N. Walters: Past Promises

“And you found that funny?” She wasn’t sure if she should be insulted or not.

“Funny and courageous and absolutely amazing.” He cupped her face in his hands. “You are the most incredible woman in the world.” He kissed her hard and fast. “And you most certainly will not give up your money to your grasping father.”

“But, Levi—”

“No.” He cut her off. “What you need to understand is that I have more than enough information to publicly embarrass them and to see all of them in deep trouble. They know if they don’t leave you alone, that information will be released. If they make a move on me, others will release the information. Plus, I made it clear to them if anything happens to me or you, there’s nowhere they can hide, nowhere they’d be safe from the men who would come after them.”

“Levi, who are you really? You’re not just a soldier.” She’d always suspected there were a lot of layers to this man, but she’d only just scratched the surface.

All humor fled and the mask dropped over his features once again. She hurt inside to see it happen, but she had to know.

“I’m a man like any other, but I have certain skills that make me unique. There isn’t anything I can’t find with a computer, no information that I can’t access. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

Holy crap! He was a hacker. That was how he’d found the information about her father. Another worry hit her. “You didn’t do anything that can be traced back to you, did you?” She grabbed his shoulders and shook him. “You can’t do that again. What if you got caught? You’d go to prison?”

The look in Levi’s eyes softened. “Don’t worry, darlin’. It’s not something I make a practice of. And I didn’t even have to dig that deep to find dirt on your family and ex. I got some of my information from a guy I hired to watch them as well.”

“You hired someone?” The surprises just kept on coming. “Didn’t you think I could deal with this situation myself?” That was the crux of the problem. She was strong and independent. She’d planned to handle this on her own. Needed to confront all of them, one final time.

“Of course I knew you could handle it.” He looked shocked that she’d even questioned him about it. That went a long way to soothing her battered pride. “You’ve been handling them for years. The fact that you were able to forge your own life away from them is nothing less than astounding. The pressure they’ve put on you over the years has been tremendous. Most people would have buckled years ago. Your brother certainly did and so did Dyson.”

She’d never thought about it from that perspective before. She had memories of her brother saying he wanted to be an artist when he grew up. He’d been quite talented as a young man. That had all changed when he’d hit about fourteen. His art supplies had disappeared and she’d never seen him pick up a paintbrush again, not even as a hobby. The same applied to Simon. There’d never been any question that he would become a lawyer and join the family firm. “You’re right.”

Levi rubbed his hand in circles at the small of her back. The heat and his gentle touch worked their magic, relaxing her. “Of course, I’m right.”

She gave a small laugh. “Don’t expect to hear those words very often.”

“I won’t. Even though we both know the truth,” he teased. “I knew you could handle them, but why should you have to do it on your own. You had enough to worry about with everything they’d thrown at you and I was here and able to help.”

No one, other than her grandmother, had ever taken her side before. Never stood against her powerful father. “I wish you’d told me. Shared it with me.”

He lowered his head and sighed. “I know. And I’m sorry for that. I had no idea you were planning to confront them yourself. I assumed I’d be back by tonight and I would have explained everything over dinner.”

She caught his chin in her hand and raised it. The stubble of his beard lightly scratched her palm. The sensation sent a shiver down her spine and she tried to ignore the tingles that radiated to all the sensitive parts of her body.

“I understand that. But from now on, talk to me first. Okay?”

He nodded. “I’ll try.”

Levi was so self-contained and such a man of action, she knew it was difficult for him to make this promise. “That’s all I can ask.” She glanced at the table. “We should probably eat dinner before it’s icy cold.” She slipped off his lap. Her breast brushed against his arm and she almost groaned as the nipple pebbled on contact.

He cleared his throat. “There’s one more thing.” Linda turned and raised one brow in question.

His gaze went to her breasts so she crossed her arms over them to hide their aroused state. She knew it was too late. He’d seen her nipples outlined against her top. The man didn’t miss anything. “What?” She was almost afraid to find out.

Levi slipped an envelope from under his napkin and handed it to her. Linda opened it, drew out the heavy paper and gazed at the official document. She had to read it twice before she understood it.

The paper slipped from her fingers and drifted to the floor. Levi waited patiently, as always. He was so large and fierce—most people would never think him vulnerable. But Linda knew him better than most and she could see the uncertainty lurking in his eyes. He had his massive arms crossed in front of his chest and his chin slightly tilted. His entire body posture said he could take whatever anyone could throw at him. And he probably had over the years.

“You bought me a building?” The thought was staggering.

He shook his head. “Not any building. This one. It’s yours. I paid off the promissory note before I visited your father. There was nothing they could do to legally stop me as your representative from paying it off.”

“That’s a lot of money, Levi. I’ll pay you back.”

A muscle ticked beneath his left eye. “No, you won’t pay me back. It’s a gift.”

“Levi.” Exasperated, she placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. “You can’t just give me a building.”

He stood and stared down at her. “Why the hell not? It’s my money.”

Another thought struck her. “You didn’t do anything…you know…illegal, with your hacking and everything?”

Levi chuckled. “No. The money was mine.”

“But that has to be your entire life savings. You can’t do that. You don’t even have a job.”

He cleared his throat. “Actually, I do.”

Everything inside her froze. If he had a job, he would probably be leaving Jamesville very soon. “I’m very happy for you.” Her smile felt frozen on her face. “When do you leave?” She’d known her relationship with Levi wasn’t a long-term one, but she’d hoped for more time. She was determined to be an adult about this, even if it killed her.

He frowned, his expression growing dark. “I’m not leaving.” He raked his hand through his hair. “Unless you want me to.”

“Not if you don’t want to.” Great. Now she sounded like she was in junior high. “Levi, I’m glad you have a job, but obviously I’m missing something. Did you get a job here in Jamesville?” She couldn’t imagine what it was as there weren’t a lot of full-time jobs available in town. “Are you going to work for Jonah?”

“I’m doing this all wrong,” he muttered. Squaring his shoulders, he glared at her. “I’ve always had a job. I play the stock market. I invest. Not just my money, but also other people’s. Mostly guys I served with, including Jonah.”

“Isn’t that risky? Especially in today’s economy.”

Levi shook his head. “I have a knack for it. I can read the trends before they happen. I know when to get in and get out. I make a hell of a lot more money than I lose.”