Amiyah’s cheeks flush red and she looks away. “Yes, but he’ll tell my father, and my father is not the forgiving type.”
I roll my eyes. “Come on, whatever your name is. If anyone asks, you were here with me, got it?” He nods, stepping beside me as I tangle our arms together. I hear a door slam behind me, and I let out a small breath.
“Get your fucking hands off of her,” Beckett growls.
Of course.Of course.I stick my middle finger up at him over my shoulder, clutching—I want to say Dalton, but that doesn’t seem right—closer to me. He shakes like a leaf. Poor thing. He’s in the lion’s den. I hear heavy footsteps behind me, before I come to a stop when I’m met with another broody figure. “Move,” I tell Vance.
He crosses his arms, looking the poor, shaking lamb on my arm over. “I don’t think I will.”
“I don’t know what your problem is, but if you don’t move in half a second, I’ll smash your camera.”
Vance grins. “Good one. You can go, but if I were you, I’d run.”
Not looking over my shoulder, I hustle down the stairs, pulling Prim’s conquest with me and shoving him out the front door. “Run,” I whisper to him, slamming the door.
Spinning around, I come face to chest with Beckett. “Why was he touching you?”
“That feels kind of obvious to me, but if you want the details, I can—”
“Shut up,” he growls.
I lean up on my tippy-toes so I can come face to face with him. “Are you jealous?”
“Will you be when you listen to another girl moan and scream my name all night?” My bravado falls as I glare at him. “That’s what I thought. Not sure if you got the memo yet, Brixley, but you’re mine. And I don’t share.”
It’s not healthy to find this aggressive, possessive behavior hot, but I’ve never pretended to be sane. Beckett grins, leaning into my ear. “Now, who did you sneak him out for, Rabbit?”
I press my lips together. A snitch I am not, especially when it comes to my girls. “I wasn’t with him.”
Beckett nods, taking a step back. “Okay.”
“Just like that?” I ask.
“Yeah, I trust you.” That is the deadliest line he has ever spoken to me. Because it causes something to shift and build. “You leaving?” he asks.
“Going shopping. I don’t like my room’s color scheme.” I shrug.
Beckett steps closer, pressing his lips to my forehead, before tucking a sleek, heavy card into my bra. I laugh, pulling it out. “What is this?”
“My card. It gets denied nowhere, so buy whatever you want.”
I shake my head. “I don’t need a man to take care of me.” I hand the card back over to him, but Amiyah snatches it.
“Bitch, take his card. Shopping spree on Beckett.” Primrose giggles as she follows after Amiyah.
A fond smile falls over Beckett’s lips as his eyes twinkle at Amiyah. And when he looks back to me, something raw and vulnerable lingers there in its place. “Be like Amiyah and take my money. Take any part of me you want.”
Be still my heart, because that was the real deadliest thing he could have said. I’m falling, and I hope he catches me when I land.
* * *
“Is she drinking hot chocolate?”Amiyah ask me as we sit at the coffee shop.
Looking at Prim who smiles as I would when coffee touches my soul, I nod. “Yeah.”
Amiyah slaps the table. “Boo, Prim. Drink coffee like a real struggling adult.”
Prim grimaces. “Eww. No, thank you. I’ll stick with my hot chocolate with whipped cream and extra marshmallows.”