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Marking Territory
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Collide Two Against One
On the way back to the farm with Dani at his side, Levi couldn’t control his curiosity. He knew it was a bad idea to go there but he couldn’t seem to help himself. “So, how long have you known this Zane?” He threw his arm across the back of Dani’s seat and tried to appear casual.She gave him a side eye and smirked. “Oh, I’ve known this Zane for about five years. Why?”Levi squirmed in his seat. “No reason. Just making conversation.” He let a few breaths pass then asked, “He must be a really good friend to run all the way from Dallas to check on Lu just because you called.”“He is,” she agreed, trying to gauge his expression, “and a brilliant neurological diagnostician. I don’t know how I would have gotten through Aunt Lu’s illness without him.”Levi ground his molars until the muscle popped in his jaw. He knew he was being unreasonable about her friendship with the doctor but couldn’t seem to help himself. “Were y’all ever a thing?”“A thing?” Dani didn’t know whether to be irritate
Collide My Heart Says Yes
After gorging on the airy sopapillas covered in chocolate sauce, Zane declared that he really had to be getting back to Dallas. He was on call at the hospital that evening. As they got to the door, Levi put his arm around Dani’s shoulders possessively and held his hand out to Zane. “Have a good trip,” he said as the other man shook his outstretched one. Dani tried to take a step away but he held tight.“Good to meet you, Levi. Look me up if you ever get back to Dallas to visit. Dani has my number,” Zane offered. Levi’s arm tightened around Dani a bit more when Zane mentioned her having his number, but with some effort, he maintained the easy smile on his face.Zane leaned down and kissed Dani on the cheek. “We’ll talk soon,” he whispered before straightening and shooting Levi a breezy grin. He couldn’t help poking the bear just a little.“Call me later, Mags,” Dani said, moving Levi out the door so Zane and Maggie could say their goodbyes with a little privacy.On the sidewalk, she p
Collide Maggie to the Rescue
That evening, Levi had just gotten back to the bunkhouse from repairing a pasture fence that one of the bulls had broken through when his phone rang. A smile lit his tired face when he saw the name on the caller ID, Dani. “Hey, darlin’, whatcha doin’?” he asked cheerily as he answered.“I’ve been fighting with contractors all afternoon. How about you?”“Fixin’ fences. Damn bulls broke down another length of fence. I’m gonna need to build brick walls around the pastures if they keep this up.”Dani chuckled and sounded like she was drinking something before she spoke again. “I was thinking…How about I make you dinner? You know, to repay you for teaching me spaghetti. They just finished the electrical in the kitchen today and the new plumbing’s all in.”“I’d like that a lot, but…I thought spaghetti was all you could make now?” Levi hated to question her, and he would never turn down the invitation, but figured he’d better find out if he should eat before he got there, just in case.“You
Collide Just a Kiss
Right on time. As she walked down the hall to let Levi in, she took in his image through the screen. He was striking in his black button down and black hat and was holding a pink box in his hand. “Hi there,” she said as she opened the door for him.Levi ducked down and kissed her cheek then presented the box to her. “These are for you. I figured you’d like them more than flowers.”“Uh, thanks,” she said, suddenly a bit nervous. She took the small box and pulled off the white ribbon. Opening it she found four perfect truffles sitting in branded tissue from Gaston’s Chocolates in Tyler. Her mouth watered just at the sight. She’d forgotten Gaston’s. She gave him a big grin.“I remembered how much you used to like them so I ran over earlier today. I hope you still like them,” Levi said when she didn’t immediately say anything.“I love them,” she assured him. “I can’t believe you remembered Gaston’s.”“I remember everything when it comes to you, Dani Lynn,” he said huskily.She cleared he
Collide A Night to Remember
Dani stared hungrily at Levi as he stripped away his shirt. She saw him watching her sprawled on the big feather bed like she was his prey, and she liked it. She could finally see all those muscles in his wide chest, the band of barbed wire snaking around one hulking bicep and, surprisingly, flames that licked across his right chest and trailed all the way down to the V cut of his abdominals. They seemed to flicker in the light and shadows of the bedroom. She knew there had to be a story to the art but at the moment all she wanted to do was touch it. She needed to touch it. To touch him. Her arms were slightly trembling when she raised them to him in supplication and request. As he saw her arms reach for him, he knew he was lost. In the blink of an eye, his hard body was settled between her thighs making the old iron bed creak in protest. He held himself up on his elbows and his lips quirked up slightly in a grin meeting her own amused expression with the sound but then he resumed his
Collide An Unwelcome Visitor
The next few weeks felt like a dream for Dani. The house was almost finished thanks to Maggie’s great design sense and Dani’s sticking to the contractors like glue. Nights and evenings were almost all spent with Levi. She felt like they were making up for the long years they had been apart. They talked and laughed and he even taught her how to make the best burger in Texas - so he said - and a passable chili. Every evening after dinner, they sat in the big swing on the porch rocking and watching the shadows over take the woods talking about their days and their dreams for the future. She couldn’t remember ever being as content or her heart being so free but, every once in a while, she still fought a little niggling thought in the back of her mind that it was all too good to be true. ***Maggie came out of The General with the lamp she had special ordered for Dani’s bedroom. She just knew she was going to love it and couldn’t wait to give it to her. On the way back to Common Grounds,
Collide An Unexpected Turn
Dani sat in the dark on the porch unwilling to turn on the light and hear the moths flinging themselves at it in their suicidal dance. She swung herself on the big swing sipping a glass of Moscato as she waited for Levi. She wondered if he really was going to see his mom. She didn’t like doubting him but couldn’t get what Maggie had told her out of her head. She wasn’t sure how long she had been sitting there when she finally saw the lights of Levi’s pickup coming down the lane. She looked at her watch. It was much later than she had expected him. “Hey, baby, ” Levi said, coming up the porch steps seeing her swinging and waiting for him. “Moths at it again?”“Yep. Want a beer?” Before he could say yes or no, she was reaching into the small Yeti cooler at her feet and digging her hand into the ice for one.Levi dropped onto the swing beside her and took the beer from her cold hand. “Now that’s how you greet a man after a long day’s work.” He grinned at her, but she could see the fatig
Collide A Secret Divulged
Dani fought to see the road as tears ran down her face. She knew it had been too good to be true. She knew she shouldn’t have trusted him. Now she was paying for her naivete. She wiped at her face as she made it to town and parked in the back alley behind Common Grounds. She didn’t want anyone to see her like this, but she had to see Maggie. She banged on the back door hoping someone would hear her since it was in the middle of the lunch rush. As her fist reached up to bang again, the door was wrenched open and she almost fell into JT’s arms.“What’s going on, Dani?” JT asked, grabbing her arms to steady her. He saw the mascara running down her face and quickly dragged her inside. “What’s happened? Are you hurt?”“Just my pride. I need to see Maggie.” She tried to rein in her tears and drew in deep, ragged breaths.JT put his arm around her and led her to the office. He sat her in a chair and squatted down to his haunches in front of her. “I’ll get Maggie but can I get you anything?
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