Page 27 of Another Postcard

Simon let out a bark of laughter. “She won’t even let you take her on a date and you’re already pussy-whipped.”

I stifled a giggle until I clocked Levi’s expression.Uh-oh.

Levi’s mood darkened further and I gave Simon a “shut the fuck up” glare.

“Simon, don’t you have some roadies to flirt with or something?” Sasha interjected. She stood and shoved him out the door, following closely behind.

I desperately needed my caffeine, so I resorted to grabbing Levi’s nipple and twisting. He yelped and stepped back, letting me go so he could rub the tender spot while Matteo roared with laughter, almost falling off the bench seat at the table.

“You play dirty, baby,” Levi grumbled. I was barely listening, focused on pouring myself a mug of liquid heaven. “Lucky for you, I have no problem with getting dirty.” I almost spit out my first sip of coffee.

I took another large swallow and with just that one shot of caffeine, I already felt more coherent. I rolled my eyes at Levi. “If come-ons like that are what stepping up your game means, then we have no problem.” Levi grinned and took my cup, downing a healthy portion ofmydrink. I narrowed my eyes in warning. “You’re playing with fire, coming between me and my coffee, especially the first one of the day.” I glanced pointedly at where I’d pinched him. “Next time I may aim further south.”

“I can take the heat, baby,” he assured me with that fucking charming, panty-melting smile. “And, no, cheesy lines aren’t a part of my plan. Just my inherent charm.”

Damn him for being so adorable.

Matteo drew my attention when he stood, gathering up all of the papers from the table. “Teo, are you headed to tech?” I asked, swiftly walking toward him, or rather . . . away from Levi. I needed to get away from his overwhelming presence. I couldn’t think straight when my sexually neglected body was constantly tingling with overactive hormones.

“Yeah, you want to ride with me?” Matteo asked absently as he picked up his jacket and a weathered guitar case that had been propped in a corner.

“Sure.” I grabbed my things and scurried from the bus into the brisk spring air. It was nearing April, but New England weather has always been fickle and the wind still had a bit of a bite to it. I slipped on my leather jacket and followed Matteo to a rented sedan. The tour buses had to be parked just outside of Boston at the airport and since we got in at the ass crack of dawn that morning, instead of dropping us at our hotel, Noah had secured a couple of rental cars so we could be on our own schedule.

“You want to drop your shit at the hotel before we hit House of Blues?” he asked as he pulled out of the parking area.

I shrugged. “I’m good either way.”

“You’re so easy, B,” he joked. “Though, that’s not the way Levi tells it.”

Laughter bubbled up and I smacked his arm teasingly. “Zip it and drive.”

16

Levi

The tasteof Brooklynn’s lip gloss lingered on my tongue and I stared at her ass as she walked out the door of the bus. Damn, that woman had me tied in fucking knots. My sad state of arousal made me sigh and I finished up the rest of the coffee while going over augmented scales in my head until there was finally a little breathing room in my jeans.

I was rinsing my mug when Noah popped in and looked around with surprise. “Since when are you the last one out?” It was a valid question. I was usually the first to get away from the tour buses when we arrived in a city where we would be staying in hotels. But, kissing the fuck out of Brooklynn while she was still doe-eyed and sleepy was too good an opportunity to pass up, so I’d stuck around.

Instead of explaining it to Noah, I shrugged and picked up my bag and guitar case from the sofa. He eyed me curiously but apparently decided to let it go and disappeared outside. He was already in the driver’s seat of a rented SUV idling in front of the bus when I stepped out. I shut and locked the door behind me then circled around the vehicle and climbed into the passenger seat. We both sat silently on the drive to The House of Blues.

The venue was one of the smaller stops on the tour. The only real reason we were doing it was for fun. Those smaller, more intimate performances made touring a little more bearable when being on the road started to become long and tiring. More often than not, they were acoustic, without all the tech and pageantry. It reminded me of being in the studio or jamming in a local coffee house like we used to in college.

We ran a mic check and played around with a couple of songs before setting off to our nearby hotel. It was a modest sized place but the epitome of luxury and we always tried to stay there when we were in Boston, despite the grumbling from our security guys who would rather we stayed on the buses. They didn’t have vacancies very often, but we’d gotten lucky this time, since we’d booked it the minute the tour manager, Caroline, mentioned a possible stop in Boston. At the front desk, I checked in and was given two keys. Normally, I just handed one back but for some reason, this time, I slipped them both into my pocket. Noah sent me a text to let me know everyone was gathering in the sushi bar downstairs, so I dropped my luggage in my room and made my way to the restaurant.

The first thing I saw and heard when I walked in was Brooklynn laughing, a sound that never failed to mesmerize me. She was so fucking gorgeous and I could feel the extra key burning a hole in my pocket. I sauntered over to the group and grabbed an empty chair from the table behind them. Brooklynn was sandwiched between Kristi and our publicist, Chloe, who was talking animatedly, her hands flying everywhere. Letting go of the chair, I leaned down and lifted Chloe’s seat, with her still in it, and shifted her over far enough to make room for me. Then I maneuvered into the empty space and sat, ignoring Chloe’s sputtering about what had just happened.

She sat forward so she could see around me and peered at Brooklynn dubiously. “You said you weren’t seeing anyone,” she accused.

Brooklynn shook her head at me before answering Chloe. “I’m not.”

“Yes she is,” I corrected nonchalantly, stealing a California roll from Sasha’s plate across the table and receiving a smack on my hand for it. Glancing at Chloe, I pointed the seaweed covered rice at her with a look of warning. “Under no circumstances are you allowed to announce, leak, or even hint at this information.” I didn’t want even a whisper of a rumor of a relationship with Brooklynn going public until she was as invested in us as I was. Chloe pouted crossly and slumped back in her chair, folding her arms across her chest.

“I appreciate the fact that I’m not constantly bailing you guys out of trouble. But no news is not good news, Levi,” she muttered. “Your love lives are pretty much all I have to work with and since none of you seem to have any inclination to have a relationship”—I opened my mouth to argue the point since I’d just claimed Brooklynn, but she glared at me and kept talking—“apublicrelationship. I can’t even work that angle. Would it kill one of you to have a nasty break up?” Her short blonde hair was cut in a bob and fell in her face when she shook her head in frustration. Chloe was a tiny thing, barely five foot, with a lack of curves, and a sweet face. It was easy to mistake her for a teenager until you got close. She tucked her hair back behind her ears and the stubborn look on her face reminded me of a kid being told they couldn’t play with their favorite toy. Her young appearance caused people to constantly underestimate her but the reality was, she was a fucking pit bull. She was right that we didn’t go looking for trouble, but that didn’t mean it didn’t find us. When you’re famous, scandals are around every corner and not having a publicist just because you think you are above that shit is a big motherfucking mistake.

“I’m sure Simon would be more than happy to provide you with a sex tape to leak.” Simon grinned at my remark and gave me a double thumbs up.

“Sasha could probably find a Met fan to punch,” I added. Sasha loved baseball almost as much as music and she was a born and bred Yankees fan. All I had to do was mention the Mets and she practically snarled.

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