The Summer Before

Chapter Thirty-Two

Tessa

I needed air.

No, scratch that; I needed a brain transplant.

I couldn't breathe in his proximity. Worse than that, I couldn't think straight, and the things I was thinking... Let's just say, they weren't PG.

After what happened this morning at breakfast, I thought I'd explode during our dance class. Levi knew exactly what he was doing, grabbing his dick and stroking it through his gray sweats. He was teasing me, but why?

Was he just doing it to be a dick? Did he want to catch me ogling him to throw it back in my face later? Or...

Was he trying to send me a message?

I thought that possibility was highly unlikely until we got back to the studio.

There, I felt the heat of his stare as he drank me in with those deep blue eyes. His touch was firm but gentle, almost a caress as we floated around the dancefloor.

By the end of our final class, I was breathless and horny. That Levi-sized itch I had- yeah, that was a hundred times worse. My body wanted him. And if I felt what I thought I did during our last pose, he wanted me too.

The memory of our shared night last summer refused to leave my mind. It replayed over and over, tormenting me the entire class.

Levi would look at me a certain way or touch me like he had that night, and I was transported through time to the night I will never forget. I wanted him so badly by the end of class, I thought I'd explode.

When the fresh air outside the studio hit me, I finally felt like I could breathe. Being trapped inside that room with Levi was too much. My body was starting to want things that I couldn't give her.

I wouldn't put myself in that position again. It was hard enough to get over him the first time, and I wasn't about to screw up months of progress by falling into bed with him once again. No matter how badly my body cried out for me to.

Standing outside the studio, I could feel his eyes on me. My instincts told me to look, to sus out the danger before something happened, but I refused. I wouldn't look at him. If I did, I already knew what I'd see.

I'd see his lustful gaze raking over me, making me feel sexy. His ruthless tongue would jet out from between his lips, tempting me for a taste. And I'm convinced that if I looked below the belt, I'd see the teasing outline of his thick penis as it throbbed for me.

No! I wouldn't look. It was bad enough that I was clenching my thighs at the thought of him. There's no way I'm making this worse for myself. I'll leave with Colin and Micah, and we'll have a great time, far, far away from Levi and his monster cock.

~

The universe had other plans. She was dead set on tormenting me.

As soon as I made my escape plan, Jason asked if everyone wanted to go out for a late lunch- his and Char's way of telling us all thank you for participating in the dance lessons. I love my brother, but my heart sank when he asked that.

I wanted nothing more than to put as much distance between Levi and myself as possible, but I couldn't tell him no. So, instead of escaping to Colin and Micah's apartment, our little gang headed to a restaurant down the road.

The hostess showed us to an oversized booth at the back of the restaurant, setting down the menus and leaving us to get settled. I quickly slid next to the wall, pulling Leah behind me, ensuring I had a buffer between myself and Levi.

With my position secured, I relaxed a fraction, focusing all my attention on the menu. A few minutes after we settled in, our waitress stopped by the take our drink orders.

I was still engrossed in reading the menu when Leah's voice trickled into my ears. "Hey, can you guys let me out? I have to use the restroom."

The sounds of shuffling could be heard as my heart pounded in my chest. When my new neighbor sat down beside me, bumping my arm, I knew without looking who I'd see.

Levi.

Something inside me knew- just fucking knew- that Leah wouldn't be taking her seat back when she returned. Sure enough, when Leah came back, Landon suggested she take the end seat, so they didn't have to shuffle around again.

To my immense dismay, she agreed, leaving me trapped between a wall and a hard place- fucking Levi. I refused to look at him, knowing exactly what I'd see if I did. Levi would shoot me one of his sultry smiles, making me melt. Then, he'd completely obliterate me by casting sensual gazes through his big blue eyes.

I instantly regretted wearing shorts. They left me exposed in places too close to where I was battling my body the hardest. And with Levi pushed up next to me, I already had to squeeze my thighs like a vise.

I'm sure he knew it too.

When our waitress returned to take our order, I realized I'd been staring at the same spot on the menu for five minutes. I quickly scanned the menu to figure out what I wanted.

I was so engrossed in what I was doing that I didn't realize it when the server asked what I wanted. A warm hand on my bare thigh startled me. I looked over to Levi, who was trying to hide his amusement.

"Do you know what you want, Tessa?" Levi asked, squeezing my leg gently. I knew everyone else would think he was only asking about the food, but I could hear the undercurrent of his words. His question was loaded, and I had no idea of my answer.

I quickly snapped my eyes back to the menu, rambling off the first thing that sounded appealing. Everyone else finished ordering before going back to their previous chatter.

I couldn't hear a thing anyone was saying. I was too distracted by the warm hand that was still resting on my thigh. Levi never bothered to move it, sending shocks of electricity through me each time he moved his fingers.

By the end of lunch, I was worked up and in dire need of a cold shower. Levi had spent the entire time teasing me, slowly working his hand up and down my thigh, moving his fingers close to where I ached most, then gliding them away.

He never once touched me there, but fuck- I wanted him to. It's a miracle I finished my meal with the way he was working me under the table. Levi had me soaking by the end of it without ever actually grazing my center.

Once, he teased the edge of my panties but never slipped inside them. It was bold, it was reckless, and fuck was it sexy. If I thought I was screwed before, that's nothing compared to what I have to contend with now.

I just have to stay strong. If I don't, it will be last summer all over again, and I'll be left sated but with an even more battered and broken heart than before.