Page 127 of Of Heartbreak and Harmony
I laugh. “No way.”
“Yeah. We did it in Seattle a few months ago, and she’s already made plans for England, Italy, Germany, and France.” He purses his lips, almost like he’s struggling with whether or not to tell me something, before he glances at me again. “She called around and added you to the reservations.”
My brows slant as I turn to look at him. I lower my voice and glance around us before stepping a bit closer.
“Levi...you know it’s fake, right? Like, this thing with me and Torren? It’s PR. I’m only contracted through the rest of the US tour.”
Levi nods once. “Savannah told me.”
“So why would she be adding me to skydiving reservations in Europe.”
“She thinks you’ll be there.”
The first question that runs through my head is why. Why does Savannah think I’ll be with them in Europe? But when I open my mouth, something entirely different falls from my lips.
“How do you do it?”
He arches a brow. “Do what?”
“Handle it,” I say bluntly with a nod toward the stage. “Torren and Sav, I mean. Knowing their history.”
Despite the invasive and personal nature of my question, Levi doesn’t look offended. He purses his lips, and his brow furrows as he glances back at the band. For a brief moment, I wonder if he’ll answer me at all, but then he gives me a small shrug.
“I won’t lie. It was hard at first, and I was jealous. We got into a few big arguments. But then my daughter and I went on the first leg of the American tour, and it didn’t take long for me to realize I was worried about nothing. I trust Savannah. I have faith in our relationship. And honestly, I trust Torren, too.” Levi smirks. “Don’t tell him I said that.”
I laugh. “No worries.”
Levi returns my laugh and then sighs, looking toward the stage with an expression that seems almost wistful. It’s as if he’s filtering through a memory reel. One that elicits just as much love as regret. When he speaks again, his voice is softer and full of longing.
“Savannah and Torren have a complicated past, but so do I, andthat’s just what it is.The past. Savannah is my today and my tomorrow. I’m not going to waste time worrying about what happened yesterday.”
Before I can say anything, the crowd erupts with cheers, marking the end of our conversation. The venue is so loud that I couldn’t talk to Levi even if I knew how to respond, so I turn my attention to the stage just as The Hometown Heartless appears one by one. Mabel, Jonah, Torren, and then Sav, the audience screaming louder and louder for each bandmember until the sound is nearly deafening.
Sav greets the audience, but all my focus falls on Torren. God, he’s sexy, especially when he’s in full rock-icon mode. All thoughts regarding skydiving and fake dating and Levi’s confession evaporate, until all I can think about is how insanely attractive I find him. HowbadlyI want him. It’s almost dizzying.
I trust Torren,Levi had said. But can I?
Torren’s biceps flex as he picks up his bass and loops the strap over his head, the colorful tattoos covering his skin almost coming alive under the stage lights. His eyes seek out the VIP tent, then scan the bodies inside briefly before landing right on me. The smirk that transforms his full lips is full of suggestive promise, and when he winks, I feel it so viscerally that my toes curl in my heeled booties. My heart kicks up speed in my chest, my teeth sink into my bottom lip, and a flush spreads over my cheeks. I can feel eyes on me. The crowd cheers louder, confirming they all saw Torren’s wink, and they all know it was for me. It makes me blush harder, and his wicked smile widens.
I tear my eyes away from him to keep from spontaneously combusting, but because I’m apparently my own worst enemy, I let them drift to Jonah. My reaction to him is different, but no less strong. Less heart and more...well...lower. Jonah’s looking down, bleached blond hair curtaining his face, backlit by stage lights and resembling an angry, vengeful god. Then, as if he feels my attention on him, he lifts his head and finds me immediately. I get chills. He doesn’t smile, and he doesn’t wink, but he doesn’t have to. Somehow, his steady eye contact says enough.
It says,you are so fucking screwed, Calla Lily James, but you will thoroughly enjoy it.
I position myself for our post-concert public display of affection, trying and failing to ignore the fact that I’ve been waiting for it.Excitedfor it.
The moment I see him, skin sweat-slicked and glistening, I have to keep my feet from rushing to him. I stay put and smile, but he covers the distance too slowly for my racing heart, and I find myself reaching for him even before he’s close enough to touch.
His hand cups my neck while the other grips my hip, tugging me into him, and he smirks down at me.
“You want your hands on me, Firebird?”
I don’t have a response. I refuse to admit it out loud, so instead I do something I’ve never done. I initiate the kiss. I can tell by the way he freezes that I’ve stunned him, but it doesn’t last. He growls and slides his tongue into my mouth, and I can’t tell if he pulls me closer or if I press myself against his body all on my own. I let him kiss me feverishly, and I kiss him back with the same fervor. Then, remembering something he said four years ago, I slip my fingers into his hair.
Pull a little harder next time.
But nottoohard, or we might end up giving these people a show they didn’t ask for.
As his voice replays in my head, I fist my hands and tug his hair at the root.
