by Leigh, Ember
“Thought you might appreciate it.”
A sexy smirk curled at his lips, his warm honey gaze heating her to her core. “More than you know.”
Chapter 26
The next week blurred by in the closest thing to domestic bliss Levi had ever experienced. Coming home after training had always been more of a necessary routine. No matter how much Levi wanted to head to the bar or go blow money on new electronics after work like the rest of the world, he’d always had to come home. Help with homework. Get dinner ready. Take care of Gage.
His life wasn’t different in that respect out in LA. He still had to do all those things, and he never begrudged his brother his time. But now, he was eager to get home. Because getting home meant Riley being there.
And for all the ways it confused him and made him nervous, Riley formed the perfect new addition to his family.
It was easy to get swept away. Levi learned that real fast. The current had carried him so far away that by the time he had another open-to-the-public training session and Titi showed up, he realized he still had this beast of an issue to deal with.
Levi was good at compartmentalizing. It had allowed him to trod forward after his parents’ death. Allowed him to reign with an iron fist over his brother’s diet while allowing his own self-destruction on wild nights out. And it had allowed him to bask in the sweet fantasy of Riley without figuring out a solution for Titi. A path forward.
Titi made a beeline for him the second the doors opened. Levi wasn’t fighting today, since it was a bit too close to his match, but he’d probably throw in a surprise round with an unsuspecting student, just for shits and giggles.
“Levi.” Titi jogged up to him, her breasts bouncing under her crop top. She was every man’s fantasy. Even Levi’s, at one point. But not anymore.
“What up, Titi?” He only glanced her way, trying to keep the line in the sand clear. Riley wasn’t scheduled to take pictures today, but with Titi so close, he worried she’d spontaneously appear. Spectators trickled into the gym, men and women alike. They hadn’t been speaking thirty seconds, and already, most eyes were focused on them.
“You want to go out tonight?” she asked, cocking her head so her long, white-blonde ponytail flicked over the edge of her shoulder. “A few friends and I are heading to the Hills. You should come.”
Levi propped his hands on his hips, staring at the floor. The answer had to be no.
“Marcus says that we should at least have one night out together,” she added in a lower voice. “We haven’t even had a public appearance yet.”
Levi scraped at his top lip with his teeth. Fuck. There was no way he could sneak out on Riley tonight to head into the Hills. That was the Mount Vesuvius of deception waiting to happen. “Uh…I’m not sure I can tonight.” He scratched the back of his neck. He couldn’t dodge this shit forever. He needed to find a solution. “Let me get ahold of you, okay?”
She nodded, searching his face with wide, blue eyes. “Of course. I’ll give you my number.”
Levi locked up at the suggestion, scanned the gym, and then tugged his phone out of his pocket. This seemed like the only way to get her off his back until he could figure out a plan. Titi relayed her number, leaning so close, the tip of her ponytail brushed his forearm. When she was done, she looked up at him with doe eyes and parted lips.
“Text me soon,” she whispered and reached up to touch his hair. Levi watched her, stunned, and forced a laugh.
“Hands off the mane, Titi,” he said, and she winked and got lost in the crowd.
The encounter left him with a knot in his gut. It only tightened when he found Lex watching him from the side of the octagon, his black brows knit in confusion.
Levi didn’t need to talk to him to know the question on Lex’s mind. He jogged that way.
“You two are, like…?” Lex began.
“No, dude. It’s not like that.” Levi ran a hand through his hair, scanning the crowd, double checking that Riley wasn’t there. He hadn’t done anything wrong. Yet he knew how wrong this all truly was. “She wants to hang, but I’m not down for that.”
“Okay.” Lex searched his face, like he wasn’t entirely convinced. “Cool.”
Travis showed up a minute later, a few students trailing behind him. A couple fans crowded around Levi, wanting his autograph. He hopped down from the ledge of the octagon to sign their fight tickets and one guy’s HOLT shirt.
When Levi looked up, his skin prickled. Riley weaved through the crowd toward him, a bright smile on her face. Levi’s insides crumpled with relief at the same time his organs went tight with anxiety. How long had she been here? He thanked his fans before meeting her halfway, pulling her into his arms.
“Missed you,” he said into the top of her head.
“I missed you more,” she shot back.
“You taking pictures today, or are you just happy to see me?” he asked, looking down at the bag trapped between their bodies.
“I’m actually on my way to the studio, but I wanted to come say hi.” Riley had been working at the studio a lot lately, which meant some nights they didn’t see each other. The nights they spent apart felt strange. Like a night away from Gage would feel. Like he’d had Riley in his life for years instead of weeks.
“Hi,” Levi said.
“Hi,” Riley said, laughing as he pressed his forehead to hers.
“You comin’ over later?” he asked.
“I think so. I actually have a lot of editing to do today and a meeting with a new client.” Her face shone with excitement. “I actually have a few new clients this week. I can’t believe it.”
“I can.” Levi laced his fingers through hers.
“Well, it doesn’t hurt that you tagged my business in your Instagram post last week I guess,” Riley said. “Thanks for the signal boost. I need to start surveying people to see how many clients you’re sending my way. I’ve even got a social media gig coming up.”
“Social media gig?”
“Yeah, like, a lifestyle shoot. Except all the pictures will be used for this influencer’s social media account.”
Levi and Riley chatted until Lex interrupted them, pulling Levi away like he was a kid not wanting to leave a candy store. Once Riley left, Levi settled into the familiar pace of the Holt fight ticket, offering feedback and watching the other fights.
But his mind wouldn’t stop homing in on the Titi dilemma. The dilemma he himself had signed into action and was now legally responsible to uphold. The clock was ticking. He needed to do something fast. Titi would keep showing up. Levi could only dodge her for so long.
Rumors would swirl regardless. And after today, Lex already had suspicions—Levi read them all over his face. Maybe other people had taken pictures, and those pictures would eventually leak. He could see this ending a thousand different ways, all of them horrible.
As soon as training was done for the day, Levi sat in his SUV and called Marcus. With the air blasting and the hip-hop music humming softly through the speakers, his palms went hot once Marcus answered.
“Heeey, Levi!” His forced-jovial voice grated on Levi today.
“Hi, Marcus,” Levi said, pressing the back of his head against the seat. This was going to be a difficult conversation. Mostly because Levi still didn’t entirely know what the solution would be. “How’s it going?”
“Sunny and seventy-five as always,” he joked. “What can I do for you?”
“I’m calling about Titi.” He paused, palms getting sweaty. “I don’t know if I can do this, man.”
“Do what?”
“The agreement.” Levi swallowed a knot of anxiety. “I told you things had changed. And they’ve really changed. I’m in love with someone. I don’t want to fuck that up.”
Marcus was quiet for a long time. So long that Levi worried they’d been disconnected.
“You there?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m here.” Marcus’s voice sounded curt now, all the former joviality twisted int
o disdain. “So what are you suggesting right now?”
“I want to know how I can get out of this,” Levi said, rubbing at his forehead. “I’m sorry. I signed too soon. I haven’t touched the money, so I can give it back.”
Marcus sighed, tutting. “Oh, no. It’s not that easy, Levi. You signed the agreement.”
“Yeah, I know. But now I’ve changed my mind. Don’t people change their minds?”
“They do. We have provisions for this.” He paused. “But you’re not going to like the options.”
“What are they?”
On the other end of the connection, papers rustled and a chair creaked. “We have a kill fee. That’s probably your fastest option.”
“Okay, how much?”
“A million.”
Levi pinched his eyes shut. He didn’t have that. Not even close. Not even a GoFundMe could help cover the costs. What would the campaign say? Help bail me out of a stupid contract I signed because I wanted to be famous? “Wow.”
“Yeah. There’s that, or if you still choose to not honor the terms of your contract, we’ll come after you. Plain and simple. And the legal battle will be very expensive. Very drawn out. Very consuming.”
Levi grimaced, shaking his head. Marcus was right. He didn’t like any of these options. “Got it.”
“So to me, Levi, it seems like the path of least resistance is to go along with the agreement we signed.” That bright tone had returned to his voice. “You’ll find love again. Don’t worry. You’re young and attractive. Whoever it is will fade from memory, and you’ll find someone better, someone hotter, in no time.”
Like that was supposed to make him feel better. Levi gritted his teeth, feeling one thousand percent helpless.
“So you’re still in right, buddy?”
Levi squeezed his eyes shut, only seeing Riley. He couldn’t lose her, and he wasn’t moving on. There had to be some way to have his cake and rake in the money, too.
“Yeah. I’m still in.”
He just needed more time to figure out what it was.
Chapter 27
A week and a half out from the final, Levi made a rule.
No more spending the nights together.
Riley understood why the rule had to be made. She knew that it was only temporary. That after the fight, their blissful pseudo-married life would continue.
But it still stung. Especially because it meant they’d only get to see each other at the scheduled work events. Practices at the gym. The pre-fight weigh in. And the league final itself.
Riley started missing Levi within three hours of the decision. She knew she had to throw herself into her work. She had plenty of it waiting for her at the studio, because business had finally—FINALLY—been picking up. Still not enough to sustain her once Levi’s contract ended, but she could see the light at the end of the tunnel.
She was making it, doing entirely what she loved doing.
“Oh, hi.” John Stamos’s sweet vowels made Riley look up from her enormous computer screen as she sat at the front desk editing head shots from a recent session with an LA-based writer. A man she didn’t know walked in, his sleeves rolled halfway up his arm and his khakis betrayed his business-casual spirit. Riley offered a smile.
“Hi there,” she chirped.
The man sent her a polite smile, taking off his sunglasses. “Are you Riley Montagne?”
“I am.” Butterflies swirled to life in her belly, but she couldn’t tell why. It was no hard feat to find out she owned this studio. The sign outside said her name.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He surged forward, offering his hand. “I’m Teddy Wilcox. Huge fan of your work.”
She blinked about a million times, the words refusing to make sense. “Y…You are?”
“Oh yeah.” He folded up his glasses, sliding them into the breast pocket of his shirt. “I’ve been following you for a while. Finally, my schedule lined up so I could come check out your work for myself.”
“Oh. Please do!” Her entire body went Jell-O-y, and she almost fell off the stool she’d been using to edit photos. She gestured around at the studio, inviting him to peruse. “Take your time. I’m editing pictures. Let me know if you have any questions.”
Her own voice sounded strained and desperate as she replayed her words in her head. God, she didn’t know how to act around fans. Well, her one fan. She bit her lip, trying to keep in a squeal. She had a fan! She wanted to text Levi immediately—tell him maybe she’d start signing autographs like him soon—but she should wait. Let the man look around. Stop herself from jumping on his back and demanding he share every last detail about how he came to find her.
Teddy walked the perimeter of the studio with his hands in his pockets, pausing in front of each grouping of photos. Sometimes he’d say “Hm” and move along. Other times he’d stay so long in front of a certain frame that she wondered if he actually hated it.
“There isn’t much sports photography here,” Teddy finally said once he’d made his way back to her desk.
“Oh,” she said, tucking some hair behind her ear. “Yeah. The sports photography is more recent. I haven’t really had a chance to put anything together yet.”
“Do you have more samples of that style of photography?” Teddy asked.
“Oh, God. I have a billion,” she laughed, pushing to standing. “Come back into my dark room. I’ll show you what we’re working with.”
She breezed into the back room, flipping on the lights. She’d done a huge batch of film developing recently, both personal and sports photos, and the pictures still hung from the wire. Damn near a hundred pictures, dried and ready for the light of day.
“Don’t you normally use a DSLR?” Teddy asked, squinting at the photos as he started checking out the photos.
“Yeah, primarily the Mark IV,” she said. “But I do specifically work with film to catch the dreamier side of the sport,” she said, pointing out a particular photo. “Like here. I shot half of this practice session with film and the other half with digital. I think the film photos came out a hundred times better, because they capture the motion, but there’s still something left to our imagination. Digital is too crisp. It steals the ethereal quality.”
Teddy nodded, shuffling along the line of the work station as he checked out more pictures. Riley picked at her cuticle, waiting for him to say anything. She’d been rather proud of that impromptu explanation. Surely her fan would cherish this moment. Maybe he’d journal about it later. The Day I Met Riley Montagne and Received Private Thoughts from Her.
“And these?” Teddy stopped and pointed to some of the pictures hanging on the line. Riley’s mouth parted when she saw what he was looking at.
Levi and Gage in the kitchen, both mid-laugh. Levi pinching one eye shut, bed sheets rumpled behind him. Gage sending the camera a mock serious look, the barely-there smile tugging at the corners of his lips in an expression that looked just like Levi.
“Uh, what about them?” she asked, her heart rate picking up. She’d forgotten they were here. Fuck fuck fuck.
“I’m interested in more photos like these.” Teddy had a peculiar smile on his face as he turned to face her. Something shifted between them. Something to make Riley think that maybe he’d used the word “fan” loosely.
“Those aren’t actually for public consumption,” Riley said quickly, stepping back so it was clear they should leave. “The sports photography ones are, but those—”
“Let me be clear.” A plasticized smile crested Teddy’s face. “I work with some of the biggest names in entertainment, including all the active publications out there who are paying big bucks for photos like these. Your name keeps coming up in my circle. Probably because Levi’s name keeps coming up.” He rapped his knuckles against the workstation, his gaze dragging back to the picture of Levi and Gage in the kitchen. “I can see that you have a very particular entry point to this budding star, and that’s the sort of access we’re willing to pay real money for.”<
br />
His veiled suggestion came down on her like a sledgehammer. She wanted to puke. “I’m sorry. What exactly are you looking for?”
“There are lots of people out there who are very, very interested in getting their hands on photos of Levi in settings like these. We all know how private the man is, despite being one of the biggest fools.”
“He’s not a fool—”
“A fool for the limelight,” Teddy clarified. “But there is a lot of opportunity available to the photographer who can bring these photos to light.”
“You want me to sell his private images without his consent?”
“Get his consent if you want. It doesn’t matter to me. But you should know how much money you’re leaving on the table.” That seedy grin returned, and Teddy fished something out of his wallet. He handed her a business card. “I want you to really think about this. Levi’s another star in the machine of Hollywood. And a lot of people depend on this machine for paying rent, getting food on the table. He knows it. We all know it. Nobody’s going to blame you if you slide a few pictures our way now and then.”
“I could never do that,” Riley blurted, staring at the business card in her fingers. She wanted to throw it away, but she couldn’t force her limbs to work. “He’s a good person. He doesn’t deserve that.”
“Like I said, it’s not about deserving it. It’s about putting food on the table. Getting your name out there. Haven’t you ever considered getting featured in a gallery exhibit?”
“It’s my dream,” Riley said, “but—”
“Photographers who work with us have their pick of any opportunity they can dream of,” Teddy said. He rapped his knuckles on the table again and started for the door. “Think about that. Okay? Your pictures would look great on display. I bet you’d rake in thirty thou easily.”
The number was a punch to her gut, but not in the inspirational way. It felt like a bad car salesman adding on at the end that the car had only been wrecked twice.
“Think about things,” Teddy said, glancing back at her as he headed for the front door. Riley could only stare after him. “We’ll work really well together; I can feel it.”