Page 24 of Charmed By the Enemy

I thought about his words in the cove, and the way that he kept coming to see me even as I told him I hated him. The unanswered texts and my stupid attempt at payback on the beach. Through it all, he was still the same lighthearted, caring guy. He wanted me even after all I had put him through.

It felt like we were a real couple, and I had to wonder if we were going to keep this up when we got back to New York. I wanted to, even if my family didn’t approve. I wasn’t sure when I made this decision, since I felt so unsure of everything this morning. I just needed to listen to my heart and it was telling me that he’d never betray my family.

But how could I convince my parents to give him a chance?

I heard the door of the restaurant open behind me, and Levi went rigid when he looked over my head and saw who had just walked in. His eyes went huge and the expression on his face reminded me of when we were kids and he would get in trouble. He looked like he’d just gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, starting to turn my head to see what prompted that reaction from him. But the woman that entered made a beeline for our table, so I didn’t have to.

It was the woman from the beach, the jealous coworker. What did Levi say her name was? Ashley? Anna?

“Amanda,” he said as she towered over us, looking pissed. “What are you doing here?”

“I think the question is: what areyoudoing here?” she countered in a snide tone. “I thought you were sick.”

I had no idea what she was talking about, but when her gaze swung to me, I had to force myself not to squirm. She narrowed her eyes as she looked me up and down, her lips pursed into a thin line.

“Are you on adate?” she asked incredulously.

“That’s none of your business,” Levi replied tightly, all of the peace of this evening quickly dissipating.

“I can’t believe you skipped our work outing to hang out with some slut.”

“Hey!” I said loudly, rage flooding me. Who the hell did this woman think she was?

“That’s enough,” Levi said, and the anger in his deep voice was chilling. I’d never seen him so mad before. Amanda shrank away from him slightly, and I didn’t blame her. “You need to back off.”

“Y-you’re going to be in trouble when I tell Keith,” she replied, stammering under the force of his glare.

“Do what you have to do.” Levi’s words were dismissive, but I knew him well enough to see the worry in his eyes. “Just don’t insult my girl again.”

My girl.

Hearing him say those words felt right, and my heart stuttered.

“Fine,” she huffed, and instead of going to the bar or trying to find a table, she whirled around and left.

“Are you okay?” he asked when she was gone.

“Yeah, I’m going to let the opinion of some bitch get me down. But what about you? You look worried.”

“I’m fine. I skipped out on my work retreat today, but it’s not the end of the world.”

I mentally cringed. I should have known that he was supposed to be doing something today. He wasn’t here for a vacation like I was.

“Don’t worry about it,” he insisted. “Do you want to get out of here?”

I had finished eating, so I nodded. I still had an hour before I needed to be back at the hotel for the bachelorette party, but it was hard to continue enjoying our time here after that confrontation.

Levi paid the bill and we left Water’s Edge Eatery. I started to turn toward the parking area, but Levi put his hand on my arm to stop me.

“How about we walk?” he suggested. “It’s not far, and we can go along the beach.”

I looked out at the beach. The sun had set so it was dark, but I figured the big, full moon would provide enough illumination for us. This time, I took the initiative and grabbed Levi’s hand.

There was no one else out on the beach at this time of evening, and I couldn’t help thinking that this was as alone as we were going to get tonight. I couldn’t risk taking him back to my hotel room and running into my parents. And I was sure that Amanda and his other coworkers were staying at his hotel. It would be awkward if we were spotted there together after he faked being sick.

Suddenly, Levi slowed down, pulling me to a stop with a gentle tug on my arm.