Page 18 of Sweetheart: Part One

“Are you alright?” Love asked after a long moment.

She glanced at him, clearly trying to measure her expression. “I’m great—uh, good, I mean. Now I’m settled in…” She trailed off. “First impressions aren’t my strong suit.”

“I disagree entirely,” Love replied, crossing one leg over the other and regarding her carefully from his armchair. I chuckled in agreement. Hers had been one hell of an opener.

She bit her lip, clearly unsure how to take that. I couldn’t take my eyes from the movement. “I… hope that’s a good thing.”

Love did what he did best, and left the meaning of his words up to the rest of the world. He reclined back in his chair as a sign that he was done talking, but didn’t take his eyes from her. I’d seen him do that a thousand times in interviews. I had yet to determine if it was deliberate, or if his uncanny ability to make people squirm was simply a birthright. Given his blood relation to Ebony, I’d guess the latter.

Vex shifted back, eyes darting to me and Drake as if we might explain what Love had meant. I couldn’t help notice how close she was to Drake now, as if he might offer her comfort.

Damn.

He’dreallygot ahead… I mean, I’d punched a fucker like Ebony for her, but Drake must have done something right…

“I think it’s a good thing,” Drake said quietly, but I caught the half wince on his face after he said it as if he shouldn’t have. She peered up at him with those chocolate doe eyes, and her smile was dazzling.

“Me too,” I added, and was rewarded with the tail end of that smile directed right at me before she shrunk closer to Drake. Drake looked as pleased as I felt, and I saw his hand hover near her shoulder, as if he wanted to touch her. That drew me up.

Drake was not the physical type. He was nervous around people, prepping heavily for physicality in scenes, and had to be high to be in crowds. It was something he relied on me for. If he absolutely needed to make a show of it, I’d get him high as fuck, and then take him out into the event. Then I’d make sure all the attention was on me, and that no one got too close to him.

Still his hand hovered, as if he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to touch, which—of course we were, she was our Sweetheart after all. He shouldn’t be worried abouthuggingher.

Still, could be a way to get ahead, since she was definitely into him, and Drake’s whole thing about boundaries wasn’t something chicks found hot. If she sat next to me like that, I wouldn’t leave her wondering if she was wanted.

My thoughts tailed off uncomfortably as I realised what had just gone through my head.

OurSweetheart?

Well, notafterthe week was up… but until then, she was, right? Even without an extended contract, it wasn’t untrue.

I’d used the opposite logic with every other beta on these week-long trials.

Not mine, not until our signatures said so.

And they never did.

I wanted more than a signature to claim Vex, though.

The creamy pale skin of her thighs tempted me enough that I imagined what it would be like to sink my teeth in. I wanted to see what the crescent of pearly marks from my bite would look like on her.

I drew myself up, forcing my gaze to the TV screen.

What the fuck was I thinking?

My hind brain was off fucking kilter—had to have been the fight. Still, I couldn’t stop the thoughts tumbling into my mind.

She was nervous, and not in a fangirl way. Her nerves were something else, and she was sinking closer to Drake with every glance I was throwing her way.

I frowned, trying to understand why, as I averted my gaze.

Shit.

DidImake her nervous? I mean, she had watched me and Love let loose our auras, but it had been toprotecther… And I mean, she had to want that, right? A bite from me?

It should be obvious, since I’d never evenconsideredoffering that to anyone before. Take nearly any woman from the street, and it’d be a safe guess for the answer, but after what Ebony had done? He’d made this much more difficult for us.

Besides, she was a Sweetheart, which didn’t always mean pack bonds…

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