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“Five thousand,” the blonde said, shooting Kat a dirty look.

“Fifty-five hundred,” Kat countered.

Beckett’s eyes never strayed, his focus on Kat deepening as the bids rose higher and higher.

“What are you doing?” Jo whispered. “You don’t have that kind of money.”

Shit. Jo was right. But she couldn’t let that woman win a date with Beckett. Not that she thought he’d actually sleep with her, but the idea of him spending an afternoon wining and dining someone else when they could spend that time together didn’t sit right. They had so little time left on this tour, so little time left to figure out what was happening between them, what they wanted to happen.

Suddenly, losing an entire afternoon felt intolerable.

Nico rummaged in the breadbasket for a butter packet for his roll. “I got you covered, Kat,” he said.

Zach snatched the breadbasket from Nico. “Me too.”

“Seven thousand!” the blonde shouted, shooting a pointed look in Kat’s direction.

Logan nodded his encouragement. “We’re good for it.”

Nico turned his head towards the auctioneer, cupping his mouth and affecting a high-pitched voice. “Seventy-five hundred!”

“Eight thousand,” the blonde volleyed back.

“Eighty-five hundred!” Kat shouted, getting to her feet.

The blonde threw down her paddle, shaking her head.

“Sold for eight thousand five hundred to the woman in blue!” the auctioneer announced as the room burst into applause.

Kat lowered her paddle and locked eyes with Beckett as his lips spread into a slow smile, his eyes sparkling. She felt that smile all over, felt each step of his slow stride across the ballroom, the anticipation winding tighter and tighter in her belly until she thought she would fly apart. He held her gaze as he moved through the crowd, and the rest of the room fell away until all she saw was him. Beckett. Her Beckett. The man he was before and the man he was now all jumbled together.

He wound his arms around her waist and tugged her against him, pressing his lips to her ear. “I’m going to kiss you now, Luna. If you don’t want me to, then you have until the count of five to stop me,” he whispered, the vibration of his voice rumbling against her chest.

Electricity raced down her spine, pulsed between her thighs, heavy and needy.

“Beckett.”

She wasn’t sure what she was asking for—to stop? To kiss her now? To tell her this wasn’t about the ballroom full of people or the press snapping photos or even the blonde shooting dirty looks at Kat? They had so much to talk about, so many ways they still weren’t on the same page.

He nuzzled his nose into her hair, murmuring, “One, two—”

She cut him off with her lips pressed to his, tasting the smile blooming there before he gathered her impossibly closer, kissing her until there was nothing and no one but him. His smoke and vanilla scent, the solid strength of him beneath her hands, the faint taste of mint on his tongue from the hard candies Jo had passed around in the car. The familiar cadence of his kiss, slow and deliberate, intention in every tiny movement, as if he’d thought about this as often as she had.

“As much as I hate to interrupt,” Jo said at their side, “the guests here might not appreciate a floor show.” She flicked her eyes meaningfully to where Beckett’s hand had curled around her backside.

Kat ran her hands over Beckett’s lapels, straightening his bow tie. Beckett caught her hand and brought her knuckles to his lips, skating them over each rise and valley. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach.

“I need to go settle my pledge anyway,” Kat said.

Jackson clapped Beckett on the back before falling into a chair at their table, a half-empty rocks glass clutched in one hand. “Already handled.”

Beckett went stiff beside her, lowering her hand, his eyes trained on his twin brother as Jackson drained the rest of his drink and slammed the glass down on the table a little too hard.

Kat gaped at Jackson. He was the last person she would have expected to foot the entire bill. Sure, the other guys had offered to help her cover the high price tag of her pride, but Jackson had been nowhere to be seen during that conversation, and he hadn’t exactly seemed thrilled about her supposed relationship with his brother. “I’ll pay you back.”

He waved her off. “Consider it an engagement present.” He swiped a roll off Jo’s plate and ripped into it, crumbs flying. “What’s the point of having all this money if you can’t buy your brother for your future sister-in-law?” he asked around a mouthful of bread.

Jackson dug into the pocket of his jacket, producing an empty nips bottle. He tossed it aside, pulling a fresh bottle from his pocket and downed it in one gulp. Kat’s stomach sank.