Page 75 of Assassin's Mark
“Little bird.”
That growl. A shiver ran down my spine. I unlocked the door, drew it back. And stared. It was almost too much to comprehend, Levi here, at my house after all this time, dressed like—
Wow. Like he was going on a date. His clothes were dark, justlike every shirt and pants I’d ever seen him in, but the sheen of the material as it reflected the streetlight outside said it wasn’t fatigues. More like something intended to impress, maybe? With the way it molded to his muscular chest, his flat abs, his long legs, his…
My eyebrows shot up. Molded wasn’t the right word—more like cupped lovingly. And what that fabric cupped was definitely allhe needed to impress any woman.
My head spun, reminding me forcefully tobreathe.
“Do I know you?” I asked through the screen door.
Levi grabbed the handle and tugged, but the lock kept the door closed. “Funny, little bird. Don’t make me spank your ass.”
“We wouldn’t want that, would we?”
The words came out perky and self-assured, but the weight of the past year hung in the silence behindthem.
“Abby.” Levi stared hard at me, as if he could force me to let him in through sheer will. “Unlock it.”
I flicked the latch. And went back to the kitchen. With every step, the spark of resentment that I hadn’t known I felt until that very moment flared brighter, burning in my gut like a simmering pot about to reach a boil. After a year of being alone, believing I’d never see him again,wondering if I’d imagined the connection between us. Worrying about where he was and if he was safe. Dreaming of our nights together—and waking hot, achy, and unfulfilled no matter how many times I got myself off. After all that time, he was here?
I walked straight to the stove and turned it off. Knowing my luck, I’d forget about it and burn down my perfectly lovely new house. Levi brushed byme as he reached for the cabinet over the stove.
“What are you doing?”
“Looking for something to put these in.”
I didn’t help him. Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to keep myself aloof, keep my anger like a shield between us…there was something endearingly awkward about watching him fumble around an unfamiliar kitchen, this man who seemed competent at everything. It shouldn’t touch me, butas he filled a vase under the tap and dumped the flowers in without even removing the tissue paper they were wrapped in, I couldn’t help it. He was like a little boy trying to please yet resenting the instinct, and the strangeness of it tugged at parts of me I wasn’t ready to let unravel.
Instead I went to the poor flowers’ rescue.
“What—”
I nudged Levi out of the way with my hip. “You haveto cut the stems so they’ll have a fresh opening to draw water.”
I took my time selecting each stem—a red rose, white lily, purple anemone—cutting off the bottom inch, then placing them in the water. Each one received a silent apology; after all, I knew what getting cut was like. I’d lost everything last year, including Levi. But look at me now.
Maybe I should be thanking Levi for more thanjust the flowers.
Fuck that.
I slid the last flower into place. Sucked in a deep breath. Turned to face Levi. “Why are you here?”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “To see you.”
Well don’t sound all happy about it.
“Why now? I’ve been here awhile. You’re good at finding things.” Especially things that were a matter of public record. I leaned a hip against the counter. “Why did you finally come?”
Frustration flashed across his expression, like he’d expected this to be easy. Make a little effort and waltz right back into my life like nothing happened. Right. It wasn’t going to be that easy, not by a mile.
“Abby.”
I shook my head. “Why?”
Levi’s hands tightened into fists at his sides, relaxed, tightened again—fighting with himself. Chewing on whatever words he didn’t want to spit out.I waited, refusing to help. Whatever it was, he needed to say it. I needed to hear it.
He stepped closer, his gaze fixed on my arms where they crossed over my stomach. “I—”
