Total pages in book: 164
Estimated words: 152931 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 765(@200wpm)___ 612(@250wpm)___ 510(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 152931 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 765(@200wpm)___ 612(@250wpm)___ 510(@300wpm)
“But Thane didn’t seem to think like that. He was cool and he got tiramisu and double dark chocolate. Anyone who eats that combination of flavors together doesn’t live by society’s rules,” Luke stated emphatically.
It took a second to connect the dots until Levi finally laughed at the connection of ice cream flavors Luke had put together. “What? That’s dumb.”
“No, it’s not. Double dark chocolate is normal, maybe a little different, but tiramisu ice cream is like, wow, okay, I’m here, take me like I am,” Luke explained then put a huge bite of cereal in his mouth, nodding at Levi like he’d solved the problem of world peace.
Somehow Luke’s assessment eased some of the irritation Levi had built, and he bent forward, taking the last of the clothes from the dryer. “You’re dumb.”
“Kind of I’m not. My IQ’s higher than yours,” Luke pointed out before adding another bite of the brightly colored cereal to his mouth.
Logan barked out a laugh, and Luke sat there, chewing, looking like he hadn’t just completely owned Levi. How could he counter that honest and very accurate argument?
“Well, I guess it’s a good thing you’re into him because he wants to take us out again next weekend.” When he finished folding all the clothes, he realized all he’d gotten was silence from his announcement, and he stopped in mid-motion of picking up the stack of T-shirts to look back over his shoulder. Both boys just stared blankly at him until Logan lifted a single eyebrow in a severe arch. “What?”
“So, it wasn’t a one and done?” Logan asked.
“You just said he wasn’t like that,” Levi shot back, lowering his brows at his brother.
“We just assumed it was a one and done, and we were trying to make you feel better. We planned it last night,” Luke explained, both boys still gawking at him. Levi stared back, his eyes darting back and forth between the two boys. Had they just insulted him? Totally doubted his ability to get a guy like Thane?
“I think I’m offended,” Levi finally said and turned back to the washer, pulling the wet clothes free. Levi didn’t consider himself a bad-looking guy. He had a college degree for God’s sake. He could get someone like Thane if he tried. By the time he slammed the dryer door, he’d managed to work himself up and added, “So you’re saying I can’t get someone like him?”
“I guess.” Logan reached down, pulling his socks off his feet. He bundled those, and they came flying for the empty washing machine, bouncing off the side, hitting the floor.
“Thanks. You two are great at building a guy up.” Levi grabbed the folded laundry, ignoring the dirty socks while trying to hide his waning confidence.
He might be able to do a guy like Thane, but they were right, he was totally out of Levi’s league. Even with the whole I connected, you connected thing last night, this wouldn’t last. Thane’s life and his were miles apart, and no matter how hard he wished it weren’t that way, it was.
Leaving the kitchen, he said over his shoulder, “You guys get the yard work today.”
“If he really does call, can we go back to the Baconator on Friday or Saturday?” Luke called out, and Levi didn’t think he was teasing. God. His brother needed a lesson in how to read a room.
“Never again. I’m never going anywhere you ever want to go,” Levi tossed back, taking his laundry into his bedroom. Maybe it had been a good thing he’d let them sleep. He’d had a solid three hours with no doubt clouding his judgment. Now, in less than ten minutes of his brothers being awake, he was right there with them. What was Thane trying to pull?
~~~
The silence of the darkened bar was eerily loud. The lack of windows on this end of the club made the darkness even worse. By design, the club’s main purpose gathered people together, so all this weird silence felt wrong. Thane’s eyes hadn’t had time to adjust as he reached out for the wall and stumbled along until the stairwell leading up to the office tripped him up. Thank goodness, the light switch was near the stairs. But rather than help, the sudden flood of light blinded him almost as bad as a camera flash.
By the time he got to the office, he felt a little beaten. All he wanted to do was text Levi. He’d actually started a message on his cell phone, wanting to point out that Saturday night was date night. He’d almost pushed send on the text only to remember his cell phone was designated to the Johns Hopkins social media site and what if Levi had somehow seen his number? His deceptiveness had gotten in his way.
He’d almost gone out and bought a new cell phone, but that seemed dumb. He needed to man up and tell Levi the truth, but that needed to be done face-to-face, probably in the privacy of his suite. That way he could do whatever it took to make this right.