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Unfortunately for me, nothing about Levi Walker was easy.
I tested out the mic with a few words, the volume seemingly stronger now, and then Slade kicked off “Hard” again. I joined in, plucking the bass’s strings so effortlessly that I didn’t have to think about it anymore. We’d played this song and the others on our Corruption album so many times now that I could play them in my sleep if I had to. The thrill from the crowd hearing them never got old, but I was starting to feel anxious to write again, to make something new. Most of the songs on this album had been written by Halo and Viper, and while I loved them, I missed having my stamp on our stuff as well. Once we got back to New York, I’d be heading straight to the studio.
As the song ended, Patrick nodded at me. “Sounds good. Feel all right to you?”
“No problems,” I said.
“Anyone else having an issue?”
“I heard Slade’s having a hard time keeping it up,” Jagger cracked.
Slade stood up behind his kit and aimed a drumstick at Jagger’s head. “The fuck, man?”
“Not my fault. Just tryin’ to help you out.” Slade hurled the drumstick at Jagger, and as Jagger ducked the assault, he laughed. “Oh, did I say keeping it up? I mean keeping up. My bad.”
As Slade moved out from behind the drums, an argument ensuing, I pulled my strap over my head and set the bass on the stand behind me for the crew to take care of. I wasn’t about to stick around for one of Jagger and Slade’s bromance throwdowns, no matter how entertaining they could be.
I had an obstinate band manager to deal with.
Levi wasn’t in the wings when I ventured offstage, and when I asked some of the crew if they’d seen where he went, they all shrugged, like it wasn’t their job to keep track of him.
Well, no, it wasn’t, but that didn’t help me any, did it?
When I did a full walk-through and still didn’t catch a glimpse of him, I sighed and headed back to the dressing room to see if the food had been laid out yet.
As I pushed through the door, my feet came to a stop as the familiar blond head of hair I’d been searching for came into view.
Levi had a clipboard in his arms, and he seemed to be counting each can of soda, each bottle of water, and checking that all the food on our rider was accounted for.
“Figures I would find you here,” I said, kicking the door shut behind me and turning the lock. Levi jerked his head in my direction and then looked to the locked door.
“I didn’t realize you were looking for me.”
Bullshit. Even with his polished manager facade back on, I could see the hint of what looked like guilt in his eyes.
“I was. I am.” I crossed the room, stopping when I stepped into his personal space. Close enough to touch, but I kept my hands to myself.
For now.
Levi looked back down at the clipboard, making a note, affecting a bored tone as he said, “What can I do for you, Killian?”
Seriously? All that fucking buildup last night to start back at square one?
Forcing my voice to stay calm, as nonchalant as he seemed to be, I said, “I just wanted to see what’s up.”
With his gaze still averted, Levi shrugged. “Just checking on things. You?”
“Oh, you know, the same. Just…checking on things.”
“Mhmm,” he said absently, and as he continued to check off his list, ignoring me, I began to quickly lose my usually large reserve of patience. I snatched the pen out of Levi’s hand and tossed it across the room, causing him to look up in surprise.
There. Finally.
Before he could say a word, I moved in behind him so that his front pressed up against the table. “There a problem, Levi?”
Twenty-One
Levi
WITH MY HANDS braced on the table and the length of Killian’s body aligned to mine, every one of my muscles tensed. I could feel his breath on my neck, and I shivered, a natural response for anyone so close to Killian Michaels in a locked room.
Exactly where I wanted him last night.
But he’d backed off for some reason, had given me a kiss that blew my head clean off my shoulders, and then left me in the doorway of my hotel room as hard and frustrated as I’d ever been in my life.
Yeah, that was the word for what I was feeling today—frustrated.
As Killian’s hips pressed harder against my ass, I licked my suddenly dry lips, already forgetting his question. When I didn’t respond, a humorless laugh left his throat, the vibrations rocking my body.
“I’m only going to ask one more time. Do we have a problem here, Levi?” Killian’s voice was silky smooth, but there was an underlying edge to it that told me he wasn’t in the mood for bullshit.
