Page 44 of Always Earned, Never Given

Annabelle

“Thanks for coming with me. I’m sorry Declan made you feel like you had to,” I tell Bash as I hop out of his oversized Hummer, heading for the backdoor of the studio.

“Gotta tell you, Belles, I’m glad Declan texted last night. A lot of bad shit goes down in this city. Whether you hear about it or not, it’s there. You’ve got to be safe, and as your friend, I don’t want you checking this shit out alone. If you were my girl, I’d have done exactly what Declan did.” Bash drops that bomb then hangs back, looking around the parking lot while I’m unlocking the back door and disarming the alarm.

I’m not Declan’s girl.

Even thinking that sounds whiney.

“It’s all clear outside.” He walks in behind me and continues down the hall when I make a left into my office.

“Nothing looks out of place in here,” I yell down the hall. “I don’t keep any cash here. I can’t imagine what someone would want from the studio.” I leave my office and pull the door closed behind me. By the time I meet Bash by the front desk, he’s checked the locker room and both studios.

“Yeah, it all looks good up here too. Must have been a tripped wire.” He checks something on his phone, then smiles. “Let’s get out of here. The game’s gonna start soon, and I think your man needs to hear that everything’s okay before he goes on that field.”

I whip my head around, hand on hip. “I don’t have a man, thank you very much, Sebastian.”

Bash fails to hide his laughter. “Yeah, Belles. Whatever you gotta tell yourself.”

“Fuck off, Bash.” I flick his ear.

He grabs the keys out of my hand and holds them above my head. Sebastian Beneventi is six-foot-seven. If he doesn’t want you reaching something, you’re not getting it. “Call Declan. Put him out of his misery, please. I want the Kings to win today.” His eyes dare me to fight him before he adds, “I’ll be waiting in the Hummer.” He heads back the way we came, leaving me alone in the lobby.

I grab the phone out of my pocket and huff out an annoyed breath. I’m not used to high-handed guys. I grew up around dancers. I was friends with dancers and dated dancers. I don’t think any of the guys I dated could be referred to as an alpha male. If anything, I think I may have been more alpha than them. It always seemed hot when I read about the elusive alpha male in my romance books. The guy who took what he wanted, protected how he wanted, and claimed a girl for the whole world to see.

In real life, these guys are a giant pain in my ass.

I dial Declan’s number and wait to hear his voicemail. I’m completely shocked when he answers, “Are you okay?” The worry in his voice hurts my heart to hear.

Maybe they’re not quite a giant pain in my ass.

It’s really noisy wherever he is. I’m guessing it’s the locker room.

“I’m fine. Sebastian came with me after I left Tommy with Nattie at the house. Everything looks good at the studio. Must have been some kind of error.”

“God, it’s so good to hear your voice, Belle.”

This man... “I’m fine, Declan. You didn’t need to bother the guys. Now hang up the phone and win the game.” I hear the noise from his end of the call get quieter.

“Can I call you later, Belle?” It’s twenty-five minutes before kick-off, and he’s worried about me.

“What am I going to do with you, Declan Sinclair?”

“We can talk about it later, Belles. I gotta go.” He ends the call, and I feel a tiny piece of my wall start to crumble.

Tuesday morning, I pop into Sweet Temptations and am greeted by my new favorite scent of coffee and chocolate. And oh boy, does it smell fan-freaking-tastic!

“Amelia,” I call out.

“I’ll be out in a minute, Belle,” she yells through the doors. This seems to be how our daily chats start each day. I hear a giggle coming from the corner of the room and turn to see the girl from last week sitting on the funky brown suede chair in the corner of the shop, sipping something that has steam coming off it and a chocolate muffin sitting in front of her.

Damn. I wonder if that’s what smells so good?

Standing, Leah leaves her things at the table and crosses the room to me. “I’ve been here for a while, and she only just slowed down a few minutes ago. You just missed the crowd.”

I drop my bag next to the register and lean against the counter. “Good grief, it’s already been an insane morning. It’s a full moon tonight. I guess the crazies are coming out early.”

“Yeah, must be.” She looks as pretty and put together today as she did last week. Knee-high heeled boots and skinny jeans show under a cute leather bomber jacket. The girl’s got great taste. “I was hoping to see you today. I wanted to know if I could sign up for your Friday morning adult beginner’s class.”

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