Page 30 of On the Run
“I’m not asexual.”
“Fine, then. A serial monogamist.”
“I’m not a serial monogamist either,” he mumbled. “I’m just a monogamist. Period.”
“A monogamist,” I scoffed. “That would mean having sex with one person ever in your whole entire life, and since you don’t currently have a… a…” I trailed off and stared at Beale’s gorgeous blushing face, and his enormous body, which was curled in on itself slightly like he was waiting for my judgment. Puzzle pieces finally connected in my brain.
Beale Goodman was a virgin.
An actual, real live virgin.
Holy hot damn.
If you asked Aunt Hagatha, she’d probably stress how important it was, after a person has admitted something like this, to express your support and validation. To be encouraging. But Aunt Hagatha had never been riding shotgun while her fake soul mate revealed himself to be not just a gay unicorn with an enormous cock, but a big gayvirginalunicorn with an enormous cock that no one had test-drivenever.
So what came out of my mouth was something slightly shittier and less supportive, like “Sweet, slow-fucking Shawn Mendes, are you serious?”
Beale gave me a look. “Do you ever shut up?” he demanded. “Like,everever?”
No lie, this stung just a little, even if I maybe deserved it.
“Fine,” I said sitting up as straight as I could and folding my arms over my chest. “Then I won’t speak.”
“Great! Starting now? Or…”
“But for the record—”
“Okay, sonotnow.”
“For the record, I waited to see how you wanted to handle the situation, and you didn’t do anything, so I did. If you wanted to have a say in how things went down, you should’ve stepped up.”
“You didn’t give me a chance! Besides, was I supposed to announce that you were Mason’s friend Toby, and that you’d randomly shown up because you had to flee New York under… circumstances?”
No. No, I was very glad he hadn’t said that. I rolled my lips together and didn’t reply.
“Right. Didn’t think so. So, what the heck is going on?” Beale pulled the Jeep to a stop in a parking space next to the curb and looked at me across the center console.
I blew out a breath. “I told you, it was a misunderstanding with a guy…”
“Yeah, that doesn’t explain why you’re using a fake name. I mean, unless the guy is hunting you. Is he Liam Neeson? Did you take his daughter?”
Not Liam Neeson, but someone approximately as famous and slightly hotter.I picked at a fray on my shorts and said nothing, which apparently spoke volumes.
“Whoa whoa whoa. Be serious for a minute.Issomeone looking for you, Toby? Are you in trouble? Do you need a safe place to stay?”
I glanced up and found Beale’s blue eyes watching me, competent and steadfast, like he was ready to throw down and fight if I needed him to. It was kind of thrilling, even if I figured it had nothing to do with me personally and everything to do with Beale’s personality. I wished for a second that I could bring myself to just lie and say yes… but I couldn’t.
“Not trouble like that. Not, like, domestic violence trouble.”
“Beale! Trey! Come on!” Gage called from the sidewalk.
“Give us a minute,” Beale said, waving them on. “So what kind of trouble, then? Andissomeone looking for you?”
I raked my fingers through my hair, which probably looked like a frizzy, brown pompom on top of my head after the drive down. “Sort of? Look, your brothers are waiting for us, and I don’t want to discuss it right now.” Or, ideally, ever. “Just… tell me how you want to play this. Do you want me to go in there and say I was kidding about the soul mate thing? Because I will.”
“And say what instead?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know exactly, but I’ll figure something out on the fly.” I gave him a half-smile. “I generally do.”
