Chapter 8

DIANA

That singular moment solidified my initial judgment. Levi was nothing more than a womanizing bastard, just like all the other rock stars around the world.

I gave in to the shock without stopping to think about why I felt the way I did. The true source of my upset didn’t matter when it blinded me.

What I knew was that I had a hot temper and a bad attitude. My short fuse had been lit. A spark raced toward the explosive, and I needed to burst—to release this surging turmoil.

Everything blurred around me. The lights, the people, even the sounds of the band thanking the audience turned into a muffled mess in my head.

I made a beeline through security and backstage just as Levi strolled off the stage. We were on a collision course, whether he knew it or not.

I’m not sure I was fully aware of it yet either. Not with the red blinders on my head guiding me toward him.

I made it to the dressing room first. A second later, the excited laughter of Levi and his bandmates echoed from the stage entrance.

My hackles raised like a stray cat with her claws out. Ready to strike, to pounce, to bite.

Levi appeared around the corner at the front of the band. Messy strands of black hair fell over his forehead and the jovial smile on his face made his skull makeup appear less eerie, less inhuman.

In between bouts of laughter, he looked down the hallway and found me standing by the dressing room. He halted mid-step, reading my stiff stance and sharp stare.

“Oh, fuck.” He blanched.

One masked band member crashed into his back. But Levi was a massive wall of stone and muscle. He didn’t budge.

“You.” The word hissed through my teeth.

“I’m sensing that I’m in trouble,” Levi’s suave voice covered the concern in his eyes.

His bandmates didn’t recognize me. All they saw was an angry woman in front of Levi’s dressing room.

So, when he said that, they grabbed his shoulders or poked at him, chuckling and mocking him.

“Pissed off another band bunny, Levi?” the one at his back snorted.

“No.” He sighed and turned to them. “This isn’t what you think. You guys get out of here. I’ll catch up another time.”

“Boo! Levi’s boring!” they jeered at him, cackling like a pack of wild hyenas on the hunt.

He pivoted around and the fading smile on his face dropped completely. His back hid whatever look he gave them. But it was enough to make them relent.

“Yeah, all right. See you later, Levi,” said the loudest one, who I recognized as the drummer. He grabbed the shoulders of the two band members nearest and shoved them around.

They departed with some minor grumbling.

Levi turned back to me with a mask of his usual charisma lifting his face. The smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. It was strained and practiced.

A guarded response to the daggers in my eyes.

“I’d say I’m glad that you made it, but you look like you want to hit me,” he remarked.

Before waiting for my reply, he twisted open the dressing room door. He paused there, holding the door open for me, and patiently waited despite the brittle tension.

I huffed and stomped into the dressing room, noting black walls, mirrors, bulbous lights, a red couch, and a table in the back with chairs. Nothing outstanding.

The door clicked shut behind me. A strained silence followed. It was as if the angry bees rattling through my skull all froze midair and fell away.

In that cool, compact space, I realized I was alone with Levi once again. And my blood was too hot to be alone with him right now.

“What did I do wrong now?” Levi leaned back on one of the vanity tables. He crossed his arms over his chest, and I admired the straining of his black shirt.

In this lighting, with a dissatisfied scowl on his skull face, a domineering energy rolled off him in waves. His barely contained mood brushed against my skin in brutal licks.

The darkness of his presence sucked the air from my lungs.

“You pulled a woman from the crowd to kiss her. That makes me think you really are like all the others. I don’t want to work with you if that’s who you really are.”

By the end of my complaint, he tugged at his hair and belted a drawn-out groan. His eyes closed as he tipped his head back.

I was on a verbal rampage, and nothing could halt the acidic words spilling from my mouth.

“Rock stars just sleep with groupies and do drugs. I’ve always known that. Have you ever slept with a woman who didn’t have to fake a coked-out orgasm with you?”

Levi jerked upright, his eyes snapping down at me. The harsh edge in his expression made my stomach churn. His pulse quickened at his throat, and his chest rose with a heavy breath.

A fraction of my anger deflated.

“Diana, for God’s sake, I don’t do drugs and I don’t sleep with every groupie who throws themselves at me. Those might have been the rock stars you grew up with, but that’s not me.”

“Well, you kissed the woman in the front row tonight.” I clung to that retort. Without it, I had nothing else to say.

Suddenly, clarity cut through the upset in my mind. I wasn’t sure why I’d come here to confront him. I had no reason to, and I’d gain no victory from this interaction.

Levi threw his arms out. “It wasn’t a real kiss!” he shouted.

“What?” I gaped at him, feeling as if he’d thrown a bucket of cold water in my face.

His arms dropped to his sides as he sighed. “That was part of the show, Diana. Nothing more.”

He watched me like a hawk as I processed his words. The air between us turned frigid as I realized what a fool I’d been. And not for the first time around him.

His eyes darkened as he stepped forward. The space between us crackled with tension.

“If you wanted to be the one that I kissed, you should have just asked,” Levi’s voice grated against me in a way that made a hot coil tighten in my lower belly.

A gasp escaped from my throat. “Excuse you?”

“You heard me,” his voice dropped lower, and something in my core followed suit. He took another intimidating step closer, yet I remained frozen in place.

My eyes dropped to his lips. They were painted to mimic skeletal teeth, yet they seemed so sensual and inviting. I imagined what they’d feel like pressed to mine before I even realized it.

“What makes you think I want to kiss you?” My voice came out thin.

His lips curled into a wicked smirk. “Well, for starters, you haven’t stopped staring at my mouth.”

My lashes fluttered, and when I blinked again, Levi towered over me. He was so close that the warmth of his skin radiated against me. A thrilled shudder rolled through me at his nearness.

Levi’s hand reached up between us. His strong, skilled musician’s fingers skimmed over my cheek.

His thumb traced over my bottom lip, making my breath hitch.

His chest shuddered as he stared at my lips.

“And I really want to fucking kiss you too, Diana.”