“I know. I know. I’m going.”
But my eyes are falling shut, and there are these lovely little ripples of warmth and pleasure radiating from the places they’re touching me.
“You didn’t move a muscle, gorgeous.”
“Shhhh.”
I don’t have to be looking at him to know when his demeanor goes from relaxed and teasing to mischievous. I feel it. In the span of a heartbeat, he shifts gears, fingers turning torturous as he begins to tickle my feet.
“Did you just shush me?”
“Beck!” I squeal, thrashing against the cushions to try to get away from him. It’s no use. He’s got a death grip on my ankle, so I try to kick away with the other foot, squirming and pleading even as hysterical laughter pours from me. “Seriously, Beck!” Giggle, gasp. “Stop!” More giggles and a jerk that results in my head slapping against Cal’s thigh. I look to him for help, but he’s useless, watching the whole thing with an amused glimmer in his eye.
“Apologize,” Beck orders, using his hold on me to pull me down the couch toward him. At first I don’t know what his goal is, but then, quick as a flash, he’s on top of me, fingers digging into my ribs while I scream bloody murder.
“MONIQUE!!!”
“SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN YOUR ASS UP WHEN I TOLD YOU TO,” she shouts from the kitchen, the sounds of ice dropping into a glass accompanying her pettiness.
Beck is hovering over me. His chest against my chest. His nose against my nose. His body a solid wall of muscle that doesn’t so much as budge when I try to buck him off.
“You know how to end this, Selene,” he whispers, lips curved in an annoyingly adorable smile. It’s so good to see him like this even if it’s while he’s attempting to murder me.
“I’m sorry,” I gasp, beating at his back and sides. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.I’m sorryyyyy.”
He drops a kiss on my lips, fingers going still as the show of affection tries to turn into something more. Monique clears her throat, and he pulls away. “You’re forgiven.”
I scramble off the couch, narrowing my eyes at Cal, who just blows me a kiss, and then Monique who taps her foot and says, “We’re late.”
There’s not really a way to be late for a walk that consists of laps around the large backyard while Cal and/or Beck sit on the patio and keep watch, but I don’t argue with her because I know she needs the open air. We’re all going a little stir crazy now. Marsh is still on the run and everything has been quiet. Too quiet. Normally, I’d say quiet is good, that it’s safe, but this is different. It’s the kind of silence that makes you question yourself, that has you relaxing back into your bed, telling yourself that you’re in the house alone even though you definitely heard the steps creak under the weight of a full-grown person.
“How are you doing?”
I pose the question when we’re halfway through our second lap, taking a sip of water from the bottle Monique was gracious enough to fix for me while Beck was killing me on the couch.
She shrugs. “Ready to go home.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“Selene, please stop apologizing to me for things that are out of your control. We’re here because of Aubrey and all his nonsense. The only thing you did wrong was trust a white man.”
Her steps falter when I bump her with my shoulder. “I hate you.”
She recovers with ease, elongating her stride to catch up with me. “You do not.”
“I don’t,” I admit, looping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her into me because I know she likes when I’m all touchyfeely. “I love you so much, and I’m glad you’re here. Thank you for coming on the run with me.”
“I love you too, and there’s nowhere else I’d be than by your side. Besides, it’s not like I had much of a choice,” she gripes, leaning into me. “Cal said I was going to end up being waterboarded for your location if I didn’t.”
“You’re exaggerating, as usual.”
“That might have been what he said verbatim,” she says, shoving me away. “But that was definitely what he wanted me to take from the conversation.”
I don’t bother dignifying her ridiculousness with a response, opting to guide us back to the original topic of conversation. “Seriously, though, how are you? I know it can’t be easy putting your whole life on hold to hide out here with us. You’ve been cracking a lot of jokes and contributing so much to the investigation, so please don’t think I don’t appreciate you. I just need to know what’s happening underneath all of that, so I can try to take care of you how you’ve been taking care of me.”
She stops walking, grabbing hold of my arm to force me to pause too. Then she takes both of my hands in hers and squeezes hard. “Sel, the only thing you can do for me is what. you have been doing. Keep living, keep loving those gorgeous men of yours and keep letting them love you. Keep looking forward to the future you’re going to have after you get the proof you need to take Aubrey down once and for all.”
My heart clenches at the mention of the future. An empty ache building inside of me, inspiring the urge to grab hold of something that is so far out of reach. “What if I can’t do it? What if I never find the proof? What if we’re just here, hiding forever?”
