[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
thought of leaving this place, of leaving Betty, didn t sit too well. He swore as he looked back out at
the crowd and turned around, eyes on Betty. She d crawled onto the sofa and stared back at him in
silence.
Okay, I m going to have that shower now, Tucker said. So you two can have some time to,
ah&
Just go, Beau said.
Tucker disappeared into the bedroom and Beau was left alone with Betty.
He took one last sip of coffee and set his cup onto the counter, his eyes never leaving her. She
was pulling at some invisible thread, her mouth tight.
So, we should talk, Beau said quietly.
She nodded but didn t look up.
Beau padded across the room and stopped an inch or so away from her. Hey, he said gently.
Are you okay?
She nodded again.
Then why won t you look at me?
I m waiting for you to put some clothes on.
He grinned at that and glanced down at his naked torso. This too much for you?
She shrugged and glanced up at him. You re standing here in your underwear, Beau. That
suggests an intimacy that we don t have. An intimacy that we can t have.
Beau cocked his head to the side. I hate to point this out, darlin , but you re wearing my T-
Shirt. He bent low until his mouth was near her ear. And all I can think about right now is what the
hell you re wearing underneath it.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly and he knew she was as affected by him as he was by her. And
yet& he felt her pulling away. The feeling pissed him off more than he thought it would.
We can t do this, Beau.
He grabbed her chin and forced her to look up at him. Then why did you come here last night? I
don t play games, Betty, so don t go there with me.
Something flashed in her eyes. Something hot and fierce.
She yanked her head out of his grasp and pushed him back so that she could stand. He really
wished she d stayed seated because her clean, fresh scent rolled over him. The heat from her body
rolled over him.
And all of it settled between his legs, right there where his erection strained against his boxers.
Beau felt as if he was losing control of all of his shit and he wasn t exactly sure how to react.
He d never felt so out of his element before.
I m not playing a game. I needed to be held. That s it. That s all. It won t happen again.
That s all, he repeated, getting more pissed off by the second.
Yes, Beau. That s all. There is no more, remember? That s how it has to be. She pushed past
him. I guess I shouldn t have come. I
What& Matt Hawkins wasn t available?
Excuse me? She turned back. a nasty look in her eyes.
Isn t he your go to guy? Where was he last night? Out with someone else? What exactly is your
relationship with that guy anyway? Is it the whole friends with benefits thing? Beau couldn t stop
himself. Or is he just a fuck buddy? He had no idea where all of this was coming from. Hell, he
stood by while that asshole insulted you at the baseball game. If you mean so much to him, why the
fuck didn t he throw that idiot down?
What are you talking about?
The dickhead catcher at our last game. He had a hard on for you the entire time and your buddy
Matt did nothing.
Mick s an asshole. Matt knows to ignore him.
For a second Beau s mind exploded. He saw red. Pain. Anger.
That s Mick, he said roughly.
Betty watched him warily. How do you know Mick Valenti?
He didn t say anything for a few moments he couldn t speak if he wanted to and then he
stepped back, shaking his head. I don t know him.
But I d like to rip his head off. I d like to beat his face in until he s unrecognizable and then I d
love to shove him in a cell with ten lonely inmates and let them have at him.
You re being weird, Beau. We can t do this. You don t get to talk about Matt. You don t get to
judge what he and I share. Matt s my best friend and I would do anything for him. Anything. She
shuddered. What is this, Beau? Why the hell are we fighting?
I think I m in love with you.
But she moved away before he had a chance to say the words out loud.
I have to go and since you re leaving with Tucker, I guess this is goodbye. She was all
business. Cool as a cucumber.
His jaw was clamped so tight that he had to force himself to speak. I guess it is.
Her eyes softened a bit and that mouth that was going to haunt him trembled slightly. This is
why we can t& we just can t be involved Beau. You and I are a bad idea on a good day.
She had a way with words, he d give her that.
He thought of the paparazzi outside. Of the media storm that would descend if he were to ignore
her protests. The movie, his baby that he d slaved over, spent endless nights writing, perfecting,
would become an entirely different animal altogether. And Betty s chance at a new career, one he
knew she could nail, would be tarnished.
He had to pull back. It s what she wanted. It s what she deserved.
You re right, he said slowly.
Betty s eyes glimmered with unshed tears and something that looked like regret. She strode
toward him and he stilled when she reached up and kissed him on the cheek. He closed his eyes.
Breathed her in and when his arms circled her to draw her closer, she let him.
Betty nestled into him, for just one second, and she whispered, I know.
Chapter Twenty-seven
BEAU SIMON LEFT New Waterford, the same way he had come on his new custom ride with
his brother, Tucker, riding wing.
Betty watched the circus at the end of Logan s driveway dissipate within minutes of Beau
leaving. His security team held back the paparazzi for as long as they could, and less than ten minutes
after he d left, there wasn t a soul on the sidewalk.
That was good. It meant that things could get back to normal. That her life at least for the
moment could get back to normal.
Except that it didn t.
Her sister Bobbi warned her that a gaggle of paps were camped out near the hospital waiting on
Betty to come see the new baby. They d accosted Bobbi as she was leaving.
So Betty snuck in through the service entrance, posed for a few pictures with some very
surprised maintenance staff, and managed to get in a half hour visit with her sister before spying more
than a few curious souls outside Billie s room.
I can t believe the fuss over a few pictures of me on the hospital steps with Beau, Betty said
as she fluffed her sister s pillow.
Billie looked tired, but still managed to smirk. It s not because of those pictures.
Betty paused, mid-fluff. What do you mean? [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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thought of leaving this place, of leaving Betty, didn t sit too well. He swore as he looked back out at
the crowd and turned around, eyes on Betty. She d crawled onto the sofa and stared back at him in
silence.
Okay, I m going to have that shower now, Tucker said. So you two can have some time to,
ah&
Just go, Beau said.
Tucker disappeared into the bedroom and Beau was left alone with Betty.
He took one last sip of coffee and set his cup onto the counter, his eyes never leaving her. She
was pulling at some invisible thread, her mouth tight.
So, we should talk, Beau said quietly.
She nodded but didn t look up.
Beau padded across the room and stopped an inch or so away from her. Hey, he said gently.
Are you okay?
She nodded again.
Then why won t you look at me?
I m waiting for you to put some clothes on.
He grinned at that and glanced down at his naked torso. This too much for you?
She shrugged and glanced up at him. You re standing here in your underwear, Beau. That
suggests an intimacy that we don t have. An intimacy that we can t have.
Beau cocked his head to the side. I hate to point this out, darlin , but you re wearing my T-
Shirt. He bent low until his mouth was near her ear. And all I can think about right now is what the
hell you re wearing underneath it.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly and he knew she was as affected by him as he was by her. And
yet& he felt her pulling away. The feeling pissed him off more than he thought it would.
We can t do this, Beau.
He grabbed her chin and forced her to look up at him. Then why did you come here last night? I
don t play games, Betty, so don t go there with me.
Something flashed in her eyes. Something hot and fierce.
She yanked her head out of his grasp and pushed him back so that she could stand. He really
wished she d stayed seated because her clean, fresh scent rolled over him. The heat from her body
rolled over him.
And all of it settled between his legs, right there where his erection strained against his boxers.
Beau felt as if he was losing control of all of his shit and he wasn t exactly sure how to react.
He d never felt so out of his element before.
I m not playing a game. I needed to be held. That s it. That s all. It won t happen again.
That s all, he repeated, getting more pissed off by the second.
Yes, Beau. That s all. There is no more, remember? That s how it has to be. She pushed past
him. I guess I shouldn t have come. I
What& Matt Hawkins wasn t available?
Excuse me? She turned back. a nasty look in her eyes.
Isn t he your go to guy? Where was he last night? Out with someone else? What exactly is your
relationship with that guy anyway? Is it the whole friends with benefits thing? Beau couldn t stop
himself. Or is he just a fuck buddy? He had no idea where all of this was coming from. Hell, he
stood by while that asshole insulted you at the baseball game. If you mean so much to him, why the
fuck didn t he throw that idiot down?
What are you talking about?
The dickhead catcher at our last game. He had a hard on for you the entire time and your buddy
Matt did nothing.
Mick s an asshole. Matt knows to ignore him.
For a second Beau s mind exploded. He saw red. Pain. Anger.
That s Mick, he said roughly.
Betty watched him warily. How do you know Mick Valenti?
He didn t say anything for a few moments he couldn t speak if he wanted to and then he
stepped back, shaking his head. I don t know him.
But I d like to rip his head off. I d like to beat his face in until he s unrecognizable and then I d
love to shove him in a cell with ten lonely inmates and let them have at him.
You re being weird, Beau. We can t do this. You don t get to talk about Matt. You don t get to
judge what he and I share. Matt s my best friend and I would do anything for him. Anything. She
shuddered. What is this, Beau? Why the hell are we fighting?
I think I m in love with you.
But she moved away before he had a chance to say the words out loud.
I have to go and since you re leaving with Tucker, I guess this is goodbye. She was all
business. Cool as a cucumber.
His jaw was clamped so tight that he had to force himself to speak. I guess it is.
Her eyes softened a bit and that mouth that was going to haunt him trembled slightly. This is
why we can t& we just can t be involved Beau. You and I are a bad idea on a good day.
She had a way with words, he d give her that.
He thought of the paparazzi outside. Of the media storm that would descend if he were to ignore
her protests. The movie, his baby that he d slaved over, spent endless nights writing, perfecting,
would become an entirely different animal altogether. And Betty s chance at a new career, one he
knew she could nail, would be tarnished.
He had to pull back. It s what she wanted. It s what she deserved.
You re right, he said slowly.
Betty s eyes glimmered with unshed tears and something that looked like regret. She strode
toward him and he stilled when she reached up and kissed him on the cheek. He closed his eyes.
Breathed her in and when his arms circled her to draw her closer, she let him.
Betty nestled into him, for just one second, and she whispered, I know.
Chapter Twenty-seven
BEAU SIMON LEFT New Waterford, the same way he had come on his new custom ride with
his brother, Tucker, riding wing.
Betty watched the circus at the end of Logan s driveway dissipate within minutes of Beau
leaving. His security team held back the paparazzi for as long as they could, and less than ten minutes
after he d left, there wasn t a soul on the sidewalk.
That was good. It meant that things could get back to normal. That her life at least for the
moment could get back to normal.
Except that it didn t.
Her sister Bobbi warned her that a gaggle of paps were camped out near the hospital waiting on
Betty to come see the new baby. They d accosted Bobbi as she was leaving.
So Betty snuck in through the service entrance, posed for a few pictures with some very
surprised maintenance staff, and managed to get in a half hour visit with her sister before spying more
than a few curious souls outside Billie s room.
I can t believe the fuss over a few pictures of me on the hospital steps with Beau, Betty said
as she fluffed her sister s pillow.
Billie looked tired, but still managed to smirk. It s not because of those pictures.
Betty paused, mid-fluff. What do you mean? [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]