For some reason, this kicked her heart into gear.
He pushed a white box across the table. It had a pretty red bow on it, and she stared at it like it was a coiled snake. “What is it?”
“It’s a Thanks-for-Not-Letting-Me-Die present.”
“No. I don’t do presents.”
“Would it change your mind to know it’s a cookies ’n’ cream cupcake from Cake Walk?”
She gasped. “Don’t you tease me.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
She practically tore off the bow, making him laugh, but she didn’t care. Calk Walk’s cupcakes were the gold bar of cupcakes. They were better than a day off. They were better than sex—at least she was pretty sure. It’d been a while. “You actually remembered,” she said as she sat staring down at the huge perfect cupcake, lunch forgotten, mouth watering.
“Yeah. You moaned a little when you were talking about it.”
Well, that was embarrassing. And true. “So you wanted to hear me moan again?”
“You already did.” He smiled a bit wickedly, and . . . damn. It was a good smile. The kind that could give a girl some seriously dirty thoughts, which she also hadn’t had in a while. Uncharacteristically ruffled, she grabbed a knife, carefully cut the cupcake in two, and handed him half.
“You absolutely positive they’re even?” he asked.
She eyeballed them again. “Yes,” she finally said and caught his grin. “You’re still teasing me. But you should know, I take these cupcakes very seriously.”
“Then I’m seriously touched that you’d share.” He held up his portion in a cheers. “To not dying.”
“To not dying.” She took a big bite and moaned again. “I can’t help it!” she said when he grinned at her.
“Not complaining.” He took a bite as well and . . . let out a very male moan himself.
Laughing, she pointed at him. “See? Better than sex, right?”
His smoky eyes heated. “I’ll admit, the cupcake is amazing, but nothing’s better than sex. Not if it’s done right.”
Well, you walked right into that one. Determined to get out of the danger zone, she concentrated on her next bite, not even realizing that her free hand had gone to her necklace, back around her neck where it belonged.
Levi’s gaze went there too. “Looks good on you.”
Earlier when he’d dropped her grandma’s necklace into her palm, she’d had to fight tears. He’d noticed, she knew he had, but he hadn’t pushed her to talk. Instead he’d remained quiet, letting her recover. “Thank you again,” she said softly.
“The way you touched it when you got on the gondola, I figured it was important to you.”
It took her a minute to be able to speak. “Very. It was my grandma’s.” She opened the locket and looked at the picture of herself, the happiest she’d ever been in her life up to that point because they’d just gone to see The Nutcracker. “It’s the only thing I have of her.” She paused. “Actually, it’s the only thing I have of my childhood.”
“I’m glad you’ve got it back.” Reaching out, he gently touched the fading bruise on her jaw. “You’re really okay?”
“Yes.” She looked at the healing cut slicing through his eyebrow. “I should have asked you before how you are feeling.”
“Same as you, I imagine.”
She drew in a deep breath. She hadn’t wanted to discuss what had happened up there on the gondola with Charlotte when she’d asked, saying she couldn’t go there yet. She hadn’t wanted to have to admit she’d pulled herself off the North Diamond’s clinic rotation schedule, how she’d had more than one nightmare about that night, how ever since then she’d felt . . . she wasn’t even sure. Lost? Until now, anyway. With her necklace back, she could face anything. “I’m a master at shoving my hot-mess-ness deep.”