Page 207 of Beyond the Badge: Nox

Like Liyah predicted, Caleb, Devyn and Keenan snuck off while the adults cleaned up the dining room and kitchen. Her sister Asia, at fifteen, was now curled up in a recliner talking a mile a minute on her cell phone. She was having an animated discussion about boys with whoever was on the other end.

Unless her father was in hearing distance, then the conversation quickly switched to makeup and clothes.

One side of Nox’s mouth pulled up as he silently wished luck on all the boys wanting to date the stunningly beautiful girl in the future. That grin quickly dropped when Romeo crossed the large living room with his eyes laser-focused on Liyah.

As soon as she spotted him heading her way, she lifted her hand with her palm out, stopping him in his tracks.

Not a word needed to be said.

With a shake of his head, the Knights’ president grumbled something, took a wide detour around her and headed out of the living room.

The man had some fucking balls trying to approach Nox’s woman when they were in the same room. He didn’t know when to quit, even though Liyah was always clear with how she felt about the horn dog. To his face.

Nox guessed he took her as a challenge.

A challenge he’d never win.

Because Nox won. Not Romeo.

The grin he had lost once again spread across his face.

“Hey,” he heard softly next to him.

He tipped his face down to the woman he loved more and more every day. “Hey.”

She held out a narrow box. “With all the craziness earlier, this got lost in the pile of gifts.”

He stared at it. “It’s for me?”

She bugged her eyes out at him and shoved it at him. “No, it’s for Romeo. Of course it’s for you.”

He took it from her fingers. “From?”

Why was she fighting a grin? He narrowed his eyes on her.

She elbowed him. “Just open it and stop asking questions.”

He studied the shape of the box. It had to be a new watch since his went missing the other week.

“Stop trying to figure out what it is and open it!”

Why was she so damn antsy?

“I already know it’s a new watch.”

She rolled her eyes. “Men! So damn confident when they’re wrong.”

“It’s not a watch?”

“Nox!”

He chuckled and ripped off the festive wrapping paper to find a plain white box. When he lifted the lid, he blinked.

And blinked again.

He lifted his gaze to see a huge smile on her face and her eyes held a gleam. “Merry Christmas,” she whispered.

He forced, “Liyah…” up his throat. “This isn’t a joke, right?”

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