Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 113332 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113332 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Laurent only then caught up with him, breathless. “You got him? Is he okay?
Beast waved off Jake and their future prospect, herding Laurent out to avoid uncomfortable questions. “He’s fine. Must be because he’s so quiet.”
Laurent stilled for a few seconds before bursting with laughter. “You’re preposterous!”
“Preposterous,” Beast repeated with laughter. “I’m never getting tired of your big words.”
Laurent sniggered and entwined their fingers as they walked together again. This time, Beast carried the backpack with Marcel over his shoulder and he had to admit that it was much heavier than it had been just weeks ago. The thing was growing fast, and he wondered if he should ask their surrogate whether he knew if it would be developing as long as a normal baby.
“Is Magpie texting you?” he asked, remembering the earlier call.
Laurent waved it off. “The best policy for unwanted correspondence is to pretend it never arrived.”
Beast stroked his shoulder. Laurent was so clueless despite thinking he knew it all. That was the sin of youth, though. Laurent would understand with time. “There’s a little notification under the text message that means your recipient’s seen it. Magpie thinks you don’t know how to text.”
Laurent got flustered, and Beast could see the war going on in his head displayed on his pretty face. What was more important to him? Proving Magpie wrong or pretending he was less capable to keep peacefully ignoring the texts? “I can text! You know that.”
Beast kissed the pouty lips. “I do, but he doesn’t need to, does he?”
It took Laurent a long while to answer. “I suppose he doesn’t.”
“He wants Marcel’s room to be blue or something like that. He’s the preposterous one.”
Laurent nudged Beast with his elbow. “What else does he want?”
Beast snorted. “He wants the kid to be named after him.”
Laurent’s eyes went wide. “And what on earth would that be?”
“Jasper.” Beast couldn’t contain his cheery mood any longer and laughed again. “His name is Jasper.”
“Over my dead body.”
Chapter 12 - Beast
They hadn’t officially announced the result of the vote on Nick’s fate, but it was only a formality, and Beast suspected the clam chowder the girls had prepared under the direction of the boy’s mother was a celebratory meal of sorts. The soup was filling, hearty, and made Beast think of his own mother so intensely he ended up staying quiet throughout dinner.
“Do a duck face,” Joker said with his mouth full.
Beast followed Joker’s gaze to see Laurent pouting for a smartphone camera alongside Nao, who climbed into his lap for the sake of the photo. Laurent held out his arm and hollowed his cheeks in a parody of a classical sculpture. Perfect features. The hair of an angel. Duck face.
“Does it have a meaning?” Laurent asked once he took the snap and offered the phone back to Nao.
Knight snorted. “Yeah, means you’re trying to look sexy. Emphasis on ‘trying’.”
Laurent glanced at Beast with his cheeks flushing the same way they had just an hour ago when he’d lost control on the hood of Elliot’s car. “Oh, no. I don’t think it’s suitable for public display then.”
Nao laughed and hugged him, actually pinching his cheekbone. “Isn’t he just the cutest?”
Beast rubbed his chin and used the remaining droplets of soup to scribble on the plate. “Yeah, it’s a bit... I think it’s silly rather than sexy.”
Nao reached past Laurent and poked Beast, pouting with her Barbie-pink lips. “You know nothing, Beast! You’re not the target audience.”
Vars snorted, hiding his face behind his hand. “Probably not.”
Laurent erred on the side of caution when he heard differing opinions on a modern thing he’d just learned about, so he likely wouldn’t do a duck face again anytime soon. “Just don’t add it to Instagram.”
“Why not? We look so cute!” Nao complained and slid off Laurent’s lap.
“Beast has advised me about privacy.”
Knight whistled and nudged Beast’s foot under the table. “You want him all to yourself, huh?”
Beast felt heat on his nape, but he leaned back and casually put his arm around Laurent’s shoulders. Laurent used styling tools and products in the privacy of their bedroom and pretended his mane was naturally perfect. But it was still frizzy after the garage quickie, with the locks lacking their usual definition, and Beast took pleasure in knowing that the others had no idea why.
“I’m more concerned about people getting too interested in him for other reasons.” Beast didn’t need someone trying to dig in Laurent’s past, but he was way more worried about there not being a future for him.
The flavor left behind by the delicious soup felt bitter on his tongue. With his arm still resting on Laurent’s slender shoulders, he went quiet, watching his friends and family chat as if they had no sense of the encroaching doom that Beast could practically hear already echoing off the walls. They’d voted on a plan earlier today, but his men were dragging their feet, even though each day of inactivity meant a day less to stop the evil lurking under their feet, and who was to make the call to action if not him?