Page 26 of Love Me
“Hey!” Keelan appeared and got between them. With his good arm, he pushed Creed back, then turned to face Gabe.
Lost in his rage, Gabe tried to shove Keelan out of the way. Keelan angled to the side and caught Gabe by his arm, twisting it behind his back. Gabe struggled against Keelan’s hold, making Keelan wince. It was then that I noticed he wasn’t wearing his sling.
I was moving before I thought to and rushed around Ethan and Creed. By the time I made it to Keelan, he had knocked Gabe’s feet from under him and had him pinned, face-down on the ground.
Knox pushed through the crowd then, security right behind him. He took one look at Keelan restraining Gabe and told security to escort Gabe out. He then told everyone who had been standing around watching to move on and informed them that the run was about to start.
As soon as Keelan was standing, I went to touch him, but stopped myself. Clenching my hands into fists, afraid I’d hurt him if I touched him, I asked, “Are you all right?”
He covered my fists with his hands and smiled down at me. “I’m fine.”
“You could have hurt yourself more,” I grumbled.
He pulled me closer and wrapped his arms around me. “I saw you run over. Were you coming to save me?”
I looked up at him, frowning. “Are you teasing me?”
He chuckled. “Not at all. I’m quite touched that I have a protective girlfriend.”
“Is someone going to explain what happened?” Knox said as he came to stand next to us.
Colt and Creed walked over next, forming a circle around me. The four of them listened as I told them what had happened. By the time I was done, all four of them were scowling.
Knox looked at Creed and Colt. “Don’t lose her again.”
Colt and Creed stared at me, looking remorseful.
Deciding to take a page from Isabelle's book, I folded my arms across my chest. “Yes, it’s not very nice being forgotten by my boyfriends.”
Creed’s eyes narrowed and he mimicked me by folding his arms. “We didn’t forget you.”
I had to fight not to smile. “How long did it take for you to notice I wasn’t behind you?”
Creed didn’t answer and Colt looked so guilty, I was beginning to feel bad for teasing.
“Not until they made it to the tent and I asked where you were,” Keelan said.
“I’m sorry, babe,” Colt said.
Creed studied me with a frown. “Are you really upset?”
“Can’t you tell?” I asked.
“Normally I can,” he said.
I finally let myself smile. “I supposed this means I’ve improved my lying.”
Keelan snorted at the same time Colt sighed.
Trying not to smile, Creed shook his head and pulled me to him. “That is not something to be proud of,” he said, and did the unimaginable. He started tickling me.
I squealed and tried to get away, but it was no use. He had one arm locked around me while he used the other to tickle me on my sides and stomach. “Creeeeed…st—stop!” I tried to protest in between laughs. “Make him stop,” I begged the others.
Knox stayed rooted where he was, but he was smiling as he watched us. Colt and Keelan laughed, refusing to save me from Creed’s torture.
It wasn’t until I threatened to pee on him that Creed stopped and held my limp form as I recovered. Grabbing the back of my head, he made me look up at him and he kissed me sweetly. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize you weren’t behind us,” he said in a low voice.
“It’s all right. Isabelle and I went exploring,” I said. Speaking of that, I realized I didn’t have my bag with my purchases. I must have dropped it when I’d walked into Gabe. I pulled out of Creed’s arms and began looking around.
