Page 85 of Taken By Storm

He grinned.

Yep. Impossible to feel guilty for keeping her up late this past week.

Clearly, he was a selfish man, and he didn’t see that changing anytime soon. Because now that he’d had Kasi, Levi wasn’t going to be satisfied until they were living under the same roof and sharing the same bed every night for the rest of their lives.

If he had his way, they’d already be there because there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that she was his. This relationship was firmly stamped with the word FOREVER in all caps.

Unfortunately, he got the sense Kasi needed more time to wrap her mind around that truth. Which stood to reason. From the comments she’d made about her past, Levi was pretty sure he wasn’t just her first lover, but her first boyfriend as well. It was going to take Kasi some time to understand exactly what it meant to be in a relationship.

Levi sighed as he considered that, wondering if another week would be enough time. He was too impatient to wait much longer.

He rolled his eyes. While a month felt like plenty of time to him, Kasi would likely pitch a fit if he gave her the engagement ring he’d had his eye on at Becker’s Jewelry Store.

He glanced at the house again and contemplated leaving. He couldn’t make himself do it…because ultimately, he was uneasy about the darkness. His Spidey senses told him something wasn’t right.

Fuck it. There was no way he could leave until he knew his girl was okay.

As he stepped out of the truck, he was momentarily blinded by the headlight on Keith’s motorcycle.

The young man parked next to him, giving him a sleepy smile. This was the first time they’d seen each other since the night Keith had broken into the brewery. Levi was glad to see the easiness they’d established as they’d shared those beers was still there.

“Done with the harvest already?” Keith asked.

Levi shook his head. “Nope, but I got a little bit of a reprieve, thanks to that midnight rain shower. We’re going to give the grapes a few hours to dry in the sunshine before we start picking again. Came to see Kasi.”

Keith glanced toward the house, and his frown told Levi he wasn’t the only one worried about the lack of lights.

“She should be up by now,” her brother mused.

Keith and Levi walked to the house together, climbing the front porch steps. Keith’s frown grew even more pronounced when he discovered the door unlocked. “Kasi always locks up.”

Levi tried to hold his sudden anxiety at bay as they stepped inside the silent house. “You check the kitchen, and I’ll go take a peek in her bedroom.”

Keith nodded.

Levi climbed the stairs to the second floor two at a time. Kasi’s bedroom door was open, the bed made. It looked like she hadn’t slept in it. His heart started to race as he quickly walked down the hallway, gently opening the door to Mr. Mills’ room. The man was snoring, dead to the world, as the muted TV lit up the room.

Returning downstairs, Levi pulled up short when he saw Keith standing in the doorway to the living room. He pointed, and Levi followed his gaze to the couch, where Kasi was curled up in a ball, sound asleep.

Finding her might have set Levi’s mind at ease…if she wasn’t surrounded by a pile of used tissues.

“She sick?” Levi whispered.

Keith shrugged. “She wasn’t when I left yesterday evening. Something’s not right, Levi. Scottie…”

“What about Scottie?”

“He was here when I left.”

Levi’s chest tightened as he recalled Scottie trying to force himself on Lucy. “Tell you what. Why don’t you go tend to the animals? I’ll find out what’s going on here.”

Keith was reluctant to leave, so Levi placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“I’ll take care of her, Keith.”

His shoulders relaxed as he nodded. “Yeah. Okay. Cool.” Keith slipped into the kitchen, using the back door that led to the barn.

Levi quietly walked over the couch, hating how frail Kasi looked. She was fully dressed, her knees pulled to her chest, so that she was tucked in a ball. Her head rested on the couch cushion at an awkward angle, no pillow beneath it. It looked like she’d pulled one of the throws over herself, but somewhere in the middle of the night it had fallen to the floor.

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