Luring Levi (Tarnished Saints Series Book 2) (5 page)

“Levi,” he called out again, and continued to bang on the door. “Are you up?”

“I’m up!” Levi tore open the door, ready to rip off Gus’s head as well. “What the hell is so important that you have to wake me before the sun’s even up?”

“The sun’s been up for awhile. It’s already nine-thirty and Angel phoned and told me to tell y
ou that your swearing-in ceremony for mayor is at the town square at ten. Gee, I wish you’d get a cell phone already. Thomas finally has a blasted phone in his house, but now I have to deal with the same thing again with you. You Taylor boys are somethin’ else.”

“Is it really that late
? I thought it was still early since I can’t even see out the damn window.”

“
Did Thomas tell you the deal we made of me letting you stay here?” asked Gus.

“No, but I’m sure you’re about to tell me, so go ahead.”

“In exchange for you staying here for awhile for free, Thomas said you’d clean out this room for me and also paint the outside of the station.”

“Well, I wasn’t in on the deal, so my answer is no.” He went to close the door, but Gus grabbed a
hold of it and stopped him.

“You got somewhere else to stay?” he asked. “Because if not, I’d strongly suggest ya take me up on the offer, as it’s a good deal.”

Levi had nowhere else to go, and now that Thomas had kicked him out and given the cabin to Candace, he knew Gus had him over a barrel.

“Fine, but if I’m staying here I need a washroom and a shower.”

“You can use the washroom in the station,” he said.

“How about a
shower?” he asked.

“Can’t help you with that.”

“You live in the attached apartment, let me use yours.”

“Sorry,
but the missus wouldn’t like a strange man coming in to use the shower with our teenaged daughter there and all.”

“Gus,
I’m not a stranger, and I’ve known your daughter Maryanne since the day she was born. You’ve got to help me out here.”

“How come you have
basically nothing?” asked Gus. “You owned a restaurant before ya went to the slammer. What happened to all your stuff anyway?”

“Everything I owned was sold to pay back my fines and
back taxes.”

“Everything?” he asked.

Levi shook his head sadly, knowing he’d screwed up big time and paid for it in the end.

“Well you’re dealing with me now. And
the deal I had with Thomas was to let you have a room. He didn’t say nothin’ about no shower.”

“Fine,” said L
evi. “I’ll figure something out, don’t worry about it. Now I need to get dressed and get to the meeting.” He went to close the door again, but Gus stopped it once more.

“Oh, I forgot ta
tell ya, Angel also said you were to swing by and pick up that dame they got renting the cottage too.”

“What? Oh, hell, you’ve got to be kidding.” Levi slammed the door before Gus could tell him he had to do anything else. He didn’t have a watch, but Gus told him he needed to be there in a half hour. Not a problem if he hadn
’t had a detour to pick up Candace. Now he’d have to drive twice as fast just to try to make it there in time.

* * *

Candace paced back and forth on the porch of the cabin, glancing at her wristwatch. Levi was nowhere in site, and according to what Angel told her, the meeting started over fifteen minutes ago. Angel had insisted on taking Valentine and Vance with her and the kids in the SUV and would meet them at the swearing-in ceremony. Candace would have just gone with her, but there was no more room in the car. Her kids didn’t really like it out here but they enjoyed being around the other children, so agreed to go.

Just then, the sound of
a car that obviously needed a muffler broke through the woods and she spied a small, dented and rusted hideous bright green convertible pulling up the gravel driveway leading to the cabin.

Levi shut off the motor and jumped over the side, meeting her as she made her way to the car. She wore a sundress with heels, trying to look prof
essional since she was a TV personality and had to keep up her appearances at all times.

“Ready to go?” he asked in a low voice.

“Where were you?” she asked, once more looking at her watch. “The meeting started nearly twenty minutes ago.”

“Don’t worry,” he said. “They’ll chew the fat til I get there. No on
e knows how to stop the chitter-chatter but me. Believe me, the meeting won’t start until I say so.”

“Excuse me for saying, but you sound a little pompous. And I still can’t believe they let a jailbird be mayor.”

She stepped on a stone with her heels and stumbled. He was there instantly with one arm around her waist and the other under her armpit to steady her.

“Even jailbirds deserve a second chance, Candy.”

She was so close to his face. His hair was wet and he smelled like harsh soap. His clothes were wrinkled and she realized he still wore what he had on yesterday.

His blue eyes bore into her and she felt her heart skip a
beat. By the heat from his hands on her skin, she realized how close his fingers were to the side of her breast. Thoughts flitted through her mind of the last time she’d seen him. Of the torrid love they’d made that night and the undying passion he’d displayed in bed. He may seem like a cool, careless, no-good womanizer, but the feelings he’d brought out in her had her squirming now, just remembering what he’d done to lure those emotions from her.

He’d brought her to her peak and
screaming for more, several times that night. Oh, yes, he’d said it was a night he’d never forget, and neither would she. And she’d never been able to look at whipped cream, honey and an assortment of other food items in the same way after that one glorious night they’d spent together.

“I thought about you every day while I was in prison,” he said so soft
ly it was almost a whisper. He pulled her body closer to him and before she knew it she was wrapped in his arms.

“I’m sure you thought about a lot of girls while you were there,” she said, making the mistake of looking up when she spoke, only to realize his face was now inches from hers.

“No, just you,” he said, sounding sincere but she knew she couldn’t believe him. He obviously had only thought about her because she was probably the last time he’d had sex in his seven years there. His mouth was so close to her that she could feel his breath on her face. She made the mistake of looking at his lips and when she looked back up she noticed he was looking at hers as well.

“That was a long time ago, Levi
, and maybe we should just forget all about it.”

“I could never forget,” he said. “Nor do I want to.” And with that he lowered his mouth to hers in a kiss.

Her initial reaction was to pull away or slap him, but when she tasted his essence on her tongue, vibrations came alive within her and she found herself returning the kiss instead of pushing him away. She hadn’t had a date since that night, as being pregnant and having children seemed to make most men shy away from her.

It felt so good to be held and
even better to be kissed. But what, she wondered, was she doing kissing a man that just spent the last seven years in prison?

“Well, I can see no grass grows under your feet, little brother,” came a voice from behind them.

Candace jumped and pushed out of his arms, straightening her dress, but savoring his flavor on her lips. Levi’s brother, Thomas stood there holding a shirt in his hand.

“Good morning, Tommy,” said Levi, greeting his brother. “I didn’t know you were there.”

“Obviously.”

Dan walked out of the
pole barn to join them, and Candace wondered if he had seen the kiss as well. She couldn’t believe how careless she’d just been. After all, how would she ever explain this if her own children had seen it?

“Uncle Levi, I start my job at the gas station today, so I’
m sorry I’ll miss you being sworn in as mayor.” Dan jumped into his car and started it up.

“No problem
, kid,” Levi said with a nod. Then he looked at his brother. “You coming to the big event or not?”

“S
orry, but I’m meeting with a seller who has an original grill for the mustang in prime condition. It’s a real find and I need to jump on it. But Angel will be there with the kids to represent the Taylor family. Here,” he said, handing Levi a shirt. “Angel said you’d better look a little nicer for the ceremony. I know your clothes are still at the house, but she said none of them were appropriate for mayor, so this is one of mine. Do me a favor and don’t return it, as I never want to see it again.”

Candace
watched as Levi stripped off his sleeveless shirt right in front of her. She had all she could do to keep from gasping, as his body was even more impressive than she’d remembered it seven years ago. He looked over and smiled at her, throwing the shirt to his brother.

“Can’t keep your eyes off my abs, can you?”

“No,” she protested. “I mean . . . I just . . . I mean you look . . .” She felt her face flush and couldn’t find the right words to say.

“I worked out a lot in prison, plus it’s not like I was ha
ving beer and pretzels every night. So, you see, something good came from the stint after all.

“We need to get going,” she said, turning and getting into the car so she wouldn’t have to stand there gawking at his body any longer.

“See ya later, Tommy,” said Levi, slipping the white shirt over his shoulders, but not bothering to button it. She looked the other way, not knowing how she was going to make it through the day with him walking around looking like that.

* * *

Levi skidded to a stop at the curb just past the town square. He switched off the radio and looked over to Candace who was gripping the dashboard so hard her knuckles were white.

“What’s the matter? I told you I’d get you here quickly,” he said. “And look, they’re still all standing around talking and the meeting hasn’t even started.”

“You could have driven a little slower down those gravel roads, or at least put the top up,” she said. “My dress is all dusty and I think I have something in my contact.” She slapped down the mirror on the visor and opened her eye wide to peer into it.

Levi got out of the car, walking around and o
pening the door for her. She pushed up the visor and got out but continued to rub her eye.

“Here, let me,” he said, reaching forward and wipi
ng a grain of sand from the corner of her eye. “Is that better?” He put his fingers under her chin and tilted her head upward, cocking his head to peer into her eye.

“I’m fine,” she said, pushing his hand aw
ay and looking around the crowd, not wanting her children to see him touching her. “There’s Angel,” she said, raising her arm and waving to her across the square. Then she looked back at him, half undressed and his hair still wet. Not at all what she’d expect from a mayor. “A mayor shouldn’t be walking around half dressed. And why is your hair wet?” she asked. “No time to dry it this morning?”

“No shower at the gas station,” he said. “I had to use the sink to wash up and it was too hard holding my head under the hand dryer so I just gave up.”

Angel came over to join them. “Hurry up, Levi,” she told him. “Mrs. Durnsby wants to give you a few instructions before she swears you in as new mayor.”

Levi hurried
away from them through the crowd.

“And button your shirt,” she called after hi
m. Then she looked over to Candace. “These grown men are no better than the kids.”

“
Where are the kids?” asked Candace, looking around the crowded square.

“Sam is watching them at the park. It’s just past the fountain. I thought the little ones would get bored during the ceremony, so it may be better this way.”

“I know you’re right,” she said, still a little nervous to be leaving her children with strangers, but Angel and her family seemed like someone she could trust.

“So, your kids are how old?” asked Angel.

“Six,” she answered.

“I see. And they mentioned they didn’t have a father. Not that it’s any of my business, but where is he?”

She didn’t know how to answer that, and felt uncomfortable that Angel even asked.

“I’m sorry,” apologized Angel. “I di
dn’t mean to pry. Questioning people is just a habit of mine, since I worked for years for Child Protective Services.”

“Oh my, I hope you don’t think I’m abusing my children,” she said.

“Of course not.” Angel gave Candace a half hug. “I guess I just wondered about their father because your boy looks so much like Levi that I had to know if there was another crazy man out there like my brother-in-law.”

“Do you really think he looks like Levi?” she asked, wanting to tell someone her secret, but at the same time feeling like she needed to remain guarded.