Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 119005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
My friend appeared crushed by this news. “No way.”
Maia laughed again and turned to Beth to hug her. “It was great to see you. We need to catch up. Call me, ay!”
“Will do!” Beth waved her off.
Baird stared after Maia as she disappeared out the exit. “I’m going to marry her.”
“She’s marrying someone else.” Beth patted his arm. “And she likes older men. You’re actually younger than her, Baird.”
“By how much?”
“She’s twenty-nine.”
“Pfft. Four years is nothing.” He crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Who’s the bloke she’s marrying?”
“Are you serious?” Beth turned to me, wide-eyed and laughing. “You met her for like two seconds.”
“Two seconds is all I needed.” Baird nodded determinedly. “You should throw a party or something so I can talk to her.”
“She’s engaged.”
“But not married.” He winked and danced backward toward the rest of our group.
“He’s serious, by the way,” I said as I drew Beth back into my arms.
I loved how easily she came into them, and the way her fingernails scraped absentmindedly across my nape. “He’s hilarious. And so not Maia’s type.”
“Baird thinks he’s everyone’s type.”
She chuckled at that, her eyes flaring as my hands coasted down her back and onto her arse. “Not mine,” she promised huskily as she leaned up toward my lips.
“Nope!” Michaela was suddenly pulling Beth out of my arms. “You two need some breathing room before you get arrested!”
Scowling, I watched as she dragged Beth deep into the dancing crowd, away from me.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CALLAN
The rest of the night was torture. Between drinks at the table with me and Eric, who wasn’t in the mood to dance, Beth would disappear onto the dance floor with the girls and my teammates. My teammates were respectful of Beth because they knew I’d kill them otherwise. But I discovered something about her. When she wasn’t in my arms, Beth … she wasn’t the best dancer.
She moved with abandon, but there was something slightly awkward about her. She was all long limbs and no rhythm.
“Does your girl know she’s kind of all over the place on the dance floor?” Baird asked me with a grin as he returned to the table to chug down his pint.
I shook my head, smirking. “I don’t think so. And don’t tell her.”
Baird eyed me, but whatever he was thinking he didn’t say. Instead, he jumped back into the throng.
I still couldn’t take my eyes off Beth because I knew for a fact her rhythm in the bedroom was top-notch. This … the fact that she wasn’t the greatest dancer … it was kind of fucking adorable. It made me, unbelievably, want her more.
It also didn’t seem to put off other men. Why would it when she was still the sexiest woman out there?
The bloke appeared out of nowhere, and he didn’t ask permission. He put his arms around Beth and started grinding against her arse.
I catapulted out of my seat, anger propelling me forward, but by the time I got there, Baird was already shoving the guy into the crowd.
“No touchy without permissiony!” my friend yelled, his expression dark with rage.
“It was only a fuckin’ dance, ya cunt!”
“You okay?” I asked Beth. She appeared a bit dazed but nodded. So I joined Baird as Kaito, John, Botan, and Eric took up at his side.
The bloke blanched and shrugged down his T-shirt. Baird had wrinkled it when he’d grabbed him. “Right, right, I get it.” He looked between us all. “Sorry, sorry.” He backed away, tripping and stumbling in his hurry to leave.
I patted Baird on the back. “Thanks.”
“Did it for Beth.” He patted me in return.
Beth bridged the distance and squeezed his arm. “I appreciate it, but I can handle myself.”
“Shouldn’t have to handle shite like that.”
I couldn’t stand her suddenly despondent expression, so I pulled her gently into my arms. After a few seconds, she melted against me, and we began to sway again. As before, we found the rhythm easily together. I smiled to myself, wondering why she found it with me but not solo.
“Better?” I murmured.
“Much.”
I lifted her chin, searching her eyes to make sure that was true. Finding it was, I kissed her.
Like always, we ignited on impact.
When her hands started creeping up under my T-shirt, I broke the kiss. “Time to go.”
I didn’t even give Beth a chance to say goodbye to her mates. Passing John, I clapped him on the shoulder. “Happy Birthday.”
He laughed as we blew past him.
“Callan!” Beth giggled, tugging on my hand.
“No time to stop.”
The muggy summer evening air did nothing to cool the need building in us. If anything, it worsened things as our skin turned clammy. I barely remembered grabbing the cab or the drive back to the flat.
But I would never forget Beth impatiently kissing me as we stepped into the building. Or how we nearly tripped and fell trying to get up the stairs to her place.