5. Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER 5
~LEVI~
“ I ’m not dressed to go anywhere,” Starla says in protest as I lead her by the hand out her front door. “Seriously, I’m a mess.”
“We’re not going far,” I assure her. We walk past our cars and across the street to Wyatt and Lia’s house.
“I’m definitely not looking good enough to see your family right now.”
I stop in the middle of the road and tug her to me. God, she molds against me like she was fucking made for me.
“You would look good with the damn plague, Starla. Just trust me here, okay?”
Her eyes roam my face, and finally, she nods once. “Okay.”
I kiss her forehead before setting off again, moving up Wyatt’s driveway to ring the doorbell.
“You’re here!” Lia exclaims when she opens the door.
“Lia, this is Starla,” I say lamely as Lia takes my girl’s hand and happily leads her into the house.
“Duh,” she says with a laugh. “I didn’t get to meet you when you were in town for the show because Wyatt and I were on our honeymoon, but I heard it was ridiculously amazing.”
“Thank you,” Starla says with a smile. “Meredith has told me a bit about you guys.”
“What, my loving brother-in-law hasn’t been singing my praises?” Lia props her hands on her hips and glares at me. “Just kidding.”
“Hi, Starla,” Wyatt says as he holds his hand out to shake hers. “Welcome.”
“Thank you,” Starla replies again. “I’m happy to meet you both, I’m just a little?—”
She looks at me for help, but before I can say anything, Lia jumps in.
“Confused as to why you’re here,” Lia guesses. “Levi called me this morning and explained that he would like to date you properly, which I kind of swooned over if I’m being honest.”
Starla blinks rapidly, still staring at me, and her plump lips part in surprise.
“And he told me about your challenges with being recognized in public, which I can completely understand. I don’t have even a fraction of the celebrity you do, and I’m recognized sometimes, too. Not to mention, my cousin is married to Luke Williams, and we have Will Montgomery and Leo Nash in the family.”
“That’s one intimidating family,” Starla says. “Every time I go to a family function with you guys, it’s like being at the Grammys and the Oscars at the same time.”
“I know,” Lia says with a laugh. “And I’m not rattling all of that off to show off, but to say that I understand your need for privacy and to just go to the grocery store without it being an event.”
“Exactly.” Starla relaxes immensely, and the smile she gives Lia is genuine. This was not a bad idea.
Thank Christ.
“I’m a makeup lover,” Lia continues as she leads Starla to the dining room table that’s covered from end to end with tubes and brushes and more color than the human eye should be able to take in. “I have my own line coming in a few months.”
“I heard,” Starla says, startling Lia. “I can’t wait to try it.”
“Oh, hold please.”
Lia rushes out of the room, running quickly for a girl in bare feet, then returns holding a big, pink shopping bag.
“You can have everything.”
“Holy shit,” Starla says, peeking into the bag. “This is incredible. Thank you so much. I’ll share on my social media.”
The room is silent as Wyatt and I just watch our girls interact. Without a word, my brother passes me a bottle of water. We’re fascinated.
Lia just blinks at Starla, then suddenly, her eyes fill with tears.
“Oh my gosh,” she whispers.
“If you don’t want me to share, I won’t,” Starla quickly says, but Lia shakes her head adamantly as she dabs at the tears.
“You have no idea how that could help me,” she says, her voice thick. “It could be a game changer.”
“I have a feeling I’ll be paying you back for whatever it is we’re about to do.”
“Oh!” Lia laughs and looks over at Wyatt with shiny blue eyes as she pulls her thoughts together. “Focus. Okay, we’re going to give you a disguise.”
Starla scowls. “I can do that on my own. I just wear a hat and some sunglasses. Sometimes, I’ll throw on a wig.”
“Too obvious,” Lia says, shaking her head. “You look like someone in disguise. The whole purpose of a disguise is to blend. To make others think you’re someone else. I’ve got some wigs here that I picked up, and I’m going to show you how to do your makeup and wear the hair so you don’t look like Starla anymore, but just the girl next door going on a date with your boyfriend.”
“He’s not?—”
“Doesn’t matter,” Lia says with a flick of the wrist, and I can’t help but smile at my brother, who’s also chuckling. I bet Starla doesn’t have many people in her life that just take over.
It’s fun to watch.
“Blond or brunette?” Lia asks her. “The hair color will affect the makeup.”
Starla glances at me. “Do you have a preference?”
“Plague,” I repeat, making her laugh. “You choose.”
“Let’s go brunette. I haven’t done that in more than a decade.”
“Brunette it is,” Lia says with glee. “Oh my God, this is so fun. Now, this is how you apply the wig so it doesn’t look like a wig.”
“It’s a good thing you’re across the street,” Starla says dubiously. “I have a feeling this is going to include a steep learning curve.”
“I’ve got you, friend. Now, hold it like this…”
“I can’t believe it,” Starla says an hour later as we sit in my vehicle, driving toward downtown Seattle. “I look so different. ”
“It’s amazing,” I agree as I glance her way. The brunette wig is short, just hitting her collarbones. It has bangs, but the hair looks natural.
Lia applied the makeup with a light hand while changing Starla’s features just enough that a person might say, “ you look like…” but not believe that she’s actually Starla.
“Lia’s one talented woman,” Starla says as she tucks the mirror away and relaxes in the seat. “Where are we going?”
“Have you been to Pike’s Place Market?”
“No, I was supposed to go there a few days ago with Mer, but we got sidetracked buying out Chanel. I’ve always wanted to see it.”
“I thought we’d roam around the market for a while, and then the Space Needle, unless you’ve done that before and you’d rather do something else.”
“Never done it,” she confirms with a firm shake of the head. “I’ve only seen the outside.”
“Well then, you’re about to be a tourist, beautiful lady.”
She smiles with excitement. “Wait. You have to call me Beth today. To go with the disguise.”
“That might be hard to remember. What if you don’t respond to it when I call for you?”
“I will. It’s my real name.” She says it like it’s no big deal, but this is news to me.
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. Beth Anne March. That’s my given name.”
“Huh. How did you come up with Starla?”
“I read it in a book when I was a kid and liked it.” She shrugs. “So, when I moved to LA to pursue the music, I changed it legally. On paper, I’m Starla Mason.”
“Where is your family?”
She frowns but doesn’t answer, and I can feel by the shift in the air that this isn’t a subject she wants to talk about. I’m a cop. I know when someone’s evading or dodging. I would normally let it go, but I’m falling in love with this woman, and I want to know everything there is to know about her.
“If you don’t want to talk about it today, that’s fine,” I say and feel her sigh in relief. “But we’ll come back to it. I want to know everything there is to know, the good and the bad.”
“That’s fair,” she says and clears her throat. “I’m having a great day, and I’d like to keep it that way, so do you mind if we shelve this for now?”
“No. I don’t mind.” I take her hand in mine and kiss her knuckles just before I pull into a parking garage. I find a spot, hurry around the car to open Starla’s door, then lace her fingers with mine and lead her down the steep hill to the market below.”
“Wait, I have to take a picture of this.” She stops me halfway down the hill and snaps a photo of the iconic Market sign with the Sound in the background.
“Alki is right over there.” I point straight ahead at the beach across from us.
“Wow, it looks so far away.” She sniffs the air. “Do I smell donuts?”
“You have the nose of a bloodhound.”
“I do when it comes to donuts,” she agrees. “And Mer told me about tiny donuts to die for.”
“They aren’t just a legend.” I wrap my arm around her shoulders and kiss the top of her wig as she loops her arm around my waist. “I’ll buy you all the donuts you want, babe.”
“Nice.” She smiles up at me. “Do we get to see flying fish, too?”
“You already know a lot about the market.”
“Yes, and now I get to see it.” She gives me a squeeze. “Thank you. For all of this. For all of today.”
“You’re welcome.”
The tiny donuts are a hit. She has to try some of every flavor, so we order three dozen of the little treats. I don’t complain; between the two of us, they’ll be gone before we leave here today.
“Holy shit,” she mutters, her mouth full of cinnamon and sugar deliciousness. “So damn good.”
“They’re my favorite.”
“I have to go dance with Jax tomorrow,” she says before taking another bite. “If I don’t, I’ll gain twenty pounds.”
“I think you’ll be okay.” We wander the short distance to where the fish throwers put on a show, and we’re not disappointed as a salmon goes flying through the air. We stand, eat, and watch until the crowd thins out a bit, then we walk on. Street musicians fill the air with songs, and we’re met with the scent of flowers and vegetables as we make our way farther into the covered market, weaving our way through the crowd.
“Oh my God, look that these.” Starla leans down to smell a bunch of flowers and smiles happily. “I’ll take two.”
“Two?”
“One for me, and one for Lia. She earned them.”
Starla’s kind-hearted. The more I’m with her, the more pulled to her I am. My dick is constantly at half-mast, and the slightest touch, the barest glance can set my body on fire.
But more than that, I’m entranced by her sweet nature. Her humor. Her intelligence. Being with Starla is no hardship.
We gather the flowers, pick through the produce to find some favorites, and then make our way back to the car.
“This was incredible. ”
“I’m glad you liked it. We can come back anytime.”
“No one looked twice at me,” she continues. “No side-eyes, no gropes.”
“Wait. People grope you?”
“All the time.” She shrugs as if it’s no big thing, but I’m pissed.
“Why don’t you have security with you all the time?”
She rolls her eyes. “Now you sound like Donald.”
“Who the fuck is Donald?”
“My manager.” She frowns up at me. “I don’t have constant security because I’m a human being who wants to live a normal life.”
We get to the car, and I stow our things in the backseat before sitting next to her and slamming the door.
“I understand how normalcy would be important, but you’re also a megastar, and there are real challenges that come with that.”
“If you think I’m not aware of that?—”
“I know you are, I just think you should have better security.”
“Thank you.” Her voice is calm, surprising me. “Thank you for caring enough about me to worry. It means more than you know.”
She takes my hand and presses it against her cheek before kissing my palm. I went from DEFCON 6 to calm in three seconds.
She’s amazing.
“I’m always careful. And now I have magic makeup powers to help disguise myself when I want to go to the market with my boyfriend. ”
She’s smirking, but her eyes are serious as she watches for my reaction.
I lean over and press my lips to hers, softly. Sweetly.
“I’ll never let anything happen to you,” I promise. “Ever.”
“I know.”
“And then we went to the Space Needle.” Starla’s standing next to Natalie in the kitchen, sampling the yellow peppers from the salad. “And we could see forever. ”
“The view up there is incredible,” Natalie agrees with a grin. She’s stirring something on the stove. Luke walks up behind her and kisses her neck, then walks away. “I bet you could see all the way to Oregon on a beautiful day like today.”
“I bet you’re right,” Starla says with a serious nod. “And the best part?”
“Let me guess,” Luke says as he takes a seat next to me at the bar. “No one recognized you.”
“Not one person,” Starla says before doing a little shimmy right there in the kitchen.
Jesus, I want to boost her up onto the countertop and feast on her for dinner.
“Lia’s so good,” Nat says. “Seriously, if I didn’t already know you, I don’t think I could have picked you out of a lineup.”
“It’s amazing because what she did was so subtle. It’s all about contouring and shading.” Starla takes another bite of pepper. “How do you deal with the attention, Luke?”
Luke frowns and takes a sip from his glass of beer. “I didn’t deal well, let me tell you.”
“That’s how we met,” Nat says with a laugh. “He assaulted me on Alki Beach.”
“Would you please stop telling people that?”
“No way.” Nat sets her spoon aside and turns to Starla. “I was taking photos one morning… not of him?—”
“It looked like the lens was pointed at me.”
“—and suddenly he rips my camera away from me and threatens to kill me if I don’t delete the photos.”
“You’re getting a spanking,” Luke says with a sigh. “I never threatened to kill you.”
“Okay, but he threatened legal action. And he tried to steal my camera.”
“I’ve never heard this story,” I say with a laugh, picturing it in my head. “This could be the best how-did-you-meet story I’ve ever heard.”
“I had to flip through the photos to prove to him that he wasn’t on there. He’s a little full of himself.”
“Natalie,” Luke warns, making his wife giggle.
“Actually, in all seriousness, Luke had a lot of anxiety about being recognized. That’s why he was pissed when he saw me taking the photos. He thought I was the press.”
“I get it,” Starla says with a nod. “It sucks. I would think it’s better in Seattle than LA, though.”
“It is,” Luke confirms. “But it still happens, especially back then when the Nightwalker movies were still fresh in everyone’s mind.”
“I freaking loved those movies,” Starla says with an excited smile. “You were a hot vampire.”
Luke squirms in his seat, making Natalie laugh.
“Anyway, I didn’t recognize him,” Nat says. “I had no idea who this nut job was, aside from a handsome weirdo.”
“Darling, you cut me to the core.”
Nat waves him off.
“Have you ever done the disguise thing?” I ask him.
“No. I just became a recluse. And as time goes on, I’m recognized less. Or, people just leave me alone.”
“It helps that he’s behind the camera now instead of in front of it,” Nat adds.
“Unless I want to be a songwriter and not the singer, I don’t have that luxury,” Starla says with a sigh. “And I don’t mean to sound like I’m complaining. I’m not. I have a crazy, luxurious life.”
“We understand,” Nat says with a supportive pat to Starla’s back. “You’re not ungrateful. You’re cautious. Because whether you like it or not, you’ve traded a good portion of your privacy for celebrity. And even with all of the benefits, there are some pitfalls.”
“Some of them can be scary,” Luke adds. “But you’re a smart woman, Star, and you’ve been doing this a long time.”
“Yeah.” She sighs, and I can tell that something is running through her gorgeous brain.
“What is it?” I ask.
“I wonder how a person knows when it’s time to slow down.”
“That’s up to you,” Nat replies. “Leo didn’t start to slow down until this year after Sam finally drew a line in the sand. She wants the luxury of living with her husband. But she also understands that the job is important to him.”
“Will’s in the same boat,” Luke adds. “I think there comes a time for everyone when they start to really think about what’s most important. And it’s okay if those things change over time.”
“Boy,” Starla says with a sigh. “This is a deep conversation. But thanks for listening. I guess I needed to talk to someone else who gets it, you know?”
“Oh, I get it,” Luke assures her. “And I’m always here, just up the street, if you want to talk about it more.”
“Thanks. Hey, don’t you have a million kids? Where are they?”
“At Luke’s parents,” Nat says. “Trust me, it’s better this way.”
“I like kids,” Starla says but won’t meet my eyes. “But this is good, too.”
“I’m starving.” I change the subject on purpose. It’s time to lighten things up around here. But when I have Starla to myself, I have a list of questions for her.
“Dinner’s ready,” Nat says. “Let’s eat.”