Page 86 of Burning for You

“I don’t know. Maybe. I trusted him, that’s for sure.”

He nods a couple of times.

“Levi, this tape will make our lives hell. After what we do to Teller and Bright, this scandal will be out in the open and the press will hound us like we’re wounded foxes.”

He doesn’t answer.

I assure him, “Whether you stay or you go, I will fight for your land. I promise you that.”

Closing my eyes, I prepare for my heart to break in long, miserable grief.

Instead, I feel a kiss on my forehead. Levi says, “This doesn’t change anything for me. It changes nothing.”

I hug him, breathing in the scent from his taut chest. How can it be that he’s still mine?

“I’m not just any man, Carolyn.”

I study his eyes, and I can’t find a sliver of hesitation. He means it.

For that, I remember what Bear said: We’re just two people who met and opened up to each other, and we said, ‘I’m willing to stand by you.’

“You’re impossible, you know that?” I say.

“That’s what I think about you,” he replies. “If there’s time for us to back each other, it’s now.”

I nod. “I’ve asked Josh’s secretary to block a time for next Wednesday. I still have a lot to do, but I think we’ll be ready by then. I’ll tell him I’m staying with my cousin. My auntie has been in and out of the hospital, so he’ll believe me.”

“Does your dad know about all this?”

“I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”

“So, for the meeting, you want me there?”

“Of course,” I say. “I’ll go through things with you. Whatever you need, tell me.”

Levi throws me a smile. “I think I’ll be okay. The only thing is…” His face momentarily shrinks like a fading petal. “I’ll need a new shirt. Would you help me shop?”

“I’m going to Sass tomorrow,” she says. “Why don’t you come by before lunch? I’m sure we can find something in our wardrobe.”

“Our wardrobe?”

“Sass does menswear, too. Highly sought after, known for its impeccable fit and quality.” I can’t wait to dress him up. He will look so handsome in the new Fuego Fall/Winter collection. “You know, Love Bug, Levi is an anagram for live?”

“Huh… I never sounded so important before.”

“It is for evil, too,” I tease.

“Won’t you rather have evil to protect and please you, than an angel who leaves you wanting more?”

Well said.

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