Levi (Prairie Grooms, Book Five) (5 page)

“So?”

“Sooo… that means I just won myself another point.”

Fina's eyes narrowed on him. “Levi Stone, that's not fair! Stop tricking me into telling you things!”

“You're not telling me anything I don't already know.”

Fina put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “That point doesn't count!”

He chuckled and pulled her into his arms. “Did anyone ever tell you you’re mighty pretty when you're mad?”

“I'm not supposed to be pretty when I'm mad!”

“Why not?”

“Because I'm mad!”

He laughed, kissed her on the forehead, and then grabbed a piece of chicken out of the bowl on the table. “Eat something if you're hungry, then I'll show you around the place.”

“What about the score?”

“What about it?” he asked with a shrug.

“Are we still even?”

Levi took a bite of chicken and eyed her as he chewed, then swallowed. “The score is five to four, beautiful, my favor. Now grab an apple or something, and let's go.” Fina grabbed an apple all right, and made as if to throw it at him. He weaved and bobbed to dodge the flying fruit, then realized she hadn’t let go of it. “Hey, what are you doing?”

Fina stood in triumph and tossed the apple from one hand to the next. “Did you really think I'd throw this at you?”

Levi stood and watched as she continued to toss the apple from one hand to the other, with a smirk of victory on her face. “All right,” he finally said. “You got me.”

She put the apple on the table. “And the score is now…?” She cupped a hand to her ear and leaned in his direction.

Levi bit his lower lip and glared at her. “Five to five,” he ground out. “Now, let's go.” He spun on his heel and headed for the door. “I'm going to show you the barn,” he said, then suddenly turned to face her. “And if I had any sense, I'd make up a bed and sleep in there tonight.”

“What for?”

His eyes roamed her face, studying her mouth, before they drank in the rest of her. “Because, as I see it, it’s going to be a long night, no matter how I look at it.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

He cupped her face with a hand. “You're too beautiful for your own good; you know that, don't you?”

“I know no such thing,” she said, her voice solemn.

“Well, you are, which means the next nine days are going to be pure torture for one of us; maybe both, who knows?”

“If it is for me, do I get another point?”

“No.”

“Then what do I get?”

His arms came around her so fast she had no time to think, only react. She gasped as her head tilted back. “Levi,” she breathed. “What are you doing?”

“Making sure I don't sleep in the barn tonight.” That said, he kissed her like she’d never been kissed before.

Five

He shouldn’t have done it; knew he shouldn’t have, but with the way her hazel eyes flashed at him, and her dark hair loosened from its pins and escaped in tiny, dark tendrils to frame her face, Levi
had
to kiss her.

She didn’t push him away as he thought she would. Instead, she melted against him, and, try as he might, he couldn’t help but deepen the kiss. He’d wanted to tease her with his words earlier, give her a light peck, and leave her shocked. He didn’t expect such a fire to flare between them, nor the bone-deep possessiveness that consumed him. She was his. His and his alone; and Lord help any man who so much as looked at her. For, in that moment, Levi could picture himself beating some poor fool half to death for doing so.

He slowly lifted his face from hers. A slight sheen of sweat covered her brow and he smiled. He’d lit a hotter fire in her than he thought. “I do believe, I just won myself a point, Mrs. Stone,” he whispered against her face.

She shook her head.

“You don’t think so?”

She shook her head again and her mouth moved, but no sound escaped.

Levi chuckled. “Kissed you senseless, have I? Then I get two points.”

“No!” she forced out. “No fair …” She caught her breath, but her knees gave out.

Levi grinned like the devil, more pleased than ever, and held her tightly against his chest. “Dare I say
three
points?”

She shook her head again, gave him a glazed look, and swallowed hard. “You haven’t earned a thing!” She straightened her knees and pushed against him to free herself.

“Haven’t I?” he held her prisoner and studied her flushed face, could feel her heart slamming against his own chest. She was on fire and fought to put it out. This, of course, would never do.

“Let me go!” she cried as she struggled against him.

“No.”

She stopped and glared at him. “What do you mean, no? Let me go at once!”

“You don’t want me to,” he drawled, his voice silky smooth.

“Who are you to say if I do, or if I don’t? Now release me!”

His eyes raked over her as she began to tremble in his arms. He lowered his face to hers. “No,” he whispered, and then nipped at her ear lobe.

“Sto …stop …”

“Oh?” he said as he nibbled his way around her neck to the other side. “You want me to do what?”

Her knees gave out again.

Levi assaulted her other ear with his lips and tongue, moved to the side of her neck, then worked his way to her mouth. “I’ll never stop, Fella, do you hear me? I can’t. For the life of me, I can’t …”

“No, I can’t …” she rasped. “Too soon, I hardly know …”

And then it happened. She fainted.

Levi felt her entire body go limp in his arms, and stared at her in shock. “Fella?”

No response.

“Fella!” He scooped her up, carried her to the sofa, and gently laid her upon it. He then got on his knees next to her. “Fella,” he said as he patted the side of her face with his hand. “Fella, wake up.” Kissing her senseless was one thing, but this? If he wasn’t so worried about her, he’d be feeling mighty proud of himself right now. What man could kiss a woman into a dead faint?

Apparently he could.

“Wha … what happened?” she asked in a weak voice as her eyes fluttered open.

He relaxed his posture and sat on the floor next to the sofa. “You fainted, due to the talented ministrations of my lips upon your person.”

She sat up in shock. “What?”

He gently pushed her back down. “Don’t move so fast; lay still for a while.”

She stared at him, wide-eyed.

“And, yes, I kissed you completely senseless, my dear.”

“You didn’t.”

“I did.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Shall I see if I can do it again?”

“No!”

Levi chuckled as he drank in the sight of her. She looked more beautiful than ever, and he sighed as he admired his new bride, but then had a sobering thought. If she fainted from this, what would happen when they…

“I’m fine; let me up,” she said as she tried to rise.

Levi put a hand to her chest and held her down as he pondered this new revelation. She flayed her arms and tried to get her balance, but was helpless as he held her in place and stared at the floor. “I didn’t take into consideration your delicate sensibilities. Tell me, am I the first man to ever kiss you?”

She smacked his arm with a hand. “Yes. Now kindly let me up.”

“Ahhhh …” he mused as he continued to pin her down. “That explains a lot.” He looked at her. “I’ve learned something new about you. That makes the score six to five, my favor.” He released her, and jumped to his feet. “If you need me, I’ll be out in the barn.” And with that, he left. Again.

* * *

Fina stared after Levi, her jaw slack. She hoped this wasn't going to be the norm for their entire marriage. She was getting pretty tired of having to snap her mouth shut. This time, however, she closed it slowly before balling her hand into a fist, and then punched the sofa. “Oh, the nerve of that man!” she said in a huff. But was she angry because he’d left again? Or because she didn't want him to leave? Truth be told, if she were to be honest with herself, it was the latter. By golly, if she didn't want him to kiss her again!

And again…

And again.

And again!

But to do so would only grant him more points, and she was determined to get ahead in this game of theirs. The question was how to do it. Levi seemed to be pretty good at anticipating her reaction to things. But were they
her
reactions he was able to foretell so easily, or that of women in general? Fina knew she should've listened better when her mother gave her and her sisters “the talk”.

She blew a loose strand of dark hair out of her eyes and got up off the sofa. As she didn't know enough about Levi to anticipate his reactions to things, perhaps she could find out more about him; things that would help her stay one step ahead of him, and gain a few points in the process. And, by golly, she was going to make every point count! She wanted, no,
needed
the nine days they’d agreed upon. She'd stretch them out to ten if she could manage it; for Levi Stone had awakened in her something she'd not expected, and it scared her.

Fina studied the parlor area and wandered to a small desk in the corner. A few books were stacked upon it, along with an inkpot, quill, and writing paper. “I wonder if he keeps a journal,” she mused aloud. She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped a foot while she thought on the possibility. “If I was a man and I kept a private journal, where would I hide it?” She continued to ponder the thought when an idea struck. She turned toward the staircase. As most women hid their diaries in their bedroom, then why wouldn’t a man do the same?

Fina smiled and headed for the stairs. She stopped when she reached them, one foot poised above the first step, and glanced at the front door. If Levi was in the barn, he should be out of the house a while. But then, what if he decided to come into the house for a drink of water? What if he decided he was hungry and wanted some more chicken? She bit her lower lip in indecision, and glanced up the stairs. Her eyes flicked between the door and the stairs a few times before she started to run up them. Feeling foolish, she stopped midway, took a deep breath, and went the rest of the way at a normal pace just in case her husband happened upon her. At the top she looked down the stairwell, as if Levi was about to burst through the front door and run after her. But no, there was no sign of him and, if she wanted to find out anything, she'd best hurry.

Fina crept toward the bedroom, quiet as a mouse, then stopped and rolled her eyes. “For Heaven’s sake, you're the only one here!” she hissed as she shook her head, embarrassed by her own silly behavior, and proceeded into the bedroom. She glanced at the bed and the memory of Levi's body pressed against hers flooded her mind. Her heart skipped a beat. She licked her lips and forced her eyes from the bed to search the room for something,
anything
that looked like a journal or private diary. She turned a full circle and studied her surroundings, but saw nothing. “Hmmm, where would I put you?” she mused. There was a trunk at the foot of the bed, a dresser against one wall, and a small vanity with a mirror; a luxury in these parts, according to Sadie and Belle.

Fina crossed the room to the dresser and took a deep breath. Snooping was very unladylike and she wondered if she'd be marked a common criminal for such a deed. But, desperate times
did
call for desperate measures, and she wasn't about to let Levi gain any more points while she lagged behind. She had to catch up to him; pass him, for that matter. Then maybe she’d have the time to understand what was happening to her, why she reacted to him the way she did. It was beyond anything she'd ever experienced in her life. Not even her love of painting could evoke such passion.

Passion… was
that
what she felt? When Levi touched her, held her, kissed her; was that all it took for the man to ignite everything within her? How on earth could she ever hope to battle something so powerful? She couldn't.

Fina placed her hands on the knobs of the dresser, and stared at it. Her father knew

knew her passions ran high and not just when it came to her artistic ability. He somehow knew that it ran much deeper and that, when she was old enough, it would spill over into other areas of her life, including this one. If that were so, what if she couldn't control it? What if every time Levi kissed her, he could bring her to her knees? She'd be a slave to him, with no hope of escape. Her own passion would hold her prisoner, and no one but Levi would have the key.

Her fingers tightened on the knobs. She had to know more about him, had to arm herself, protect herself against any future onslaughts that threatened to strip her common sense away.

She opened the top drawer and looked inside. Socks. How ordinary. She rifled through the clothing, and pulled up a pair of red long-johns. “Oh dear,” she exclaimed as her cheeks flamed to match their color. She set them back inside, pushed the top drawer shut, and then went on to the second drawer… trousers, shirts, a few handkerchiefs; nothing of interest there. Fina went to the third drawer. She tried to pull it open but it moved a few inches and stuck. “Oh bother,” she muttered as she shut it and heard a small
thunk.

Fina straightened and stared at the closed drawer. Was that a book she’d heard? She reached down and tried to pull the drawer open again.

Thunk.

“Eureka!” she whispered in triumph. She closed the drawer, opened it again, getting it to go a little further, but it was no use. The drawer was stuck and wouldn’t budge. She tried reaching her hand into it and was able to touch the wood at the bottom, but nothing else. The book was near the back. When she shut the drawer hard, she heard the book slide to the front. But when she opened it to try to get the drawer unstuck, it slid back.

She stood up, hands on hips, and blew another strand of hair out of her face. “Right, then,” she said. “You're a book, I'm a woman, and I'm coming after you!” She bent to the drawer, put her hands on the knobs, and braced one foot against the base of the dresser.

She was about to give it a good yank when Levi stepped into the room.

“What are you doing?”

Fina squeaked in alarm, let go of the knobs, and fell backwards onto her rump. “Oh! Don't frighten me like that!”

Levi laughed, crossed the room to where she sat, and held out his hand. She took it and he pulled her up. “Are you all right?” he asked.

“As well as can be expected, considering I've just lost a battle with a dresser.”

“That drawer always sticks. It’s why I never keep anything in there. I'll have to fix that one of these days. You can use the bottom drawer if you'd like. At least until the armoire comes.”

Fina stared at him in relief, realizing her actions were not under suspicion. But then, why would they be? They were married. Of course she'd want to put her things away in the bedroom. She fought the urge to roll her eyes at her own stupidity, and then remembered what he’d said. “Armoire?”

He closed the distance between them, put his hands on her arms, and began to gently rub them up and down. “I'm having one delivered from Oregon City. I had Mr. Van Cleet order me one the last time he went there.”

“You did?”

He looked into her eyes. “I wanted my wife to have something pretty to put her things in. This old dresser’s good enough for me, but not for you.” He reached up and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, in a loving manner. “Beauty for beauty,” he said in a soft voice.

Fina swallowed hard. Everywhere he touched her, her skin tingled. He was doing it to her again. She balled her hands into fists and tried to step away, but his hands tightened on her arms as he pulled her into his chest, causing her head to tilt back.
Oh no, here we go again…