Page 17 of Taken By Storm

New Kasi existed for a reason, a good one, so she snuffed out the wildness and shook her head. “No. I don’t want to bet.”

“You sure about that?”

Once again, she got the sense Levi could tell what she was thinking, and it turned her on as much as it unnerved her.

“There’s no way you could prove something like that, so why bet?” Yeah. So much for shutting old Kasi away. Why didn’t she just wave a red flag in front of the man? Why didn’t she just scream the words, “I dare you!”

Levi grinned. God. She loved it when he did that. His eyes crinkled at the edges, his white teeth sparkled, and it drew attention to that thick beard of his that she was dying to run her fingers through.

Levi closed the distance between them even more, something she wouldn’t have thought possible.

“Little bear,” he said, his lips less than an inch from hers.

“Hmm?” she hummed, her eyes closing in anticipation.

“Here’s your proof.”

His lips touched hers softly at first, almost as if he were coaxing her out to play.

Kasi hadn’t kissed a lot of guys in her past. Hell, she hadn’t even had a real boyfriend. Sure, she’d gone on dates, but none of those guys had ever stuck around long enough for their status to upgrade to relationship.

Probably because she’d always measured every man who had ever asked her out with the Levi yardstick, and they’d all come up short.

Now, she was royally fucked. Future dead-end dates wouldn’t be measured by an unexplored crush. Because this kiss wasn’t fiction, wasn’t fantasy, wasn’t wishful thinking.

It was real and passionate and mind-blowing and overwhelming and…

She was screwed.

Her fingers closed around the soft material of his T-shirt, gripping so tightly she feared she’d tear it. One of Levi’s hands made its way to her cheek, cupping it in equal part affection andpossession. His other hand was wrapped around the nape of her neck, the touch making her feel safe and claimed all at the same time.

She started when he nipped her lower lip, her gasp the opening he was looking for as his tongue slid inside. He tasted like coffee, his bitterness mingling with the sweetness of her cream and sugar.

Levi pushed her harder against the counter, every part of his body flat against hers, allowing her to feel the effect this kiss was having on him too.

There was a large—holy fuck, too large—bulge beneath his jeans, and just the thought of him getting hard over a kiss with her was making her dizzy. Dizzy enough, she worried she might have to eat her words about not being the kind of girl who passed out all the time.

Kasi had no idea how long they stood there, Levi devouring her mouth, her lips, her tongue. He laid claim to it all, and damn if she didn’t hand it over without hesitation.

Levi broke the kiss, resting his forehead against hers. She expected him to do a bit of crowing, bragging about making his point. She sure as shit hadn’t resisted the kiss, so if that was what he considered proof of ownership, then yeah, he no doubt thought he’d won the bet.

However, Kasi had kissed plenty of guys in the past without handing over the deed, and she intended to set him straight on that.

As soon as she remembered how to breathe.

“Make me a honey-do list,” Levi said.

Where was the crowing?

Kasi blinked a few times, trying to make sense of his words in the wake of…that kiss.

“What?”

“Make me a list of chores that need to be done around here,” he reiterated, his change of subject nearly giving her whiplash.

Did he truly think that kiss had been answer enough to his assertion that she was his?

God. Didshe?

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