Page 55 of Second to None

“Thank you for inviting me,” I said, my words a gentle ripple along the nighttime hush. “I haven’t really slowed down in… a while.”

His lips curved slightly. “I’m glad you came. It’s nice to…” He paused, eyes on me, too dark to read his expression. “It’s been really good. To see you again.”

“You too,” I said, and it didn’t even comeclose.

We let another pocket of silence pulse between us, the night breeze like a lullaby. When our blinks got heavier, Levi stood, smoothing down his shirt. “Come on. You seem tired, and I’m about to pass out. Let’s get you settled.”

I followed him inside, my thoughts drifting in a lazy current, a little fascinated by the sway of his ass in a pair of soft-washed shorts. When he caught me looking, one side of his mouth twitched up, but he didn’t comment.

Our footsteps echoed in the quiet house as we picked up my suitcases before he led me into a lovely room—airy, with pale walls and a window that probably looked out over the garden. “I hope this is okay?” he asked. “My parents took the master bedroom, and Emily picked the room next to them, so it’s just us on this side of the house.”

“It’s great.” I turned to look at him, framed in the doorway with his arms crossed like he was protecting himself. “Seriously.”

“Good. I’m—just in case you need anything, I mean. I’m right across the hallway.”

Not an invitation, was it? I stepped a little closer, smiling, and his attention dropped to my mouth.Please, Lee.Hands by my side as I waited for him to make up his mind.

He stepped back, eyes gentle and quiet. “Good night, Cass. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“‘Night,” I said, not quite steady.

He slipped out and shut the door. For a long moment, I didn’t move, willing him to come back. He didn’t. Of course not, and I had no right to be disappointed. I hadn’t come here with expectations.

Just… hopes.

CHAPTER13

Levi

Porto Cervo, Monday, August 25th

I could have kissed him.

The offer had been right there, in the tilt of his head and the way he watched me—waiting, hopeful. And I’d tucked tail and run, the past fogging up my mind.

In the clear light of a new morning, it felt unnecessarily dramatic. This didn’t have to be complicated. We could simply exist in this moment and let it breathe, stop worrying about a future we didn’t have. I wanted him, and he wanted me. Good enough.

I dabbed toothpaste on my tongue and grabbed the tube so he could do the same because somehow, he’d always felt self-conscious about that. Sleep-crusted eyes and flat bed hair, all fine, but morning breath made him hold back as though I expected to wake up to Cassian Monroe when I’d only ever loved Cass.

Sunshine cast quiet stripes along the hallway when I tiptoed across and slipped into his room. A thin line of daylight sliced around the edges of the heavy curtains, just enough to make him out—sprawled beneath a top sheet that had tangled around his hips, one bare leg extended. Even on the bus, he’d often slept naked, claiming that clothes were a cotton-polyester blend form of oppression.‘If my nipples offend you, blame societal conditioning.’

‘It’s your junk waving in front of my face that offends me,’Jace had grumbled while I tried hard to act indifferent.

I stepped closer, the mattress dipping under my knee. Nerves were a dull hum under my ribs. “Cass?”

He stirred, eyes fluttering open, and rolled onto his back. A silent beat passed as we stared at each other in the half-dark, awareness washing across his face. “Mornin’,” he said, voice a soft rasp.

I shifted towards him, felt like I was running hot and cold at once, a slight morning draft wafting across my skin. Overdressed in just my clingy boxer briefs. When I skimmed a palm over his bare stomach, his muscles tensed slightly, a hint of sleepy surprise as he kept watching me.

“Is this okay?” I asked, stilling. It hadn’t even occurred to me that it might not be.

“Of course.” His lashes swooped down in a slow, sweet blink. “Levi, I?—”

“Nothing heavy,” I cut in, oddly unsettled for no real reason. I smiled and splayed my fingers a bit wider on his torso, my thumb catching on his sternum. “Just this. Easy, yeah?”

His attention flickered away, then he nodded, his lopsided grin tilting at an angle. “Yeah, sure. Easy.”

Easy. No expectations, no promises.

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