Page 26 of Never Going to Care

Beckett scoffs and slaps Amelia’s ass as she walks away making her gasp, but then sway her hips across the room. She heads straight for Celeste, and I let out a little groan. What is she going to say? Should I stop her?

“Relax, my wife isn’t going to do or say anything she shouldn’t,” Beckett assures me.

“Never,” Blake backs him up. “Amelia’s good people, the best. She wouldn’t go right over there and spill.” His voice takes on a warm note of pure amusement and love because they’re a family, "She might try and play matchmaker a little bit.”

When I let out a soft groan, the guys around me laugh. I look at Beckett and take in the way he watches his wife. The way he feels about her is written all over his face.

“Do I look like that when I look at her?”

“Yup,” Sebastian pops the p and shoots me a wink when I swing my head around to look at him. “Except you look a little more feral.”

“Probably because you’re still chasing her and haven’t caught her yet,” Beckett muses.

I can’t help but ask him, “You really snapped at Amelia?”

He winces and runs his fingers through his hair. “It wasn’t my finest hour.” He shakes his head as if he’s trying to dispel the memories. “I was an ass to her the first time I met her because I was all messed up over shit that had to do with my ex. It was the reason I didn’t get attached to women, but I knew Amelia was mine when I heard her laughing before I had even seen her. I just,” he takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, his eyes rising to find his wife again, “knew. She’s it for me.”

“How’d you know?” My words are a whisper, but I need the answer.

He glances at me and grins like he’s invincible. “I just knew.” He chuckles and shakes his head when I open my mouth to grouse at him. “I know it doesn’t answer your question. The moment I touched her it was like I was hit by lightning. Then I couldn’t stop thinking about her. It felt like my entire fucking life took a nosedive the moment I couldn’t get her to answer my messages or get in touch with her.” He rubs a spot on his chest as if it aches with the memory. “It was like a piece of me walked away with her the night she walked out of my shop and didn’t look back.”

“Yeah,” I croak out the word and then my eyes find Celeste. She’s laughing at something Ella or Amelia just said. This entire room is filled with beautiful women, most of them in love and happy which is a sight to see because it’s so damn stunning, but there’s something more about Celeste. “I think I understand what you mean.”

Beckett reaches over and gives my shoulder a squeeze. “Don’t let her slip through your fingers,” his voice is filled with a seriousness I can’t help but listen to. “Don’t be afraid to show her who you really are. If she’s the right woman for you, she won’t run away. She’ll embrace you and you’ll be a better man because of it.”

“Damn straight,” Blake agrees without hesitation. He looks over at me, understanding in his eyes. He served the same way the rest of us at SP have. I know he probably understands the demons in my past and the things I’ve seen which have caused me to pull away from people and not let women get too close. “She’ll accept you if she’s the right woman for you. All of you.”

Sebastian gets a dreamy as fuck look on his face. “Also, don’t let them lie to you about the fact that they love our caveman tendencies.”

Beckett throws his head back and laughs. “That’s the fucking truth, man.” When Amelia looks over at us, Beckett smirks at her and her cheeks pink in the most adorable way. “Amelia might pretend like she doesn’t like it, but she does. She so fucking does.” Beckett gives my shoulder a squeeze and then releases me. “Well, gentleman, I think it’s time I dance with my wife.”

Before any of us can say goodbye, he’s stalking across the room and sweeping his wife up in his arms. She tries to protest, but he’s not taking no for an answer. I find myself smiling and my eyes shift back to Celeste. She’s trying to hide it, but she’s glancing my way. It heats up my blood.

“You’ll get your chance, just bide your time,” Blake advises, and I can only nod in response.

Both Blake and Sebastian go and grab their women and dance with them, but I barely notice. My attention is back on a gorgeous raven-haired beauty who I know in my soul was made just for me. She’s stubborn as fuck though.

She might have let me kiss her the other night, but will she let me have more of her? Will she let me have all of her? Can I be trusted with it?

I keep my eyes on my woman through most of the reception, including the cake cutting. When she slips out of the door, I’m sure heading for the bathroom, I see my opportunity and I’m not about to let anyone get in my way. I slide out of the room after her and I’m not even a little bit ashamed to use my training to make sure I do it as silently as possible.

The way she holds herself tells me she knows I’m following her, but she doesn’t stop, and she doesn’t look over her shoulder to make sure. I’m not sure if it fills me with pride or if it pisses me off and makes me want to spank her ass. Well, I’m pretty sure I want to spank her ass either way, but still.

When I watch her slip into the bathroom, I lean against the wall across the hallway to wait for her. I’ve been giving her space since that kiss, and I can do it for a few minutes longer. I think that’s about all I have in me though. If she needs more, I don’t know if I can be held responsible for my actions.

When she comes out, her head is down, and her shoulders are slumped. There’s something about her posture which sets my teeth on edge.

My voice is a gruff, grating sound which stretches in the distance between us, “Were you hoping I’d follow you in, Starlight?”

Her head snaps up and her eyes widen when she sees me, still leaning back against the wall, my arms crossed across my chest. “What?” Her face scrunches up. “Why would I hope that you’d follow me into the bathroom?”

I kick off the wall and prowl toward my woman, eating up the distance easily. She backs up and I cage her against the wall next to the bathroom door, my forearms on either side of her head. The position we’re in reminds me of the night at Sala and my dick immediately responds to my need for her, even though I’ve been hard all fucking day as I’ve been watching her.

I lean into her, our lips almost touching, but not quite. “Maybe you were hoping that I would follow you in and finish what we started the other night.”

She shivers and her eyes round. “No,” she squeaks out, “I wasn’t hoping for that.”

I watch her pulse point jump in her neck as a pink blush covers her cheeks and works its way down her neck. I want to kiss her skin everywhere she blushes. I want to nip at her and leave my marks all over her.

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