“Phoebe, wake up.”
My eyes flew open to find Levi frowning at me. “What are you—”
His eyes narrowed, homing in on my collarbone where the robe had fallen open. “What happened?” he gritted out.
I uncurled my legs and sat up, taming my hair over one shoulder. “You don’t remember?”
“Would I be asking if I did?” I flinched at his harsh tone, and he let out a weary sigh. “Shit, I’m sorry, I just... I wake up with no memory of how I got here and you’re asleep in the fucking chair... And then I see your skin covered in bruises and bite marks...”
“Someone laced your drink.”
“What the fuck?” He barked again, but this time, I expected it.
“At the club. You don’t remem—”
“There was a girl.” His brows furrowed. “A blonde.”
Fuck. It hurt to hear him talk about her.
“She slipped something in my drink?”
I nodded. “We think it was GHB. You were very... happy.”
“I know what G does, Bee. Fuck. I don’t remember. Did I... hurt you?”
I schooled my expression, locked it down tight. He couldn’t know the truth. If he did, he would lose his shaky thread of control.
“You were horny, Levi. Things got a little... wild.”
“You let me... while I was high on G?”
I shrugged, my eyes darting to the floor. He kneeled in front of me, sliding his fingers under my chin and forcing me to look at him. “Tell me what happened.”
“You were pissed, at me and Hudson—”
“Not that part, I remember that part.” Anger flared in his eyes. “After the girl. I can vaguely remember leaving the club. You were there. Rafe and Eva too?”
I nodded again. “You knew immediately that she’d given you something. You wanted to leave before you...” I skimmed over that part. “We all rode back here together. Rafe wanted to look after you but you were getting really worked up.”
“Fuck... they saw me like that?”
Another nod. “You were pretty clingy.”
“I didn’t say anything, did I?”
“Just the usual high off your face bullshit.”
He didn’t remember.
Levi didn’t remember confessing how he felt about me. Or at least, how he felt about me at that precise moment.
A small dose of GHB was apparently a lot like an MDMA high. The increased levels of serotonin and dopamine had tricked Levi, messed with his emotions. Made him think things that weren’t real.
My stomach sank.
“I agreed to watch you.”
“That’s why you were in the chair?” His thumb brushed my jaw making me shiver. “After we...”
“We had sex, yeah.”
“Shit, Bee, I’m sorry. I’m sorry you had to see me... like that.” Levi leaned back, rubbing a hand over his jaw.
“I’m just glad you’re okay.” It was the truth. Last night could have ended so differently. “You know, this thing with Hudson... he was only trying to protect you. To protect us. If Alistair finds out—”
“I know, I fucking know, okay?” Frustration drenched his words. “I watched you working the room, talking to all those guys—”
“Levi, it’s my job. I was networking.”
“I know that, I do. But my brain,” he jammed his fingers into his hair and yanked the ends, “my brain gets it wrong sometimes. And then that fat fuck put his hands on you, and I wanted to tear him limb from limb, Bee...” Levi glanced away. “But Hudson leaped in like your knight-in-shining armor or some shit.”
“He didn’t want you to do something you’d regret. He was protecting you.”
“I know that now.” Lifting his gaze, he pinned me with a dark look. “But it doesn’t change the fact that I want to be the one to stand by your side. I want to fight your battles. Me, honeybee. Me.”
The vulnerability in Levi’s voice gutted me. Without thinking, I slid off the tub chair and threw my arms around his neck, holding him tight. He was such a contradiction. Cold yet warm. Hard but soft. Levi was like a man-child finding his own way in the world. Learning as he went. Making mistake after mistake and not seeing where to put them right until someone intervened. He needed guidance. He needed love and affection and patience. But he also needed space and independence. He needed to feel secure without feeling stifled.
It was a delicate balance to find.
“What happens now?” he whispered shakily.
“I don’t know, Levi. You tell me.”
“Don’t leave me, Bee.” He pulled back to stare me dead in the eyes. “Promise me you won’t leave me.”
Levi
I couldn’t stop watching her, wishing I knew Phoebe’s deepest, darkest thoughts. Her desires. Her hopes and fucking dreams.
I wanted to remember last night, to remember what I said and what I did. The bruises and love bites all over her body were a pretty good indication, but it didn’t dampen my need to know.
That was the thing about getting high; the buzz was incredible. For those few minutes or hours, the rush was everything. But the come down was usually pretty grim.
I felt okay, a little hungover, restless and thirsty. But I wasn’t worried about me, I was worried about the quiet girl beside me.
After our conversation, after me getting on my knees and begging her not to leave me, Phoebe had kissed me on the cheek, and then gone for a shower. Now we were in the living room with Rafe and Eva, waiting for everyone else to join us for breakfast.
And she wouldn’t look at me.
I reached for her hand, tangling our fingers together and pulling them into my lap. Phoebe finally flicked her eyes to mine, dropping them to our joined hands and back again. The faint smile tugging at her mouth wasn’t nearly enough, but it was something.
Bedroom doors started opening, and Damon then Hudson padded into the living room.
“Morning,” Hudson said around a huge yawn. “I see all’s well in loveville.” His eyes went to where I was clutching Phoebe’s hand.
“Hud,” Damon warned. “Ali and Letty?” he asked.
“Will be here soon,” Rafe replied.
“What’s good?” Hudson eyed the counter full of pastries and fruit, pancakes and waffles. I’d barely eaten a thing, but I’d watched Phoebe devour a bowl of fruit salad with Greek yoghurt and an almond croissant.
“Since when did you get choosy about food?” Damon snickered, and Hud flipped him off.
They joined us and the six of us sat in thick silence, until Hudson said, “So are we going to take about the fucking shitshow that was last night, or what?”
Phoebe shifted uncomfortably beside me, but I wouldn’t let her pull away from me. Not now. Not with my bandmates looking at me like I held all the answers.
“Where should we start?” Damon said calmly. He was the peacekeeper. The caretaker. The one we could always count on to be the voice of reason.
Rafe let out a heavy sigh, dragging a hand down his face. “At least the set was tight.”
“Did you just make a joke?” I quipped.