Page 61 of Somebody to Save
There was no point in trying to keep my cheeks from flushing. It was a foregone conclusion when I was around Beckett, and he said things like that. Before I could think of a witty response, he was standing as he grabbed my hand.
“What—”
“Just come on, Bubbles.”
I threw a quick look over my shoulder at Caroline and Natalie, whose backs were to us and hadn’t even noticed Beckett walk in. Or noticed him leading me quickly out a side door nearby and through to the hallway around the corner from where we’d entered.
Beckett made a cursory glance down the empty hallway and tugged me across to an alcove with a window to the view outside and a small table and chair.
But I didn’t get to examine the rest of our surroundings before Beckett backed me up against the wall and slammed his mouth to mine. His hands cupped my cheeks and guided me in a fierce, hungry kiss. No longer concerned about where we were or what was happening, I was consumed by him.
My hands snaked under his suit jacket and slipped against his crisp, white shirt. Moaning against his lips, he devoured every little sound I tried and failed to rein in.
“When’s your next free night?” He asked, placing one final kiss against my lips.
My eyes slowly opened, and I licked the remnants of him from my mouth. My attention bouncing between his hazel eyes, I actually wasn’t sure when my next free night was. With the insurance news, my schedule was only more chaotic.
“I’m not…I’m not sure,” I muttered, and Beckett smoothed his thumb over my cheek.
For the millionth time in my life, I wished I could better conceal my facial expressions and that all my thoughts didn’t have to play out across my features, because he immediately sensed my mood shift.
“What happened?” His question was simple, but I felt tears welling behind my eyes.
Oh, heck no,I thought. I was not freaking crying. No tears.Notears.
But there was also no point in lying. I’d hoped to have a little more time to wrap my head around the news and come up with a viable plan, but here we were.
“Umm…I heard back from the insurance company.” I swallowed as his eyes bounced between mine, and I saw understanding dawn.
“They’re still dropping the number of days, aren’t they?”
One solemn nod, and Beckett sighed.
“And I’m out of insurance options, so I’ll have to figure something else out.” I tried to instill at least an ounce of confidence in my voice as I shifted on my feet.
“Have you thought more about my offer?” he asked in a low voice.
I shook my head immediately but shrugged. “I mean, yes, I’ve thought about it, and I just don’t think it’s a good idea. We’ve only just started dating, and I don’t know about you, but I think it’s going really well. And all we need is money to get in the middle of what’s otherwise a good thing. I don’t want to chance it. And besides, I’ve figured it out up until now.”
Beckett nodded and dropped his hands to clasp mine. “I understand, and I respect your decision. But let me talk to a friend of mine. She’s an insurance lawyer and may have something we haven’t considered.”
Now, that was the kind of help I had no problem accepting. “That would be amazing,” I said with a glimmer of hope.
“Perfect, I’ll call her when I get back to my office. But I have a follow-up question.”
“Yes?”
“We’re dating?”
I laughed and dropped my head back against the wall. “Well, you said there’s no one else for you, and there’s definitely no one else for me. And after our conversation on Thanksgiving, I thought that maybe?—”
He shut me up with a kiss, which was a very effective method and probably my favorite one I’d experienced. My nervous babbling wasn’t just annoying to me.
When he pulled back, he smiled down at me. “Works for me, baby girl.”
“So, you’re my boyfriend?”
He chuckled, and I caught a flash of his dimple. “I feel like I’m way too damn old to be a boyfriend again, but yeah, I want to be.”
