Page 64 of Claiming Becca

I sit my cup down and jump off the counter. “I don’t like this, Connor.” I know this is a possibility, but I hate it. I pull my lip between my teeth as I begin pacing. When I turn around, I almost smack into him. He wraps his arm around my waist, steadying me, and my hands rest on his shoulders.

“I know, baby.” He soothes me. His other hand comes up, and he pulls my lip from between my teeth, rubbing his thumb back and forth. He leans forward and kisses me softly. “I don’t like this any more than you do,” he murmurs against my lips.

My heart is still beating heavily in my chest, and it feels like it’s breaking. Why won’t this man go away? He’s ruined everything good in my life. My parents overdosed because of the drugs he put on the streets.

I don’t remember much about my parents before they started using, but my mom would sing, and my dad would dance with me. They were good parents. Then, Dad got fired from his job. Donovan hired him to push drugs on the streets. Within months, they were both hooked on what they were supposed to sell. I found them both. I will never get that image out of my head. I suck in a deep breath, wishing I could burn the images from my brain.

Later in my life, he used those two men who almost kidnapped me, probably to sell me and make the money back he lost from my parent’s untimely death. Thank goodness Connor and Bass happened to be there to save me.

“Shortcake?” he murmurs, his lips brushing against my forehead. I blink and look up at him.

“I can’t lose you, Big Man. I won’t survive,” I whisper. “When you were shot—”

“Shhh…” Connor leans down and whispers in my ear. He wraps me in a tight hug, giving me the boost of serotonin my body needs at this moment. “You’re not going to lose me, Shortcake. I’m just taking precautions. This is my way of knowing you’re protected, just in case.” I hear his words, but they’re not penetrating the doom I feel in my heart. “I can stop if you want me to. I’ll walk away from this if that’s what you need,” he whispers.

I shake my head, burying it in his chest. “No. I can’t do that to Liv. This man is a disease. He needs to go away,” I mumble against his skin.

He places his chin on top of my head and nods gently. “I promise I’ll take every precaution. I always carry my pistol with me.” He pushes me away and stares down at me. “It’s not a bad idea for you to carry one, too. It’s been a while since we’ve done target practice. Maybe we can do that today?” he asks.

I nod slowly. “I’m going over to Bass and Caroline’s today. I have to give Bass my notice. But we can do it after that.” His face transforms from concern to delight. I can’t help but smile.

He lifts me and twirls me around. “Oh, baby, work just got more fun!” he exclaims. I start laughing. He lets me go and grabs my coffee, handing it to me. “You’re sure I can’t tell him?” He pouts, glee in his eyes.

I shake my head, laughing. “No, Big Man. You’d take way too much pleasure in delivering that news.” He pouts again.

“Drink up. We have to go!” he exclaims. I chuckle, but worry creeps in. He notices and leans down, brushing his lips over my cheek. “Everything will be okay. I promise.”

I take a deep breath and nod. I know that’s not something he can promise, but I trust him not to take unnecessary risks. I love him more than I thought was possible. I can’t live without him. I won’t.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

BECCA

BASS OPENSthe door with a big smile on his face. “Hey, you two!”

I hug him, and then he and Connor do that one-arm hug. He leads us to the living room, where Caroline is sitting. She has a baby blanket covering her, and I realize she’s nursing.

“Sorry. I’d greet you, but Miss Mia was hungry.”

I smile at her. “Being a mom looks good on you.” She’s glowing. She beams up at me.

Bass walks to her and drops a kiss on top of her head. “I thought I was attracted to her before, but it’s tripled.”

Caroline gazes up at him with so much love in her eyes. I love how they love each other. He sits on the arm of the couch and runs his fingers through her hair before turning his attention to us. Connor and I sit down on the loveseat across the room. I suck in a breath, the flutters in my stomach multiplying. Connor intertwines his fingers with mine, giving me the support I need.

“What’s up?” Bass asks, and I take another deep breath before ripping the bandaid off.

“I wanted to talk to you about the gym,” I tell him.

Bass tilts his head at me, and a smirk plays on his lips. “Oh yeah? What about it?”

I run the hand that’s not holding Connor’s down my thigh. “I need to give you my notice. I’ve decided I want to work with Connor,” I blurt out.

The smirk that had been playing on Bass’ lips turns into a full-blown smile. “I knew it!” he exclaims, surprising me.

“What?” I look from him, Connor, Caroline, and back to him.

He tilts his head at me again. “Bec, I’ve known for a long time that you wanted to do interior design. You’re great at it. I knew when you and Connor finally admitted your feelings for each other; it wouldn’t be too long after that you’d work with him.”

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