I'm Your Santa by Dianne Castell Page B

apologize when he felt the need. For Beth, that made him more macho than any other man she knew. “Thank you, but an apology isn’t necessary. Once again, I’m more angry at myself than you.”
    â€œI wish you wouldn’t be. There’s no reason.” He sat up again in the bed. “I never told Brandon about that night. Did you?”
    â€œNo. He wouldn’t have understood.”
    Two heartbeats of silence passed before Levi asked softly, “Understood what?”
    In the dark and quiet, alone and relaxed with Levi, it never crossed Beth’s mind to give anything less than the truth. “That talking to you was easy.”
    The bed squeaked as Levi shifted around. He moved toward the foot of the bed—closer to her. Even without seeing him clearly, Beth knew he rested on his stomach with his fists beneath his chin.
    â€œEver wonder why, honey?”
    His close proximity did crazy things to Beth’s libido. “No.”
    He tsked. “Your nose is going to grow with all that fibbing.”
    Beth didn’t confirm or deny that charge, but she did smile to herself.
    With the casual comfort of long acquaintance, Levi rolled to his back. Their heads were close together, but their positioning felt more easy than intimate.
    â€œI remember that time you got sick with a nasty chest cold. Your nose was bright red and you sneezed in the middle of every sentence.”
    Beth remembered it well, too. “Brandon had an extra long shift at the hospital, so you brought me soup.”
    â€œAnd a video.”
    â€œOne of my favorites.” Because she’d seen him in that position many times, Beth could almost picture Levi with his arms folded behind his head, biceps bulging, chest muscles defined. As a phys-ed teacher, he stayed active and in shape, and it showed. “Brandon always refused to see it with me.”
    â€œI know.”
    The way he said that twisted Beth’s heart. “It surprised me that you liked it.”
    â€œLiked it?” Levi gave a short laugh. “I hated it. It sucked. It was too sappy and over the top emotional. Give me a good old-fashioned action flick any day.”
    â€œBut you rented it!”
    â€œYeah.” His tone softened and became every bit as sweet as the movie. “Because like the soup, I knew it was your favorite.”
    Beth held silent for several moments. Brandon hadn’t known about her favorite soup, or her favorite video.
    Was Levi that much more observant?
    â€œYou watched it with me,” she accused.
    â€œI watched you watching it,” he corrected. “There’s a difference.”
    When Levi turned back onto his stomach again, Beth could not only see the glow of his eyes in the darkness, she could actually feel his gaze touching on her.
    â€œBack then,” he whispered, “I guess I was into masochism, because being there with you, so close when you were so untouchable, was pretty torturous.”
    In the same whisper, Beth asked, “So why did you do it?”
    â€œBecause not being with you was worse.”
    Oh God. An invisible fist squeezed her heart, and Beth couldn’t bear it. She came to her knees on the lumpy cot mattress. “Levi?”
    He sat up to face her, only inches away. “I’m right here.”
    Beth laced her fingers together to keep from reaching for him. “Why do you want me?”
    â€œYou’re smart.”
    That ultra-quick answer surprised a laugh out of Beth, and helped to put her need in check. “And brains turn you on?”
    â€œYour brains do.” He said that with a lot of gravity. “Especially when they’re mixed with a great sense of humor, and sensitivity, and a big heart.”
    Beth inhaled his scent, somehow warmer now, more potent. “So it’s not how I look?”
    Sounding darker and deeper, he asked, “How do you look, Beth?”
    â€œFemale.”
    He fell silent for a moment. “Very