Blame it on the Bass: Heart of Fame, Book 6

by Lexxie Couper

  Chapter Fourteen

  A dull thumping woke Levi.

  Or maybe it was the light streaming through the windows. Or the distant sound of Corbin’s mobile phone ringing.

  Groaning at the intrusion on his sleep, he rolled onto his side. A delicious sense of sated exhaustion stole through him. They’d made love to each other for the entire night. He, Corbin and Sonja. The three of them. The perfect number, the perfect rhythm. They’d made love, showered, rested, talked and made love again. It wasn’t until a golden hue had fallen over their naked bodies that they’d realize they’d fucked the night away.

  With a trembling laugh, Sonja had suggested she head home to let them get some sleep. Corbin had told her if she thought she was leaving them, she was sorely deluded. Levi had proved the point by tying her to the bed, bringing her to the brink of orgasm over and over again until she promised never to leave them again.

  It had been a fantastically erotic moment and they’d fallen asleep in a tangle of arms and legs, Sonja in the middle of them both, her butt pressed to Levi’s groin, her cheek resting on Corbin’s chest. The last thing Levi could remember her saying before sleep claimed her was that she could hear Corbin’s heart beating.

  “’Tis nice,” she’d whispered in a soft, slurring murmur. “I could seriously get used to this.”

  Corbin had met Levi’s gaze, open emotion and contented joy in his eyes. “Me too,” he’d answered in a warm rumble. “How ’bout we give it a try?”

  Levi had swallowed the thick lump in his throat, nodded at his lover and then finally given himself over to sleep, the happiest he’d ever been in his life.

  Only to be woken what felt like a heartbeat later.

  The thumping on the apartment’s door came again, louder this time and accompanied by what may have been a muffled shout.

  Cracking his eyes open, Levi squinted at the clock beside the bed. Christ, it was almost ten. He’d been asleep for four hours.

  “Tell ’em to fuck off.” Corbin’s slurred voice grumbled at Levi’s back. He twisted on the bed, casting his lover—stretched flat on his stomach, eyes closed, hair a tousled mess—a tired smile.

  “Could be someone important,” he said, letting his gaze roam Corbin’s face.

  The soft snore that answered him told Levi that Corbin didn’t give a rat’s arse who was outside.

  With a chuckle, he closed his eyes and scratched at his stomach. And then sat when the thump at the apartment door came again.

  He frowned, still foggy with sleep, dragged his hands through his hair and scratched at his beard.

  Corbin snored beside him again.

  He chuckled, before the realization hit him Sonja wasn’t in the bed.

  Perhaps it was her doing the thumping on the door? Maybe she’d gone outside looking for the morning paper and locked herself out? Wait, it was Monday. Maybe that’s why she was gone? Perhaps she’d left to go to work? Or maybe she’d returned to her house?

  A disquieted knot twisted in Levi’s gut. He didn’t like that idea at all. She was meant to be with them. He knew that now. And she’d agreed to it. Sure, they’d tied her to the bed and sexually tortured her into agreeing with that notion, but he was bloody well holding her to it. Sonja Stone was moving in with them and that’s all there was to it. And be fucked what the rest of society thought. He was a rock star after all, Corbin was a Hollywood screenwriter and she was an erotic romance editor. As if they were ever meant to live normal lives anyway.

  The thump on the door wafted into the room again. As did the faint sound of Corbin’s phone ringing.

  Scrunching up his face, Levi swung his feet to the floor and levered himself from the bed. If it wasn’t Sonny on the other side of the door, he was telling them to bugger off.

  Feet dragging somewhat, he made his way toward the door, yawning and stretching as he did so. Christ, if this was how totally wasted—albeit in a thoroughly good way—he felt after a night of fucking, he needed to start working out again.

  Corbin’s phone dinged somewhere in the living room. Or maybe the kitchen. Someone had left a message. They could wait.

  Shuffling his way toward the main door, he scratched at his balls. And then realized what he was doing. Scratching at his balls, skin on skin, not skin on cotton. Shit, he was seconds away from answering the door buck naked.

  Way to go, dickhead.

  With a chuckle, he turned back toward the bedroom and stopped when he spied the piece of paper on the coffee table.

  Paper with Sonja’s handwriting on it.

  Ignoring the thumping knock on the door, he crossed to the coffee table, picked up the sheet of paper and read what was written.

  So, this thing we did? We need to talk about it. About what happens next. I’m not sure I want to be a band aid anymore. Anyways, I’ve gone home to get some clean underwear and clothes. Can’t wear yours all day, no matter how sexy I look in them. And I think it’d be better if I’m not there for a while. You two have some serious talking to do. Stan, it IS time to stop being a fuck knuckle jerk. Remember what I said to you.

  Okay, I’ll be back later. With lunch. McDonald’s okay? Ha ha. Kidding.

  xox

  S.

  Chest tight, Levi read the note again. What did she mean she didn’t want to be a band aid anymore? Did she—

  “Oi! Levistan!” A male voice bellowed from the other side of the apartment door a second before the thumping started again. “Open up and let me in, dude!”

  Levi blinked. Jax?

  He hurried to the door and yanked it open, hiding his nudity behind its burnished steel form.

  Jaxon Campbell smirked at him from the other side of the threshold, dark sunglasses hiding his blue eyes, I Heart Seattle cap pulled low over his forehead. “About fucking time. I’ve been out here for ages.”

  He strode into the apartment, removed his sunglasses and ran a gaze over Levi’s naked body, grinning. “Am I interrupting something?”

  Levi swung the door shut with a scowl. “Yeah, my sleep.”

  Jax laughed. “I bet. Fuck me, I forgot how big your dick was. How do you not pass out when you get a boner?”

  Rolling his eyes, Levi turned his back on the band’s keyboardist and headed for his bedroom. On the bed, still asleep, still on his stomach, Corbin snored.

  Snatching a pair of sweat pants from the wardrobe, Levi shoved his legs into them and returned to the living room.

  Jax grinned up at him from the sofa. “It’s wild out there, dude. Seriously.”

  Crossing to the kitchen, Levi switched on the coffee machine. “Can I ask what you’re doing here, Jax? Not that I don’t appreciate the visit, but is there a reason for it? And what do you mean by wild?”

  Jax dumped his feet on the coffee table and threaded his fingers behind his head. “I assume you know the paparazzi are camped outside?”

  Levi snorted, retrieved two mugs from the cupboard and then reached for the sugar canister. “Excellent.”

  “Oh, and apparently there was a hit and run a block or so away a while ago,” Jax went on. “Some woman got hit by a car while jogging. At least that’s what the crowd outside is saying. Apparently the cops came and questioned a bunch of people.”

  Scooping two spoons of sugar into each cup, Levi frowned. “And this is why you’re here? To tell me this?”

  Jax laughed. “No, I came here for two reasons. One, to apologise about the flight home yesterday.”

  Levi snorted again. “Yeah, about that. Next time you offer to fly me home in that jet of yours, can you have at least flown more than once on your own?”

  Jax pulled a wounded face. “Hey, I got you back here in one piece, didn’t I?” Dragging his cap from his head, he scruffed at his hair. “True, I wasn’t quite prepared for that bubble of turbulence we hit halfway over the Pacific, but at least I had an ice pack for your head. Good to see the bump didn’t leave a bruise.”

  Levi let out a huffed chuckle, poured them both coffee and then crossed
to the sofa and passed one to Jax. “No bruise. Now, what’s the second reason for the visit?”

  Holding up his finger in a signal to wait, Jax swallowed a mouthful of the steaming beverage. “What? No whisky?” he asked, lips twitching with a grin.

  “It’s ten a.m.”

  He shrugged. “Your point being?”

  Levi cocked an eyebrow. “Number two?”

  Jax smirked. “All right, all right. Number two. I just wanted to pop around and congratulate you on blowing everyone’s fucking mind. The media are having a meltdown and you’re trending on Twitter. I always knew you were a secretive bastard, but shit, dude, when you decide to let it all hang out, you really let it all hang out.”

  Levi frowned. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  Excited surprise filled Jax’s face. “You don’t know? Holston, the fuckwad prick, filmed you and Corbin making out on your deck yesterday with the sexy little honey you’ve obviously been keeping a secret. And now the footage is all over the world. And I mean, all over the world. Holy snapping duck shit, Levistan, you’ve just made the sins of a threesome the most discussed topic on Fox news. Now that’s an achievement. How do you not know this?”

  Levi stared at Jax, stunned silent. A prickling heat crept over his scalp. His gut rolled.

  Jax chortled. “Ahh, you don’t know because none of you have left the bedroom since that kiss on the deck, is that right? Levi Leroy Levistan, you are my new idol. My new idol. Where’s Corbin? I want to welcome him to the dark side. And while I’m at it, I want to meet the new woman in your lives. She here?”

  Levi’s mouth turned dry. Turning from the grinning Jax, he picked the remote control up from beside his coffee and switched on the television.

  Sure enough, there it was. Filling the left side of the screen. A loop of somewhat blurry footage showing him kissing Sonja, palming her breast out in public, as Corbin held him from behind, hand obviously on Levi’s cock, mouth on his throat, his ear. There for the breakfast program’s millions of viewers to watch as the cheery anchor spoke about the shocking lewdness of it all.

  “That’s some fine action, dude,” Jax murmured with approval.

  Levi stared at the screen, his gut churning.

  “My new idol, dude.” Jax chuckled. “Seriously. I’m never going to give you a hard time about being boring again. Oh, hey, Corbin. Check you out! You’re on the TV.”

  Levi twisted in his seat, staring at Corbin who wandered into the room, eyes half closed, black silk boxers hanging low on his lean hips. “I’m on the what?” he mumbled, scratching at the back of his head as he shuffled over to the Nespresso machine.

  “Holston filmed us on the deck yesterday.” Levi watched his lover pour a mug of coffee. “And apparently it’s gone viral.”

  Corbin squinted at the television screen for a few seconds and then grunted. “That’s one way of announcing it to the world, I guess.” He waved a sleepy hand at Jax. “Morning, Jax. What’s it called when a gay guy gets busted making out with a woman? Is there a term for that? It’s not really coming out, is it. More like…”

  Jax laughed. “Just coming, period? A lot of coming I’d say, by how freaking knackered you look.”

  Corbin snorted. “I need to start working out. Sonja and Levi are going to exhaust me… Shit, is that my phone?”

  The soft sounds of the Jaws theme emanated from somewhere in the apartment. With a tired, preoccupied wave at them both, Corbin walked from the kitchen, heading back toward the bedrooms.

  “He seems to be taking it better than you, Levistan.” Jax turned to Levi and studied him with a look of glib mischief. Levi knew, however, it was anything but. Jaxon Campbell may appear a boyish clown, but he was far more adept at judging a situation with depth and introspection than most people realised. “You didn’t want it getting out?” he said, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “This whole threesome thing you’ve got going on? Was it meant to be a secret?”

  Levi stared at the looped footage of him, Sonja and Corbin on the deck yesterday. Thought of its ramifications. Thought of a life without being able to kiss Sonja, kiss Corbin whenever he wanted. “Y’know,” he said, turning off the television with a jab of his thumb. “It wasn’t meant to be anything but a band aid. But now I know it’s the only future I—”

  “Levi.”

  Levi stopped at Corbin’s serious voice. Twisted in his seat to frown at his lover.

  Corbin stood at the kitchen counter, his mobile phone gripped loosely in his hand, his face pale. “It’s the hospital. The same one where the paramedics took…where Isabella…Connie…”

  A cold, clammy weight pressed on Levi. His stomach churned. “The hospital?”

  Corbin closed his eyes for a second, the phone half to his ear, as if still engaged in a conversation. “They called my number because it’s the last one dialed in Sonja’s phone. She didn’t have any identification on her and they didn’t know who else to…” He stopped. Shook his head. Opened his eyes and looked at Levi. “Who else to call.”

  Levi’s blood ran cold. “What are you talking about, Cor? Why does the hospital have Sonny’s phone?”

  Corbin drew in a shaky breath. “She was hit by a car three hours ago a block from here. A hit and run. They’ve performed emergency surgery but she slipped into a coma and they don’t know if she’s going to survive. Apparently she was running from the paparazzi and was hit on a pedestrian crossing.”

  The world ceased to exit.

  Sound vanished.

  Levi stared at Corbin.

  Corbin’s lips moved but Levi didn’t hear anything coming from his mouth.

  The words of Sonja’s note slammed into him. “I’ve gone home to get some clean underwear and clothes.”

  And then it wasn’t just those words, but others gouging at his mind. Words from a lifetime ago…

  “I’m afraid the baby didn’t make it, Mr. Levistan. She died at the—”

  “The car ran a red light. Connie was killed on im—”

  Fate rushed at him. Tore through him.

  Ripped him apart and threw the pieces into the wind.

  “The doctors did all they could, but her injuries were too severe for the baby to sur—”

  The roaring wind. The roaring storm in his ears. The screaming roar. The roar that drowned the grief and the pain. A roar he ached to escape. The roar of his nightmares. His past…

  “Fucking cry, will you? Little fucking cry baby. I’ll give you something to cry about. I’ll give you—”

  The roar of his soul screaming. Screaming against the hideous horror of the hands, his father’s hands...

  “Cry now, fucking baby. Go on. Cry. Cry. Where’s your fucking tears now, you little—”

  The terror of the moment.

  “I’m sorry, son. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…you just get me so mixed up sometimes. Here, let me show you how I’m sorry I am. Let me touch…yeah, there. That feels good, right? See how sorry I am? See how much I…how much I love you. Feel how much I—”

  The terror of his soul, trapped in the body that could never escape his father’s—

  “Levi!”

  The shout smashed at his stupor. He blinked. Gasped. Shook his head and fisted his hands. Balled them against his thighs and ground his jaw.

  Jax sat at his right, worry etched on his face. “Hey mate, you zoned out for a moment. You okay?”

  Levi stiffened on the sofa. Looked around himself. “Where’s Corbin?”

  “Getting dressed. Do you want me to call a taxi? Bruce is outside, standing guard at the door. Staving off the pap and reporters. Want me to send him to the hospital with you both?”

  Levi drove his nails into his palms. “No.” The word left him on a blunt growl. He shoved himself to his feet.

  Jax leapt to his, frown growing deeper. “Mate, you okay?”

  Levi clenched his jaw. “I’m fine.”

  “You don’t sound fine.”

  With a slow turn, Levi pi
voted to face Jax. “Do I look fine, Campbell? Do I look like I’m falling to pieces? Will it help if I do? Would you like me to cry? Will that help?”

  Jax narrowed his eyes. “How ’bout you go get dressed and I call a taxi?”

  Without a word, Levi spun on his heel and strode to the bedroom. Corbin stood at the bed, tucking the hemline of his shirt into a pair of cargo pants. He raised his head when Levi entered the room. “She’ll be okay.”

  Levi didn’t say a word. Instead, he yanked open the closet and grabbed a pair of jeans, Black Sabbath T-shirt, boots and a belt. He didn’t answer Corbin. Nor did he look at him as he dressed.

  A beat of silence stretched across the room. He ignored it. Just as he ignored the screaming roar in his head and the numb grief in his chest.

  Better to ignore it, shun it, than let it out. Letting it out only made the terror of the moment louder. Stronger.

  He flinched at the feel of a warm hand on his shoulder.

  “Please don’t do this again, babe.”

  Corbin’s low voice sounded at his right. He shrugged off his partner’s touch. Swallowed the thick lump in his throat. Suppressed the rising fear in his gut. “Let’s go,” he said, walking from the room.

  “Taxi’s here,” Jax turned from the apartment door, worry on his face. “Bruce will get you to it safely. He’s got most of the pap out there convinced he’s going to break them in half if they even think about taking a photo of you both. Sure you don’t want him to go to the hospital with you.”

  Levi shook his head. “No.”

  Fresh worry creased Jax’s forehead. “How about I come with you. I’m not overly convinced you’re thinking straight, Lev—”

  “I’m fine,” Levi snapped. “I just want to get to the fucking hospital so I can see for myself how Sonja is.”

  “Okay, okay.” Jax took a step back, hands raised. “Sorry.”

  Levi bit back a sigh. Regret shot through him, but he suppressed it. As he did the hot lick of guilt scraping over his nerves when Jax shot Corbin a quick sideways glance.

  “I’ll call you later, mate,” Jax said, although whether the promise was to Corbin or Levi, Levi didn’t know.