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A part of me wanted to offer to grab an overnight bag and go with him, but I knew there was no way I could be under the same roof as Beck, not after the rejection from earlier. I wouldn’t be able to sleep at all.
Beck took a couple of steps away from the door. “Thank you for arranging the dinner this evening. I’m not sure I could have done this without your help.”
Dad waved him off. “It was worth it to see how happy the family was. I’m sure they’ll have you busy for the next few days, but you’re more than welcome to come over for family dinner night.”
“Yes! Do come over,” Mom insisted. “This week it’s on Wednesday. Well, it’s pretty much always on Wednesdays.”
Beck looked my way, and I forced myself to keep a relaxed and neutral expression. He glanced back to my parents. “Thank you, I’d love that.”
“Wonderful! Then plan on being here Wednesday at six.”
Beck gave a nod. “Wednesday at six.”
My mother pulled my father into the house, but they left the door open. I jerked my thumb toward it. “Better get inside. Good luck tomorrow. I’m sure everything will be fine.”
I wasn’t sure if I was saying that to myself or to Beck.
“Yeah, of course. I’ll, um, talk to you later?”
Nodding my head, I stepped into the house and glanced back over my shoulder. “Yeah. Talk to you later.”
Chapter Eleven
BECK
By the time I got back to the gate of Avery’s family ranch, I could hardly breathe. I put the SUV in Park and got out, bending to put my hands on my knees, I dragged in a few deep breaths.
“What the fuck is wrong with me?” I mumbled as I straightened and dropped my head back. That was when I noticed the sky full of stars.
“Holy shit.”
It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. Of course, I’d seen stars out on our ranch, but we were still close enough to the Dallas/Fort Worth area that the light pollution drowned out a lot of the night sky. This sky was spectacular…but a bit ruined for me.
I closed my eyes and cursed as the last hour came flooding back, reminding me of the reason why I’d stopped the vehicle in the first place.
I’d kissed Avery. Tasted her. Felt her body against mine.
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!”
Bending again, I drew in a few more deep breaths when the feeling of my chest being squeezed became more severe.
I’d told myself I wasn’t going to touch her. I couldn’t touch her. She might not be blood-related to the Shaws, but she was part of their family, and that right there meant I needed to keep my hands off. Not to mention the age difference. Oh, and her father. I had the distinct feeling that he’d tear my dick off if he knew what I’d done to her in that bathroom.
“Christ, Beck. In the bathroom of a hotel? Real classy.”
Standing again, I exhaled and got back into the SUV. I clenched my fists as I thought about her so casually talking about sleeping with a guy so much older than her for her first time. How could she be so naïve?
I closed my eyes and laughed at myself. How could I be such a hypocrite? I’d lost my virginity when I was sixteen to a girl who was twenty-one, at a freaking college frat party.
Rubbing my chest, I stilled when I realized what was really bothering me.
I was jealous—jealous of some French dude I didn’t know who’d been with Avery before I’d even met her. I wondered how many times they’d slept together. Was it just the one time? More than once? She’d said he was her best friend’s brother…
I shook my head. “Forget about it, and forget about the kiss. Nothing can happen between you and Avery.”
After putting the SUV into Drive, I approached the gate and it opened automatically. By the time I got to Stella and Ty’s, I’d managed to put the kiss out of my mind—for now, at least.
The front door opened as I shut the back of the SUV. Stella stood there with a huge grin on her face.
“Welcome home, Beck!”
My heart skipped a little as I walked up the steps and stopped in front of her. She reached up, and I had to bend down slightly for her to kiss me on the cheek.
“Come on in and let’s get you settled in. Ty made some chocolate chip cookies. If you like hot chocolate, we can have some by the fire in the family room. Of course, if you’re tired, sweetheart, you just tell me, and we’ll leave you be.”
“Is it too late for y’all?” I asked.
She waved me off. “I’d stay up all night if you wanted to.”
I laughed. “Then I think hot chocolate and cookies sound amazing.”
