Page 45 of My Salvation
Giving an exaggerated sigh, he flops down onto the bed to stare up at me. “Why don’t you go first, as it won’t take me long to get ready?”
Chuckling, I head to the bathroom, grab a quick shower, brush my teeth, and put on some make-up. I pad back out into the room in my towel to find some clothes for dinner.
He takes in my smooth, damp skin and jumps up from the bed. Stalking towards me, I laugh as he captures a corner of the towel. “Are you sure you want to go to dinner? I can order us room service to eat here. Just the two of us. Naked.” His hand caresses my shoulders, slipping down to the front to tug lightly on the towel.
“Stop. Feed me.”
His hand dips into the front of the towel to caress my nipple.
Moaning, I reach up and grab his hand. “Feed me, and I’ll reward you later.”
“Hmmm, reward?” He leans down and licks his way up my neck. “You’re all the reward I need, but I guess we need to eat.” His stomach growls, and he gives a loud laugh. “Fine, fine.” Raising his hands, he backs towards the bathroom to grab his own shower.
Rifling through the suitcase, I pull out a black silky tank top, royal blue pleated skirt, and black fuzzy but short cardigan. Strappy, black heels complete the picture. Getting dressed quickly, I’m arranging my hair when Lev steps out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his hips.
I hold my breath as I take in every inch I can see. His body is thick, muscular, and perfect. My hands clench as I hold them at my sides. His hands slide to his hips as he turns his body to face me.
“Breathe, sweetheart.” Smiling, he takes a few steps forward.
“Stop. Nope. Seriously. I need you. I mean, I need food. Then you. Don’t come any closer.” Swinging my head from side to side to tell him no, I know I should use this time to look away, but I can’t. He is seriously the sexiest man I’ve ever seen.
Holding up his hands, he grabs some clothes and puts his hand on top of the towel. Without turning away, he drops the towel and stands before me for a minute.
Deep breath. Wow. Another deep breath. His body is magnificent. I know I’m staring, but I can’t stop. Lev’s built, with sheer muscles that seemingly stack symmetrically on top of each other to create a magnificent package. And speaking of package. Sweet baby. I’m hot and achy now. Mission accomplished.
Smirking, he gets dressed in black dress pants, a green button down, and a grey sport coat. Fanning myself, I finally turn to the mirror to finish getting ready. I almost don’t recognize my flushed face and sparkling eyes. I haven’t seen desire and happiness on my face in a long time.
Spritzing a bit of perfume and adding a dainty gold necklace, I turn back around to face him. “I’m ready.”
Reaching forward, he raises my hand to place a kiss in the center. “Beautiful.” Tingles radiate in my palm as we go down to dinner.
Entering the restaurant, I see beautiful tables set with candlelight, a fireplace burning low in the background, and soft lighting, creating the perfect romantic ambiance. As we sit down, the owner comes over personally to deliver our wine menu and talk to Lev. He’s a slightly older man, maybe mid-40s, with an old school fake tan and sparkling white teeth. The kind of man you might see in California, not Montana.
“Lev, glad to see you. How’s everything going so far?” Reaching out, he shakes Lev’s hand, but his eyes dart over to me.
Smoothly, Lev stands up to return the handshake. “Howard, how are you? Everything is nice, thank you. Our room is beautiful, and we’re looking forward to dinner. Tomorrow, we’ll explore the grounds and get the full wine tasting experience.”
“That’s great. Sounds like everything is going well.” He moves over to my side of the table. Picking up my other hand, he sort of kisses the back of it. Wait, did he lick my hand? “And who might you be?”
Lev grimaces quickly before replying, “My girlfriend, Kate Michaels. Kate, this is Howard Gentry, the owner of the winery and hotel.”
“Nice to meet you, Howard. Your winery and hotel are beautiful.” Pulling my hand from his, I slide it under the table.
“Thank you, but the beauty outside does not compare to the beauty before me.” His hand rests on my shoulder, lightly rubbing back and forth. My shoulder, which is covered, only by a thin strap, since I’d taken off my cardigan due to the warm room. Yuck. What a creep!
I look at Lev and raise my eyebrow. A hard look comes over Lev’s face as he acknowledges my silent demand. Stepping over, Lev pulls me up from the chair and into his side. His hand firmly rubs the same shoulder, as if to erase the previous touch.
“We appreciate your hospitality. Please don’t let us keep you from enjoying your other important guests. I believe I saw the Mayor of Helena walk by a second ago?”
Licking his lips, Howard’s eyes drift down from my head to my toes, as if to memorize every inch of me. Returning his eyes to Lev, a jolt goes through him as he easily reads the danger on Lev’s face. “I must see to the other guests, thank you for the reminder. Please have a wonderful dinner, and excuse me. It was nice meeting you, Kate Michaels. Come back anytime.”
Sitting back down, I shake my head as Lev lets out a frustrated sigh. “I’m sorry about Howard. In the past, I’ve always dealt with his rep, not him. After meeting him, I may have to rethink my future orders.”
While I agree, I don’t want to sit here and dwell on that creep the rest of the evening. “You handled it perfectly. Thank you. Let’s just enjoy our dinner.” I reach up and smooth out the frown lines on his forehead.
Capturing my hand, he links his fingers with mine and picks up the wine menu. “You’re right. This is our weekend. To get away and explore.”
After ordering, Lev leans forward with a serious look on his face and murmurs, “When Lowell told us your story, he mentioned you wanted more than just a physical relationship with him, with me. Is that true?”
