Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 58623 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 293(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58623 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 293(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
“You didn’t. Food is good.” He shrugged dismissively, but I didn’t want to let this go that easily.
“It’s not your fault that some guy lied about his relationship status and took advantage of you.”
Eyes still big and much too sad, he looked up from his pizza. “But it is my fault that I’m a gullible jerk magnet.”
“I’ve told you to not be so hard on yourself.” My voice came out sterner than I intended. But to my surprise, he sat up a little taller and lost some of his dejected vibe.
“You’re right. Sorry.” He gave me a hopeful smile, almost like he wanted some praise for the effort.
“That’s better.” I didn’t see any harm in recognizing that he was trying. “This…shared-interest forum. Was it Kinkbook?”
“How’d you know?” His shoulders stiffened.
“Lucky guess,” I lied. The way he took orders, praise, and corrections told me a ton, as did the way he was cagey with details about this guy. “That, and a lot of the Bold Brew crowd is active there.”
Levi considered this, mouth pursing as his gaze roamed over me. “Are you on there?”
“Uh. At the risk of being lumped in with your jerk, I’ve looked around there some.” Even if my neck was heating a little, I’d been the one to bring the topic up, and I also wasn’t going to lie. “Had a page for a while. I know a number of people through Bold Brew as well. Might even know the jerk, come to think of it. Tell me his name?”
Eyes going wider, he grinned. “You gonna defend my honor?”
“Something like that.” Anyone lying to college kids didn’t need to be a part of the larger Bold Brew community, but I also wouldn’t mind giving the guy a piece of my mind for letting Levi move across the state under false pretenses.
“Is it wrong that I kind of like the idea of you punching the jerk?” His tone was thoughtful, and I couldn’t tell how much was a tease and how much was serious.
“Well, maybe not committing a misdemeanor,” I admitted. I’d left my bar-fighting days long behind, but I did like Levi thinking of me as champion. “I’d like to warn others off him, though.”
“Darn. Someone needs to punch him.” His wistful tone was almost enough to get me to reconsider my stance on not starting fights. As a big guy, I knew perfectly well, though, that it didn’t matter how much the other person deserved it. I’d be the one hauled off and charged. And on a more personal level, I wanted to be more than an intimidating presence. I’d had enough of friends relying on me to be their personal bouncer, but for Levi, I might put the hurt on this guy.
“Agreed.” I nodded but stopped as an uncomfortable thought hit me. “But not you? You scared of this guy?”
“Not in the way you mean.” He quirked his mouth. “I’m more the ‘spare my knuckles and dramatically flounce off’ type.”
“Hey, a dramatic exit is highly underrated. But you feel safe now? Not like he’s going to cause trouble?”
I wouldn’t demand a name, but I did want to know that Levi was safe, and I told myself I’d want that for any acquaintance, but there was a stronger pull at work here too.
“He’s probably more worried about me causing trouble for him, honestly. I’d bet he never expected me to stick around the area, but I couldn’t go back to Scranton. My mom just got married. Great guy. Tiny house. I didn’t want to admit my stupidity. Not yet.”
“Good for you. Don’t let the jerk chase you off. And you tell me if that changes with him causing trouble, okay?”
“Why?” After setting his plate aside, Levi studied me intently. “I mean, we’re not even friends.”
Ouch. I’d moved from friendship being a bad idea to convincing myself that I could ignore my attraction to him and be friends. Trying to keep any hurt at bay, I kept my voice light. “Maybe I make that offer to all my favorite baristas. And maybe you need a friend, yeah?”
“Maybe.” Levi’s tone was thoughtful. A little too thoughtful. “Joe?”
“Yeah?” My arms prickled.
“Tell me about your Kinkbook page.” Turning his body, he moved so he was almost sitting sideways on the couch, still with that intent look.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” My voice was far more husky than the question probably warranted.
“Maybe I like bad ideas.” His eyes were sparkling like he was teasing, but his voice was more contemplative, like he was trying something out. Something dangerous.
“Levi—”
“I know you think I’m some silly kid, but you don’t have to protect my virtue or something. I’ve already poked all around Kinkbook. You’re not likely to shock me. And I’m curious. As a friend.”
“I never said that you were a silly kid.” Needing to quiet my revving pulse, I sucked in a breath. “But I’m not sure that we should be the sort of friends who exchange Kinkbook IDs.”