18. Luna
CHAPTER 18
Luna
“Thank God for lady time. I swear, that man drives me nutty.”
I enveloped Faith in a hug the second she opened the door to the sprawling country manor house owned by Sebastian Steele. I could practically feel Beck rolling his eyes behind me.
And while I usually said that statement with venom dripping from my red-stained lips, this time it felt a little less weighty. Like it wasn't quite true anymore and even my body could detect the lie for what it was.
But I seriously needed girl time. I loved the badass ladies who worked for me, but they worked for me, which meant that inherently we had a wonky power dynamic that I didn't want to fuck with.
Faith however didn't work for me and even though I'd only known her a few short months, it felt like we’d known each other all our lives. With her wealth, she could have been stuck up and conceited and a real asshole and nobody would blink. But she was the opposite of that. And she'd managed to break down those brick walls around my friend Sebastian's heart, which meant she was a keeper.
The second the hug was over, I beelined for the guest room I’d stayed in before, hopping immediately into the shower.
I tried to forget that Beck had once again seen me at my worst, and probably smelling my worse if I was being completely honest.
I scrubbed away the grime and felt like a new woman. Then I took my time lining my eyes and my lips, carefully painting them both until I felt more like myself.
Fortunately for me, I’d left a few pieces of clothing in the closet the last time I crashed here. I selected a black bodysuit and chic red leather skirt with a peekaboo slit that skimmed the top of my thigh.
Eat your heart out, Beck Bennet.
With that complete, I padded down the hallway to my favorite room in the house. I found most of the crew: Alice and Faith were there.
Beck wasn’t.
Curious .
And a smart move. The man should keep a wide berth after the shit he’d pulled this morning.
Willow was in the kitchen too. The sweet dog peppered me with kisses, and although I usually identified as a cat person, you couldn’t help but fall in love with Willow.
After giving her a final pat on the head, I sank into a chair in the cozy kitchen with its wooden cross beams and European chic vibes as Faith set out plates of veggie and tofu stir-fry. It was a little early for lunch, but my stomach grumbled all the same.
“Where's your dad?” I asked Alice as she picked up a fork and poked at a mushroom.
Faith rolled her eyes, chiming in for Alice. “He's doing a perimeter check.”
I laid a napkin in my lap. “I'm guessing that's more for Sebastian than for you.”
Faith nodded. “Absolutely. You know Seb is going to require proof-of-life photos. I'm sure Beck is documenting everything he's doing to ensure my safety.”
“Is your house dangerous?” Alice asked with her mouth full.
“I'm perfectly safe,” Faith said with a reassuring smile. “Sebastian has a state-of-the-art security system and this house would be safe even if we didn't have that in place.”
The little girl's brow furrowed. “So why is Daddy doing a perimeter check then?”
Faith leaned in close, like she was going to reveal a big secret. “Because Sebastian is a bossy billionaire.”
Alice nodded sagely, as if that explained everything. “My daddy is a billionaire too.”
I spat out the swig of ice water I’d just taken a sip of. “Say what now?”
Faith smirked. “Didn't you know? Beck is a billionaire. Some family money plus a booming business.”
“And he’s bossy too,” Alice added. “Maybe that’s why he’s such good friends with Uncle Sebastian.” Alice’s forehead crinkled, deep in thought.
The back door squeaked as it opened, the hinges in dire need of some WD-40. In walked Beck, hair slicked back with sweat, his shirt clinging to his chest.
Lust shot down my spine. “Look what the cat dragged in.”
Beck flashed me a smile like he knew my words didn't match up with my inner thoughts.
I moved my hand to flip him off when I remembered Alice was in the room. The man was a menace, but he was a good dad—anyone could see that—and I would never say anything disparaging in front of the man’s child.
Tease him? Of course.
Put him in his place? Absolutely .
But say something negative? Hard pass.
Kids had enough drama to navigate without new lady friends messing up their heads.
Besides, as far as I could tell, Alice’s mom wasn’t in the picture. My dad hadn’t been in the picture either, so I knew the feeling of being raised by a single parent. They took on all roles.
Beck was a goddamn superhero with his hands on his hips, his broad chest tapering down…
Where was I going with this…
My stomach growled and suddenly everyone was looking at me.
Alice’s fork clattered on the table. “All done. Daddy, can I go play with Willow now?”
Beck dragged his eyes from me, and they softened as they landed on his daughter. “Sure, just make sure you stay where I can see you.”
Faith pushed back her chair. “I’ll go with her. Show her some of the cool tricks Willow can do.”
Before I could protest, my best friend and Alice rushed outside, an excited Willow in tow until Beck and I were alone in the room. He still towered near the door and had the audacity to tug the bottom of his shirt up to wipe his brow. The movement revealed a chiseled set of abs that would make Adonis jealous.
Fucking hell.
I gulped, lurid images springing to mind. I scooted back and proceeded to escape the kitchen, bringing my veggie stir-fry with me.
Heavy footsteps sounded from behind. “You haven’t finished your food.”
“No shit, Sherlock.”
“You don’t need to leave the kitchen to eat.”
I stopped myself from turning around. “Personal preference.”
“Your personal preference is to haul your bowl around the downstairs of Sebastian’s house?” Beck asked, and I could hear the smile in his voice. The taunt.
I headed to the atrium where Faith spent her days painting. The greenhouse-like glass roof provided gorgeous natural light and made for a happy place. You couldn’t be annoyed in a happy place like this.
Although if anyone could make that statement untrue it was Beck.
I sunk down on the plush couch and Beck took the seat beside me, the couch buckling under his weight.
“Tell me about Alice's mom.”
The words slipped out of me. By my calculations, Alice must have been born nine or ten months after our night.
Had he met someone so quickly? Were they in love? Was it a one-night stand?
Pain flashed in those hazel eyes of his, before being smothered like the extinguishing of a candle. The spark vanquished before it could fully ignite.
“Jasmine. Her name is Jasmine.”
In moments like this I wish I still drank. It might take off some of the edge. But then I took some deep breaths as I nodded my head, urging him to continue.
Beck’s Adam’s apple bobbed, the charming, shit-eating smile he usually wore scrubbed from his face. “We slept together one night, and she got pregnant. She said she wasn't sure she was ready to be a parent and when she saw that I was, she decided to have Alice. She signed away parental rights immediately after birth. Alice is a hundred percent mine.”
A million follow-up questions sat on the tip of my tongue. One rose above the rest. “How long?”
Beck tilted his head.
“How long after us did you sleep with Jasmine? Or was it before us?”
Beck leaned forward, forearms on his thick thighs. “It was four days after us.”
I chuckled, but it held no mirth. “So you wrote my phone number in Sharpie on your arm just for fun and then ignored it? Was my number still on your skin when you decided to sleep with someone else?”
Fury flashed in those hazel eyes. “You gave me a dud number.”
I scoffed. “Oh, please.”
“You gave me a fake fucking number, Luna. Trust me, I called multiple times. You wanted nothing to do with me, so I moved on.” His tone was lethal.
“Rather quickly,” I damn near shouted. “And what's this bullshit about a fake number? The number I told you was real. I watched you write it down on your arm.”
He pointed to his chest. “I wrote it down verbatim.”
“Then you wrote it down wrong,” I nearly shouted.
Beck slid closer. “I wanted to see you again. I wanted more.”
I swallowed. “Then you should have called.”
He scrubbed a hand down his face. “Jesus Christ we aren't getting anywhere with this.”
“I waited for you to call. You didn't call.”
His jaw clenched. “I tried calling. Hell, I can still remember the number.”
Beck proceeded to rattle off the numbers, and they were almost correct.
I frowned. “That's not my number.”
He threw his hands in the air. “Exactly, you gave me the wrong number.”
“My number ends in a nine not a six.”
He narrowed his gaze at me, and I watched as the blood drained from the man's face. Beck sat there staring at me for a full minute before he whispered, “I fucked up the numbers.”
I couldn't wait to hear what bullshit explanation he'd come up with next.
He dragged his hands through his short hair. “I fucked up the numbers.”
It was almost a whisper, like he was talking to himself.
My stomach plummeted.
I scooted closer to him, pulling Beck’s hands out of his locks. We didn't need him to do any permanent damage to those gorgeous strands.
“What do you mean you fucked up the numbers?” I held my breath awaiting his answer.
His eyes pierced mine. “I'm dyslexic.”
I blinked once. Twice. The puzzle pieces falling together in some cosmic joke that wasn't the least bit funny. I inhaled through my nose and released my breath slowly through my mouth.
“You wanted to call me? You wanted to see me again?”
He flinched, as if affronted. “Of course I fucking did. Do you remember that night?” He tapped his forehead. “Because I have seared it into my brain. I can play it like a fucking DVD. And you know what? Most nights I do just that. I grip myself and replay that night together. Sliding the straps off that dress and struck dumb as it pooled round your feet. I loved every second I spent shamelessly exploring that bare skin of yours. Those little moans you made when I licked you while driving my fingers deep. Fuuuck. It's a sound I'll never forget.”
My throat went dry as I silently urged him to keep going.
Beck shook his head as if to clear the haze of his memory. His attention returned fully on me, and he closed the space between us. He leaned in and the scent of pine tickled my senses, my nipples pebbling in excitement.
This man…
“I called you. I wanted to have so many more nights where we stayed up talking for hours and then get intimately acquainted with every inch of your body. And not just once. Over and over again. I figured you gave me the wrong number on purpose. That's why I didn't go after you. That's why I didn't put every resource at my disposal towards tracking down the woman who could have changed everything.”
I felt dizzy. My body swayed forward, and Beck was there in an instant, catching my arms in his hands.
I gulped. I'd been fighting with this man every time I saw him because I thought he rejected me after that night. I was just another notch in his belt, a conquest to be won.
His grip remained firm, holding me steady.
This close I could see the sincerity written on the planes of his face. This wasn't his usually jovial volley of cute remarks that raised my hackles. Or the playful looks that hid deeper feelings.
This was real.
“You mean that? You called me? You wanted me to answer?” I held my breath.
The man looked damn near tormented. “Of course I fucking did. I called that number a dozen times and I should have fucking considered that I messed up the numbers. That my dyslexia came to play at the worst possible time.”
Then Beck's eyes traced the outline of my face, his gaze softening as he tucked a stray hair behind my ear.
I leaned into the touch.
“Beck—” I sighed.
A door flung open, and footsteps bounded down the hall.
We flew apart until we were on opposite sides of the couch. Just in time for Alice to find us, Willow in tow, and Faith bringing up the rear, eyebrows raised in blatant accusation. “Well, well, what do we have here?”