Page 192 of Chosen Beta

“We’d like to claim each other. I’m not sure how long she can stay so …”

“Stay with her. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

“And every other day,” Pete adds, reminding me they’re going nowhere.

I hug Ezra, and then Pete.

“Take good care of Shadow and Owen for me,” I tell them.

Pete nods. “I’ll walk you guys to your room. Make sure the guard is good.”

“Anything you need me to do?” Ezra asks.

“You could take Kellan to our suite,” Pete says. “He’s gonna hole up in the spare room for the night. Brooke’s suite doesn’t have an extra room.”

“No problem.”

Ezra follows us back out into the hallway, where Brooke and Kellan are waiting.

We split up, and Brooke takes my hand.

My heart starts to pound faster as we follow Pete up the staircase to the first floor.

It takes me a second to recognize the guard in the corridor when we get to Brooke’s door.

He’s pacing around, covering a corner.

“John, hi,” I greet him.

He raises a hand in a wave. “Evening, Ms. Cole.”

“Make sure you keep a close eye on this door tonight,” Pete tells him. “Don’t let anyone in who isn’t cleared by Lana in advance.”

He looks at me, and I nod.

“Sure, no problem.”

Pete smiles at us. “This is where I leave you.”

“I’ll see you soon,” I promise.

“Don’t worry,” Brooke says. “I’ll take good care of her.”

Chapter Seventy-Six

Lana

The first thing I do is put my keys and phone down on the kitchen counter while Brooke locks the door. The first thing Brooke does is strip out of her unusual dress. It falls in a flurry of color to the floor, leaving her standing there in nothing but a red lacy thong and heels.

I feel frozen in place by how beautiful she is.

She’s always oozed confidence, and it’s easy to see why.

“Teri is a sweetheart, and I love the rainbow detailing, but that dress isn’t really my style.”

“You’d look good in anything.”

“But I look better like this, right?” she asks, smiling as she moves toward me.

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