Levi Read online

  Levi

  Ryan Brothers Renovations

  Kali Hart

  Levi is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2020 by Kali Hart

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval systems, without express written permission from the author/publisher, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Epilogue

  1

  KATE

  “That waiter’s totally checking you out,” Sadie says to me from across the booth. Still grinning, my best friend uses her nearly empty margarita glass to point him out.

  I give a half-hearted smile and shake my head. I’ve been back in town all of twenty-four hours and she’s already trying to find me a man. I blame her overzealous matchmaker impulses on her own newfound happiness. She hasn’t stopped smiling since the minute I met her at the airport. “He’s too young.”

  “He’s your age,” she argues.

  “Exactly.” I’ve always had a thing for an older guy—just like Sadie—but really, I’ve had a thing for Levi Ryan. Coincidentally, in my year-long absence halfway across the country, my bestie managed to snag one of Levi’s brothers for herself.

  “You’re blushing.”

  Shit, I am. I take an emergency gulp of my otherwise neglected ice water. I never told Sadie, or anyone for that matter, that I slept with Levi the night before I left town to intern at a prestigious art museum. As far as my bestie knows, my virginity is still intact.

  “Leave him your number,” Sadie encourages.

  “No.”

  “He’d be a good warm-up.”

  “Warm-up?”

  “For you to get back on the dating scene. Maybe work up the courage to finally ask Levi out.”

  “You know that’s not going to happen.” I’m truly happy for Sadie and this whole hearts and flowers thing she’s got with Duke. I’ve never seen her smile more. But it’s a bit annoying right now. I tried dating while I was away, but nothing stuck past a few awkward first dates.

  The only man I want is Levi—the one man I can’t have.

  “Why not?” Sadie presses. “You two are obviously hot for each other.”

  “Were.”

  “Liar.”

  “Let me find somewhere to live first, okay?”

  Sadie taps my hand. “You can stay at my place as long as you need to. Even if Duke and I weren’t getting on a plane in a couple hours, I don’t stay there much anymore.”

  Duke is meeting us at the restaurant shortly to whisk Sadie away on some tropical adventure. The minute she’s gone, the apartment hunting begins. Someday, I want a roomy ranch-style house with a special room to paint in. Someday. But today, an apartment with ample sunlight is the only luxury I can afford.

  “I can’t believe you’re leaving me after I just got back,” I jab lightheartedly, hoping to change the subject from my nonexistent love life. Duke should be here any minute now. With any luck, I’ll escape this fiasco without Sadie jotting my phone number on our bill. Yes, he’s my age, but to me, he looks like a kid.

  It’s not just the twelve years between me and Levi that makes him all man. It’s the whole package. The way he’s not afraid to get his hands dirty. The way he carries himself. The assertiveness he showed in bed.

  “Kate, I promise I’ll make this up to you,” Sadie says, grabbing both my hands across the table. “Duke had an opening between projects, and the tickets were on sale—”

  I give her hands a reassuring squeeze. “I get it. I hope you two have an amazing time. Don’t spend all day in bed, okay?”

  “No promises.”

  We both giggle and the tension I carry in my shoulders releases.

  “Next vacation is a double date,” Sadie says matter-of-factly, leaving no room for argument. “We will find you someone to bring along. Someone who’ll melt your panties right off.”

  The waiter approaches in time to hear that last sentence. I will admit, he’s not bad on the eyes. If I wasn’t completely hung up on Levi, I might summon my courage to slip him my number for kicks. But it wouldn’t be fair to him, no matter how charming that smile is. I’d be thinking of someone else the whole time. “Can I get you ladies anything else?”

  “Kate would like—”

  I kick Sadie under the table, relieved to spot Duke standing on the sidewalk outside the restaurant. “Just the check please. Our ride is here.”

  “You got it.”

  “Hey!” Sadie pouts.

  “Who’s Duke talking to?” My heart beats awkwardly, skipping and doubling up. What if it’s Levi? They are brothers, after all.

  Shit! I’m not ready to see him. I haven’t fortified my walls yet. That night we shared was magic, and all I want to do is drag him off into a bedroom and get naked.

  I stiffen, repeating the mantra born on the long plane ride home. It can never happen again. It can never happen again.

  That’s okay, some other part of me reassures. I’m the one who ran away. He won’t be interested anymore. Bigger fish and all that.

  Still, the idea of facing Levi anytime soon is too hard. I’m not ready to be in the same room, or even share the same air, as him. Considering he’s my brother’s best friend, and about as off limits as it gets, maybe I won’t ever be.

  “I think that’s your brother,” Sadie says to me, slowing my racing heart instantly.

  Good. Though, odd. “Hmm, I wonder what Brock’s doing here.”

  Sadie doesn’t let me pay for lunch or the margaritas. After she leaves a tip—one I verify does not include my phone number secretly stashed anywhere—she drags me outside. The hugging and goodbyes ensue almost immediately. She’s going to be gone for ten days. Ten whole days without my bestie shouldn’t feel like an eternity after being apart for a year, but it does anyway.

  Other than Brock, I don’t have any family left. He’s taken care of me since our parents were killed in a freak accident when I was eleven. It’s one of the reasons he’s so protective.

  “Kate,” Brock greets me, wearing his best suave smile. It’s a smile that’s broken more than a few hearts.

  It also means he’s up to something.

  He doesn’t disappoint, squeezing me tight then pushing me a little away. “I have a surprise for you. Hug Sadie one more time. Then you’re coming with me.”

  Sadie locks her arms around my neck nearly as tight as she did yesterday when we first saw each other. “You’re going to love it!” she whispers in my ear. “Trust me.”

  LEVI

  The freshly renovated house echoes with every step I take. A sign of a project nearly complete. I’m always the last of my brothers on any jobsite. The one who puts in all the finishing touches and makes sure everything is perfect.

  I used to take listing photos too, but Flint’s wife handles all that now.

  Except, she won’t be listing this house.

  This one is for Kate Millard. The only woman I’ve ever truly loved.

  The only woman I can never actually have.

  Brock hired Ryan Brothers Renovations to flip this house for his sister as a welcome home surprise. He’s done very well for himself lately in his business ventures and wanted to gift her a home. He has no idea I stole his little sister’s virginity almost a year ago to the day. I knew she was leaving the next day for her internship, but I never thought she’d cut me out of her life.

  It still stings.

  I wanted to make it work. I still want to. I’d give her the moon if she wanted it badly enough.

  But Kate begged me to keep our night a secret from everyone. Most importantly Brock. She made it clear we could never have a repeat. Maybe to her it was a one-night stand. But it was always more than sex to me. I’ve been in love with Kate since the day Brock introduced us, nearly three years ago. She was nineteen, I was thirty-one.

  I fought my attraction as long as I could. Brock was very clear with all his buddies about keeping their hands off his sister and their dicks in their pants. Me included.

  But when I found out Kate was leaving for an entire year, I feared she might never come back. I took a chance and kissed her. That kiss changed everything. It ignited a passionate fire that’s never wavered.

  I’ve been more meticulous with this house than any other we’ve done, and that’s saying something. I’m definitely the perfectionist of the group, which is why I’m the project manager. A house doesn’t get listed without my final blessing. With Sadie’s secret help, I’ve been able to pick out the perfect color pallets for each room.

  The house is almost finished, but I can’t bring myself to leave.

  There’s one room left—the most important one.

  I’ve been waiting to carry in the boxes of painting supplies until my brothers were offsite for good. Sadie has agreed to take all the credit for the idea so that Kate—and more importantly Brock—will never know this was my idea.

&n
bsp; Kate has an amazing talent for painting landscapes. The night we spent together, she showed me her collection, confessed her desire to own a home with a room for painting, and to sell her paintings someday. It’s the reasons she was so excited about that internship. She loved the idea of being immersed with beautiful paintings day in and day out.

  If I can’t spend a lifetime with Kate, I want to give her something special she’ll cherish as my parting gift.

  Her own personal art studio is the only way I know to show my love since Kate’s already decided there will never be an us.

  I’ll set it up tonight and turn over the keys to Brock tomorrow. Kate isn’t supposed to get back for a few more days. It might be best if I keep my distance. I don’t know if I can handle my heart breaking twice.

  Convinced every project in the house is finished aside from the art studio and moving my bed out, I decide to start hauling in the boxes I’ve stashed in the garage.

  I’m nearly to the back door when I hear a horn honking.

  I maneuver through the kitchen into the living room at the front of the house. Maybe one of my brothers forgot something or wants to grab a late lunch. It can’t be Duke, as he should be headed to the airport now. But maybe Flint or Easton.

  “Brock?” I didn’t expect him to swing by until tomorrow afternoon, when keys were meant to switch hands. I step out onto the cozy, covered front porch—one the original house didn’t have but I made sure we included to fit Kate’s vision—and realize my mistake the second my foot hits the wooden planks.

  Kate exits the truck, gaze still fixed on her brother. I’d bet my life savings she’s finding out, at this moment, that the house is hers. Tears glisten in those beautiful blue eyes that have invaded my dreams night after night.

  “Levi,” Brock calls to me, waving. “Are we too early for a tour?”

  2

  KATE

  What the hell is Levi Ryan doing here?

  “You’re in shock,” Brock says, rounding the front of the truck. He puts an arm around my shoulders, completely mistaking the situation. Yes, I’m a bit in shock that Brock bought me a house, but I’m more stunned to see Levi standing on my new front porch.

  “I don’t understand what’s happening,” I say, wishing I could crawl back in his truck and drive away. I’m not ready for any of this. I’m overwhelmed, and the urge to ugly cry is strong. Somehow, I fight the threatening tears and paste a smile in place.

  “You’ve been working so hard,” Brock says, ushering me toward the covered front porch. Closer to the man I gave my virginity to. “I’m so proud of you, Kate. I wanted you to have a place to call your own.”

  I wish Levi wasn’t standing in front of the door so I could take in all the details of this charming, ranch-style home. But the specifics are a blur right now. The only thing in clear focus is the man I have never been able to shake. The one who knows how to bring me the greatest pleasure I’ve ever experienced.

  “You didn’t have to do this,” I say to Brock. I want to be happy and excited, if for no other reason than to show my brother how much I appreciate his overly generous gift. But my jumbled emotions are all fighting for dominance. Do I squeal in happiness or sob in misery? Do a happy dance or scream at the top of my lungs in frustration?

  “Welcome home, Kate.”

  My shaky legs manage to climb the three steps onto the porch. I stare at the white-painted wooden planks to avoid looking at Levi. It’s the one detail I can appreciate about the house right now.

  “Levi, I know I’m a day early. But Kate showed up ahead of schedule. I couldn’t wait to show her the place.”

  I wasn’t due to come home for four more days, but I didn’t want to miss Sadie before she got on a plane for her tropical island getaway. Now I’m convinced my early arrival was a mistake.

  “Not a problem at all.” Levi’s deep voice is still as smooth and silky as I remember. The same voice that visits me in my dreams almost every night. “I have a few finishing touches left, but you’re both more than welcome to take a look around.”

  “How about that tour?” Brock says.

  “You know what?” I interject. “Would you two mind if I went in alone to start? I’m still in shock.” Just ten or fifteen minutes to myself is all I need to regain enough composure to survive this bundle of surprises. “Tour in a bit?”

  “Of course,” Brock says. “We’ll be out here when you’re ready.”

  Levi steps back and holds the screen door open.

  I scurry inside, desperate to put some real space and walls between the man that might forever have my heart. More than once, I’ve considered talking to Brock. Asking him to make an exception for Levi. But any time I’ve attempted the subject, he’s been very adamant that I should steer clear of all of his man-whore friends. “They all want one thing, Kate. Any of them lay a finger on you, they’ll have to answer to me.”

  Kicking off my sandals, I roam the house at leisure. The further from the front door I get, the easier it is for me to focus. To absorb the shock of such an outrageously generous gift. My brother has mentioned his booming business more than once during my time away. But I never dreamed he was making the kind of money that allowed him to buy me an entire house.

  It’s too much.

  During my second round of the self-tour, I start to notice things. The pastel blue walls, the white trim, the dark hardwood floors. This isn’t just some random house. It was remodeled with me in mind. The color pallet is perfect. The same I might’ve picked out for myself.

  In the back, I discover a corner bedroom with sunlight pouring in. It has more windows than the other two bedrooms, yet with the trees and privacy fence in the backyard, no one can see in. It’s the perfect sanctuary—the perfect room to set up a painting studio.

  Tears dot the corners of my eyes. It’s so thoughtful.

  “Kate?” Brock calls to me.

  “In the back,” I call. “You can come inside.”

  It’s too much to hope that Levi will stay on the porch, or maybe even leave. I suck in a deep breath and brace to face him. It’s easier if I’m prepared.

  “What do you think?” Brock asks, Levi on his tail.

  “It’s perfect.” I squeeze my brother in a tight hug, burying my head against his chest so I don’t have to look at Levi. “Every detail is perfect. This room…”

  “Sadie might’ve clued us in on a few things,” Levi says, stepping into the room. “My brothers and I can’t take any credit for that.”

  Something in Levi’s tone warns me he’s lying. Covering up for something he doesn’t want my brother to know. Maybe it’s not even about me. I hate that I’m curious to know what it is. I shouldn’t care. I don’t care.

  “Sorry to cut this tour short, but I have to get going,” Brock says to me. “We’ll get the keys tomorrow afternoon when we move you in. There’s some paperwork to handle next week, and the house will officially be yours.”

  Though I’d love to stay here, I know it’s a bad idea to be alone with Levi. The attraction is still potent between us. We wouldn’t last five minutes with our clothes on. I follow my brother to his truck, feeling the heat of Levi’s gaze on me. With any luck, he’ll be gone the next time I show up.

  It’s the only way I’ll keep my hands off him.

  LEVI

  The second Brock’s truck disappears down the road with Kate inside, I set to work. I carry box after box into the painting studio. Assemble tables and easels. Spread out the painting supplies Sadie prompted me to buy.

  I don’t stop to eat. I don’t take a break. I keep going until the room is perfect.

  It pains me that I won’t be here to see her reaction tomorrow, but it’s for the best. I could no more resist Kate than I could live without air. Seeing her for the first time in a year solidifies all of the feelings I’ve had for her during her absence.

  I’m not just crazy about Kate Millard. I’m in love with her. Really, truly in love with her.