Page 14 of The Bad Boy's Homecoming
“None of your business.”
“I’m not so sure about that.”
“I think we can manage to keep out of each other’s way,” Missy said, then grabbed her bag and walked toward the door, but Levi didn’t budge.
“Excuse me,” she said, unwilling to get too close.
He finally relented and stepped back across the other side of the hallway and held out his arm as if he was her guide to escape his scrutiny.He didn’t touch her, but his eyes felt like a stroke down her body.Her stomach flip-flopped, and for the second time that day she felt desire for the exact kind of man she knew she should run away from.Levi’s reputation was 100 percent a warning to all women.He was handsome, confident, edgy, and even worse he saw right through her.But her body rebelled against all reason and wanted him anyway.
CHAPTER NINE
Levi
The Man
Tears burned Levi’seyes as he chopped onions, while wearing one of his grandmother’s aprons that saidRide a Cowboy or Die.And to top it off Dolly Parton’s greatest hits were blaring on the portable speaker he’d pulled from Missy’s art studio—his grandmother had quickly commandeered his phone and changed the music, but at least the room smelled like garlic, butter, and lemons.He didn’t find that much time to cook when he was on the road during baseball season.But he didn’t really have anyone to cook for lately either.Being in this old house, and in this kitchen, he wanted to cook everything.Thoughts of his mom flooded back and all the meals she’d taught him to make.
“Am I really seeing this or is there something wrong with my eyes?”Dalton said as he entered the kitchen in scrubs and bare feet.
“Ya, your shoes, and a proper greeting?”Levi retorted.
“Bro, if you quit baseball to play house you’ll need a wife or maybe a cowboy to pull this off,” Dalton said, then slapped him on the back and gave him a tight hug.“Love you, brother.”
Levi laughed at the old greeting he always got from Dalton, ever since they were kids and had a full-on fistfight in the front yard.Their dad made them hug it out and tell each other they loved one another.
Dalton looked at the pots on the stove top before he walked out of the kitchen into the sunroom.
“You scared Missy off, huh?Well, at least she’s still painting,” Dalton called from the other room.
Levi leaned forward to see Dalton studying Missy’s fiery painting still resting on her easel.He watched as his brother snapped a picture of the piece.“Do you know if she sold this one already?If not, I got dibs.”
“Too late, it’s sold,” he said.
The possessive pull he felt was illogical but if she was selling that painting, he was the buyer.
“Damn, maybe we can commission something similar,” Dalton said, firing off a text and then looking up at him.
“You ready to bare your soul tonight, little brother?”Dalton grinned, crossing his arms over his chest and studying Levi, as he started to slice more garlic to stay busy.
“If you mean serve Gran a delicious meal, play some Scrabble, watch the sun set, and fall asleep by nine, then yes I’m ready.”
“For someone so witty and talented, it surprises me you’re so stupid,” Dalton said.
“Dalton Hart, now that is no way to speak to the family outcast when he’s come home to kiss our butts and offer up what is no doubt going to be a delicious apology,” their grandmother said as she walked in, from out back with her coat on.
Dalton leaned over to kiss their grandmother’s rosy cheeks and then when Missy appeared in the doorway Dalton’s smile got so big Levi wanted to punch him in the gut.
“Hi, Doctor Hart, we just had our afternoon walk.But your grandmother was trying to dare me to go for a swim.”
“Ms.Shaw, two can play that game.Please call me Dalton.And, Gran, if you get in that ocean again, I’ll have to get one of those home arrest anklets and an invisible fence on the property line to keep you out of the water.”
“Again?”Levi said.
“You just go on and try that, grandson, and we’ll see who is still breathing.”
Missy fought a smile as she helped his grandmother out of her light coat and moved to the back door to hang it.To Levi’s disappointment she left her own coat on.
“Mrs.Hart, I’ll be back in the morning, once I get the boys off to school, in time for tea and toast,” Missy said.
