Page 34 of Suspicious

My chest is heaving as I grab her shirt, removing it from around me, but she still has hold of it. “Playtime is over, Bea. Get down from the bar.Now!” I demand.

She snorts out a laugh, standing tall on top of the bar and kicking a cardboard drink coaster my way. It narrowly misses me as she takes off, walking further toward the other end of the bar. Eggs and Weaver snicker under their breath.

“I’m having fun, Loki. You should get up here with me…live a little!”

Flaring my nostrils, I follow her, seeing more people around the clubhouse turning their attention our way. “Beatrice, so help me God, if you don’t get down right now and put some fucking clothes on—”

She bursts out laughing, throwing her shirt straight into my face, temporarily blinding me.

Gripping at her shirt, I yank it away from my face again andslam it to the floor in a huff. “Dammit, Bea. What would Theo think if he saw you right now?” I snap.

Her glassy eyes turn to me, almost rolling around in her head as she sways on the spot. “Theo, my dear older brother, isnothere. And I have doneplentyof things withouthimknowing about it…haven’t I, Loki?”She grins, winking at me seductively. At least, I think that’s what she’s going for, but in her drunken state it comes off more like she has something in her eye and is trying to blink it free.

Inhaling sharply, my cock jerks in my jeans, knowing precisely what she’s insinuating. But I can’t focus on that right now. I need to get her off this fucking bar.

Hayes steps up, rolling his shoulders. “Hey, VP… I didn’t know she was your woman, or I wouldn’t have—”

“She’snotmy woman, Prospect. But you shouldnotbe encouraging a girl as intoxicated as her to be stripping on the goddamn bar. That’s not who Defiance is.”

Hayes dips his chin. “Can I help you get her down, VP?”

I curl up my lip, disdain dripping from me. “You’ve done enough. Get out of my fucking sight.”

Hayes hesitates but then turns and walks away while I spin back to face Bea, who has picked up a bottle of tequila and is currently drinking straight from the bottle, most of the liquid falling straight down her cleavage.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” I mumble under my breath.

Moving in against the bar in front of her, I reach up, yank the bottle away from her, and hurtle it across the room, narrowly missing Rip. It smashes beside him, and he throws his hand in the air at me, giving me a hang-loose gesture and a bright smile.

Bea, however, snaps her head down at me with a frown. “Hey! I was drinking that.”

“Were you, or is it all over your fucking torso?” I growl, my hands sliding up to grab her legs.

She snaps at me, her fingers flicking at my hands. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“Party’s over—”

“The fuck it is! I’m just getting… whoa!” she screams out as I grip her thighs, yanking her down from the bar. Her top half instantly bends, falling straight over my shoulder, her head resting right in line with my ass. I wrap my arm around her legs to keep her secure.

“Alex! You put me down, you maniac.” Her legs kick out, and her fisted hands pound on the back of my thighs, but I ignore her as I march through the middle of the party. Everyone’s watching, including the scrutinizing eyes of Alpha. I ignore them all as I head straight to the hall and bound up the stairs for my bedroom.

This damn woman needs to sleep this shit off.

Kicking my bedroom door open all the while, she yells and complains. I slam the door shut, and my impatience and anger are growing more and more out of control. Her body is like a fucking bucking bronco as I try to keep my grip on her, walking over to my bed. When I reach the edge of it, I hurl her onto the mattress with reckless abandon.

She flies back, like a weightless bird, hits the mattress, and bounces a few times before she stills like her head is swirling, trying to find her equilibrium. I stare at her, furious she has let herself get to this kind of uncontrolled state. But when she slowly sits and stares at me with her glassy eyes, I spot it, the red haze taking over her again.

My shoulders slump as I prepare for another round, and she lunges off the bed toward me, all flailing arms and weak movements because she’s completely intoxicated. “You got no right to tell me to do stuff. Or… I don’t fucking know… things and shit! Youdon’town me!”The words are there, but they are missing her usual flare.

Taking a constricted grip on both her arms to stop them from attacking me, I hold them tight on either side of her body. “No… I don’t. But I care about you, and I don’t want to see you taking your clothes off and getting fucking wasted every damn night. What happened to this was aone-time thing—”

“Fuck you! Telling me you care about me. We don’t meanshitto each other, Alex. Whatever we were, it died thirteen years ago. For fuck’s sake, wealldied thirteen years ago.”

My nostrils flair, my heart pounding as I stare into her eyes, not really knowing how to answer that.

She’s right.

We did all die thirteen years ago.

---