Page 63 of Moms of Mayhem
His head dropped and a loud groan escaped him, then his chest shook with laughter. “Just how it should be, Peach.”
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. Not with the way my hands were already trembling.
Beckett let out one more exaggerated moan just to mess with me, and I rolled my eyes, stepping away from the table.
“You done putting on a show?”
He glanced over his shoulder again, still grinning like he got entirely too much satisfaction out of teasing me. “Depends. Are you going to go to The Lantern with us?”
I blinked, surprised by the question. “What?”
“New Year’s Eve. You, me, Ty. Small-town chaos, mediocre beer, and shitty line dancing. You in?”
I tugged the sleeves of my shirt down, just for something to do with my hands. “I didn’t know you were invited.”
“Should I not be?”
Beckett pushed himself up slowly, arms straining a little as he sat upright on the table. I didn’t move fast enough, and suddenly, we were nose to nose.
His knee brushed my hip as he settled, and a zap of electricity shot through me, snapping my gaze to his. He smelled like spearmint gum and some sort of woodsy soap. My fingers twitched, aching to reach for him.
I cleared my throat. “Ty didn’t mention you were coming, too.”
Beckett’s smirk deepened. “I mean, I own a cowboy hat. It seems a shame to waste it.”
I snorted. “You do not.”
His hand lifted off the table and a finger landed under my chin, tilting my face up so I couldn’t look away. His voice dropped just a little, and the dare in it made my breath catch. “Don’t test me, Peach.”
I moved back abruptly, trying to put distance between us, but Beckett rose to full height, moving slower, favoring his right side.
“You good?” I rested a hand lightly on his waist to steady him, a justifiable move. Totally clinical. Except his skin was warm under my palm, and his breath hitched when I touched him.
Somehow the space between us shrank again, like the room was conspiring against my self-control, and I realized just how alone we were in the studio this morning.
“Getting there.” His gaze dropped briefly to my mouth before flicking back up. “So? New Years?”
I stepped away from him and grabbed the tablet to input our session notes. “Well, with the promise of seeing you in a cowboy hat, I have to go now.”
Beckett tilted his head, eyes narrowing just a little. “So, you’ll dance with me?”
I tried and failed to look away, my cheeks burning with a blush I had no way to hide. “If you’re lucky, sure. But I’dsuggest working on your exercises, bud. You won’t be able to keep up.”
He grinned again, wicked and easy, like he already knew luck had nothing to do with it.
I scurried back to the front door, unlocking it and putting my coat on. Beckett followed at a slower pace, but already he was standing taller than he had when he’d come in.
“What are your plans for the rest of the week besides abusing me every morning?”
He pushed the door open then held it for me. I clicked the button to remote start the SUV, then turned to lock the door when it closed behind me. “Pilates as normal this week, then Christmas is Thursday, then Jace leaves. As much as my everyday life with him is exhausting, I hate when he’s gone. I’m too sad to be good company, and too lonely to be alone, so I read and do puzzles and take baths and all the things I otherwise don’t have time for.”
The words were out of my mouth before I realized how pathetic they sounded, and I blushed for what had to be the tenth time this morning despite the chill breeze blowing my hair around like a tornado.
“Sorry, that was depressing.”
Beckett shook his head, then looked out over the mountain town. “No, I get it.”
“Is your mom settling in okay?” I asked, stalling just a little longer.
