He chuckled but was smart enough not to make the sort of remark Jasper would.
I tried my best to empty my mind. To forget everything and get the sleep my shook up body needed, but I couldn’t shut it down. Mostly I was worried about Beck.
After two hours of tossing and turning, I finally reached for my phone.
Me: Are you okay?
I desperately wanted to call him. To hear his voice and judge for myself; it was so easy to lie over text. But I also didn’t want him to think that I cared too much.
The phone was clutched in both hands as I stared down with desperation. I never even noticed Evan perched in the doorway, not until my phone buzzed and he wandered closer, leaning over to read the text.
Beck: I’m fine, baby. I’ll be back in ten minutes.
My heart squeezed in my chest. It actually hurt, and I almost coughed to try and relieve the pain. My fingers were moving before my brain caught up.
Me: Don’t call me that. Please. Just don’t. I just needed to know you were not going to get into trouble for me. Don’t come back here. Evan can stay, or I’ll be on my own.
My finger hovered over the button to send it, when Evan cleared his throat. “That won’t stop him, you know. If anything, you’re just waving a red flag at a bull by pushing him away so hard.”
I paused, my eyes lifting to meet his. “What are you saying? I should stop trying to reject him? You think Beck just likes the chase?”
Evan shook his head. “Fuck no. If you were any other chick, your attitude would have fucked him off long ago, and he would have lost your number in a split second. But like I said, I’ve never seen Beck like this. Not ever. I think you might be the first thing he’s ever wanted to fight for, Riles. He’s not scared off by challenges. Your anger does not scare him either.”
I threw my hands up and the phone went flying off the side of the bed. “What can I do then? I’m not playing around. I’m so fucking angry and broken up by what he did. What you all did, but most of the blame is with Beck. He fucked me knowing that he was going to betray me. The rest of you don’t have to wear that.”
Evan almost preened. “I knew you couldn’t stay mad at me for long. No one could hate Trunks.” His gaze turned thoughtful. “I am a little pissed that Jasper won the bet, though.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What bet?”
Without an ounce of contrition, he grinned. “We were betting which one of us you forgave first. To be honest, I chose Dylan. You seemed to be closest to him behind Beck.”
Another twinge in my chest. Not as strong as the one Beck caused, but it was still there.
“We were close,” I said softly. “And that’s why I’m still fucking furious with him. Not to mention, he hasn’t even tried to fix it.”
Evan cleared his throat, and I stood suddenly because that was a suspicious sound. Bending down to grab my phone, I narrowed my eyes on him. “Spit it out…”
He looked uncomfortable. “He’ll kill me for telling you this, and trust me, Dylan knows how to kill a person in like eighty-four brutal ways, but he’s been really broken up. He fought with Beck, and it was fucking insane. They almost brought down a damn building. If I didn’t know better, I might have guessed that you and Dylan had something going on as well…”
He trailed off, leaving that little fact dangling there, like he thought I was going to fall to my knees and confess. “I have been a busy little Delta whore, haven’t I?” I said sarcastically.
Evan laughed. “Ah, if only that was the case. But for real, you should talk to Dylan. Before he accidentally kills all three of us in anger. The dude doesn’t have much in the way of family life, just like the rest of us, and to lose someone he cares about. He’s not doing okay.”
I almost felt bad then. Almost.
My phone beeped again and I looked down to realize that the message from before had been sent, somehow. Must have knocked it when I dropped the phone.
Beck: You know that’s not going to happen. You belong to me, Riley Jameson.
My resolve wavered again. Damn him.
Evan caught the message, and a shit-eating grin lifted his lips. “Don’t fucking say it,” I warned him.
He didn’t speak, but the grin remained firmly in place.
A knock on the door startled us, and I almost dropped my phone again. Evan’s entire demeanor changed, and he shifted into what I like to call “stealth mode.” He crossed to where his jacket was, and I blinked as he lifted a gun from one of the pockets.
Fuck. He’d had that with him the entire time and I hadn’t even known.
