“What am I doing here? What the fuck is she doing here?” David muscles his way into the room, knocking shoulders with Levi and practically plowing over him in the process. His eyes are stormy, his deep scowl promising retribution, and the impeccable way he’s dressed—a full suit and tie with his raven hair slicked back off his forehead—makes him intimidating as hell.
And by the murderous glow in his eyes as he levels his hateful look on me tells me exactly who he’s gunning for.
I feel myself shrink back, wishing I could disappear. This is so not how I saw the morning going. Especially after such a wonderful and passionate start. But whatever resplendent feelings Levi and I conjured up have been obliterated by David’s intrusion.
“Hey!” Levi shouts, his voice dark and edgy. “You can’t just walk in here. This is my room.”
David doesn’t bother acknowledging him. His focus riveted on me, he takes in my state of undress with hard steel in his eyes. Jabbing one long finger at me, he says with an ominous calm, “You have been nothing but a thorn in my side since the day I married your bitch of a gold digging mother. I see the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” he sneers. “At least have some class and get the fuck out of that bed and get dressed.”
Authority rings loud and clear in his voice and like a small child, I clutch the sheet to my body and scramble to do as he says.
“Don’t you get out of that bed,” Levi commands. I pause with my feet on the floor, unsure of how to proceed.
Father and son stare each other down. They’re nearly identical in height and appearance, making them look like deadly predators facing off. My body vibrates with nerves. I want the hell out of here, to get away from these two because this is bound to end badly, but all my muscles are frozen.
“I want you out of here. Now,” Levi snarls. I notice his hands are balled into fists at his sides, and his body is coiled tight, ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice. Would he really attack his own father?
“Have you lost your damn mind? Do you forget who I am?” David rages, his face mottled red. “Don’t you talk to me like that, you disrespectful little shit!”
“I’ll talk to you however the fuck I want. You don’t own me!”
“There’s where you’re wrong. You forget that I’m the one who secures your contracts. I’m the one who makes sure you get from A to B. I run your entire life and if it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t be Levi-fucking-Black. You wouldn’t own a shelf full of trophies. And you sure as hell wouldn’t be stirring up the media frenzy that’s sweeping through the nation right now!”
My spine stiffens and I sit up straight. What the hell is he talking about? What media frenzy?
Levi’s jaw pulses, his eyes narrowed in hostility. “What the fuck are you talking about?” he growls.
A smug smile laced with pure animosity spreads across David’s face as he reaches inside his jacket and pulls a folded up newspaper from the inner breast pocket. With a snap of his wrist, he extends it to Levi.
“While you two are up here screwing around,” he clips, “every newspaper and magazine across the country has been chomping at the bit over what happened out on that field yesterday.”
My heart pounds frantically in my chest. My gaze falls on Levi, studying his reaction. Which is grim at best. His expression slowly morphs into deep irritation followed by disbelief and…maybe regret. I don’t have to be the one reading that paper to know what’s in it.
“They’re calling it The Kiss Heard ‘Round the World,” David says, his upper lip curling up in distaste. He flicks me an equally powerful look that shrivels my insides and turns them into dust. “Congratulations, you two. You’re famous!”
With that, David strides across the room toward the door. Thank God he’s leaving. But of course it can’t be that simple. Before he goes, he stops and turns back to us. Levi’s back is turned toward his father, so he doesn’t see the spiteful look in his eyes that I do. It’s enough to make me sick. What reason could Levi have possibly given him to harbor so much contempt for his own son? I used to think he was an alright guy, but now I have nothing but hatred for this man.
“You’ve been an embarrassment to me for the last time,” he says to Levi’s back. “Consider this the final straw. I’m cancelling all contracts that involve me and my company. I may not be able to stop being your father, but I refuse to risk mine and my company’s reputation for this sick affair you two have going on.”
Levi huffs a humorless laugh. “Don’t worry, Dad. I’ve grown used to not having a father, so you can continue to rest easy.”
Tossing the paper down on the end of the bed, Levi rakes his hands through his hair and squeezes his eyes shut in frustration.
Curious what’s in there, I pick up the paper. My eyes widen as they land on the enormous black and white image of Levi and me locked in a heated kiss. Then I read the headline and my heart sinks. Soccer’s Sweethearts…Brother and Sister?
“As for you,” David continues on, directing his hostility toward me. “I don’t care what your mother says or does, you’ll never see another penny from me.”
Seriously? Offended, I glare back at him. “I don’t want your money, David. I think I made that perfectly clear when I told you to keep your checks.”
As soon as the first check arrived, I knew that I didn’t want to start my life indebted to a man I had lost all respect for. Levi had told me things about him that hadn’t set right, but it wasn’t until that night at the hotel, the night that I left Levi, that I formed my own opinion of him. I decided then never to take a cent from him.
Having reached his limit, Levi spins around and shouts, “Are you still fucking here? Get the fuck out!”
David’s lips press into a firm line. Without another word, he turns and walks out the door, slamming it behind him.
As soon as he’s gone, I hunch over my knees, sucking in a lungful of air.
“What a fucking asshole,” Levi mutters to himself. “He’s got a lot of nerve coming in here like that.” I sense his movement as he begins pacing the room, his anger ratcheting higher with each step. “Telling me that he’s basically forced to be my father? Fuck him! Who ever said I wanted to be his son?” He’s yelling now, and as much as I want to go to him and tell him it will all be okay, I can’t. My ears are ringing, my thoughts are spinning out of control, and my breathing is so erratic that it’s hard to take a solid breath.
“And the way he talked to you?” Levi continues. “He’s lucky I didn’t rip his balls off and shove them down his throat. That fucker is dead to me!” He makes another circuit past the bed, stirring the air. “I’m so done with this shit. This is exactly why I branched out on my own. He thinks he has me cornered, but the joke’s on him. I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he realizes that I don’t need him or his fucking company.”
I stopped hearing Levi back at “Fuck him.” All I can see is the image of the two of us splashed across that page behind my closed lids. Holding my head in my hands, I wrap my fists around my hair and squeeze, hoping the pressure against my skull will relieve the throbbing ache in my brain.
This cannot be happening. The whole world now knows about us, about what we’ve done. We’ll never live it down. We stained our reputation, and by default, our child’s, too. And what about work? Everyone will know. They’ll never look at me the same. This is my worst nightmare coming true.
“Hey, hey,” Levi’s soft voice reaches into my head a second before I feel his firm hands clasp my knees. “Breathe, princess.”
Lifting my eyes, I see him crouching in front of me, worry written all over his face. It’s then that I realize I’m having some sort of panic attack. My chest feels too tight, my head fuzzy, and I can’t seem to get enough oxygen.
“It’s okay, baby, just keep breathing. That’s it. Nice and slow. There you go, princess. That’s my girl,” Levi praises as I concentrate on his voice, using it to calm me, to center me. Eventually, the fog in my head begins to recede and my heartrate slows to a more normal pace.
Stroking my cheek, Levi leans in and presses a soft kiss to my lips. “Okay now?”
I nod, but I’m not okay. Nothing is okay. “Levi,” I croak, my voice sounding rough and scratchy.
“What is it, princess?” His eyes tight, Levi’s thumb tracks across my cheek, smearing wetness across my skin.
I frown. When did I start crying? Swallowing down the lump that’s formed in my throat, I give voice to the fears running rampant through my mind. “That kiss…They know. The—” My voice chokes off on a sob.
Levi’s expression softens. “That we love each other? Yeah, they do. Everyone knows it now. We don’t have to hide anymore.”
What is he talking about? Doesn’t he understand what this means? For both of us?
“But what about soccer? What about my business? They’ll ruin us!” I cry.
Standing, Levi pulls me up and into his arms, holding me firmly against him. Beneath my ear, I hear the heavy beat of his heart thumping madly in his chest. As calm as he appears, he’s as upset about this as I am.
“They can try, but it doesn’t matter. Nothing matters but you, me, and our baby. Soon, the divorce will be final and all of this will be yesterday’s news.”
Tilting my head back, I meet his turquoise stare. “Do you really think so?”
He brushes my messy hair back over my shoulders and flashes a small smile. “Yeah, baby, I do. We just need to stay strong and stick it out. Nothing they say or do can touch us as long as we have each other. Deal?”
I want to believe him, but I have my doubts. Who wouldn’t? Media is a scary thing. It’s a monster that lives to tear people apart. Levi and I? We’re not exactly a power couple. Even under the best of circumstances, this would be a challenge. I’m just not sure that Levi and I have what it takes to overcome this. But, God, I hope like hell that we can. We at least have to try.
Mustering up a false smile, I tighten my hold around his waist and bury my face in his chest just beneath his chin. “Deal.”