Page 21 of Somebody to Save
We’d been texting off and on since earlier in the week, and he’d joked that he was going to come by for bingo night since I wouldn’t agree to a date. But I guess it wasn’t a joke after all.
I’d enjoyed talking to him and actually getting to know him more than what he felt like inside me and how proficient he was at dirty talk.
“Well, I know you said you were busy, but I still wanted to see you.”
“I’m going to be here for a while. Are you just going to sit here and watch me lead bingo?”
He shrugged and leaned back in his seat, scrubbing a hand over the stubble covering his jaw. “Why not?”
“You don’t have anything better to do on a Friday night?”
He shook his head, and I crossed my arms over my chest. “Nope.”
“Nothing better than sitting back here and watching me?”
“No, nothing better.”
He was the most hardheaded person I’d evermet, and that was saying something because Bri was exceptionally hardheaded.
We stared at each other until I could hear the residents getting anxious around us, and I was excited for the excuse to look away. But when I turned, I could still feel his eyes on me, watching me walk back up to the podium and ask everyone if they were ready to begin again.
ELEVEN
DON’T LIE
Addison
The residentsslowly filtered out of the room, and I gathered the leftover prizes to save for next month. I could feel Beckett behind me without having to look.
I’d felt his eyes on me all night, so I knew the sensation well. Like my body was burning from the inside out, and all I wanted to do was succumb to the heat and the flames. And I think there was a permanent blush staining my cheeks.
“Enjoy your night?” I asked, pushing through the odd way my throat constricted. It would have been nice if his presence hadn’t affected me, but I wasn’t that lucky.
“I did,” he said. He came to stand beside me and immediately began helping me bag up the prizes. I cut my eyes his direction, but he was intent on his task. “You’re impressive.”
I jerked my head at him, and he smiled like he expected my reaction. My laugh was sardonic.
“I led bingo night. I’m not sure anything about that is impressive. It’s not like I’m practicing law or something.”
He chuckled, and I really enjoyed the deep timbre ofthe sound.
“No, I guess it’s not, but it’s still impressive. They really care about you, that much is obvious. And you seem to really care about them. I can tell you’re really good at your job.”
Looking up at him, I scanned the side of his face for any sign of insincerity but found none. He caught me, and I looked away quickly.
“Well, they haven’t fired me yet, so that’s a good sign.” He grabbed the bag we’d been packing and the ball machine. “You don’t have to help me clean up, though. I’m used to doing this by myself.”
But he didn’t move to hand over the bag or the machine. “Just because you’re used to doing it alone doesn’t mean I can’t help. I’m here, I’m able, and I’m going to help.”
His words hit me directly in the chest, and my heart stuttered. But I ignored the weird feeling in my gut and focused on the task at hand. Not the very gorgeous man in front of me or his sweet words.
“Okay, but this doesn’t change anything about the date,” I said over my shoulder as I led us toward my office. I heard Beckett chuckle behind me.
Flipping on the light, I strode across the room and into the closet that held most of my event decorations and other items. It was organized chaos. As was my life, honestly.
“I’m not helping you because I want something in return,” he said, following me to the closet. “I’m doing this because I care—holy shit.”
Placing the few bottles of wine that were left in the small wine fridge a resident had left behind, I turned to find Beckett just outside the closet door, staring up and around the small space in awe.
