Page 43 of Well Played

He looked back at his truck. “No. I mean replace. We’re putting in a whole new system. Normally I wouldn’t be able to do it on such short notice, but Mr. Miller made it worth our while.”

I specifically remembered Levi telling me we shouldn’t replace the AC system if we were going to sell the place. He’d said we could get away with repairing it until the sale, after which it would be the new owner’s problem.

This was a huge investment. My heart filled with hope.

I nodded, the man called in his crew, and they got to work.

While these guys were invading with all of their equipment, I went to the kitchen to make some coffee.

As it brewed, I texted Levi.

Presley: You’re replacing the AC?

My phone dinged with a response. But it didn’t address my question.

Levi: I’m out getting supplies for some other stuff we need to do around here. I left you something in your bedside table drawer while you were sleeping, btw.

After I prepared my coffee, I walked to my room to find a large manila envelope in the drawer. Inside were a couple of pieces of yellow notepaper and what looked like a DVD. A large sticky note on top of the paper read:

Presley,

I made a to-do list so we can keep track of what needs to be done around The Palm.

I’m handling number one—replace the air conditioning system.

I’ve got items number four, six, and ten today and have already gone to Home Depot to get materials.

Maybe you should work on number six on the second page?

When I flipped to the second page, I realized page two wasn’t part of his list. It was the Levi to-do list Harper had jotted down the other night. How the hell had he gotten this? He must have snuck into my room and found it.Damn it!

Number six was:Masturbate while looking at Levi.

My heartbeat accelerated.What the hell is this disc?

My hands were shaky as I popped it into the DVD player.

Before my eyes appeared a montage of Levi, a highlight reel of him—throwing the football with no shirt at practice, pouring an entire bottle of water over his bare chest. Clip after clip, every muscle of his gorgeous, bronze upper body was on full display.

He was giving mematerialto facilitate my work.

I was ready to burst into flames.

Oh my God.

CHAPTER 10

Levi

“How’s your to-do list coming along?” I asked Presley the following morning at breakfast.

She took a sip of her coffee. “Whatevercould you be referring to?” Her face turned beet red.

Smirking, I decided to drop it. I didn’t want to scare her out of the kitchen. I was enjoying this coffee time with her. Alex had a sleepover at my mom’s last night, and I’d done everything to stay the hell away from Presley, making myself scarce after what I’d pulled with that DVD.

Maybe I’d crossed the line, but damn, it was fun watching her face change colors right now as she clearly thought about it. The elephant had stayed in the room all day yesterday. Neither of us had mentioned it. I had no idea whether she’d actuallyusedthe DVD. But the thought of that had kept me hard for a while as I lay in bed last night.

After her face returned to its normal color, we made easy conversation over coffee and eggs. We actually managed to talk about neither our sexual tension nor The Palm Inn. And the more we talked, the more the feelings brewing in my chest grew as invigorating as they were unsettling.

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