Free My Soldier: A Miliatary Romance by Leah Holt Page A

that's all this is. I had to intentionally remind myself why I was there. This wasn't a regular date, it was a formality for his help.
    When Levi told me he was a good listener... I thought he was just blowing smoke up my ass; I was wrong.
    He looked at me when I spoke, with the occasional drift of the eyes from my face to my lips, to my chest. And when he reached my chest his eyes would dart back up with a forced snap.
    Flutters hit my lungs, goosebumps craved to be stroked back down into the flesh they crept from. The deepness of his gaze made me shiver with each flick of his eyes.
    “So you're telling me your mother was once married to Flynn Douglas? The famous Flynn Douglas from all those amazing movies in the eighties?” Chuckling, I sucked down the last drop of my drink.
    “That's what I said, and let me tell you...” Lifting his hand to flag down the waiter, he leaned back in his seat. “He's not nearly as funny as the movies made him out to be.”
    “Wow, that's crazy. It had to be weird to live with a movie star, right?”
    Shrugging one shoulder, Levi scrunched his nose. “It isn't as weird as you might think. He's still a normal guy, no different than anyone else. He eats, sleeps, and shits; just like the rest of us.”
    “Another round?” The waiter asked, clearing the empty bottles from the table.
    Pointing at me, he asked, “You want another?”
    “No, I think I'm all set.” Glancing around the room, everything was glowing with a fuzzy haze. My light buzz had slowly crept in, and that feeling of the room starting to sway was taking hold.
    “Just the check please.” Nodding, the waiter left the slip on the table and headed back towards the kitchen. “I had fun tonight,” Levi said, flipping the bills from his wallet.
    Shaking my head 'yes,' I twisted a strand of hair up to my scalp. “Me too, this was nice. It's been a long time since I've felt this relaxed.”
    “You know, we could totally do this again. And hey, I'll even let you pay next time.” Winking, he slapped the table top, and started to push back from his seat. “Ready?”
    I didn't know what had come over me, or what force caused the sentence to flow from my lips; but when it did, I couldn't stop it. “We could go back to my place and watch a movie.”
    The smile that spread across his face was electric, hitting his ears with power. “Really? Are you sure of that, or is this just the beer talking?”
    “It could be the beer or not, does it matter?” A sultry look flooded my expression. I had the overwhelming urge to touch him. I wanted to feel his hard body, trace the lines of ink that decorated his arms.
    Avni! What are you doing? You know you can't, you can't do this. Even with the thought coating my brain, it was drowned out by him; by Levi and his presence, by the massive imprint he was burning into my head.
    And I couldn't shake him out, couldn't turn off the switch that was rendering me helpless to the desire pooling in my chest.
    “I don't want it to matter, and normally I'd have you laid up on your back by now.” Dragging his nails through his hair, his body went loose. “But it does matter, I can't if you're drunk. I just can't. Let me get you home.”
    The heaviness of his arm fell over my shoulder, squeezing me in tight. And it felt... Perfect.
    Walking back to my apartment, the sidewalk seemed more uneven than usual. It took me a moment to realize it wasn't the sidewalk; it was me.
    I was never much of a drinker, and the few beers I had did a number on my ability to walk straight.
    Levi was keeping me steady, holding me up from falling flat on my face. “So this makes two,” he said, stepping up to the front door of my apartment.
    “I just keep tacking them on, huh?” I asked, pushing my hip against the railing to balance myself, I turned to face him.
    “Don't worry, I won't keep track, as long as you let me call you tomorrow.” Sliding his hand down my arm, he drew small circles over my wrist.
    “Well,