Page 54 of Forever to Fall
CHAPTER 17
Any chill Mallory hadabout their secret dating evaporated the millisecond her brother arrived unannounced at Beckett’s place. She and Beckett had shared a perfect morning of cuddles and coffee, and were now idly scrolling on their phones to the sound of a quiet Saturday morning. Mallory didn’t often get weekends off, so she planned to enjoy this bonus time...with her boyfriend.
The moniker felt strange, yet wonderful, to her ears. She’d woken up twisted in the sheets and covered in Beckett. One of his long legs was draped over hers, and an arm had her plastered to his chest. She was so smitten, even his snores were adorable. Did she mind sharing her space with a symphony provided by a certain redhead? Hell. No.
Now they were nestled together on the couch, her head resting on Beckett’s lap. She’d taken her hair down, and he was mindlessly running his fingers through the strands. The soothing sensation threatened to put her back to sleep until the sound of K-Pop music snapped them both to attention.
She sat bolt upright, eyes growing to the size of baseballs. “Oh crap, were you expecting him?”
Beckett scoffed. “If I did, you’d think we’d still be in our PJs?”
“Crap!” Mallory exclaimed as she sprinted to the bedroom, Beckett hot on her heels. “What time is it?”
“Ten thirty,” Beckett replied as he hastily pulled on a pair of jeans. His red hair was mussed and he looked like he’d been lounging around all morning. She knew from her own brushed-out locks that there would be no hiding the truth from Evan.
“He’s going to know something’s up,” she whined as she straightened yesterday’s shirt and pinched color into her cheeks.
Beckett shook his head, a rueful smile tugging his lips. “Mal, I don’t think you need to worry. We’ll just say you stopped by for coffee and to check on my hand.”
Mallory deflated, arms falling to her sides. “I’m a nurse. You have an injury. You might be a genius.”
Beckett cocked an eyebrow. “Might?”
Tugging him by the hem of his shirt, she plastered a wet kiss on his cheek. “Don’t act so smug.”
“You like it,” he teased, holding her close. Dipping his head, he kissed her temple and sighed. “To be continued.”
“That a fact?” She wiggled free and pulled on her shoes.
Beckett smacked her bottom on his way past. “It’s a promise, Mal.”
The pair sprinted back to the living room and flopped back on the couch just as Evan knocked on the door. “Yo, Foxy!” his familiar voice boomed through the door.
Beckett strode over, running his hands through his hair. Throwing the door open, he clapped his hand on Evan’s shoulder. “Perfect timing, Lawless. Mal just got here.”
The lie slid off his tongue so flawlessly, Mallory was impressed. “Hey, Ev.” She gave a wave from the couch, sitting on her other hand so her brother couldn’t see it tremble.
Evan beamed and clapped his hands together. “Perfect. That saves me a trip.”
“Oh, yeah?” Beckett asked as he went to the kitchen for another coffee.
