Page 49 of The Trouble with Love and Ink
We stepped into line with the group. Our party of ten separated into three rows, each taking up the entire sidewalk. At the front of the pack, with Victoria, I already felt as though my every move was under a microscope.
One slip and I’d ruin Beck’s illusion of being happy without Reagan, or I could expose myself as the imposter I was. Then this would all be over: Hailey’s business and my chance at continuing professional calligraphy—something that had given me a new purpose, a reason to be excited.
I’d have to tread carefully.
The guy who’d dude-hugged Beck slipped between Victoria and me. “I don’t think we’ve officially met.” He stuck out a hand. “I’m Gabe, Beck’s bestie.”
I giggled at thinking of Beck as someone’s bestie. “Hi, Gabe.” I shook his outstretched hand. “I’m Hailey.”
The use of Hailey’s name as my own still felt odd on my tongue, like I had hair in my mouth, but this was the plan.
“I kept waiting for Beck to introduce us at the shower, but for a rich brat, he doesn’t always have the best manners.”
“My apologies. Gabe, this is my girlfriend, Hailey.” Something in my stomach fizzed at Beck referring to me as his girlfriend. Even though I knew it was fake. “Hailey, this is Gabe. A pain in the ass.”
I smiled. “Sounds like we’ll get along great. Being a pain in Beck’s ass is my favorite hobby.”
Gabe’s eyebrows shot up in delighted surprise. One of them had a scar running through it, which might have given him an intimidating look if not for the bright eyes and dimples. “I like her.”
Beck gave me a sidelong glance, his mouth quirking into a smile. “She’s pretty likable.”
I blushed stupidly. He is acting, Emily. “How do you two know each other?” I asked, ready to get the subject off me.
“We met in high school,” Beck said.
Gabe nodded. “I swept the floor with him at a swim meet, and he begged me for pointers after.”
The idea of Beck being outmatched at swimming pleased me to no end.
“I don’t know about begged,“ Beck said. “I asked you to show me a thing or two.”
“And I did. In return, he bought me a double meat at Whataburger.”
“And he’s been bothering me ever since,” Beck said with a warm smile that completely contradicted his sentence.
In a more secluded area of the resort, a hot tub gurgled. Amongst the bubbles, a woman in a pixie cut traced the lines of her lover’s goatee before leaning in for a kiss.
“Oh God,” Sebastian groaned. “Are Kat and Jake still making out?”
“Hey!” another guy in the group called. “You do have a room, you know?”
The man with the goatee—Jake, I presumed—didn’t stop kissing Kat to lift a middle finger. Then he pulled a giggling Kat into his lap, nipping at her lip.
My mouth went dry at the prospect of playing girlfriend with Beck here. A vision of him pulling me into his lap invaded my thoughts. I pictured my thighs wrapping around his warm torso, my stomach flush with his, and my fingers digging into his back muscles.
But Beck yanked me out of the fantasy with an alarmed, “Emily, watch out!”
Someone screamed, but before I could even get a chance to try and figure out what to watch for, Beck pulled me to his chest. Then I saw it, the slip of a snake’s tail sliding into the grass.
Threat over, I turned my attention to Beck, who still held me fast. I stayed there, dazed by his sudden closeness. His breath hit my cheek, quick from the heightened adrenaline, and his heart hammered against my palm.
He’d literally swung me out of harm’s way like a damn knight. Any decent human probably would have done what he did, but the damsel in distress part of my brain had all the heart eyes. I couldn’t help but feel the warmth of being protected and cared for.
“Are you okay?” Victoria asked.
“I’m fine,” I said.
Then, Beck seemed to remember his hands and how they still gripped my arms. He released me with a little mumble of an apology.
