Page 31 of Taken By Storm

“Hold still, Kasi,” he snapped. “Or as God is my witness, I’ll rip down these shorts and spank your ass, concussion or not.”

His threat stunned her to silence—for all of three seconds—before she doubled down on trying to escape his hold.

“Dammit,” he cursed, shifting so that he could toss her over his shoulder, firefighter-style.

“Levi!” she screamed, pounding her fists on his back.

He lifted his hand and smacked her ass, hard, while walking toward the cabin.

When she gasped—but didn’t complain—he spanked her three more times, then he opened the door and carried her inside, not stopping until they were in the bedroom.

Bending forward, he dropped her onto the mattress, prepared for her next attempt at escape. He placed a firm hand in the middle of her breastbone and held her down, dodging the legs she was kicking his direction.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Her fingernails dug into his wrist, but he didn’t release her. Instead, he straddled her knees, tightening his thighs so her legs were immobile.

“Calm down, Kasi. Right now.”

“I’ll calm down when you let go of me and take me to the stand!”

Levi shook his head. “That’s not happening.”

“Please,” she demanded. “I have to?—”

Levi cut her off with a kiss. He kept it soft and gentle, even as his body clamored for more. Every time his lips touched hers, it fired off some primitive part of him that sought to claim and capture.

Kasi struggled a moment or two more, but whatever fight she had left was clearly spent. And despite her complaints, she didn’t hesitate to join the kiss, pressing her lips against his, her tongue stroking his.

When they parted, he stroked her cheek, smiling.

“You can’t kiss me whenever you don’t like something I’m saying,” she said. She didn’t return his smile, but her scowl was gone.

“We’re gonna have to agree to disagree on that one, little bear. But that’s not why I kissed you.”

“Why did you, then?” she asked.

“Because I can’t resist you,” he confessed. “Every second I’m with you, I just want you more.”

Kasi drew in a soft breath, and he could practically see her brain trying to process his words. “Oh.”

“You have to sleep, Kasi.”

“I don’t have ti?—”

“You do,” Levi insisted. “You do have time because I’m forcing you to make it. You’ve passed out twice in the last few days. If you’re trying to work yourself to death, you’re doing a hell of a good job of it.”

Levi released his grip on her, sitting next to her on the bed. Kasi remained on her back, her legs hanging over the edge of the mattress, staring at the ceiling to avoid looking at him.

“Do you know how I felt when Paul called and said you’d hit your head? When he told me you’d been bleeding?”

Her body sagged in exhaustion and her gaze slid to his face. “I don’t understand why you care.” There was no malice in her tone, just genuine confusion. “Three days ago, we were nothing more than neighbors. Just acquaintances.”

“I told you how it was with my dad. How he knew the second he saw Mom.”

“Levi, you’ve seen me a thousand times in the past twenty-plus years.”

“You were a kid for most of those years,” he pointed out.

“Because I’m thirteen years younger than you.”

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