Page 59 of Always Been Mine

Beatrice curtsied dramatically after her presentation. As she made her way to the back of the room—back to him—she was waylaid by more than one man too many. Handshakes were fine, but it was the bear hugs that hazed Gabe’s vision in red. There was one particular son of a bitch who was copping a feel; even he could tell by Beatrice’s tight smile that she didn’t like it. She firmly removed the man’s hand from her ass and patted the guy’s cheek.

Fuck it. Scene or not, he was dragging her out of there. Ashe moved forward, he caught Reece’s eyes on him, expression unreadable. Gabe ignored him and noticed Beatrice was about to pass Reece when the asshole pulled her on his lap. Beatrice laughed, while Nate chuckled.

A frisson of jealousy burned through his veins because, unlike the other hugs, Beatrice seemed perfectly comfortable on Nate’s lap, as if it was something natural that always happened between them. It felt like an eternity before he reached the pair, probably because Gabe had been imagining several ways to tear the other man apart.

His displeasure must have been evident because Beatrice’s laughter died when her eyes fell upon him.

“Gabe?”

“Let’s go.” His demand brooked no argument. He grabbed her hand and yanked her out of Nate’s lap.

There was a beginning of a smirk on the other man’s face.

Gabe leaned in so he could rasp in his ear. “Keep your hands off her if you don’t want to lose any fingers.”

“Gabe,” Beatrice berated in a harsh whisper. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Nate’s mouth curved into a grin, but his eyes were hostile.

The jerk did it deliberately to get a rise out of him. Asshole.

The room had gone quiet, all eyes on the three of them.

Beatrice jerked her hand out of his grasp and walked over to Travis who was regarding the scene with amusement. She said a few words to the BSI boss and left the room without a backward glance at Gabe.

Everyone was now staring at him. Gabe had taken a lot from her. His pride had taken a beating. He’d been cautious with her because he destroyed her three years ago. He had a lot to atone for, but this was humiliating. He was put in his place. He was a bodyguard, not her man.

A bodyguard would follow her without question. Fists clenched at his sides, head slightly bowed, he stalked after her.

The doorto her condominium slammed open and Beatrice walked straight to the kitchen to get a glass of wine. She was pissed, seething actually, at Gabe’s unreasonable jealousy. The trip to her condo was planned since she had to pick up some more clothes, but she had a strong desire to remain behind and let Gabe go home and stew by himself.

The man in question prowled right behind her, anger evident in every line of his body.

“You had no cause to confront Nate!” Beatrice had been repeating the statement like a mantra since the encounter in the BSI conference room.

“You never answered my question,” Gabe said coldly. “Do you always let his hands get all over you?”

“It’s Nate,” Beatrice screeched in frustration. “Nate is affectionate. He is never inappropriate.”

“He pulled you on his lap; that’s as inappropriate as it gets,” Gabe shot back. “I’ve let the hugs pass a couple of times, but I have my limits. I merely told him if he didn’t want to lose his fingers, he should keep his hands off you.”

“That was embarrassing.”

“No, I’m merely establishing that I’m not the type of man to stand by while another man gets your ass on his lap. Reece understood. He gave me the stink-eye, but did you hear him say anything?”

Beatrice’s eyes narrowed. “Wait. Back up. You’ve let it pass a couple of times? So now because I’ve taken you back, you think you can start acting like a Neanderthal as if you own me? What’s this? Lull me into false complacency? Get your hooks into me and then start acting like a jerk not only to me but to my friends?”

His face hardened perceptively. “I wasn’t being a jerk at all. You need to be able to tell the difference when your man is being a jerk or when he’s giving a damn. Because, babe, if I’mnot reacting when other men have their paws on you, you should be worried.”

He was right, but Beatrice still had her jaw set stubbornly, her arms crossed over her chest. Gabe stepped into her space, his arms circling around her and pressing fully into her. His mouth lowered to her ear. “You’ve given me an in, babe. I’m not getting out. So you can scream and protest as much as you want. Tongue-fucking you and you sucking me off ain’t enough anymore. I’ve given you plenty of time to get used to being back with me.”

“What are you saying?”

Gabe backed her against the center island and spun her around, bending her over the edge. Beatrice felt her heart pound against her breastbone in . . . anticipation? There was a twitch between her legs and her panties were already damp. Gabe’s crotch hit her ass—he was already hard.

“Gabe,” she hissed weakly in protest.

“Shut up!” He growled in her ear as he bent over her. His hands shoved her skirt up. She got wetter. “That attitude is sexy, and it makes me hard as hell. But it’s only because I can’t wait to fuck it out of you.” His hands fisted her panties and ripped them off.

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