Page 153 of Ruthless Reign

“Might be a little too much testosterone for a two-bedroom craftsman.”

She shifted her shoulders, making an innocent expression that came across as anything but. “I mean…I don’t think so.”

“You wouldn’t.”

She kicked my ankle with a scoff. “Fine. Then we’ll get another place. A bigger one.”

Becca wasn’t joking. I could see the earnestness in her eyes. I dropped my head in a nod. “Maybe. But there’s no rush. They don’t know me like you do, mo mhuirnín, not yet.”

Not even she knew everything there was to know about me. When she learned the rest of it—uncovered all my ugly truths—would she still want to be closer to me?

I hoped so.

“They will,” she assured me. “Eventually.”

“Are we doing this shit or what?” Kaleb said, tossing his only half-finished beer into a trash bin as he walked up, his chest lifted and jaw set.

I lifted my beer to him in salute, trying not to smirk. “Whenever you’re ready, mate.”

“Let’s go,” he hollered and the students all around us cheered, beer and liquor splashing everywhere as they lifted their red cups and screamed.

“Who am I riding with?” Becca shouted over the noise, looking between us with a torn expression.

I lifted a coin from my pocket and tossed it in the air. “Call it.”

“Heads,” Kaleb said with a pointed look in Becca’s direction that had her snorting.

I clapped the coin onto the back of my hand and then withdrew it.

Kaleb didn’t bother trying to hide his disappointment.

“It’s okay,” I said. “Ride with Kaleb.”

“Fuck that, you won the toss fair and square. It’s better like this. I’ll be able to focus better without anyone in the passenger seat.”

Becca squinted at Kaleb with a mischievous look. “Wait, so you’re going to deny all these gorgeous ladies the opportunity to be tonight’s race queen?”

He glared right back. “I only see one gorgeous lady,” he replied, pulling her against his body to grab a handful of ass. She really did have the best ass. “Only one queen, too.”

“Right answer.” She leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss him and whispered something in his ear that I couldn’t hear.

His gaze heated as he swallowed and I could imagine what she told him. What she promised him if he won. Nothing like a little sexual incentive to put things into sharper focus.

He coughed, clearing his throat as he turned to Hardin. “Come on, it’s time, let’s go.”

“Good luck, Galway,” Hardin called over his shoulder as he moved to catch up with a slightly bow-legged Kaleb.

Becca watched them go before slipping her hand into mine. “Well,” she said. “Lead the way.”

I tugged her through the crowd with me, toward the race line, where Kaleb was already in his car, hands on the wheel, eyes forward. Focused.

“He’s really not fuckin’ around,” I muttered as I opened the passenger door for Becca and she slid into the leather seat, buckling herself in tight.

“Nope,” Becca replied with a glimmer in her eyes. “You better bring your A-game, Galway.”

“Don’t you start.”

I slipped into my seat, adjusting everything to comfortable levels.

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