Page 14 of Forever Always

He pushed to his feet and met me at the door just after I’d kicked my shoes off, and brought me into a hug.

My belly fluttered at the contact. Did he realize what he did to me when he looked at me like that? When he hugged me like I was the most important thing in the world to him? I hugged him back and melted into the touch.

“It was okay.” Until this moment, I wasn’t sure if I was gonna mention Cole to Becks. But something about his hug and the way he tried to subtly breathe in my scent made me want to push things in a way I usually wouldn’t with Beckett.

“Someone gave me his number.”

Beckett moved me back so that we were about arm width apart, his hands firmly squeezed my shoulders. It was perfect. But not as perfect as the way his eyes were on fuckin’ fire.

“What do you mean, someone gave you his number?”

I shrugged and wiggled out of his hold. I walked into the kitchen and ignorined how Becks followed me in. “This guy came in and asked me to refill the coffee. I guess he was flirtin’ with me, and then he gave me his number,” I said in the most casual voice I could muster. I opened the fridge and pulled out a can of soda.

I didn’t look back at Beckett, but I didn’t need to. I could feel the fuckin’ tension in the air. I didn’t know what that meant though. He was always so overprotective, so his reaction could mean anything.

I could feel him right behind me. I took a deep breath and turned around, hoping I looked at lot more relaxed than I felt.

Beckett took up all the space in the tiny area. If it were anyone else, I would have panicked. But not with Becks. I felt my cock twitch, and I had to pray he didn’t notice. I might’ve been a freak who felt things I shouldn’t for my brother, but even if I was playing games, I wasn’t actually ready for Beckett to know that.

“Did you give him yours, butterfly?” His tone was calm, but I could feel the strain behind every syllable. His jaw was so tense, he’d probably be sore. His fists were clenched to his sides, his knuckles white from how tightly he was squeezing them.

I took a sip of my soda and met his eyes. “Yeah.” Becks’s chest heaved.

If I were a better person, I’d tell him that I had no intention of calling this guy. But no matter what Becks said, I wasn’t. Because a good person wouldn’t have romantic feelings for his stepbrother. They also wouldn’t fuckin’ love that possessive gleam in his eyes. I should be running the other way, but I never felt safer or more loved than when Becks acted like he owned me. Like I belonged to him.

I fished out my phone and pulled up the text. “Look at what he sent me. Wild, right?”

I shoved the phone in his hand and took advantage of the distraction to slip past him and head toward our bathroom to take a shower before I crashed. I grinned at the loud thud coming from the kitchen. Did he punch something?

I had just pulled my shirt off and was unbuttoning my jeans when the door flew open and Beckett just stood there, filling the space with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Holy fuck. I gripped the back of the counter and tilted my head up so I was looking him right in the eyes.

I should be terrified, but Becks would never hurt me. I knew that.

He was in my space before I could react, his hands cupped my cheeks, held me in place.

Becks was so fuckin’ close, I could feel his breath on my face. My heart was beating out of my chest, but not ‘cause I was afraid. No, it was ‘cause all I wanted to do was lean forward and close that little bit of space between our lips. Fuck, I really was a freak. I’d felt hardly anything for that guy at the store, but for my own damn brother, I wanted nothing more than to kiss him. I was terrified of Becks’s reaction, and it was the only reason I stopped. I couldn’t lose him, and if I took that step, I was afraid that was exactly what would happen.

“You didn’t answer him,” he finally said, his voice took on that tone that always fuckin’ did something to me.

“Not yet,” I whispered.

Beckett squeezed my cheeks tighter. It smushed my mouth together in a way that probably made me look ridiculous, but I didn’t fight the hold. Something in Beckett’s eyes was holding me paralyzed.

“Not ever, Riley. Delete his fuckin’ number.”

And just like that, I switched from being turned on and excited to fuckin’ pissed. That was my over-the-top, protective big brother speaking, and the brat in me I tried so fuckin’ hard to tame just snapped. I didn’t even wanna call this guy, but now I was tempted.

“Fuck you.” My words were muffled because of how tightly he was squeezing my cheeks, but I fought it this time. My hands found his wrists and I dug my nails in hard enough that they’d likely bleed. He loosened his hold.

“Shit.” He let go and I shoved at his chest, to give myself some breathing space.

“I can talk to whoever I fuckin’ want to! You don’t own me.”

Beckett was on me again. He grabbed my hair which locked me in place. And the look in his eyes . . . ? Fuck. It told me the exact opposite of what I’d just said. He did own me. What did that make me that I’d hoped that was exactly the words that would come out of his mouth?

For a moment, neither of us moved. It was like we were locked in a standoff that both of us were afraid to break. The only sound was our breathing as we stared at each other, neither of us backing down.

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