Page 16 of Taken By Storm

“That’s right,” Levi cut her off. “You are, and you’re mine, so now it’s fallen to both of us.”

Kasi frowned, bewildered.

Because she was what now?

“Yours?” she asked. “Since when?”

“Since you passed out in my arms yesterday at the fruit stand.”

She couldn’t smell liquor on his breath, so she didn’t think he was drunk.

There was no noticeable lump on his skull, so she didn’t think he’d hit his head.

She’d known him her whole life, and she’d never seen any signs of insanity.

“That was a one-off. I’m not the kind of girl who passes out regularly, so you don’t have to worry about following me around, waiting to catch me.”

“Good to know,” Levi replied, amused.

His response annoyed her. “I’m not yours, Levi.”

He didn’t reply immediately. Instead, he just smirked as ifhewas the one acting perfectly sane here, while she was off her rocker. Which was definitely NOT the case.

“Levi,” she insisted. “If my passing out has triggered something inside that’s telling you I’m a damsel in distress and in need of saving, let me go ahead and reassure you that’s not the case. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

“I know you are.”

Kasi lifted her hands, placing her palms on his torso, intent on pushing him away. She couldn’t think when he was standing so damn close to her, and given the crazy shit he was saying, she needed her wits about her.

Unfortunately, her hands had a different opinion about their purpose when she felt his rock-hard abs through the thin cotton of his T-shirt.

Holy. Fuck.

What was this guy made of? Steel?

She reluctantly applied the tiniest bit of pressure, hoping it would be enough for Levi to take the hint and move away, but heonly pushed back until his chest pressed against hers, brushing against her breasts.

She had to swallow down a whimper. “I…um…”

What the hell had they been talking about?

“I know you can take care of yourself, little bear,” he repeated.

Kasi was grateful for the reminder because she’d totally lost the plot. She just wished he hadn’t tacked on the “little bear” part because it made her melt a little more every time she heard it. “Good,” she said lamely. “So you get it. I’m not yours.”

Levi brushed her hair over her shoulder. She usually pinned it up in a ponytail, but she’d been too groggy when she first woke up to remember, and by the time she was downstairs, she was too tired to go back for a hairband.

“You want to bet on that?” he asked.

Kasi had started to look at her life as if it were broken down into two parts. There was the Kasi she was before her mother died, and the Kasi she became after.

The first Kasi had been playful, carefree, with more than a healthy dose of wildness mixed in for good measure. It was one of the reasons she and Remi had always been such good friends. Neither of them could resist an adventure or a dare.

This Kasi, the new one, was too serious and tied down with responsibilities so heavy that they threatened to break her back. Nowadays, the most adventure she enjoyed was finding a few minutes to watch a little more ofBridgerton.

For the first time in months, she felt a bit of her wild side emerging because she really—REALLY—wanted to take Levi’s bet.

But she couldn’t.

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