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“Let’s go home,” Levi murmured. “I don’t wanna be here when the others arrive for their meeting.”
“What was it about?” Katy asked him gently, her arms wound around his waist.
“Pics of us are on social media from this morning. Me kissing you, and me and Con together.” They’d done so much more than kiss. Feeling adventurous and crazy horny, Connor had strutted into the garage starkers and tried to bait Levi, or at the very least, say goodbye before he’d left for work. And the other man had delivered in spades, making Connor see fireworks he’d come so hard. Pinned up against the wall, Levi had thoroughly dominated him, and Connor had loved every second of it. But some bastard had seen it, seen him riding Levi’s fingers? If there were pictures on social media and Levi had been called back, there was one obvious conclusion—they knew.
Connor blanched and stumbled back.They know. No, I can’t do it to him.The world was closing in on him, his head spinning. He struggled to take a breath. How could he have been so stupid? How could he have pushed Levi into risking so much? He would lose everything he’d worked for—Connor couldn’t let Levi ruin his career for him. He couldn’t stand by and do nothing.
“No, Lee, surely there’s a way.”
Levi looked at him, his eyes not holding their usual spark. But he reached out to Connor and pulled him back into their fold, holding him tightly. “They were trying to get the images pulled, trying to get me to say that it wasn’t me. They thought if I said we aren’t together and we distanced ourselves it might blow over.”
“So we do it. I’ll move out, get my own place. We can take a break. We can… we’ll work it out.” The words tasted bitter on his tongue, but if that’s what it took for Levi to keep the job he loved, he’d do it.
“No,” Levi replied quickly. “They wanted you to find a replacement boyfriend.” In a softer tone, but one that was still filled with steel, he added, “I already told them, no. I loved my job, loved the people I worked with. It made me happy, but it was just a job, a pay cheque. You’re everything to me, the two of you are my whole world. I love you both. Quitting wasn’t even a choice I needed to think about. I wouldn’t have changed this morning for anything, especially not a job that tells me I can’t love both of you.” Those final walls, the ones that caused the lingering self-doubt in Connor crumbled into dust. Right there, right then he fell in love with Levi all over again. His parents had left him, Rob had left him, but true to his word, Levi hadn’t.
“So what, that’s it? You’re done? You can’t do anything?” he asked, hopelessly disappointed and in love and hurting and happy all at the same time—a whirlwind of emotions buffeting him from all directions.
“I can take you out for dinner and we can celebrate?” Levi paused, clearly thinking something through. “I don’t have a ride anymore—they took the company car back.”
“Good, that piece of shit was awful,” Connor muttered.
“I’ve got a better idea than going out for dinner.” Katy smiled at him, her grin infectious. “Come on, we’ve got something to show you.” Connor smiled despite his inner turmoil.
“What?” Levi asked, curious.
“It’s a surprise. Let’s go.” Katy motioned to Connor’s car.
They headed straight to his father’s garage, Connor calling ahead to make sure the workshop was still open. Even if it hadn’t been, he would have done a detour, picking up the keys before heading on over. The bike was in pieces, but each part was primed and ready for painting. As much as Connor had wanted to assemble it and give Levi a completed bike, he hadn’t. It was something they’d wanted to do together since they were kids, and there was no way Connor was jumping the gun and finishing it without Levi’s involvement. The parts lay underneath a sheet, protecting them from the dust and grease in the workshop.
“What have you done, Con?” Levi asked as they stopped in front of the covered-up mound. The sound of rattle guns and clinking metal from the other mechanics stopped, the heavy thud of their work boots surrounding them.
“Katy and I decided for your birthday that we needed to do something with the boxes of parts in the garage. So here it is. It’s ready for us to paint and assemble. Happy birthday, Lee.” Connor swallowed. He hoped like hell that Levi liked what he’d done. Tugging on the thick sheet, he pulled it away and balled it up, haphazardly tossing it to the side. He couldn’t take his gaze of Levi, watching, hoping that he’d show some sign that he liked what he saw. The other man’s eyes widened and his mouth opened and closed a couple of times. A nervous laugh and a hand scrubbing through his hair followed. Connor’s stomach was in knots, his heart in his throat. Then Levi stepped forward. Reverently, the touch almost sensual, he ran his fingertips over the gleaming chrome of the engine block that was resting on a trolley. Levi’s head fell forward, and as he turned away, Connor saw him touch the heel of his hand to his cheeks. Connor stepped forward, watching as Levi’s chest rose and fell. He didn’t really know what to do—he hadn’t expected Levi to be so subdued. He thought the other man would whoop and scoop Katy up in his arms, laughing, his excitement bubbling over. But this quiet contemplation was scaring him.
Connor placed a hand on Levi’s shoulder, and it seemed to kick-start something within Levi, his friend and lover turning in Connor’s arms and burying his face in the crook of Connor’s neck. Trembling, shaking like a leaf, Levi took one heaving breath then another. His arms around Connor’s waist were crushing him, so Connor held Levi tighter too. Running his fingers through the short spikes on his head, their prickle soft against his palm, Connor breathed Levi in, laying a gentle kiss on his temple. Orange and cedar and something uniquely Levi filled his senses. He squeezed tighter, burying his nose in Levi’s hair.
“You didn’t finish it without me,” Levi whispered, his voice thick with unshed tears. “Wait, what’s in our garage? It’s still full of boxes and parts.”
“Boxes are empty and half of the parts aren’t even from bikes.” Connor shrugged. Massaging his shoulders, he added, “You kept it, you waited for me, didn’t you?” It was a question, but not really one at the same time. Levi loved bikes, and when they were growing up—starry eyed kids—they’d made a pact that they’d both get their dream car and bike and do them up together. It hadn’t quite happened like that, at least not with Connor’s car, but there was no way he was finishing Levi’s bike without him.
Levi nodded. “It’s always been you and Katy, Con. Even though I was too blind to see it, it’s always been you.”
“I love you too,” he whispered. Levi pulled Connor’s face to his and kissed him. Slow and sweet, Connor poured his heart and soul into their connection. Not even the clearing throats and muttered comments put a dampener on his ride on cloud nine, but Katy’s snarky, “You got a problem?” had Connor laughing.
“Chill, Cupcake. These boys had no idea I’m bi.”
“Screw ‘em. If Lee kissed me, they would’ve wolf whistled, but with the two of you, they get all uncomfortable. It’s attitudes like that,” Katy muttered, frustrated, while pointing around the workshop, “that have me getting two hundred messages in the last fifteen minutes—most from complete strangers—telling me what dogs you and Lee are.”
“Babe.” Levi pulled Katy into their circle until she stood between the two of them. “I don’t give a fuck what anyone else thinks. I love the both of you. That’s all that matters.” He kissed her and Connor stared open mouthed at his boyfriend.He swore. He actually cursed.It was something small, but Levi never would have done it before. He was filled with guilt over Levi having lost his job—hell, if he’d kept his dick in his pants… well, if he’d had any on, Levi would still have the job he loved—but at the same time, he couldn’t be too sad about it either. Not when he was standing in a workshop full of guys, openly and intimately holding the two most important people in his world.
*****
Connor stretched, lazily waking up, his muscles pleasantly aching. The warm hard body pressed against his didn’t budge, but that didn’t surprise him. Levi had gone through the ringer the day before. The four hours of driving up to the Sunshine Coast and back and a full day at work would take it out of anyone, but to have lost his job and have their world turned upside down by all the craziness was exhausting. And that wasn’t mentioning the two-hour detour they’d made to Levi’s parents’ house. It hadn’t been at all bad though. Levi’s father admitted he’d seen the longing between them years before, but had dismissed it when Levi began dating Katy. Levi’s mum had hugged him tightly and whispered, “Now both my boys are happy. I’m so glad you came home to them.” It’d shocked the hell out of him, but it shouldn’t have—Levi’s parents were pretty fucking awesome.
Once they’d finally managed to get out of there, they’d had to fight the news vans and intrusive reporters camping outside Levi’s childhood home to get to the car. It was crazy—it’d only taken a few hours after the photos were leaked to go viral. Social media had exploded and the network’s press release didn’t help, subtly making out that Levi had been fired because of his indiscretions, rather than having quit. The worst of it was that the whole show had been put on an indefinite hiatus. Every one of the crew was effectively out of work, a situation that the network’s administrators were probably ecstatic about. What better way to save money and stop the company getting into deeper financial difficulty, than have the star’s relationship exposed and the whole show canned? The weight of the knowledge that his friends were soon going to be lining up for the dole crushed Levi.
The mainstream media had quickly jumped on the “blame Levi” bandwagon, making him look like an angel fallen from grace, screwing up in the worst possible way. Katy was the innocent victim—Connor was kind of glad she’d been portrayed as that, rather than as a whore. It was the one saving grace of the whole damn debacle. They’d laid the worst of it on Connor—he was the drifter, the homeless ex-soldier who’d done the dirty on his best mate and screwed up his relationship, not by sleeping with his Mrs, but by leading him astray. It would have been comedic had it not been playing out on a worldwide stage. Especially because none of the news outlets had voiced the obvious question—why were the three of them still being seen together?
By the time they’d made it home and Levi flicked on the tele, Katy’s brother was being interviewed by some late night current affairs “alternative fact” type program. Watching him accuse Connor of bringing sin into Levi and Katy’s happy home and ruining their relationship had been a lesson in self-restraint. Connor had wanted to beat the shit out of him, but he’d held it together.
