Page 29 of The Stranger's Code

“So, it occurred to me that I might be… the source of strain in your… relationship?” Teddy guessed as he looked between us. “I was the one who texted Levi about your true identity being revealed in that article. But here’s the thing. I assumed that Levi already knew who you were! I thought you two were keeping it a secret from the rest of us.”

“I can see how you might think that,” I chimed in. “Levi and I were spending a lot of time together.”

“And… I was also the one who took the photo of you, Cameron,” Teddy continued. “The one that ended up in the article? I wasn’t the one who posted it or tagged you in it. But still. If it weren’t for my excellent photography skills, we wouldn’t be in such a mess.”

“And what does any of this have to do with you calling in a fake emergency, Teddy?”

“I decided to do us all a favor.”

“A favor?” Levi quirked an eyebrow. “What kind of favor?”

“Well, I wanted you two to make up, so I gave you an excuse to be in the same place at the same time with minimal distraction. And…” Teddy pulled out his phone. “I was also tracking you in real time. Not like with any kind of gadgets or anything. I mean, I did put a small tracker on the back of your truck, but nothing more hi-tech than that. Nothing you can’t get rid of?—”

“Get to the point, Teddy.”

“Right. So, I was tracking you in real time so that I could post about it online as a satisfied customer. I wanted to show everyone how fast you respond to emergencies. Thankfully, you responded in your usual time since it was a live video. And ever since I posted it a few minutes ago….”

Teddy held out his phone so we could see his screen. “It’s already at a few thousand views. And I expect it to keep climbing.”

“So, your favor was giving me a test and hoping that I passed?”

“My favor was a bit of viral marketing, my friend.” Teddy beamed. “If people keep watching and sharing this video, who knows how many potential clients you’ll be able to reach. I know you love a good cold call, but there are other ways to sell yourself these days. And Big Sky Rescue deserves all the eyeballs it can get.”

“That’s… actually a good idea, Teddy. Thanks.” Levi relented. “Even though I hate the whole way you went about it.”

“The ends justify the means, and all that.” Teddy waved away Levi’s concern. “And? How about you two? Is it fixed?”

Levi and I looked at each other, and in that moment it felt like we were speaking a language of no words, understanding each other without a single sound.

Teddy laughed lightly in response. “Right. I’ll take that as a yes, then.”

* * *

“Doyou think Teddy’s scheme is going to work out?”

I was sitting on Levi’s couch, sipping on a glass of wine. Levi’s cabin was about what I expected, just as stylish as he seemed to be. There were thoughtful accents all around, colors that went well together, pieces of art adorning his walls. He was the perfect, soulful cowboy I’d imagined him to be, the rogue constellation lover who looked up at the stars at night.

“I have no idea.” Levi laughed before he sank down next to me. “It’d be nice if it does. If it doesn’t, that’s fine, too. I’m not giving up on Big Sky anytime soon.”

“I’m happy to hear that.” I smiled over at him. “I think it’s really incredible, how much you’re willing to do to make your dreams come true.”

“Same thing you had to do, right? With your acting career?”

“Something like that, yeah.” I shifted closer to him on the couch, our hands touching. “So, how do you think this is going to go? Do you want to try getting to know each other all over again?—”

My words were cut off by Levi’s mouth on mine. He broke our kiss just long enough to say, “God, I missed you, baby.”

And that was that. I was lost inside our kiss, in the very best way, exploring his mouth with my tongue. He explored my mouth right back, our tongues rolling against each other. I felt his hands on my waist, pulling me into his lap. My legs were on either side of him as our kiss continued, my fingers running through his dark hair. He moaned at the feel of it, the vibrations reverberating in my own mouth.

“Should we—” I was out of breath, excitement building too quickly in my chest. “Do we need to talk about?—”

“I don’t care.”

“What?”

“I don’t care about what happened in the past with us, Cam. The past is the past. All I care about is our future together. All I care about is making this work with you.”

“That’s all I care about too, Levi,” I murmured. “All I care about is being with you.”

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