Page 58 of The Monster and the Last Blood Match

“I highly doubt that. And if she’s so virtuous, then how come younevermentioned her?”

“I thought you already knew.”

Reyna threw up her hands. “How could I possibly know?” She turned away in disgust. “Does she even know we kissed?”

“No. That’s none of her business.”

“It’s none of her business?” she asked in disbelief. “I doubt she would agree. Why didn’t you tell me you were dating someone?”

“What I do in my spare time is my own business.”

“Obviously,” she spat. “You made that perfectly clear. I don’t even know why you brought me here.”

“All of the Permanent subjects were supposed to be here tonight, to show off how well the program is working to the rest of the company.”

“What a load of shit,” she cried. “You brought me here for work? Did you really want to be here with Penelope? I mean, you’ve made it so fucking obvious to me. I should have seen it all along. I wish you would’ve fucking told me. Then I wouldn’t be over here feeling…”

She stared up into his drawn face, wanting so much for him to understand. But he didn’t. He had said that he wanted this to stop. She was attracted to him, of course. It was pure physical lust for a man who didn’t even want to touch her. Yet she couldn’t shake the memory of his hands and lips and body.

“Feeling what?” he prompted, stepping closer to her.

The temperature in the room spiked with him so near. She needed to step away from him, but they were like two magnets.

She reached out, took his hand in her own, and then placed it over her heart. “Feeling this.” Her heart thrummed under his fingertips.

“And how is that?” he asked, his voice strained. His free arm wrapped around her waist, drawing her closer. Her breathing stopped as he held her with his hand still pressed against her heart, which was now beating furiously. She swallowed hard and wet her lips.

“Torn. I want to kiss you,” she confided, “but I don’t want to end up in some ridiculous love triangle.”

“I cannot give you what you want, Reyna.”

“Which part?”

Then his lips were on hers again and the rest of the world slipped away. Her mind grew fuzzy. Their previous arguments disappeared. Even the thought of Penelope dissolved at the feel of Beckham’s lips.

It was as if she were sinking into the ocean and never had to come up for breath. She was drowning in him. Lost in the eternity sea.

They stumbled backward until her knees connected with a chaise. Beckham’s body immediately covered hers. His hand rode up the slit of her dress and bunched the material around her hips. She groaned into his mouth, only urging him on further.

There was a fever to their movements. She had thought about this moment ever since he had first kissed her. Wanted a repeat of that night. Wanted to feel his rough hands on her skin. Now that she was, she kissed him back with a ferocity she hardly knew existed within her.

“Beckham!”

They both heard his name called, and a wall of ice soaked through their skin. Beckham jumped back from Reyna. A look of horror crossed his features for a second and then was immediately replaced with his cool outward appearance. By looking at him, she would have never guessed he had been furiously making out with her.

She wasn’t sure she could say the same about her. She was human, after all. Slower to stand and attempt to adjust her dress. Her lips were swollen, her skin flushed, and her hair slightly tangled.

“Yes,” Beckham called back. “Just a moment.”

Penelope walked in through the double doors a second later. She took in Reyna’s disheveled appearance and Beckham’s apparent nonchalance.

“Harrington wishes to speak with you. I wanted to make sure everything was all right.”

“Fine, Penny.”

“Right,” she murmured and then retreated.

Reyna’s hand flew to her mouth. She couldn’t believe what had just happened, that she had instigated it. She didn’t know what was going on between Beckham and Penelope, but surely it wasn’t right for Reyna and him to do this. She wished she had some answers from Beckham rather than this hot and cold.

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