Page 54 of Taken By Storm

Despite harvest time kicking into overdrive, she and Levi had still had dinner together every night this past week. They’d eat together—either here or at Levi’s—sometimes with Daddy and Keith, sometimes alone.

Then, every other day, Levi would stick around to help her prepare baked goods for the stand. She loved working in the kitchen with him. He would turn on the radio, the two of them singing along as they baked. They’d steal kisses and talk about their day.

Last night, Levi had run his finger along the edge of the mixing bowl, collecting some of the leftover icing from the cakes he’d made. He’d placed a little of the sugary frosting on her lips, bending lower to kiss it off. She wasn’t sure how he’d managed to make a “sweet” kiss so absolutely sinful. After that, he’d pushed his finger—the one with the rest of the icing—between her lips, growling in that sexy way of his as she sucked it clean.

While their baking nights were fun, it was the other nights, their “off nights,” as Levi had taken to calling them, that were her absolute favorites. Following dinner, Levi would lead her to the living room, where they’d push each other to the edge of their control, kissing and touching. Every night, he’d bring herto climax with his talented fingers, stroking her clit, filling her pussy with them. She’d never considered herself a sexual person. Sure, she was no stranger to masturbation, but it wasn’t like she did it nightly or even weekly. Hell, before Levi, she didn’t feel the need to come more than once every month or two.

Now, it was as if he’d released a rabid beast inside her. Her body was in a constant simmering state, and all it took was one touch from him to bring her to full boil. And she now needed those orgasms nightly. Like, NEEDED.

She tried to tell herself it was because the orgasms helped her fall asleep quickly and sleep more deeply, but that was total bullshit. The truth was, she craved that moment when it felt like her spirit was leaving her body, floating on a cloud of sheer bliss. The lifetime of orgasms she’d given herself were lukewarm in comparison to the way Levi made her feel.

With just one finger.

Levi had insisted he wouldn’t take things between them to the next level until they had the time to do it right…in private. But given the craziness that was their lives, she was afraid that opportunity would never present itself.

And while she was oh-so ready for a physical relationship with him, she was still struggling to believe this was all real. Kasi wasn’t sure if her lack of belief was because she’d spent too many years living under the shadow of an unfulfilled crush. She’d worked hard to convince herself nothing would ever happen between her and Levi as a way of managing expectations, and apparently she’d done such a good job. She couldn’t dismiss all those very good reasons she’d had for why they wouldn’t work as a couple.

She also couldn’t let go of the fact that neither she nor Levi had ever been in a long-term relationship. How on earth could he be so damn sure about them after two weeks when he’d never had a relationship last that long? Part of her, theself-preservation part, worried that perhaps Levi was trying to convince himself this was love at first sight because he was so determined to have a relationship like his parents’.

What if he was trying to shape this into something he wanted because the woman he dreamed of meeting hadn’t presented herself yet? He was thirty-seven, and if what he said about not intentionally choosing to remain a bachelor was true, maybe his actions and words were based simply on the desire to be married.

Maybe his clock was ticking. Did guys have clocks?

Even if none of that was the case, the thirteen years that separated them still loomed as a potential issue in her mind. She told Levi the age difference between them didn’t matter, and from her perspective, it didn’t. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t worried he’d come to his senses sooner rather than later when he realized just how young and inexperienced she was. How could she hope to keep a virile man like Levi satisfied?

And, as a fun cherry on top of all her reasons to slow this train down, there was the financial burdens that sat on her shoulders like a two-ton weight. If she didn’t figure out a solution to their problems soon…

Kasi rubbed her eyes. She’d thought the fact she was sleeping better—and longer—would help her face her anxieties, but it seemed the more well-rested she became, the better able she was to see just how fucked-up everything seemed.

Something needed to give, but damn if she knew what. She couldn’t keep living with this unending pressure on her chest. She glanced at the Crock-Pot but didn’t rise because she wasn’t hungry. Her stomach was tied too tightly in knots.

Levi would give her holy hell if he knew she’d skipped dinner. She’d made her father a tray earlier, delivering it to him without even bothering to invite him to eat with her, too worried she’d transfer some of her depressed feelings to him.

Before she could get up and force herself to fix a bowl of the chili she’d made, there was a knock at the door. Her heart skipped a few beats as she hastily rose, rushing to the front door.

Maybe Levi managed to fix the destemmer more quickly than he’d anticipated.

She stumbled a step or two when she entered the foyer and saw Scottie standing on the front porch. If he weren’t looking right at her, she probably would have immediately retreated to the kitchen, hiding there in hopes he would think no one was home.

Kasi opened the door and gave him what she hoped passed for a friendly smile.

“Hello, Scottie.”

“Kasi,” he said, nodding his head once before glancing over her shoulder, clearly waiting for an invitation to enter.

“Would you like to come in?” she begrudgingly asked, even though she knew he was here about the back taxes again, and she was no closer to paying them this week than she’d been two weeks earlier. She had, however, just tonight come up with the proposal for a payment plan that she hoped would work.

Scottie stepped inside, looking around the house with a crinkled nose like he thought the place smelled bad. It occurred to her that, despite being neighbors for twenty years, Scottie had never been inside her house, all their meetings since the fall occurring at the fruit stand.

She glanced toward the stairway, hoping Daddy didn’t come down. Keith was still working outside, but she knew he was likely to come in at any moment. She didn’t want either of them to see her talking to the mayor. It was bad enough she was freaking out over their lack of money. She wasn’t about to saddle her father or brother with the same stress.

“If you’re here about the personal property taxes—” she began. If this was any other person than Scottie, she would havetaken them to the living room and offered them a drink. But as it was, she wanted him out of here as quickly as possible.

“I am,” he interjected. “I was thinking perhaps we could discuss them over dinner tonight.”

“I’ve already eaten,” she lied.

Scottie leaned closer. “Then how about dessert?”

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