Page 23 of Level Me Up

Chapter Fourteen

Morgan

We leave the table and head to the change machine. Dex deposits several dollars into it and then places his cupped hand under the spout where the quarters pour out.

We spend the next hour laughing, talking, and playing arcade games. I kick his butt every time we play skee-ball, but I'm hopeless when it comes to all the standard arcade games. It doesn't matter though; just spending time with him is so much fun.

He just beat me in one of those racing games where you get to sit in the fake car seats and use actual wheels. As I climb out of the seat and stand up, I stumble on the step and fall forward toward Dex, who catches me, and as I look up at him, I realize how close I am to him. His arms are wrapped around my waist, and both of us are breathing heavily. Just then, my phone whistles from my purse.

With a nervous giggle, I say, “I’m sorry, but you should probably know now that I’m kind of clumsy.”

There is heat in his eyes and warmth in his smile when he says, “Oh, I thought you just wanted to get closer to me.”

I start to right myself when my phone reminds me that I have a text. I fish out my phone, but his hands stay planted on my hips. I look at my phone and see a text from Ruby asking how the date is going.

“Ruby wants to know how our date is going.”

“Oh yeah? What are you going to tell her?” he asks in a slightly less husky tone than before.

“Hmm, I should probably just tell her the truth,” I say with a grin. I start to text her back as I turn, then lean into him and hold the phone out to snap a picture of us. “Here, let’s just show her. Smile!” I’ve made sure to get some of the games in the background so she can see where we are.

He snakes his arms around my stomach like a hug and pulls me into him. “That sounds like a great idea,” he whispers into my ear.

I smile, hoping that the warmth I feel from his body being so close to mine isn't showing on my cheeks. I say, “Ready…” and snap the picture. I don’t move other than to bring the phone back to us to look at the photo.

And there it is, the perfect phone selfie of the two of us. He is so handsome with his confident smirk on his face, and even though I’m not blushing in the photo, I look different. I look so darn happy…

Funny, I thought I was happy before.

I send it off to Ruby, and Dex whispers in my ear, “We look pretty damn good together, Morgan.” I smile with my focus on my phone and send the pic to him as well.

Eventually, we end up sitting down at one of the tables for a few minutes to get a drink. After a while, we play a couple more games, and after spending way too much in the arcade, we head back to the car so he can take me home.

The car ride home is missing that first date jitters awkwardness, but in its place, is the sense of dread that our date is almost over.

We both take our time getting out of the car. It’s obvious that neither of us wants the date to end. After crossing in front of his vehicle, he grabs my hand as he reaches me then we mosey on to my building. We don’t say a word as we enter the building and then the elevator. The door slides closed, and he turns to me and says, “I had a great time with you tonight.”

I smile. “Me too. I’m going to think about that pizza for days.”

He chuckles, “Yeah? Good, but my thoughts won't be on the pizza.”

Heat shoots to my cheeks, and the butterflies go mad.

He leans in, moving his free hand to the back of my neck. He smiles, looking at my lips and says, “I’ll be thinking about this,” and then he kisses me.

His kiss is soft at first, but then it turns hurried. I let go of all my normal control and let him claim my mouth as the butterflies in my belly cause tingles in the most intimate of places. All too soon, the elevator beeps the announcement of my floor, and the door slides open.

He reluctantly breaks the kiss but leaves his hand on my neck and the other cupping my face. With an unsteady breath, he asks, “Why can’t you live on the fifth floor?”

All I can do is softly giggle as I struggle to get my own breathing under control.

He releases my face then grabs my hand and says, “Come on.”

I pout, actually sticking my lip out and say, “Do we have to? I’d like to do that again.”

The look in his eyes grows wild momentarily, and he stops right where he is, pulls my face to his and claims my mouth again.

This time, the kiss is neither soft nor hurried. It is deep and passionate. It doesn’t quite last as long, though, because we hear the elevator door close; a reminder that we are no longer alone but in the middle of the hall. This time, when we break, he throws his arm around my shoulders as we walk to my apartment door.

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