Reservations, p.30
Reservations, page 30
“Does that mean when we move to Maryland that we could eat out all the time for half price?” The innocently asked question turned Thane’s smile in to a full-fledged grin, and he chuckled at the idea. Heartfelt emotions landed on his chest.
He was completely taken with this boy’s brother, there was no way around it, but he was quickly growing attached to Levi’s little brothers. Luke was brilliant to come up with such a plan to help their family out.
“Their meal’s on me,” he said to the waitress.
She looked down at the card, her gaze quickly darted up, and her face instantly changed. “I’ve seen your pictures on the newsletters.”
“Don’t worry. I don’t write all that mess. It’s my assistant. Could you let the front-end manager…” Thane’s words trailed off as he involuntarily looked toward the front door. That unexplained and somewhat unnerving inner pull happened again as Levi came through the front doors. The guy was stunning. A visual breath of fresh air, and like normal, any time Thane caught a glimpse of Levi, everything faded into the background. There was something inimitable about Levi Silva, and it drew Thane, like a moth to a flame.
“I’ll get him,” the waitress said, pulling Thane’s gaze away from Levi just seconds after Levi’s eyes landed on him.
“Are you dining alone?” Linda asked, extending her hand to the available seat. “We have an open seat.”
Technically, he shouldn’t crowd in on the family dinner, but he really wanted to spend time with Levi and get to know the Silva family. Thane found himself nodding his confirmation to Linda. “I’m eating alone. I don’t want to intrude, but I’d love the company. I’ve been traveling for days.”
“You aren’t intruding at all,” Luke, his new best friend, said. “Anyone who creates a restaurant like this is a friend of mine.’’
The sincerity in Luke’s unguarded words caused them all to laugh.
“He can’t stay.” Levi’s voice echoed over the laughter as he approached the table. Thane’s heart skipped a beat, but the challenge he’d heard in those words cinched his decision. His whole week had been a clusterfuck. An unexpected late season snowstorm had grounded him for three days. His luggage had been rerouted to God only knew where, and his office files were MIA with the shipping company. Levi wasn’t going to be the cause of anymore obstacles thrown Thane’s way. He was behind in his get-the-guy mission, and he wasn’t wasting a single second more. Besides, no matter how much the guy tried to hide it, Nathaniel knew for a fact Levi was into Thane.
“Oh, but I can. And I’d love to.” Thane looked Levi square in the eyes and pulled out the chair in front of him, taking the seat directly across from Linda. Which also happened to be the one right beside Levi’s. As he scooted himself up to the table, Levi came to an abrupt halt at the head of the table. Thane ignored Levi’s reaction and looked between Logan and Luke. “Thank you. I eat alone all the time. This is so much better.”
“Sit down, Levi,” Linda said, somewhat scolding Levi’s annoyed behavior after a moment of weird silence. Thane busied himself with his silverware and napkin, pressing his lips together to keep from laughing at the absurdity of this unexpected situation. Levi slowly made his way toward his chair, pulling it as far back as he could before scooting in, making sure to put as much distance as possible between the two of them.
“So, where did you get the idea of bacon everything?” Luke asked, scooting his chair over to accommodate Levi’s need for space.
Thane turned toward the kid. “I confess it wasn’t my idea, but when the owner put the business up for sale, it was three locations and one of my first ventures into buying restaurants. Everyone thought I was crazy. Hell, I thought I was crazy. Now there’s a dozen or so of these locations and they’re some of my most popular places,” Thane explained. He didn’t even have to lean forward to see Luke because Levi had seated himself a good twelve inches away from the table.
“The guys online talk about this place all the time. I think I’m trying the flamin’ hot burger,” Luke informed him, lifting the menu as if Thane could see his selection.
“Solid choice. My favorite’s the beer cheese chili burger.”
“Is that good?” Logan asked, drawing his attention from Luke. Of course, Thane noticed when Levi finally scraped the chair across the stained concrete floor to move closer to the table, still keeping a noticeable distance from him.
“It’s one of my favorite burgers. There’s a spicy burger in Texas that’s like Luke’s choice tonight, but they don’t play around with the flaming part. I tried it on my last trip. I’m a little gun-shy now,” he said, winking at Luke. That bit of information seemed to take Luke’s excitement to the next level. With Luke, he had a feeling they could talk food for hours and never get bored. The waitress was back with a glass of water for him and the appetizers that had to have been prepared in record time. Good. This family deserved the VIP treatment.
When the waitress finished taking their order, the manager came to the table. “Mr. Walker, I’m James.” With the limited space they had, Thane was forced to stand, stretch across the table to shake the guy’s hand, but that also allowed him to reposition his chair closer to Levi, and out of nothing more than the need to touch Levi, he immediately rested his arm across the back of Levi’s chair. He only managed the briefest of touches before Levi’s body jerked, his spine going ramrod straight, forcing his upper body closer to the table. “We reserved a table for you this evening.”
“That won’t be necessary. I’m good right here,” he said happily, giving in to the urge to counter Levi’s move, placing his hand on Levi’s back. Thane never looked to see Levi’s response. Instead, he kept his eyes trained on the manager, but when his palm made contact with Levi’s back, he could feel the immediate ripple of muscle. “You can give my table up. I’ll be dining here tonight. They’ve invited me to join them.” Thane looked around the table. “Are we here for any specific reason?”
“Just having dinner out,” Luke answered.
“We’re glad to have you tonight, Mr. Walker. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Will do.” Thane nodded and sat back as the waitress did her thing. By the time she finished and refilled all the drinks, Thane decided to give the cheese fries appetizer a try and was astounded to find them already gone. Those must have been Logan’s favorite with the way the dish was pulled closest to him. Neither boy seemed too concerned about saving any food for anyone else. He remembered those years of being a human food vacuum.
Levi’s family was an open and hospitable group. After those initial few minutes, Thane found he didn’t have to say much more; he felt included. He just listened as Logan, Luke, and Linda all kept the conversation going. Levi remained the only sore spot in an otherwise nice dinner. He didn’t say a word; his face still held that passive expression, but his body was rigid, and he sat at such an awkward angle that Thane was absolutely certain the guy was going to have sore muscles from it. Thane grinned, thinking about offering the wound-up man his solution for that back pain later. He’d happily rub out any of the strain Levi had, especially if that meant he got some time to worship Levi’s ass.
~~~
As out of sorts as he was, his hamburger shouldn’t taste like the best thing he’d ever put in his mouth. Levi swallowed the last bite, tempted to use his fingertip to gather up all the remaining crumbs. He resisted the urge, no matter how badly he wanted to, because every time he moved, he was reminded Thane Walker was currently pressed shamelessly against the side of his body, engaged in an active, animated conversation with his brothers and had even drawn Linda and Alison into the discussion. Getting Alison talking was kind of a feat in itself. She was incredibly shy or at least she’d been with him, but clearly not with Thane.
Levi guessed he’d taken her place as the quiet one. Levi hadn’t had much to offer on their conversation. He dropped his hands in his lap as he tried to calm his nerves. It was hard enough fighting his attraction, never mind trying to think of something clever to say. Every single flex of Thane’s thigh against his seemed to stiffen both his back and his cock. The heat from Thane’s body bled through the material separating his skin from Thane’s, and it was almost too much to contain his desire. Levi’s body ached but the position kept him inches away from the back of the chair where Thane’s arm rested, but he also couldn’t move too far forward, Thane was there too, leaning toward his brothers, laughing at something Luke said. Levi was so unnerved by Thane’s proximity that he’d missed what they’d been discussing. Certain that at any moment Thane would be in his lap with as close as he’d edged to his seat. How in the world would he explain any of this to his brothers?
“Can I take your plate?” the waitress asked from directly behind Luke. Levi started to move to the side when she slid an arm in to take his plate. Thane’s hand skimmed down his side, before wrapping around his back, holding him right there in Thane’s personal space. Damn, Thane smelled good. Intoxicating would definitely be an understatement.
With his body reacting so uncontrollably, Levi shifted, trying to keep from embarrassing himself. Thane stopped speaking and bent his head, his nose going to Levi’s hair. He could have sworn Thane breathed him in. He looked over, their gazes locked, and all the anxiety coursing through his veins slipped away while at the same time something insanely intense gripped him.
The feeling was something new, powerful, and raw. He couldn’t name it, damn sure didn’t understand it, but he couldn’t look away even as heat flushed his cheeks and his dick reacted to the desire darkening Thane’s eyes. The oxygen raced from the room as Thane’s smoldering gaze bore straight into his.
“You added the brown back into your hair.” Thane’s husky voice caressed his skin as that dark gaze slid over his face before lifting to his hair.
Of course, he’d notice something so simple. And why did knowing that cause an unnerving flip-flop in his chest? He could so easily lean the inch or two forward and press his lips against Thane’s full, fleshy mouth, and oh man, did he want to do that. But he didn’t. Instead, he blurted out the embarrassing truth.
“They started calling me Red at work. That means it’s usually time,” he confessed.
“I like the natural color.”
Levi had no choice but to shift positions, his dick had grown painfully hard. He squirmed in his seat, trying to relieve the pressure. It wasn’t until Luke nudged him in the side that he even connected to the laughter at the table. He looked at his brothers, who weren’t even trying to hide their amusement, neither was the waitress for that matter.
“What’d I miss?” he asked Linda who wasn’t laughing at all. Instead, she looked to be sizing Thane up.
“Dessert,” the waitress answered from behind him. “I passed out dessert menus.”
“I thought we decided to go to Moo Time,” Luke reminded them, but whatever just happened between him and Thane had his brother’s speculative gaze shifting knowingly between Levi and his boss before Luke started grinning like the Cheshire cat. It didn’t take long before Luke was chuckling, waggling his eyebrows, and making a production of teasing him. Up until this minute, he’d been so relieved to see Luke happy. Now, he just wanted to punch his littlest brother in the face.
“Moo Time, like over by the resort?” Thane asked. The hand at his side slid to the center of his back, warm fingertips grazing lightly back and forth over the material of his shirt, sending goose bumps springing up on his arms. Damn. He had to get control of himself and his reactions to Thane.
“Yeah, we could see where you work,” Logan added excitedly.
Oh damn. Shit! No! The word work caught his full attention. A whole bunch of no fucking way filled his head. He bit back his reaction, trying to remain level, but honestly, his brain might have exploded over that one simple comment. He’d been so caught up in himself and Thane’s presence that it hadn’t occurred to him that Thane represented work and his family had no idea where he actually worked.
“I’ve seen the Elvis out front. Never visited, always wanted to stop in.” Thane rambled on, oblivious to the slight heart attack Levi’d just had.
“I haven’t been either,” Alison chimed in.
“You guys are gonna have to go without me. I’m stuffed,” Linda said, rubbing her stomach.
With the waitress still standing there, Thane finally turned and lifted a hand toward her. “I think we’re ready for the check, and I’ll treat everyone to Moo Time, if that sounds all right?” Then he immediately glanced over to Luke and Logan and went on to say the words that guaranteed the trip to the ice cream store. “Unless, I’m wearing out my welcome?”
“No, you aren’t at all. This has been awesome,” Luke said, excitement flashing in his eyes. “You should definitely come.”
His family wasn’t going to make this easy. Levi’s shoulders slumped in defeat. How would he make it through the night with Thane so close and keep his brothers from talking about work? Life sucked.
~~~
Thane scribbled his name on the bottom of the sales receipt at Moo Time, pushing the pen and paper toward the waiting clerk as Levi stepped through the front door, letting the bells rattle in his wake. Levi hadn’t ditched him. He was just following his brothers, but he knew Levi would cut him loose if given half a chance.
He hurriedly moved across the store, not paying near as much attention to his surroundings as usual. Fate had gifted him this unexpected night, and he wanted to make sure he took full advantage every single minute. Well, at least until the carriage turned to a pumpkin, ending the time with his prince, or however that fairytale went.
“It’s a fun place,” he said, coming to stand beside Levi. Instead of responding, Levi took a lick of the stacked waffle cone ice cream in his hand, his thick pink tongue leaving a path in the frozen cream. Damn! Thane had to push the image of Levi on his knees licking a wet trail across his dick out of his head before shit got serious. He took a deep, calming breath and asked, “Where are your brothers?”
“Over there.” Levi pointed to a group of kids standing directly across the street.
“Friends?” Thane asked, dipping into the cup he’d opted for over a waffle cone.
“Yeah. They’re playing a phone game. In this one, they do better in groups apparently,” Levi explained. Thane wasn’t entirely sure what Levi was staring at. He looked more lost in a thought, not necessarily watching his brothers, but definitely not giving Thane any of his attention.
“Like earning points kind of a game?” he asked.
“I think so,” Levi replied.
Maybe Levi wasn’t so lost. Perhaps it was more an avoidance deal.
“Why won’t you look at me?” he asked, moving to where he stood directly in front of Levi.
“Why are you here?” Levi’s gaze finally met his. Thane saw so much reflected at him in that stare. Honesty… Maybe some accusation, but he also saw more misunderstanding and pain. Thane had caused all of that, especially the hurt. That had him taking a pause as he stared at this captivating man, deciding the best course of action would be to just tell the truth. Levi deserved the truth—he wasn’t a game player on any level.
Thane took the bite of ice cream he’d been holding in a spoon then lifted the wad of napkins in his hand to his mouth, cleaning any remnants.
“I want to date you,” Thane finally answered.
“What?” Levi had been pretty steadily licking his cone. And yes, Thane had been watching that skilled tongue dart out every few seconds, but now, the cone in his hand had been forgotten and the look of horror on Levi’s face caused Thane to laugh.
“Levi, I moved here today. I’ve been trying to get here all week. The weather stopped…” That look of horror turned to something different as Levi interrupted him.
“Why in the world would you move here?” Since he was naming all Levi’s emotions tonight, he dubbed this latest look as startled.
“To woo you.” Thane took another bite of the sweet frozen concoction to hide his grin. At this point, it didn’t matter how Levi felt about what he’d done. Thane wasn’t going to give up on his goals.
Levi’s eyes widened, and Thane winked as he took another bite of ice cream. God, he’d love to know what was going through Levi’s mind, because his face wasn’t giving any clues. He kept his gaze on Levi, refusing to drop eye contact. Finally, Levi just shook his head and stepped around Thane. He followed the move, tracking Levi as he went. It looked like Levi was going to toss his cone in the trash bin, but at the last minute, he stopped and just the napkin he held was thrown away. “I’m not into those kinds of relationships. I don’t hook.”
His heart sank. How did they always end up right back here? “Please, Levi. I need you to stop throwing that in my face. I made a mistake, but I know who you are, probably better than you know yourself.”
“And what’s that?” The pain was back in both Levi’s voice and reflected in the glance he gave Thane over his shoulder.
Reminding himself to keep it casual, Thane tried to consider each word he could use to describe his feelings for this man, and at the same time, keep it light. They were in front of an ice cream shop on a crowded street with his brothers not fifty feet away. It wasn’t the time to go so deep.
Thane stepped closer to Levi, close enough he could feel the heat of Levi’s back. “I’m attracted to you, Levi. You’re so special and don’t even realize it. You have integrity down to a science. You’re loyal, smart, handsome, and funny. Well, not real funny tonight, but I’ve witnessed it, so I know it’s in there. You’re damn near perfect.”
“This isn’t a joke, Thane,” Levi countered, turning toward him. The move put them almost chest to chest. The ice cream in Levi’s hand dripped down the side of the cone and rolled seemingly unnoticed over his fingers. Thane didn’t feel any anger reflected toward him, just that pent-up intensity that was all Levi Silva.
“I know.” From the corner of his eye, he spotted Levi’s brothers and cocked his head in their direction. “They’re on the move. Wanna trail?”
