levi went, cackling in disbelief. “Even if I didn’t know your tells, it’s obvious. You were blushing like crazy.”
Damn my disobedient body.
I know Nessa isn’t going to let this go, so I give in, just a little. “Fine, if I were interested in one of them…” I muse, reclining against the bar again. “And I’m not saying I am,” I clarify quickly. “But if Iwas, then… Levi.”