Page 37 of Bet On Me, Daddy

CHAPTER 13

RUBY

“Head’s up, Ruby.”

Jerking her gaze up at Tara’s warning, it didn’t take more than a second for Ruby to identify the source. Beckett was headed straight for her, with Ice, Braden, and Holden all just a step behind him.

Jesus, they made a picture. All that fierce, masculine energy in one small group was potent. Not to mention the fact they were all hot as fuck.

Beckett being the hottest by a mile, as far as she was concerned. With those dark eyes that saw far more than she was comfortable with and the almost boyish good looks he’d held onto even into his late thirties, how could she not feel something when he looked at her the way he was looking at her right now? Like he wanted to devour her or spank her or bend her over the bar and fuck her. Maybe all of the above, not necessarily in that order.

“Tara, can you spare Ruby for about an hour?” The question came from Braden, but Ruby knew damn well it actually came from the man currently watching her with all the intensity of a lion stalking a gazelle.

“Depends. Does Ruby want to be spared for an hour?”

God bless Tara.

One eyebrow raised in question, Braden shifted his attention away from his head bartender. “Ruby?”

Fuck. She wasn’t quite ready for a showdown with Beckett, but if she put it off she’d just have to deal with him watching her all night. And she wasn’t sure her nerves could handle that. “I’ve got a fifteen-minute break coming up anyway. I shouldn’t be gone longer than that.”

“Take more time if you need it. That’s not a request, Ruby.”

She wouldn’t need it, unless she wasted half her break time arguing with Braden, so she gave him a single sharp nod of agreement. “Yes, Sir.”

Stepping out from behind the bar, she glanced over at Beckett. “I guess we need to talk.”

“We do. I had one of the DMs hold an aftercare room for us downstairs.”

The fact that he’d gone out of his way to find them a private place for their talk probably shouldn’t have made her heart stutter the way it did. But the damn thing always did seem to have a mind of its own.

Stuttering turned to racing when Beckett placed his hand on the small of her back and kept it firmly planted there as they made their way down to the pit. To the soft, romantic parts of her it felt possessive. A claiming of sorts.

It didn’t seem to matter that she didn’twantto be claimed. And she sure as fuck didn’t want some over the top, jealous, rich asshole getting all growly and possessive with her.

Shedidn’t.

They were led to the same room Ivy had taken her to the night before, which was oddly calming in its own way. She knew this space, she’d been cared for and showered with affection in this space. It washerspace. Not his.

She held onto that comfort as the door clicked shut behind them. Moving to the middle of the room, she turned to face him. Beckett didn’t make any move to close the distance between them, and she tried to tell herself it didn’t make her ache to have him so close and yet so far away.

“We need to talk about today,” she said, grateful her voice didn’t waver.

“Yes, we do.” Now he did take a step closer, and she just barely resisted the urge to move back. “Does it bother you when I come to your cafe?”

“No. It bothers me when you throw your money at me like I’m some kind of common whore.”

Okay, well, she hadn’t meant to say it quite likethat.

Eyes narrowing dangerously, Beckett took another step forward. “Is that really what you think I was doing?”

Clasping her hands in front of her, she twisted her fingers together, grateful for the bite of pain that kept her grounded in the moment. “No, not really,” she admitted with a sigh. “But I would appreciate it if you refrained from leaving such a ridiculous tip in the future.”

“Why?”

“Because I asked you to.”

Pausing his slow stalking, Beckett blinked, looking for a moment like he couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing. “All right.”

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