Page 13 of Nothing to Beat

“You ate here,” Roxie said.“That pizza has strong-as-a-horse enzymes in it, this was no hypo.”

“Don’t try to get up.”Savvy did her bit to keep her still.“Help’s on the way.”

And suddenly a head rush was the least of her concerns.“Help?”Uh oh.“What do you mean—” The door opened, bringing all women around and, of course, who was first through?“Breck—”

“What happened?”he asked, storming right on through the women, practically knocking them aside to crouch and cradle her head.“Are you hurt?”

“I’m not hurt.I’m fine.”

“Coy—”

“Don’t paw at me.”Pushing his hands away did little to slow him down.“Breck—”

“You’re on the floor.”

“Only because no one will let me get up.I’m fine.”And this was more than a little mortifying.“Honestly.I wouldn’t lie to you.”

“You’re fine,” he repeated to which she nodded, hoping that would be the end of it.How naive.“Both of you?”

A gasp.More than one.Not from her, no, from behind him, in the audience she couldn’t actually see.

“Oh,” Roxie said, “plot twist.”

Did he really just…?Shit… Her jaw pushed to the side at the same time her eyes narrowed.And, no, he didn’t leave any doubt as to what he meant.The stroking of her belly would clear up any uncertainty.

“There is no both of us.”

This time when he tried to hold her down, she was more persistent in pushing his fawning away.

“You’re not…?”

She couldn’t say that.Not exactly.With his supporting arm around her, she got to her feet.

“Can we maybe not do this now?”

Blinded by his zeroed-focus, she had to twice shift her own gaze past him to remind the idiot they weren’t alone.No, not an idiot, just not exactly with it.Had he been scared?She might mock him for that, internally, until considering how she’d feel on learning he’d just hit the deck for no reason.

“Coy—”

“Can I go home?”

“No,” Breck said, surprising her with a bow that swept her off her feet.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“The doctor’s on his way upstairs.”

More than just the trio of women she’d spent the evening with, there were now a large cohort of men in their party too.Breck bypassed all of them to carry her through the building.

The busy building.

No, they didn’t go through the main restaurant, but they did cross from private corridors to the main central lobby.Plenty of people there.And with a lot of the walls to different units transparent, they probably made quite a spectacle for those in the various venues.

Maybe she should be angry.Indignant.Make a point of asserting her strength and independence.Except his actions weren’t meant to diminish or question her capability, this was classic Breck.The man had to fix things.Had to act to remedy any wrong.Given the guy wasn’t a doctor, he wasn’t the best placed to remedy anything that might be broken.No.So what did he do?Overstretched in his reaction, heightened by fear, and coddled her.

Oh, how was he always so delicious?

She tipped her chin higher to murmur.“You don’t have to carry me.”

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