Blue Boy 1: Bullet (12 page)

Five, four, three, two, one…

“Action!”

For a moment, nobody moved. It happened at the beginning of every scene, even if all parties were eager and ready—that awkward, split-second pause. Levi was usually the one to break it, the one to reach out and pull a nervous bottom toward him, but not today. Today he couldn’t bring himself to care.

Sonny slid off the back of the couch like a snake, inserting himself into Rex’s reaching arms. In a flash he had Rex’s shirt pulled over his head. Rex responded greedily. He grabbed Sonny and yanked him close, biting at his neck. Levi watched in a daze, until he glanced up and caught Jon’s eye. The inflection in Jon’s raised eyebrow was clear—
get your head in the game, Ramone.

He released his death grip on the back of the couch and reached for the hem of Sonny’s shirt. Sonny jumped, then raised his arms to let Levi pull the shirt over his head.

Levi sat back and stared. The skin of Sonny’s bare back was as smooth and flawless as the rest of him, and Levi found himself transfixed by the sight of his slender, defined muscles rippling as he moved down Rex’s body to undress him.

A flicker of tension ran through Sonny. It was subtle; Levi was sure no one else would’ve noticed it, but he felt it—a shot of apprehension he didn’t understand. He looked up, following Sonny’s line of sight to where Rex stood naked. Levi stared at his cock. Thick, long, and uncut, it was the biggest dick he’d ever seen, bigger than he’d imagined.

Holy hell.

His heart beat faster. The events of the last twenty-four hours had left him numb and separated from the world around him, but there was no denying the nerves that swept through him now.

He stilled his hands on Sonny’s back. Sonny glanced over his shoulder, his eyes wide. He leaned back toward Levi but stopped halfway, perhaps uncertain of his reaction. Rex took advantage of the pause and undid Sonny’s jeans. He yanked on them, knocking Sonny off balance, and it was enough to rouse Levi from his detached daze. He moved to steady Sonny, grasping his shoulders and pulling him close, letting his hands roam over Sonny's chest and belly and shivering despite the warmth of Sonny’s skin.

Sonny arched and pressed his lips to Levi’s throat. The kiss was soothing and sweet, belying the charged air around them. Levi buried his face in Sonny's neck and breathed deeply, losing himself. Bella’s death loomed dark and sinister in the back of his mind, but a part of him was in the present, in the moment, and totally consumed by the lithe, young body in his arms.

I could stay here forever.

Sonny squirmed. Levi raised his head and loosened his grip. Sonny turned and shoved at his T-shirt. “You’re wearing too many clothes.”

“Oh, yeah?” Levi absorbed the sensation of looking Sonny in the eye for the first time since he’d walked out of the storeroom at the club two nights ago. Took in his light, sardonic grin and all-seeing hazel gaze. The cameras, the lights, and all the watching eyes faded away, and he felt lighter, like Sonny was all he’d ever needed to see. He tilted his head. “Watcha gonna do about it?”

Undress him with his teeth, it seemed, while Rex entertained himself.

Levi shuddered beneath Sonny’s wicked mouth. In the weeks leading up to the shoot, he’d fretted that his dick would let him down. Needlessly, as it turned out. Sonny took Levi's nipple in his mouth, but instead of teasing Levi the way he had in the storeroom, he bit down, and the surge of exhilarating pleasure went straight to Levi’s cock.

Levi kicked his jeans away and jumped off the couch, taking Sonny with him in one smooth, agile movement. Rex moved to stand behind him, but Levi ignored him for now, distracted by Sonny and the sight of him without a stitch of clothing. He’d never seen him naked before.

Wow
. Levi’s tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. It seemed Sonny had tattoos everywhere. Levi leaned forward, straining to see the ink at the base of his cock. What was it? A cross? A heart?

His staring didn’t go unnoticed. Sonny ran his tongue over his lips. “See something you like?”

Hell, yeah
. “Maybe,” Levi said. “Come here.”

Levi led him back to the couch and sat down, pulling him over to straddle his chest. He stared at Sonny’s dick. The tattoo was a tiny star with the words
no fear
running through it. Levi raised a curious eyebrow, but it wasn’t the time for talking. He looked up and met Sonny’s eyes again, then, without warning, took him deep into his mouth.

Sonny jolted and let out a surprised groan. “Fuck!”

Levi grinned around Sonny's dick. A rush of victory teased his gut. He had the upper hand. Finally, he’d caught Sonny off guard. He opened his throat and let Sonny in. His scene partners were often surprised he gave them head, like they expected him to sit back and be worshipped, but in truth it was something he enjoyed, something he knew he was good at. With the right dude it was exciting and fun.

With Sonny?

It was incredible.

Sonny gripped the back of the couch with one hand. The other found its way to Levi’s face, rubbing Levi's cheek in time with Levi’s tongue on his cock. “Fuck, yeah. Suck that dick.”

The words were classic porn, but his tone gave Levi pause. He slowed his mouth and looked up in the same moment Sonny glanced down. Their eyes met, and what passed between them was so quietly profound Levi almost didn’t notice Rex's dark silhouette appearing behind Sonny.

Almost.

Rex buried his face in Sonny’s ass. Sonny cringed and rolled his eyes. Levi hid his smirk in Sonny’s balls. He’d been the victim of overenthusiastic rimming himself. It wasn’t the nicest thing in the world, but it was harmless. He took pity on Sonny and tried to make up for it by going to town on his cock.

For a while, the only sounds in the room were the squeak of the couch and the low, throaty rumble of Sonny’s moans. Levi gripped his hips, holding him firm, and reveled in the feel of sweat dripping down Sonny’s torso and onto his hands. Whatever was going on behind him, with Sonny’s dick in his mouth, it was all too easy to ignore what Rex was doing to him. All too easy to forget Rex was there at all and pretend it was just the two of them, the way Levi knew it should’ve been all along.

The stinging sound of a hard slap pierced the air. Sonny cried out, staggering on his knees. Rex struck him again and shoved his other hand forward. Levi couldn’t see where it went, but he could guess.

Sonny cringed, the discomfort in his face clear. He dug his fingers into the couch, ducked his head, and hid in the crook of Levi’s shoulder. Levi pulled his mouth from Sonny's cock with a wet pop. He found Rex’s eyes and shook his head. “Easy.”

Rex grabbed Sonny by the back of the neck and yanked him away from Levi. “Nah, he likes it, don’t ya? You’re gonna love it when I tear you up, bitch. I can’t wait to nail this tight little ass. Levi’s gonna love it too. I know what he likes.”

He raised his hand to slap Sonny again. The leer on his face was nothing Levi hadn’t seen before, but something inside him snapped. He was damned sick of being told what he liked, what he was.
Who
he was. Bella, Sonny, Rex. It didn’t seem to matter. What the hell did they know? A red haze descended over his vision, and all the rage he’d repressed over the last few days, months…years, boiled over.

No. Fucking. Way.

He kicked out. His foot connected with Rex’s abdomen and sent him flying. Sonny yelped in surprise, falling off the sofa in a heap. His labored breaths disturbed the stunned silence. Levi scrambled to his feet, hauled Sonny back onto the couch, and stood in front of him. “Enough.”

His command was directed at Rex, who stood doubled over, his eyes wild, but Levi meant it for anyone who cared to listen. The scene was over, done.

No one was touching Sonny again.

Rex charged forward, his body colliding with Levi as they met in the middle of the set. Rex was a big guy—a big angry guy—but Levi was madder, incensed with a blinding rage that turned his whole world red. Over and over, his fist connected with Rex’s face. He felt the warmth of blood seep through his fingers, but he didn’t care. Rex had attacked the only man who’d made him smile in years. The only man with a hope of seeing past the bullshit that weighed him down. To his grief-stricken mind…his heart, there was no greater sin.

Rex grappled with him, attempting to flip them over. When it didn’t work, he kicked out, catching Levi in the stomach and ribs.

It took five hits to knock the wind from Levi. He paused for breath, letting up his assault, and it was the lull the shouting voices and grasping hands needed. The next thing he knew, two heavy bodies restrained him, and Sonny was nowhere to be seen.

Chapter Thirteen

Jon slammed the office door, bracing himself against it and using his weight to propel Levi farther into the room. “Damn it, Levi. Calm the fuck down.”

Levi wrestled himself out of his grasp and took a step back. Away from the set and Rex, his anger was fading fast, but he still didn’t trust himself not to take a swing at Jon. He’d punched Rex on his ass twice before they’d been pulled apart. “Where’s Sonny?”

Jon glared at him for a moment before he turned and yanked open a drawer behind him. He pulled out a pair of sweats and tossed them across the desk. “Is that what this is about? Something going on between you two?”

“What makes you say that?” Levi took the sweats and pulled them on. Somehow, in all the chaos, he’d forgotten he was naked. Blue Boy had that effect on him. He straightened up and winced. His ribs smarted from Rex’s defensive blows.

Jon sighed and sat down, gesturing for Levi to do the same. He didn’t seem surprised when Levi remained on his feet. “You’ve never had a problem with a scene before. I know you didn’t want to bottom, and perhaps I took advantage of knowing how much you needed the cash to persuade you, but I didn’t want this. You have to know that.” He broke off for breath. In his own subtle way, he seemed as worked up as Levi. “I don’t want to see you like this.”

“Like what?”

The door opened. Cam slipped inside. “Okay in here?”

Jon spared him a brief glance. Levi didn’t miss the intensity that passed between them. “Look, if this is about Sonny, then trust me, I get it. It’s hard to see someone you care about with somebody else, but you can’t lash out like this. If you can’t deal with it, you can’t be here.”

“Then maybe I shouldn’t be here.”

Levi strode from the room before Jon could respond.

He drifted to the dressing room to retrieve his things. On his way, he encountered no one. The studio was silent and still, the only sign of the brawl some scattered sofa cushions and an upturned chair. Even the showers were deserted, though that was unsurprising. The three-way made up the whole schedule for the day, and had ended in violence long before anyone had worked up a sweat.

Still, Levi had no desire to linger. He grabbed his bag and left the studio without even stopping to pull on a shirt. He crossed the parking lot to his car, opened the door, and threw his bag in the back. In his peripheral vision, he saw a lone figure sitting at the bus stop across the street.

Sonny.

He felt a strange ache in his chest at the sight of him slumped on the bench with his head in his hands, a pull he couldn’t ignore. He snagged a shirt from his bag and crossed the street. “Hey.” Sonny didn’t look up. Levi reached out and touched his shoulder. “Need a ride?”

Sonny raised his head and squinted through the bright afternoon sun. “From you?”

“Might as well. I’m going your way.”

Sonny’s only reply was a noncommittal grunt. Levi sighed and patted his pockets for his cell phone. It took him a minute to remember he’d left it on Bella’s table. “Look, I’m sorry about today, okay? I wasn’t in a good place, and it got out of hand. I’m sorry you got caught in the middle.”

Sonny nodded. “That’s why you did it? Why you went for Rex? Because you were having a bad day?”

“I guess.”

Sonny let out a short, humorless snort of laughter. “Leave me alone.”

“No.” Levi folded his arms across his chest. “You’ve been all up in my shit for weeks. You don’t get to decide.”

“Yeah, well. Maybe I didn’t even want to be. Maybe Cam told me to. Thought about that?”

“Cam?”

“Why do you think I came after you in the first place?”

“You said you wanted to know who was fucking you.”

“Maybe I lied. What do you want from me, Levi?”

“I want to drive you home.”

Sonny was as stubborn as Levi, maybe even more. Levi knew he was close to toppling the final invisible barrier between them, but he sensed that Sonny needed something from him. Something, anything, to convince him the crazy heat between them was real.

He stepped closer and took Sonny’s hands. “Please?”

They drove to Sonny’s apartment in silence. Levi welcomed it, though he was used to Sonny talking his ear off. His body ached, and his brain felt fried. He needed a few quiet moments to bring the shattered pieces of his mind back together.

He pulled up outside Sonny’s apartment block and shut the engine off. Sonny tore his gaze from the window and let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t get it. I know you didn’t want to do the scene, but I had no idea you were so upset by it.”

Levi retrieved his faithful pack of Marlboro Lights from the glove box. He lit up and blew smoke out of his open window. “I’m not upset.”

Sonny plucked the cigarette from his mouth and took a deep drag of his own. “I don’t believe you.” His voice was tired. For the first time, Levi noticed the line of exhaustion in his young face, like he was the one who hadn’t slept in days. “You’re an asshole, but you’re not a violent asshole.”

“I put you up against the wall the first time you came to my house,” Levi reminded him.

A ghost of a grin flickered across Sonny’s features. “That was because you wanted me.”

Levi let that go. He couldn’t explain
any
of the reactions he had to Sonny, let alone that one. He turned away and stared through the windshield. A part of him wanted to tell Sonny about his momma, but he couldn’t find the words. He’d dealt with Bella by himself for so long it seemed fitting that he dealt with her death on his own. He hadn’t even told AJ.