Page 22 of Whips and Chains
At this point, I realized X was messing with them just for his own amusement, and I moved to his side so I could dig my elbow sharply into his ribs. “If there’s nothing else you need right now, Officers, we have things to do.”
“Like more sex,” X stage-whispered to them. “He can’t get enough. I think it’s the age gap thing that’s got him so horny, you know? All the Viagra—”
I shoved X out the door so sharply he stumbled, and the cops had to catch him. I slammed the door behind him and leaned my back against it.
Levi battled to keep the laughter off his face. “Should I get a chair to shove beneath the door handle so he can’t get back in? You know the lock is broken.”
“Please!”
But I needn’t have bothered. X’s voice trailed back as he and the officers descended the stairs. “Do either of you like ice cream? My van is right out front. I can make you anything you want. Banana split? Milkshake?”
I shook my head at Levi, their voices drifting away. “I’m going to kill him.”
Levi leaned back on the glass balcony doors. “Could you maybe give it a minute? We’ve got enough murders to deal with right now.”
I strode across the room and slumped down onto the well-worn couch. “We need to talk to Violet.”
He sat next to me, the cushions dipping beneath his weight. “Don’t see that happening anytime soon. I just texted her to let her know the cops had been here and got this back in return from an unknown number.”
He held his phone up to show me the GIF of someone smashing a set of dusters into a banana. The soft fruit had no chance against the brass knuckles. I squinted at it as it played over, and then up at Levi.
“Rebel,” both of us said in unison.
I nudged his phone back toward him. “She’s like a tiny mean chihuahua, that one.”
Levi shoved me with his foot. “Don’t speak bad of chihuahuas. I used to have one. They’re great dogs.”
I glanced over at him. “Did you carry it in your purse too?”
He made a face at me. “Hilarious. My point was, they aren’t all mean. And I don’t even blame Rebel for being pissed at us. She’s just protecting Violet, and I can respect that.”
I nodded, leaning back on the soft cushions of the couch, trying not to notice Levi was still shirtless and his arm and shoulders were just inches away from touching mine. His warmth radiated through the tiny gap between us, enticing me to inch closer, though I refused to give in to the desire.
So the guy was hot. Who fucking cared? I’d seen a ton of hot guys naked. I worked with couples just as much as I worked with women, it didn’t matter to me if I was sucking and licking a pussy or a cock. I was just there to do a job.
But I was never attracted to them the way I was with Levi.
It was fucking annoying, noticing every little thing about him, especially when he was so clearly straight. He’d gotten all stiff and weird when X had let those cops think the three of us had been having sex together. It didn’t matter that none of us had touched each other and the entire night had been all about Violet.
Levi was as straight as a rod, and I had zero interest in trying to change his mind. I was too old for that shit.
But then he shifted on the couch that was really too small to accommodate two big men, and his warm skin brushed mine.
He didn’t glance my way, just stared at the TV that neither of us had turned on, his arm still pressed to mine.
Suddenly, all I could think about was dragging him back into that bedroom, just the two of us, and seeing what happened.
My arm burned where it touched his, electricity sizzling between us so hot I was sure it had to be leaving a mark, but Levi didn’t seem bothered at all. He just sighed and drummed his fingers on his thigh.
“We fucked up so bad. Everything she said, she was right. We shouldn’t have kept any of it from her. We could have gotten her killed last night.” He swore under his breath. “Dickson’s and Toby’s deaths are on us, aren’t they?”
I was so lost in the attraction it took me a second to register what he was talking about. I could have used one of Rebel’s knuckle-dusters to the junk just to get my head screwed on right. “I don’t know about Dickson, but Toby’s death is a hundred percent on us.”
Levi dropped forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “She’s never going to forgive us. And I don’t even blame her.”
I sighed heavily, that guilt rushing back in thick and fast. “All we can do is try to make it up to her.” I swallowed thickly, the words on my tongue turning sour. “Or respect that she doesn’t want anything to do with us.”
Levi glanced over at me sharply. “I can’t do that. I can’t just walk away. That’s not an option.” There was something hot in his eyes that told me he meant every word. “I’m fucking in love with her.”
