Elsa.
“Levi, it’s me, Izzy.” The knock came again. “Are you in there?”
God, just the sound of her voice made his blood run hot. “Just a minute.”
He scrambled to shove the case notes into the top desk drawer. Steeling himself against the effect Izzy had on him, he rushed to the door and opened it.
“Izzy, what are you doing here?”
“I . . . felt bad about earlier and wanted to apologize again.”
A sliver of guilt needled him. “I told you to forget it.”
Her gaze flew past him into the cabin. “These are kind of rustic, aren’t they?”
“Yeah. But I like it.” He took her elbow, following her outside. The scent of her feminine body wash would haunt him all night if she came inside.
“Let’s take a walk.”
“All right.”
He yanked on his jacket and tried to banish the memory of their earlier kiss as they walked down to the creek. But it was damn hard with moonlight casting a golden glow on Izzy’s face.
“You said you like it here?”
“The woods, the quiet, the creek. It reminds me of my ranch back home.”
“I bet it’s beautiful.”
He shrugged.
“Who’s taking care of it while you’re gone?”
“My brothers.”
She tugged her scarf around her neck. “I thought you said you didn’t have family.”
Shit. He’d forgotten his lies. “I . . . meant no family that would attend the ceremony. That’s because we don’t always get along, and I didn’t invite them to the wedding.”
“I understand siblings fighting,” she said in a self-deprecating voice.
“But you and your sisters seem to be working together now.”
A hesitant smile tugged at her mouth. “For now. Because of Aunt Dottie.” The wind tossed her hair around her face, making him itch to touch it. “We kind of owe her. She took us in after we lost our parents.”
She’d just given him an opening. “What happened to them?”
Izzy turned her face into the wind and inhaled the fresh air. “You’ve probably already heard. My mother’s in jail for killing my father.”
She let the statement stand, but pain resonated in the lines on her face.
“I’m sorry, Izzy. That must have been horrible.”
“It was tough, especially with everyone in town knowing about it. I can’t tell you how many times kids at school referred to us as the jailbird kids.”
Levi grimaced. “Do you ever visit your mother?”
She shook her head. “I’ve thought about it, but . . . I don’t know what I’d say.”
Another strained heartbeat passed, then she turned toward him, her expression softening. “What about your parents?”
Sorrow tightened his chest. “Mine are the oddity, I guess. They loved each other till the day they died.”
She touched his arm, and he couldn’t help but look into her eyes. The heat simmering between them made him ache to pull her up against him.
“You were lucky,” she said in a raw whisper. “Most of us go through life never seeing that kind of devotion.”
“Well, I’ve seen the other side, too. Both my brothers’ marriages ended in disaster.”
“I can relate to that.” A sad wistfulness tinged her voice, and he couldn’t resist. He feathered her hair from her cheek with his fingers.
“I’m sorry things didn’t work out for you.” God, he wanted to soothe that pained look from her eyes.
“But you . . . you and Elsa are going to have a wonderful life together, just like your parents.”
Her voice faded as hunger struck him. His heart pounded. His breath caught.
Her sweet scent suffused him, destroying all rational thought, and he cupped her face in his hands and closed his mouth over hers.
At the sound of her acquiescence, need overcame him, and he deepened the kiss, probing her lips apart with his tongue.
Izzy sighed into him, a contented purr that made his body go rock hard, then she threaded her fingers in his hair and pulled him closer. Their bodies fit together, her curves sliding against the hard planes of his body.
Seconds later,
“Levi, it’s me, Izzy.” The knock came again. “Are you in there?”
God, just the sound of her voice made his blood run hot. “Just a minute.”
He scrambled to shove the case notes into the top desk drawer. Steeling himself against the effect Izzy had on him, he rushed to the door and opened it.
“Izzy, what are you doing here?”
“I . . . felt bad about earlier and wanted to apologize again.”
A sliver of guilt needled him. “I told you to forget it.”
Her gaze flew past him into the cabin. “These are kind of rustic, aren’t they?”
“Yeah. But I like it.” He took her elbow, following her outside. The scent of her feminine body wash would haunt him all night if she came inside.
“Let’s take a walk.”
“All right.”
He yanked on his jacket and tried to banish the memory of their earlier kiss as they walked down to the creek. But it was damn hard with moonlight casting a golden glow on Izzy’s face.
“You said you like it here?”
“The woods, the quiet, the creek. It reminds me of my ranch back home.”
“I bet it’s beautiful.”
He shrugged.
“Who’s taking care of it while you’re gone?”
“My brothers.”
She tugged her scarf around her neck. “I thought you said you didn’t have family.”
Shit. He’d forgotten his lies. “I . . . meant no family that would attend the ceremony. That’s because we don’t always get along, and I didn’t invite them to the wedding.”
“I understand siblings fighting,” she said in a self-deprecating voice.
“But you and your sisters seem to be working together now.”
A hesitant smile tugged at her mouth. “For now. Because of Aunt Dottie.” The wind tossed her hair around her face, making him itch to touch it. “We kind of owe her. She took us in after we lost our parents.”
She’d just given him an opening. “What happened to them?”
Izzy turned her face into the wind and inhaled the fresh air. “You’ve probably already heard. My mother’s in jail for killing my father.”
She let the statement stand, but pain resonated in the lines on her face.
“I’m sorry, Izzy. That must have been horrible.”
“It was tough, especially with everyone in town knowing about it. I can’t tell you how many times kids at school referred to us as the jailbird kids.”
Levi grimaced. “Do you ever visit your mother?”
She shook her head. “I’ve thought about it, but . . . I don’t know what I’d say.”
Another strained heartbeat passed, then she turned toward him, her expression softening. “What about your parents?”
Sorrow tightened his chest. “Mine are the oddity, I guess. They loved each other till the day they died.”
She touched his arm, and he couldn’t help but look into her eyes. The heat simmering between them made him ache to pull her up against him.
“You were lucky,” she said in a raw whisper. “Most of us go through life never seeing that kind of devotion.”
“Well, I’ve seen the other side, too. Both my brothers’ marriages ended in disaster.”
“I can relate to that.” A sad wistfulness tinged her voice, and he couldn’t resist. He feathered her hair from her cheek with his fingers.
“I’m sorry things didn’t work out for you.” God, he wanted to soothe that pained look from her eyes.
“But you . . . you and Elsa are going to have a wonderful life together, just like your parents.”
Her voice faded as hunger struck him. His heart pounded. His breath caught.
Her sweet scent suffused him, destroying all rational thought, and he cupped her face in his hands and closed his mouth over hers.
At the sound of her acquiescence, need overcame him, and he deepened the kiss, probing her lips apart with his tongue.
Izzy sighed into him, a contented purr that made his body go rock hard, then she threaded her fingers in his hair and pulled him closer. Their bodies fit together, her curves sliding against the hard planes of his body.
Seconds later,
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