Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Abby
Nerves gather in my stomach, making me nauseous, and I don’t know if I can do this anymore.
I initially wanted to wait until after the chase with #Notaserialkiller to tell Landon and Levi why I left, mainly so they would still go through with it.
And I wonder distractedly if I should speak to them together or do it separately.
But no, I’ve decided I’ll tell them together today—just rip the bandage off in one go.
“Morning, sunshine,” Levi says, strolling into the kitchen in his tiny shorts that leave little to the imagination. His skin glistens with sweat after his run, and damn, he is fine. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I say, shaking my head. “Is Landon up?”
“No, he went out last night and had a wee bit too much to drink. He will be out cold for a few more hours.”
Shit, he was going to film some clips with me this morning. “Oh, okay. I guess he changed his mind about helping me with content.”
“I doubt it, Abs. He wants to know why you left us and will do whatever it takes to get answers. But if you need help, I’m here and have nothing to do.”
I look at him and see the goofy, funny guy I fell for in college, and all those emotions come back.
“Hey, don’t cry, you know I hate tears.” He walks over to me and wraps his arms around me. “I know whatever made you walk away must have been serious, but it’s in the past. Now I just want to start fresh. I miss you, Abby, and I miss being able to talk to you.”
Brushing away a tear, I sniffle. “I miss you, too—I really do. If you want to help, I would love that.”
“Fuck yes,” he says, and it makes me laugh. I’ve missed him more than I would have ever admitted to myself.
“So here’s the thing,” I say, pulling back from him. “I’m going to need you to do something for me while we’re filming.”
“Anything,” he says.
“Don’t ask questions, just play along. Can you handle that?”
“Abby, I was born to handle that.” He grins, and I shake my head at his cockiness.
“Of course you were. Let me make some breakfast before we start.”
“Let me make us some breakfast,” Levi says, already moving toward the kitchen.
“Levi, no,” I laugh out. “A protein shake is not breakfast.”
“I will have you know that I have learned to cook in the last few years. Now I make a mean omelet,” he says, pulling out a pan and some eggs with exaggerated confidence.
As he moves around the kitchen purposefully, it’s clear he’s not joking—he can actually cook. Within fifteen minutes, he’s plating two perfectly cooked omelets with cheese and vegetables.
“Okay, I’m impressed,” I admit, taking a bite. “This is actually really good.”
“I know,” he says, sitting down across from me. “Domestic Levi is a thing now. Landon says I’m becoming soft.”
“You’re not soft,” I reply. “You’re just growing up.”
We eat in comfortable silence, and I try to memorize this moment. After today, after I tell them what really happened, everything is going to change. But they deserve an explanation, especially now that I think this whole thing may have been orchestrated by that whore.
Once we’re done eating, I leave Levi to clean up while I get dressed. I pull on my leather Catwoman outfit—it hugs my curves perfectly, making me feel sexy—then grab my mask from my room and head back downstairs.
Levi is waiting in the living room, and when he sees me, his jaw drops.
“Jesus, Abby.” He’s practically panting.
“Don’t start drooling on the carpet,” I joke. “We haven’t even started filming yet.”
“How am I supposed to focus when you look like that?” he says with a laugh.
“You’re going to have to figure it out, Kane. If you’re on camera with your tongue hanging out, I’m going to look like I’m chasing a dog, not a man.”
“Trust me, I’ve got this,” he says, puffing out his chest.
“Sure you do. At least your face will be blurred out,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Come on, help me set up.”
Levi follows me into the room where I’m going to film. It’s spacious with good natural lighting.
“Let me turn on the security cameras,” Levi says. “They’ll get better angles while you set up your phone.”
He fiddles with the system, and within minutes, multiple camera feeds are running on the TV. I set up my phone on a tripod and do a quick test to make sure the angle is right, then once everything is in place, I turn to Levi.
“Ready?”
“I was born ready, baby,” he says.
I take a breath, settle into character, and press record.
“Have you been a good boy?” I ask him, my voice distorted by the modulator.
“Very good,” Levi responds, playing along perfectly.
“I don’t know if I believe you,” I say, taking a step closer. “I think you’ve been naughty. And you know what happens to naughty boys, don’t you?”
“Why don’t you show me?” he throws back, and maybe he really was made for this.
I lunge for him, and he takes off running through the house. He laughs every time I get close to him, his bare feet pounding against the hardwood as he rounds corners and vaults over furniture.
“You’ll have to catch me first, Catwoman,” he calls over his shoulder, his voice full of amusement.
“Oh, I’m going to catch you,” I say, chasing him up the stairs. “And when I do, you’re going to regret ever thinking you could outrun me.”
“Promises, promises.” He chuckles as he darts down the hallway. “I think you may enjoy chasing me more than you like catching me.”
“Trust me, the catching part is going to be worth the wait,” I say, my breathing heavy. Damn, I’m so unfit—but what did I expect when I asked to chase a freaking pro athlete?!
Levi ducks into his bedroom, and I’m right on his heels. He tries to vault over the bed to create distance between us, but I’m right behind him, and I grab his arm before he can jump.
He spins around, and we’re face to face. He winks at me and my knees go weak. Being this close to a Kane is dangerous.
“You know,” he says, “if you’d told me being chased would turn you on this much, I would have let you catch me a lot sooner.”
“Shut up,” I say with a smile on my face.
“Make me,” he says, the corner of his lips pulling up into a challenging smirk.
As I take a step closer to him, he backs up until his knees hit the bed. I push his willing body down and straddle him, my hands pinning his to the mattress.
“Caught you,” I whisper into his neck.
“Now what do you plan to do with me?” he asks.
I remove my mask and lean down, kissing him. It’s soft at first, a light brush of my lips against his, but then it deepens.
His hands break free from my grip, and he pulls me closer, his fingers threading through my hair.
The kiss becomes heated. I can feel his cock pressing against me, and I grind on him, earning a groan from deep in his chest.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmurs against my neck as he pulls down the top of my outfit, exposing my breasts. He takes one of my nipples into his mouth, and I gasp at the sensation.
I’m completely lost in the moment, his hands and mouth moving over my skin. Levi slides my outfit down my body, and anticipation curls low in my stomach as I lift myself so he can pull it completely off before laying me back on the bed.
I spread my legs for him, and he buries his face between them. His tongue hits all the right spots and, damn, I’ve missed this.
“Oh god, yes,” I gasp out, my hips thrusting against his face. “Just like that.”
The pleasure builds, and I can feel my first non-solo orgasm in forever almost cresting when the door swings open.
Landon stands in the doorway, his expression shifting from confused to shocked as he takes in the scene before him.
I freeze, my orgasm evaporating and my heart thundering in my chest. The last thing I want to do is hurt either of them any more than they have been.
“Landon,” Levi says, pulling away from me. “We were just—”
“Fucking,” Landon says. “I can see that.” He turns and walks away, closing the door behind him.
I quickly grab one of Levi’s shirts from the floor and pull it on. Levi is right behind me as I chase after Landon, along the hallway and down the stairs.
“Landon, please let me explain,” I call out.
He stops at the bottom of the stairs and turns to face us.
“There is no need,” he says. “You’re nothing to us anymore. You can do what you like with whoever you want.”
The words hit right where he intended, but I push through. This is the moment I’ve been dreading since I spoke to Leila.
“Both of you, please go sit down,” I ask them. “It’s time to explain why I left you.”
Landon looks like he’s about to argue, but Levi grabs him by the arm and drags him into the living room.
I take a deep breath and move to stand in front of them. “On the day of the draft, I got a text from an unknown number that said, ‘Do you know what they do when you’re not around?’ Then I got sent a picture.”
I watch their faces closely as I describe the photo in detail—the way Levi was naked and Anastasia was dressed but touching him, and how Landon was behind her with his hand around her neck.
“I called you,” I say, looking at Levi. “Actually, I called Landon first, but he didn’t answer. So I called you. All I could hear was moaning, then you asked if she was coming. She said yes, and the line went dead.”
Levi’s face has gone pale and Landon’s jaw is clenched tight, but neither interrupts me.
“I felt like my entire world had collapsed,” I continue. “I was so angry, hurt, and humiliated. So I blocked you both and never looked back.”
“Abby,” Levi starts, but I hold up my hand.
“Let me finish,” I say. “I spent years believing you had both betrayed me. That you chose her over me. I thought we meant nothing, and I hated you both so much I couldn’t even think about you without feeling sick.” Landon stands up, his fists bunched at his sides.
“So you ghosted us?” he says, anger lacing his tone. “You didn’t even give us a chance to explain. You just disappeared?”
“Yes, I did,” I whisper. “I was wrong, but I didn’t know until recently.”
“What changed?” Levi asks, his voice hollow.
“Leila,” I say. “I called her last night and told her everything. She may have pieced the truth together.”
Both men look furious, making my heart pound wildly and panic claw at my chest.
“Leila thinks Anastasia orchestrated the whole thing,” I continue. “The photo, the phone call, everything. I think she’s right. I think she sent me that photo and set up that call to get rid of me, and it worked.”
“Jesus Christ.” Levi drags his hand down his face and stands up too. “You mean to tell me you’ve hated us all this time because of something Anastasia did? Something we didn’t even know happened?”
“I know how stupid that sounds,” I say, tears streaming down my face. “But I truly believed what I heard and saw, and I was so damn hurt and scared. I made a choice in the moment that destroyed all of us.”
Landon runs his hand through his hair, pacing back and forth.
“Do you have any idea what that felt like for us?” he says, his voice breaking with emotion.
“Do you know how many times I went over that day in my head trying to figure out what I did wrong? How many times Levi and I analyzed every conversation we had ever had with you trying to understand why you left?”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I’m so sorry.”
“Sorry doesn’t fix it,” Landon snaps. “Sorry doesn’t bring back what we lost.”
“I know,” I say. “And I’m not asking for forgiveness. Only for you to understand why I did what I did.”
Levi looks between his brother and me, his expression torn. “Did you ever think to ask us?” he says quietly. “That maybe there was an explanation? That we deserved the benefit of the doubt?”
“Not really,” I say honestly. “I just wanted to forget you both. To pretend that my heart didn’t shatter into a million tiny pieces that day.”
Landon stops pacing and glares at me. “Why even bother telling us now? Besides the fact that you were using it as blackmail to get me to do porn.”
“Because seeing you again made me realize I never moved on,” I admit aloud. “And because you deserve to know the truth.”
The room goes quiet.
Landon’s jaw flexes as he processes everything I’ve told him. Levi stares at his hands, his expression unreadable, which is not something I ever thought possible.
Finally, Landon speaks. “I’m sorry,” he says quietly.
“I shouldn’t be angry at you—I should be angry at Anastasia.
And I should have listened to you when you told me you felt jealous of her.
You told us something was off about the way she acted around us.
You were right about her, and instead of believing you, I defended her.
I chose her over you.” He looks at me with eyes full of regret. “That’s on me, Abby. That’s on me.”
I glance between them, feeling the weight of years of pain and misunderstanding finally lifting.
“I know I don’t deserve this,” I say quietly, “but I’m asking anyway. Can we try to be friends? Can we try to move past this?”
Levi lets out a laugh and pulls me into a hug. “Just try to stop me,” he says. “Abs, I’ve missed you too much. Friends, friends with benefits—whatever you want to call it, I’m in.”
Landon watches us for a moment, then he reaches out and pulls both Levi and me into his arms.
“Yeah, let’s be friends.”