Page 214 of Those Who Are Bound

Becks

Elliewasgoingtokill him. One way or another, the kid was going to make sure he found his grave early.

Bad fucking joke to make.

If nothing else, he had to outlive her. Suffer through her shenanigans, her tantrums, her crises, her seductions, just to prove that her lovedidn’tcome with a body count.

He’d wanted to ask her, after she’d said that, if it meant she’d never loved him. He knew she didn’t love him romantically; they fucked. It was a release, what they’d done, for her. Well, initially for her. He had been a safe bet as she’d tested her newfound sexuality. Not going to lie and say he hadn’t been as into it as she was after he’d gotten over his initial self-loathing for banging his pseudo-niece.

Love on that level—what it appeared she finally felt for this guy—was never an issue for them.

But there was romantic love and there was just… love. She’d loved her parents. She’d loved her brother. Had she loved him? He never thought he’d question that she did, especially considering she’d automatically said it since she could talk. “Wuv oo, Becky.” He’d been glad when she could finally say “Becks.”

But it’d thrown him. It shouldn’t have, but it did.

When she’d finally returned the previous evening, in no better mood than she’d left, she made herself busy in the kitchen. He made himself scarce outside, considering she was throwing steel daggers at him with her looks.

Killion and Lucy were cleaning up after the wedding and reception. His little pixie had changed back into the shorts and tank top she’d been wearing that morning. He’d watched for a moment, then offered to help out. After all, he knew this property better than they did.

Afterward, he invited them to eat. It was lasagna. As pissed as she was, Ellie made him lasagna: her mom’s recipe. She didn’t eat any, though. She looked at it as though it made her sad.

Becks had shaken his head, letting out a half laugh. Everyone had looked at him as they were lined up at the counter; Ellie standing in the kitchen, leaning against the refrigerator. Meeting her gaze, he lifted a forkful. “It was him. You made this last for him.”

He was referring to when he’d called, the night before the canoe trip—because two days later, her leg was broken.

She stared at the casserole dish on the counter for a few minutes. Then she shoved off the refrigerator and silently walked around them, down the hall, and to her room.

“Is she okay?” Lucy asked, leaning back to look around him and down the hall.

Becks frowned into his dish. “She’s going to be.”

By the time they cleaned up, Ellie hadn’t emerged from her room. Killion went back to his place, taking with him the silent brooding, but Becks was sure he was growing on the guy.

Heh. No, he wasn’t.

Lucy hung around, making the excuse of wanting to know if Ellie was okay before she called an Uber. Jonah, after all, had been her ride that morning.

Maybe it wasn’t an excuse. Maybe she cared. But the sweet little looks she thought she was sneaking his way weren’t going unnoticed. However, the last thing he was going to do was invite this woman over for the night under Ellie’s roof. It wasn’t a jealousy thing—E wouldn’t care. It was an employee-employer thing; probably not good to explore those looks of Lucy’s in her boss’s house.

So Becks had gone to Ellie’s door and knocked on it. After a few seconds of silence, he opened it. He’d expected her to be asleep or out on the deck, but she’d been sitting in the corner chair in the semi-darkness. She was focused on him when he stepped in.

“Where’d you go?” He was referring to her disappearing that afternoon.

She raised one shoulder as though it didn’t matter. It was a sullen move, one he recognized from her teen years.

“You okay?”

Her features hardened as though to challenge him to ask again, so that was a yes.

“I’m taking Lucy home.”

That earned a raised eyebrow but still no words.

“Maybe, when I get back, the cat will have given your tongue back.”

“There’s nothing wrong with my tongue.”

“So, it’s me.” He folded his arms over his chest as he leaned against the jamb. “Kid, I’m on your side. I don’t know where your head is at, but I’m on your side.”

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