Beth blinked, but Saint swore she relaxed a fraction of a percent. “What? Why would I care? Saint can… rattle whatever headboard he wants. Not my business.”
Gator snorted, and Lindsey tilted her head. “Sure, sweetie,” she said in a placating tone. “Keep telling yourself that.”
“Wha—”
“We’re losing the plot here, people. Bottom line… I’m sorry for the ambush. I did not think Mel would go that hard. She seems to have a fixation on becoming an ol’ lady.” She ripped the bottle out of Gator’s hands and tilted her head back for a long gulp of whiskey.
“Watching you drink that gets me so fucking hard,” Gator said, and Saint had no doubt he meant it.
Lindsey choked. She lowered the bottle, coughing, and her eyes watering. “Jesus, Gator,” she said when she regained control of her airway. “That’s supposed to be some kind of compliment? Everything gets you hard.”
He shrugged completely unashamed. “True, but watching you swallow gets me extra fucking hard.”
Lindsey rolled her eyes. “You’re a pig.”
As the two of them bantered back and forth, Saint turned to Beth to find her watching him with a host of questions swirling in her green eyes. At some point, she’d pulled her hair into a high ponytail that gave him a view of her entire face.
“So, Zach kept you busy this afternoon?”
“He did. Had a whole bunch of bullshit for me to take care of.”
“Mel must have been disappointed you couldn’t stick around.”
He grunted. “Not sure, disappointed is the right word. More like rabid.”
“Hmm.”
“But that had nothing to do with Zach. I shut her down before he ever called me.”
“Oh… really?”
He nodded. “I’m not interested in Melody. Never was.”
She blinked. Her gaze softened, melting to hot liquid jade he could lose himself in for the rest of the night. For the rest of his life, if she’d let him.
Whoa, that was a thought.
“It’d be safer if you were,” she whispered. “Easier.”
“Maybe,” he whispered back so only Beth could hear. “But I’ve never played it safe a day in my life.”
A loud throat cleared, startling them both. Their heads whipped forward simultaneously. Sure enough, Lindsey and Gator gawked at them with twin shit-eating grins like two goons.
“Whatcha talking about?” Gator sing-songed.
Saint and Beth flipped him off at the same time, which made Lindsey burst out laughing. Gator followed, and in seconds, all four of them were laughing like they didn’t have a care in the world. It seemed the whiskey had kicked in.
They stayed out there for hours, laughing, chatting, and enjoying the gorgeous summer night. Now that they’d cleared the air about his afternoon activities, Beth relaxed and joined in their nonsensical conversations. Saint listened more than he talked, which was typical for him, but this time it stemmed from his inability to do anything but watch Beth.
Everything she did drew him to her, from the animated way she told stories to her teasing to the secret smiles she gifted him every so often. He wanted to take her back to her room and spend the rest of the night making her beg and scream his name. He wanted to consume her, to absorb her into himself so he could ensure her safety and happiness always.
Eventually, when the sun had set and the whiskey had long run out, the back door opened, and Zach popped his head out. “Lindsey, you out there?”
“Yep. What’s up?”
“I’m heading out. You need a ride home?”
“Uh, yeah, please. I drank more than I planned.”
