Page 13 of Lust Hate Love (Fallen Angel 4)

I shrugged. “I don’t know, could be good publicity. You can’t seem to keep your eyes off it.”

Levi’s gaze flew back to mine, and I grinned.

“You think you’re really funny, don’t you?”

“I prefer the terms charming and…huge.”

Levi rolled his eyes. “You’re ridiculous. Cover yourself up, now.”

Something about his pissy tone had every rebellious instinct rising to the surface. So I let go of the door, took a step back into my hotel room, and dropped my robe to the floor at my feet.

“Whoops,” I said as Levi’s jaw nearly hit the floor. “There goes my robe.”

Levi balled his fists by his side. “Pick that up.”

“No.” I lowered my eyes to the crumpled schedule in Levi’s fist. “Um, don’t you need to give that to me?”

“Huh?”

That non-answer was like a well-placed stroke to my…ego. “The schedule,” I said, and pointed at Levi’s hand again. “Aren’t you gonna come in here and give it to me?”

Levi looked down at the paper and then back to me, and the annoyance radiating off him was palpable. “You want me to give it to you, do you?”

Somehow I didn’t think what I wanted and what he was offering were the same things. But because I was a glutton for fucking punishment when it came to Levi Walker, I nodded and said, “Yes, I really do.”

Levi balled the paper the rest of the way up and threw it at my forehead, and as I ducked out of the way, I saw him turn on his heel and stalk off, the door slamming shut in his wake.

Nine

Killian

THE DRUMS KICKED in heavy on the night of our final Melbourne show before the blue spotlights flashed on overhead, lighting me up as we played the opening notes of “Invitation,” one of our biggest hits on the new album. It sent the crowd wild, their screams all I could hear even as Halo began to sing.

Sweat beaded along my brow, the air getting hotter on stage the longer we played. I’d already peeled off my jacket, leaving me in a short-sleeved shirt I was tempted to toss like Viper had done a few songs ago.

My eyes caught on one of the signs a few rows back that said, “You’re so sexy you KILL me dead.” I shot the sign owner a wink and then looked over as Halo sauntered my way. Our frontman had only gotten more confident over the course of touring, and I could see the change in him even from the domestic leg we’d finished a couple months ago. I’d known from the moment I laid eyes on Halo’s audition tape that he’d be the right man to take over the spot our ex-singer had left, even if I’d been met with resistance at first. Namely from Viper, who really should be thanking me every damn day of his life.

Halo leaned against me, his back to mine, his voice as strong and deep as ever as I plucked at the strings. As I faced the wings, my gaze landed on Levi offstage, his hand on the earpiece he wore. When he caught me watching him, he crossed his arms, that defiance from earlier emerging as he stared my way.

Damn, he was hot, even scowling. Those full lips were set in a line I wanted to lick open, and as that thought crossed my mind, I bit down suggestively on my bottom lip and rocked my hips forward. Levi looked down my body before he could stop himself.

That’s right. Look all you want. Just like you did yesterday when I dropped my robe.

Levi could say all day that it was his job to watch us, but I knew better.

Behind my bass guitar, my cock twitched, and I was grateful that I had an instrument to cover myself. Hell, that was probably why I’d started playing bass instead of singing in the first place: nowhere to hide behind a mic stand.

As if he knew exactly what I was thinking about, Levi met my eyes again. I licked my lips and winked before turning my attention back to the crowd, just as Halo launched into the final chorus.

The roar of the crowd was infectious, their energy infusing my body, hyping me up and throwing that energy back their way.

“Hey, Kill, why don’t you come over here for a minute,” Halo said, waving me over once the song was finished.

I ran a hand through my sweat-soaked hair and started his way, but I almost stopped when I looked past where Halo stood and saw the gleam in Viper’s eyes.

Oh God, what now?

“So, we need to let you all in on a little secret,” Halo said, grabbing my shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “This guy right here, maybe you know him? Some might say he’s a sexy bastard—”

There was a loud reaction, and someone in the front row yelled, “We love you, Killian!”

---