Page 15 of A Knotty Road Trip

Tate grumbles beside him as he begins to remove the containers from his bag.

I can smell the steak Diane and potatoes from here, and my stomach clenches.

It's one of my favorites with the shrimp and butter garlic sauce. Dammit! Tate pulls out a second entree, and I laugh.

“I thought you might be extra hungry after your six workouts today.”

“Hey it takes effort to be this hot. Besides, I didn't plan to add any extra cardio.”

He laughs, and Beck grins.

“Please move.” I hear Belle state, and I spin back around.

“This dick just won't learn. Tell security,” I say over my shoulder to my cousin, and Beck as I walk toward the feisty blonde.

“I told you to get away from me. I have someone.”

“I’ve never been the type to care. I can make it real good for you, girl.” As I reach them I catch the guy licking his lips and even my stomach turns.

“What did I tell you about coming aroundmyomega? Now back the fuck off before you find yourself on your ass bruised and bloody!” I watch as his nostrils flare, then turn toward Belle.

“Babe, here hand me those,” I say, taking the tray of drinks with one hand and wrapping my arm around her with the other, giving her a squeeze.

I don’t know what it is about her, but there’s something…

It takes her a minute to relax, her body as stiff as a board, but eventually she calms. The creeper scoffs. Belle cuddles closer to me, and I press a kiss onto her head. She sighs, and I want to start purring for her.

What the fuck?

She's the perfect height to hold close, and I think it might be hard to let her go. It's as if she was made for me in some way.

My dick perks up, and the man's nostrils flare as my pheromones fill the air. Yeah, breathe it in, asshole. That's what a true alpha smells like. I don't know what his scent is, but it's probably something putrid, if I had to guess.

“Well aren't you just the cutest couple?” he coos, with a nasty sneer on his lips. “Funny though that your father didn't know you had someone in your life, Miss Talline.”

He gives us a smirk, and Belle stiffens once more. “My father?”

“Yes, it seems he didn't trust that you would get on the plane, so he sent me to keep an eye on you, so to speak. It’s not my fault your scent makes me primal.”

I growl, and he gives me a wink, then looks over our shoulders at something, and grins. “I'll be seeing you, Belle.” He moves, and we turn not giving him access to our backs. Just in case.

Walking around us, he continues past the restaurants and out of sight.

Belle shakes beneath my shoulder. “Hey are you okay?” I ask her, and she sighs.

“Yeah, I'll be fine. I should have known he'd pull a stunt like this.” She worries at her bottom lip with her teeth, and I find myself pulling her closer to me.

“Who?”

Looking up at me with those gray eyes that remind me of a cloudy day, she whispers, “My father.”

“Is he a bad man?” She doesn’t answer, but she does nod, and my blood runs cold. I squeeze her a little tighter.

I don’t know anything about this girl, but I will make sure she’s safe. At least until we reach LA… though I’m starting to wonder if maybe she would be our surrogate, and I can keep her.

CHAPTER FIVE

BECKETT

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