Chapter 6

DIANA

I clutched the strap of my backpack over my shoulder until my fingers ached. Shifting from foot to foot and gnawing my lip, I stared at the buzzer to the studio.

Sunlight fought back the early chill, warming my backside as I anxiously built up the courage to press the button. Technically, I was still on time. I should ring the button to get it over with.

But there was also time for me to turn around and march back to my car. That secondary urge took hold. Before I realized it, I’d angled myself toward the sidewalk with one foot in the air.

My boot hit the ground, gravel crunching under the heavy sole, and the lock clicked open behind me.

“Leaving before coming inside?” Levi’s morning voice scraped against the edges of my nerves like a sparking live wire. An illicit tingle dipped through my stomach from the rasping sound of it.

Pivoting around, I plastered a smile on my face. “I thought I forgot something in the car, but it’s all here.”

I shrugged with the backpack. My nervous laughter wasn’t convincing.

The corner of his lips twitched, and those sensuous brown eyes made a quick assessment of my tight skinny jeans and navy-blue hoodie. At the same time, I glanced over the width of his chest in a death metal T-shirt as he leaned on the doorframe.

A beat of silence stressed the tension. I swallowed over a dry lump in my throat.

Levi took a breath, then held the door open for me to enter. He didn’t meet my eyes as I passed.

Levi slipped his hands into his pockets, keeping his eyes forward and walking beside me. I clenched my jaw and held my breath, trudging through a fog to reach the studio.

God, that was awkward.

At the end of the lobby, Levi reached for the studio door. Something missing in the corner of my vision stopped me in my tracks.

He held the door, patiently waiting as I looked up at the blank space on the wall. A silent gasp parted my lips. The poster of my father’s band was gone.

My head whipped to Levi, standing in the studio doorway with his eyes cast to the floor. He lifted his head as if sensing my gaze burning holes into the side of his face.

“It made you uncomfortable, so I took it down.”

“Oh,” slipped off my tongue. ~You’re supposed to say, “thank you,” idiot!~

Levi dropped his chin in the hint of a nod. Without waiting another second, he turned into the studio.

“I’m glad you thought about coming back.”

“Of course. I have every intention of seeing this contract through.”

I forced my legs to follow, fighting the strange current weighing down my limbs.

My eyes took a second to adjust to the darkness of the studio. Levi melted into the shadows welcoming him as if he belonged in that oppressive darkness.

He flicked on a switch near the recording panels that illuminated the blue neon highlights on the ceiling. An almost imperceptible sigh escaped Levi as he turned on the equipment.

I dropped my backpack on the leather couch before peering up at him. The uncomfortable weight of guilt pressed on the back of my neck.

“I’m sorry about yesterday, Levi. I didn’t want you to see me like that.”

He turned and dropped his gaze to the notebook in my hands. I pushed it out, silently offering it.

His attractive fingers latched onto the edges. Toned digits made for expert use of the many instruments in his arsenal.

One of his dark brows arched at the notebook.

“I wrote a song last night.”

“An entire song in one night?” Enthusiasm flared in his eyes when they flicked up to me again. “You really are amazing.”

“It’s nothing,” I countered. Heat crept into my cheeks at the praise from the world-renowned rock star.

Levi scoffed, flipping open the notebook. “I take a week or more to write a song. It’s not nothing.”

“Well, I didn’t write out the full sheet music. These are just lyrics—”

“Holy shit,” he blurted. His head snapped up to me and back to the page. “~The taste of nectar between your thighs gets me closer to God.~ This is great.”

That line read in his low, husky voice awoke a pulse in my core. Memory of last night danced mockingly through my head.

“Let’s play around with some music. I’m excited to jump into this.” A twinkle of motivation lit up his expression.

Eager and ready to create, Levi dropped into the chair at the control panels. The anxiety that had seized my heart dissipated.

Seeing his fever to create something new reminded me of happier times a decade ago. Days and nights of making music for my albums or joining my father on his tours.

The charged elation of bringing new life to a song flowed through me. For years, I had thought Levi Stark was a drinking, debauching rock star like the rest.

Perhaps there was some truth behind those rumors. Drugs and alcohol were a common way to cope with the burden of fame.

After all the gossip I’d heard, I never imagined I’d see this side of him. He seemed nothing like the wild, savage rock star I’d met at the venue.

In his studio, Levi was calm but enthusiastic. His lively energy was infectious and entertaining. No wonder he held his audience captive when he took the stage.

His charm was otherworldly. For hours, we melted into a comfortable flow. Levi and I worked together on creating a beat and deciding the pace for the first song.

I hadn’t worked in person with another artist in so long. I’d forgotten the joy that often accompanied it. Unfortunately, the amusement of collaboration never lasted.

In every large project, heads were bound to clash as visions went in separate directions. Shortly after midday, I found myself increasingly irritable.

I watched Levi through the glass, pacing in the recording room. He gripped one of his many guitars, plucking at the strings.

His head bobbed in time with whatever riff he worked on in his imagination. A clear light went off in his head.

Levi approached the microphone and said, “All right, let’s run it again.”

This would be the tenth time he attempted to sing the song. Each time I became progressively disappointed.

When I’d thought of him singing the song the night before, it didn’t mirror his current vocals. He had an entirely different view of the music.

I pressed a button on the control panel. A second later, the intro riff we’d created played through my headphones. Levi nodded along, counting the beats.

His fingers moved with skill over the guitar strings. Each time he played, my eyes latched onto the sight of his digits flying and plucking.

My heart leapt, and my foot tapped along. The intro came and Levi belted the first few lines.

“Devils’ delight in the night. Temptations rise when you say my name.”

“Cut!” I slammed the button and shut off the music. Exasperated, I jerked off the headphones. I groaned loudly into my hands before tugging at the ends of my hair.

He shoved open the door to the recording room, brows pinched in frustration. His hands went up in the air.

“What is it this time?”

“You’re singing it wrong,” I told him.

“You keep saying that. How am I singing it wrong, Diana?” His head arched back, glaring at the black painted ceiling. The flat annoyance in his tone kicked up a notch of my aggression.

“You sound bored,” I said, gritting my teeth to hold back a biting remark.

Levi’s shoulders deflated as his head rolled back to me. He released the guitar, using the strap over his shoulder to let it rest against his abdomen.

He rubbed his large palm over his face, blinking rapidly as if to clear his mood.

Powerless to control my temper, I rose from the chair and continued, “You sound hopelessly bored. You’re supposed to be one of the best rock stars in the world, and yet you can’t even sing this right.”

Cocksure and proud, Levi jerked his chin up. “I am one of the best.”

“Yet you can’t do this right,” I bit back, steadily approaching him.

Levi looked down his nose at me. The irritation simmered into something else before my eyes. His full lips gradually lifted into a teasing curve.

“Then you sing it. Show me how it’s done.”

Surely, he didn’t intend for that to sound so erotically charged. Yet my thighs flexed instinctively when I halted across from him.

I glanced over my shoulder at the sound booth, stealing a breath for my brittle resolve.

When I faced forward and caught his eyes again, I poked one finger near his chest. “How about you get better at singing? This song is for you to sing, and I’m tired of listening to you butcher it.”

Levi’s gaze darkened, narrowing down at me. “You should stop being so mean to me, Diana.”

“Or what?” I sneered, poking my finger into the center of his chest.

Powerful fingers clasped entirely over my hand. The shock of warmth from his palm caused my breath to lurch in my throat.

He pulled my hand down and caught my eyes in a heated stare. A playful threat rolled off his tongue: “Otherwise, I might fall in love with you.”