Page 26 of Another Postcard

“What exactly did you mean?”

“I guess I should have said, the kind of guy who settles down, has a long-term relationship with one woman. That kind of thing.”

Levi’s eyes narrowed, his mouth forming a grim line. “Relationships aren’t easy in this industry, especially when you’re touring,” he said defensively. “But just because I haven’t had success with it, doesn’t mean I’m not willing to try again.” He seemed so sincere and even a little eager as he finished.

“I—” I wasn’t sure what to say. I was exhausted—physically and emotionally. Everything about this man was practically nuclear to me. My insides were constantly melting and I was sure that one day, I would permanently turn into a boneless puddle of goo. That moment was definitely not the time to be making life decisions, especially in regards to Levi. I feared a nuclear meltdown was imminent if I didn’t get some sleep and distance to process our conversation. I glanced at the clock and was shocked to see it was almost five in the morning.

When I attempted to climb off him again, he let me. Bending down, I pressed my hands into the cushions on either side of his head, caging him in. “I’ll think about it, okay?” I pecked him on the lips but backed up quickly, before he could escalate the kiss. I meant it, too. He nodded reluctantly, and I made my way to the stairs but paused when he called out my name.

“Brooklynn, I wasn’t kidding about stepping it up. Now that I know you so much better, I’m even more determined to have you.”

There was something in his tone, a dark promise that caused a shiver to skitter down my spine. Without acknowledging his statement, I headed to the upper level and chuckled when I passed Simon and Matteo, who were passed out in their bunks. Both of them were in some level of random undress, as though they fell asleep in the process of changing. I pulled the curtain across their compartment on the way to the room I shared with Sasha and practically fell face first onto my bed.

In what felt like five minutes later, Sasha was gently shaking me awake. “Tech is in a few hours. I figured you’d want to get some food.”

I smiled gratefully and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. When I pulled my hands away, they were smeared with mascara and I groaned, remembering I hadn’t so much as washed my face or brushed my teeth before passing out. Sasha laughed as she walked away. “I was surprised to see you in your own bed this morning,” she quipped. “I thought he might have finally broken your resolve.”

“Just friends,” I grumbled, dragging my butt out of bed and gathering up fresh clothes and my shower stuff. Sasha didn’t say anything. She just snickered and left the room. I was about to follow when the muffled ring of my cell phone caught my ear. Sighing, I dropped my stuff and went searching for it. I wasn’t a messy person, but I couldn’t seem to keep tabs on my cell phone. It obviously had legs and always wandered to the weirdest spots. I caught a break when I quickly found it under my pillow. Baylee’s face lit up the screen, and I answered, already in a better mood.

“Hey, sweet girl.”

“How did it go last night?” Baylee asked excitedly, and I could practically hear her bouncing up and down.

“It was amazing!” I declared as I plopped down on the bed, sprawling on my back. “I can’t wait to see you tonight!” Our concert in Boston was at the House of Blues, a much smaller venue than the majority of our stops. The intimacy of the performance and the proximity to New York made it the perfect place for Baylee to come see us. And, since she’d been forced to miss last night’s performance, I’d suggested a road trip. Cecily had assured me that she was feeling well enough for the trip. She just hadn’t been able to handle taking care of Baylee in an arena of that size, with such a huge crowd, while being sick. I felt like it ended up working out even better.

Baylee squealed in delight. “We just got to our hotel! I want to walk the Freedom Trail and then tomorrow, go to the aquarium and the science museum. Oh! And the swan boats!”

I laughed as Baylee chattered on about all the things she wanted to do while she was in Boston. Sometimes, her child-like innocence was contagious, and I added exploring this city to my never-ending list of “one day” activities. We chatted a little more, and then I asked to talk to Cecily.

“Hey, girl. What’s up?” she greeted me. Despite sounding cheery, her voice was a little stuffy, and I felt bad for even suggesting they come while she wasn’t feeling well. But, I really wanted to see Baylee, and for her to see the band perform before we took off for Europe.

“Thanks for bringing her up here, Cecily. I hope you don’t get worse because of me,” I stated apologetically.

“Don’t think twice, girl! I only sound like death warmed over”—she laughed and then coughed—“I’m feeling much better. I promise.”

“Okay…I hope so. Did you get the passes I had sent to the hotel?”

Noah had promised to send a messenger over to where they were staying and leave their all-access passes at the front desk. “Yes!” Cecily practically screamed, forcing me to pull the phone away from my ear so I wouldn’t bust an eardrum. “I can’t believe we get to meet Stone Butterfly. Levi Matthews is hot as shit.”

“So you’ve said,” I responded dryly, but with a chuckle at her fangirling. Her enthusiasm was pretty hilarious and I wouldn’t be altogether surprised if she’d slept with his picture under her pillow. Not that I could fault her logic. Leviwashot as shit. Although, I made a mental note to give him a heads up before he met her and she drooled all over him. Not that he wasn’t used to that kind of thing. I could only imagine the sheer volume of women who slept on his face. Figuratively speaking.I hope.

“Okay, I’ve got to get going. I’ll see you guys tonight before the show.”

After hanging up, I hopped out of bed and hit the shower. We had our hair and makeup done professionally for shows, so I tossed the long, black tresses into a messy bun and only bothered with a little mascara and some pink lip gloss. I put on a blue sweater, jeans, and black Chucks, before grabbing my coat and purse, then carefully navigating down the spiral staircase to the bottom level of the bus.

Sasha and Matteo were sitting at the kitchen table, with sheet music spread all over it, deep in discussion. Matteo glanced up when I appeared and winked at me. “Morning, sunshine!” he greeted me loudly, well aware that I was not a morning person. Even though it was currently afternoon, but, you get my point. I winced and scowled at him until he said three beautiful words. “Coffee is fresh.”

“I love you,” I breathed and blew him a grateful kiss while hurrying over to the steaming pot. Before I could get my hands on it, I was grabbed around the waist and pulled back against a very hard, muscular chest.

“If I’d known bringing you coffee in the morning would gain your love, I’d have been waiting on your front porch every day.” Levi’s voice was pitched low and he nuzzled the back of my neck. Butterflies fluttered in my tummy and I sprayed a mental pesticide to kill them all off. I’m not usually a vicious person, but those stupid winged creatures loved to wreak havoc whenever Levi was near.Little traitors.

I didn’t get the chance to respond because Levi spun me around and covered my mouth with his. Stunned, my body reacted before my brain could lodge a protest and I melted right into him. His velvety tongue slipped inside and tangled with mine and I grabbed onto his shoulders to steady myself and keep from slithering down to the floor. Like I said…puddle of fucking goo. His hands slid down to palm my ass and he lifted me up to my toes so we were in the perfect position for me to feel exactly what I was doing to him.

“For fuck’s sake. Unless you’re going to invite me to join in the fun, I’d rather not be present for your live porn show.” Simon’s voice interrupted the moment and I jumped, frantically trying to leave the circle of Levi’s arms. He didn’t let go as his head swiveled toward the door of the bus where Simon had just entered.

“Fuck off, asshole,” he growled.

I was still frantically trying to extricate myself from his hold, but he wouldn’t budge. I was feeling a little self-conscious. Sasha had pretty much implied that everyone was aware of our tug of war, especially after we more or less made out in the wings after the show the night before. Still, Levi’s sudden acts of PDA were throwing me off.

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