I purse my lips, not wanting to offend him but also suspecting that it probably takes a lot to offend Beau. “Yes. That’s exactly what I expected but also, I didn’t expect to end up in your truck tonight, so I guess life is full of little surprises.”
He chuckles, “That it is, because if I was a betting man, which I am, I would be on a losing streak tonight.”
My eyebrows pull together because I’m not sure to what he’s referring. “What do you mean streak?”
“Nothing.” He answers quietly before he looks back towards the house, his eyes lingering in one spot longer, like he sees something or someone. I look over my shoulder to see what he’s looking at and find a hulking figure standing midway in the yard, staring directly at us.
My skin tingles and my breath halts.Rowan.
“Do you want to stay?” Beau asks, his voice low with hesitation. Almost like he’s scared of me saying no.
Rowan doesn’t make a move towards us, he stands there staring daggers into the dark cab. “If I say no, will you be mad?”
“Why would I be mad?”
“Because your captain looks ready to beat your ass. And I assume it’s because I’m in this car with you. Would that be an incorrect assumption?” I’m really not good at stuff like this, that is reading people, or maybe it’s just people my age.
The way Rowan is staring us down has my palms sweating and my heart racing, something about being in this car with Beau feels forbidden, even though it shouldn’t be. I don’t belong to him. I can be in any car I want, with anyone I want.
Beau softly chuckles, “Not wrong but I’m willing to deal with the consequences.”
My eyebrows pull together as I finally break eye contact with the brooding man, still standing in the middle of the yard. “Consequences?” I practically choke on the word. “You’ve got to be joking.”
Beau only smiles, “You worried about me, darling?”
The way he says darling is playful but not possessive in any way. “Something tells me you can handle yourself, besides there’s nothing to have consequences over.” I huff, frustration over this whole night and situation settling on me like a heavy blanket. “I would like to go home. That is if you don’t mind taking me?”
“Your wish is my command.” He puts the truck into gear and just as he’s pulling away from the curb, I chance a glance back to the man still standing in the middle of the yard, alone and brooding. Rowan takes a step towards the truck like he’s going to come after us, but he hesitates.
That hesitation tells me everything I need to know. Rowan Pierce doesn’t care if I’m going off with another guy and he sure as hell doesn’t see me as anything more than just a friend.
Which is fine.Totally fine.
Chapter Twenty-One
Millie
Imanage to sneak back into the house without my parents being any the wiser, but falling asleep is another story. I toss and turn, willing my brain to shut off and stop thinking about tonight. But no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to rid my mind of the image of Rowan standing on that lawn, watching me and Beau drive off.
I shut my phone off as soon as I got home in an attempt to keep myself from obsessing over whether he was going to reach out or not. I couldn’t bear the thought of him not reaching out, but I also didn’t want to deal with it if he did. It’s a freaking conundrum for sure.
And what does that say about me? I shouldn’t care so much. So what if he texts or doesn’t text? It shouldn’t matter because we barely know each other, and he doesn’t owe me anything.
But even though I tell myself all those things, it still doesn’t ease my growing curiosity. Maybe if I look and see that he did send me a text or call, I can finally fall asleep. Then I think about the possibility that he hasn’t reached out, that he doesn’t care enough to make sure I got home okay. My mind spins and my stomach swirls with anxiety.
Screw it.
I throw the covers off my legs and sit up. I put my phone on my computer desk, placing it far out of reach so that I wouldn’t be tempted to do exactly what I’m about to do. So much for willpower. I tread lightly over to the desk and reach to power the phone on.
But before I can, I feel a tingle start at the base of my spine. The hair on my arms raises, like it does when you’re cold. I run one hand over the raised hairs and then clamp my hands together to test if I’m just cold and didn’t realize it.I’m not.
The tingling intensifies as it travels up my spine, finally reaching the base of my neck. My hand goes to the spot, rubbing it softly to soothe the sensation. As it continues, I grow more and more wary. My hand leaves the spot where the feeling seems to be concentrated and goes to my pulse at the base of my neck.
I close my eyes and count the beats, hoping it helps settle whatever this feeling is.One. Two. Three. Four.I make it all the way to thirty, but the sensation hasn’t gone anywhere. I try closing my eyes. I concentrate on my breathing, in and out. That does little to quell the feeling consuming my entire body. The hairs on my arms raise to a painful height, and tiny goosebumps spread across my skin at an alarming speed, almost like my body knows something I don’t. Just as I have the thought, I feel a whisper of a breath across my cheek.
My breath catches in my throat and my whole being stills. It’s eerily quiet in my room when I hear it.
Millie.
