Twice the Malone by Laylah Roberts

13

“Right, are you ready for this?” her gynecologist asked cheerfully, a large smile on her face.

Scarlett was trying not to freak out about being at the clinic, so she didn’t manage to smile back. This was her worst nightmare. She hated anything medical.

So far, she’d been weighed, had her blood pressure taken, had to pee into a plastic container, and had blood drawn.

Just wonderful.

However, this part, she was looking forward to. Margo took her hand as the doctor squirted some gel on her tummy and used the wand to find her baby.

“Nice strong heartbeat.”

Her eyes widened as the sound of the heartbeat filled the room. “Is it supposed to be that fast?”

“Yep, that’s perfectly normal. Well, hello there.”

“What? What is it?”

“Nothing to be concerned about. But there isn’t just one baby in there.”

She stopped breathing. What. The. Fuck.

“Are you saying . . .”

“She’s having twins?” Margo asked when she couldn’t force any more words from her lips.

“She certainly is.” The doctor smiled at Scarlett. “Congratulations.”

Twins? She didn’t think she could manage one baby, how was she going to deal with two?

Twins.

Holy. Shit. She was lost in her head when she heard Margo calling her name.

“Scar! Scar! It’s okay. She does this sometimes. Scar, you want pics, right?”

Oh, Lord, she’d done it again! Gone off into her own mind and she’d missed the entire ultrasound. She burst into tears. Both Margo and the doctor stared at her in shock.

“I missed it! I missed seeing them! What kind of a mom am I going to be when I can’t even pay attention long enough to watch an ultrasound? What if I’m not with them while they’re eating and they choke? What if I forget to watch them while we’re crossing the road and they get hit by a car? What if I don’t set the brake on the stroller and they go over a cliff?”

“Whoa, okay, dude, calm down. You’re gonna be a great mom. You have a lot going on. You’ve got this.”

“Of course you do,” the doctor added kindly. “It’s normal to feel concerned about being a new parent.”

“Is it normal to be forty, jobless, pregnant with twins, and not know who the father is?”

Okay. She didn’t mean to blurt that out.

Whoops.

The doctor opened her mouth and closed it.

“Maybe we’ll just get cleaned up,” Margo said, shooting her a wide-eyed look.

Yeah, she got it. She was insane.

* * *

“What do you mean,she’s at the doctor’s? Why? What’s wrong? Fuck, is she sick?”

“I don’t know, man, she went in there with a friend. Maybe the friend is sick. Maybe that’s why she drives like a maniac with nothing to lose.”

“I don’t want her getting back in that car,” Maddox said in a low voice. “I want to know what’s wrong.”

“All right then, Operation Steal-Snow goes into effect.”

“What? No! You can’t kidnap her, Beau.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s illegal.”

“Since when have we cared about that?”

“Beau, you’re not in Haven anymore. You can’t do that shit in a big city without getting arrested.”

“But that’s only if I get caught.”

“She’s not ours, Beau. You can’t keep following her or kidnap her. Just come home.”

“Right, so you’re not interested in why she’s here? If she’s ill?” Beau snapped.

“It’s none of my business.”

“Sometimes, I don’t know you anymore.” He closed his phone and followed them back to her apartment. It was getting dark by now. He debated finding a motel close by or just knocking on her door and explaining why he was there. He’d tell her he didn’t give a shit what she had or hadn’t done. He wanted her, no matter what.

But her friend was still there. And there were a few things going on here that didn’t add up. He’d watch her for a bit longer, see if he could figure out what was up.

For now, Operation Steal-Snow was on the backburner, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t resort to that if he had to.

* * *

Scarlett lookedaround the apartment while trying to keep the disgust off her face.

How am I supposed to raise two babies in this shithole?

But what other choice did she have?

Even if she found another job soon, it was still going to be hard to afford her apartment. Maybe she could live here for a few months, save a whole lot of money then move before the babies were born.

Or she could go to Haven, track down Beau and Maddox and tell them what’s going on.

“Well?”

She turned to the overweight, middle-aged man with the terrible combover in the doorway. The landlord. His sweatpants hung off his hips and his tank top had grotesque sweat stains under his arms. He was disgusting and this apartment wasn’t any better.

She turned, letting out a scream as a mouse ran across the room.

No. No, she just couldn’t. Not only was this place tiny, but it was damp and cold and had rodents in it. Not to mention this was a terrible area of town and the door was paper-thin, giving her no security.

This place wasn’t safe for her let alone two babies.

Twins.

Placing her hand over her tummy, as though they were in imminent danger she shook her head. “I’ll pass.”

“Fucks sake, stupid bitches wasting my fucking time. Got lots of people lined up wanting this place.”

“This place should be condemned,” she told him. “It’s disgusting.”

“Get out, bitch.”

She managed to get past him, her skin crawling at his horrible smell then she climbed down the stairs on shaky legs, because the elevator was out of order. Not that she would’ve trusted it anyway.

When she was outside, she breathed in the fresh air. She was shaking, whether because of that encounter with that asshole or the thought of actually having to live here she wasn’t sure.

She needed to figure out another way of doing this because she wasn’t letting her babies live there. She bit her lip as she headed toward the bus stop. She’d had to take three different buses to get here, and she was exhausted. The gynecologist had given her meds for the nausea, but they didn’t seem to have kicked in. Or maybe it was just that place making her feel ill.

What was she going to do? The doctor wanted to see her regularly because of her multiple pregnancy. Thankfully, she was able to get Medicaid or she’d be screwed. As it was, she didn’t know how she could keep paying rent.

A sob broke out of her lips.

Suck it up, Scar. Things could be worse.

She could track down Beau and Maddox and they could tell her to get lost. That would make it worse, right?

Awesome. That was the only thing holding her back. Fear of how they would react. And what if . . . what if they tried to take the babies from her? She knew they had to have money for Maddox to buy that land out from under Richard.

Oh, God.

All of this worry wasn’t good for her or the babies.

She trudged along, her hands in her pockets, her eyes down as she tried to think everything through. What to do first? Find a job? Find Beau and Maddox? Find somewhere else to live?

She’d never been so indecisive in her life.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her arm and she let out a short scream before a gloved hand landed over her mouth. She struggled to get enough breath through her nose as she was dragged back into the alleyway.

Fight, Scar!

She tried to struggle, but this guy was too big, too strong and he just kept dragging her. Her vision started to go black. She was going to pass out and then this asshole would do whatever he wanted with her.

“Hey, let her go, fucker!”

Oh, hell. Now she was imagining things. She could swear that sounded like Beau. Why hadn’t she paid attention to her surroundings?She wasn’t in her neighborhood anymore where it was relatively safe to walk around alone, close to dark.

“I said, let her go.”

She caught sight of someone racing toward her then suddenly the man who held her, shoved her forward. With a scream, she brought her hands up to break her fall, not wanting to land on her belly. Her palms scraped across the ground, as she heaved in breath after breath, trying not to pass out.

Her rescuer started to take off after the guy. She let out a sob, though, and he stilled.

“Fuck,” he muttered. “More important things to take care of.”

He crouched next to her and through blurry eyes she stared up into his face.

“Beau?”

“Hello, Snow. Isn’t this a coincidence?”

Somehow, she didn’t think it was. She looked behind him, searching for Maddox. But he wasn’t there.

But before she could say anything else, her stomach rolled over and she opened her mouth, vomiting all over his cowboy boots.

Just wonderful.

* * *

“I can walk, Beau.”

“That wasn’t the deal, Snow.” He gave her his best firm look. It wasn’t up to Maddox’s standard, but he figured it hit the mark when she caved, letting him reach into his truck and lift her out. He bumped the door shut and hit the automatic lock with the key fob he held in one hand.

He frowned as he held her tightly. Did she feel lighter? He hadn’t noticed before, but now that he was closer, he could see that her face was thinner, there were dark marks under her eyes, and she appeared to be exhausted.

Was she actually sick?

They’d spent an hour waiting for the cops, then another hour dealing with them after she’d realized her bag was missing. And the only reason he’d agreed not to take her to the hospital to get checked over was if she let him carry her to and from his truck.

“I don’t need you to carry me around. What if you put your back out?”

“That’s one, Snow.”

“What?” She stared at him in puzzlement as he carried her to the door. He set her down but kept his hands on her hips to hold her steady as she buzzed for her landlord. At least this apartment was secure, unlike the building earlier.

What the fuck had she been doing in that shady part of town? Maddox was gonna lose his shit when he found out. Beau’s phone had been buzzing with texts over the last hour. But Maddox could wait. He wasn’t here and that was his loss. Because that meant Beau got her to himself.

But it also put him in charge of her health and safety. Not an easy task when she was keeping shit from him.

Well, she didn’t exactly know that she was supposed to tell him. However, she better tell him soon if she wanted to sit comfortably. Not that he’d spank her today, not when she’d just been mugged and then had thrown up the contents of her stomach. Thankfully, he’d had spare boots in his truck.

“What do you mean that’s one?” She gave him a suspicious look over her shoulder.

“I mean, that you just put yourself down, which isn’t allowed. So that’s one punishment.”

She let out a laugh. “Oh, so you’re gonna spank me now?”

“Damn straight I am. What? You think I can’t do it? You think Maddox is the only one who can spank your ass when you’re naughty?”

She shook her head, and the door opened to reveal her landlord. He handed her a spare key then left. Beau wrapped his arm around her waist, his mouth going to her ear. “Just because I let Maddox take the lead, doesn’t mean that I can’t take care of you. That I can’t do what’s needed to keep you safe.” If that’s what he had to do, he’d do it.

“I don’t need to be spanked.”

“But you do need it, don’t you, Snow? Have you relived that night? Thought of it over and over? Hmm? Because I have.”

“It was one night, Beau. It was sex, not a commitment. I’m not sure why you’re here, but you don’t have any right to go around talking about spanking me. I haven’t given you any sort of power over me. I am not yours.”

She took another step and he decided he was tired of this argument and just swept her up into his arms. “Beau!”

“What was the deal?”

“That was only until you got me home. I’m home.”

“You’re not in your apartment. And did you really think I’d just drop you off and leave?”

She glared up at him. “A girl could hope.”

“Now, now, no lies, or we’ll make it two.”

“You’re so frustrating. You don’t just get to make up your mind about something and it suddenly becomes reality. I don’t want you in my apartment.”

“Of course you do. You’re just mad because it took me so long to come and claim you. But I have a good reason for that. Now, which apartment is yours?”

“Why? Are your arms getting tired?” She sent him a sickly-sweet smile.

Oh, she wasn’t taking him seriously, huh? Well, he guessed he couldn’t blame her. Most of the time, he didn’t take himself seriously.

But it was time to man up. If Maddox wasn’t going to pull his head out of his ass then he was going to be her only man and her guardian. In Haven, all women had a guardian who looked out for them. And who took control if they were doing something that endangered themselves.

“That’s two. Keep going, Snow and you won’t sit for a week.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“There’s not much I wouldn’t dare. Apartment number,” he demanded.

She gave him the number, and he moved to the elevator.

“You can hit the button, Snow.”

“Oh, can I? Thank you, kind sir.”

Damn, when she got sarcastic it sent all the blood rushing to his cock. Mind you, he only had to see her to get hard. Her smart mouth was just a bonus.

When they were at her apartment, he set her down again so she could unlock the door. But he wasn’t about to let her get inside and shut him out.

He wasn’t a fool. He made certain to be right on her ass as she walked in. But she paused in the doorway before they even got inside. He glanced over her shoulder, taking everything in with a frown.

The place looked like a hurricane had hit it. Furniture was turned over and sofa cushions had been slashed. The open plan of the apartment let him see through to the small kitchen. Everything seemed to have been dragged out of the cupboards and scattered across the floor.

Beau moved swiftly. “Wait here. Call the cops.” He slid past her, only stilling when her cool fingers wrapped around his.

He glanced down at her.

“What are you doing? You can’t enter the apartment, you could mess up evidence or something.”

“I’m going to make sure no one else is in here.” He’d figured that would be obvious. But instead of letting him go, her fingers tightened around his wrist. Why the hell wasn’t she wearing gloves? Something else to add to his list of how to take care of his Snow. It was growing long. Not that he gave a fuck about that. Whatever he needed to look after her, he’d do.

He might have played around most of his life, but when something was important he was all in.

And Beauden Malone had decided he was all in. Now Snow just had to catch up.

“You can’t do that,” she hissed. “What if they’re still here? They could hurt you.”

A huge grin crossed his face. “Aw, I knew you cared, Snow.”

“I didn’t say that.” She snatched her hand back from his wrist. “I just don’t want you to get hurt because of me. And I want the deposit back on this place, so I don’t need your blood decorating the carpet.”

“Wouldn’t be my blood decorating the carpet. And you definitely do care. Can’t fool me, Snow. Now stay here. You move and I won’t be happy with you.” He knew she was only pretending not to care because she’d had her feelings hurt by Maddox. But what she had to learn is that while he and Maddox were close, they were still separate people. Just because Maddox made it clear he didn’t trust her or want her, which was a lie he was telling himself, didn’t mean Beau felt that way.

However, he knew he hadn’t done himself any favors by staying away from her for so long. Yeah, it had taken him a while to work out everything in his mind. Then there had been his broken foot, followed by trouble with cattle thieves and some asshole following Tanner too closely and causing him to nearly run off the road.

Actually, it seemed like trouble was following him around. Now his girl had been attacked and her place had been trashed.

Was this all a coincidence? Or was it all related? He didn’t have time to wonder about that right now. He moved through the apartment, checking in her bedroom and bathroom. When he was certain there was no one there, he walked back into her living room.

“Okay, there’s no one here. But it can’t be a coincidence that your bag was stolen and now your apartment has . . . shit, Snow! What’s wrong?”

She was kneeling over something on the floor. He stormed over, ready to read her the riot act for moving, when his heart dropped to his feet as he saw the tears in her eyes.

Tears. A man’s downfall. His kryptonite. At least when it came to a woman he cared about.

“Baby, what is it?” He knelt in front of her, not caring about the mess digging into his knees. With hands that damn near shook, he reached for her and drew her onto his lap. She attempted to wiggle off, but he held her against him. “What’s wrong? Tell me what it is so I can make it better.”

She let out a huge breath, slumping against him. “You can’t fix this.”

He glanced down at the ripped photo she held in her hand. It was of a young woman and man with a small girl standing between them. Didn’t take a genius to work out who the photo was of.

“You and your parents.”

She nodded. “They died a few months after this was taken. Car accident.” She sniffled. “I don’t have any other photos of the three of us together. My dad traveled a lot for work. Afterward, I lived with my grandparents. This was the only one I had.”

She turned her face, burying it in his chest as she sobbed. He didn’t care that she was wetting his shirt. Didn’t give a fuck about anything but making her world right again.

“Sh, baby. Sh. You’ll make yourself sick. Let’s get a bag and put the pieces in it.”

“Why?”

“Because I’ll find someone who can restore it.”

“It’s impossible.”

“Snow,” he said in a deep voice, “nothing is impossible. Not for me. Not when it comes to you.”

She drew back to look up at him. “You think my mugger did this, don’t you?”

“There was no sign of forced entry, baby. It’s too much of a coincidence.”

“Oh, God.” She shuddered. “I can’t stay here anymore. What am I going to do?”

“Hey.” He cupped her chin, raising her face. “You’re going to let me take care of you, that’s what you’re going to do.”

She shook her head. “I don’t understand you. You suddenly appear out of nowhere. You talk about spanking me and claiming me. You insist on bringing me home. Yet, where have you been these last few months? You didn’t even answer any of my texts!”

He knew it was inappropriate, but a large smile broke out across his face. “You sent me texts?”

“Yes, you asshole. Don’t act like you didn’t get them.”

“Actually, I didn’t.” He grimaced. “I might have, um, smashed my phone after Maddox called me and told me about your encounter with him.”

Her mouth dropped open.

“And then I might have gone out that night, gotten drunk, kicked a wall, and cracked a bone in my foot.”

“Beau Malone! You didn’t!”

“Yeah, not my finest moment. So, I didn’t have your number, didn’t know that you had texted me. Also, I couldn’t get around easily. Plus, my head was in a bad space. Took me a while to think everything through.”

“And what conclusion did you come to?”

“That I don’t think you did what Maddox believes. That I think you didn’t know about his connection to your boss, and that it was all just a mess of coincidences.”

“You . . . you really believe that I didn’t sleep with you both to get information for my boss?”

“Snow, you’re gonna be my wife. I wouldn’t marry someone who was a two-faced bitch.”

She blinked, staring up at him. “There . . . there is so much to unpack from that statement that I don’t even know where to start. Beau . . . I . . . we don’t even know each other. You can’t seriously think I’m going to marry you.”

“So, we get to know each other before we get hitched. I’m not against dating. That could be fun, getting to feel you up in the movie theater or while we’re out to dinner. Making everyone else jealous of the beautiful woman on my arm.”

She stared up at him from those deep brown eyes. Tears filled them again, dripping down.

“Shit, that wasn’t meant to make you cry, baby,” he said frantically.

“These are . . . these are good tears,” she wailed. She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him.

Damn, she was emotional. It was okay, though. He could deal. He’d just have to learn not to have a heart attack every time she cried. Gradually, she drew back and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket.

Which reminded him, it was damn hot in here. He stripped off his jacket then carefully tugged hers off. She was wearing a pair of loose jeans and a shirt. Nothing tight or revealing, but he could still tell she’d definitely lost weight. Because she’d been missing him? That was a possibility. Well, he was here now, and he’d make damn sure that shit changed.

“You really believe me?” she whispered. “Because, honestly, I had no idea that Richard was trying to pressure those people into selling and that Maddox was opposing him. I’d never heard of your brother. Richard had told me next to nothing about that deal. I swear.”

“Sh, Snow. I know that. There’s no way you could have kept that from us. You’re a damn shitty liar.”

“Hey, I could lie if I wanted to.”

“Uh-huh.” He glanced around again before putting her on her feet and standing. He moved to the kitchen to search for a bag.

“Should you touch anything?”

“I’ll be careful.” He used the bottom of his T-shirt to open a couple of cupboards. “Shit, Snow. Seems like they took all your food. Seems a weird thing to take . . .” his words trailed off as he looked over at her. It clicked as her face went bright red.

Why wasn’t there any food in here? He opened the fridge.

“Beau!”

He ignored her protest, taking in the bottle of ginger ale, block of cheese, and some milk. Now, unless she ate out all the time, she had some explaining to do. It couldn’t be money. This was a nice apartment and she dressed well. Had a good job. Could this have to do with her weight loss? Was she on some crazy diet? Oh, her ass was toast if she was . . .

Unless it was that she was sick? Maybe she had something bad and couldn’t eat anything without being sick. Oh, fuck, that might explain why she’d thrown up.

Before he could question her, the intercom buzzed, and she was letting in the cops. So, he saved his questions for later.

* * *

She couldn’t believesomeone had trashed her apartment.

The cops hadn’t been all that hopeful about catching who it was. There were no cameras in the hallways or entrance, which pissed Beau off.

He’d been in a strange mood since he’d gone through her kitchen. She could only wonder what he was thinking about. But he’d been by her side while she talked to the police. Wrapping his arm around her waist to lend her his strength when her legs started to weaken. She was so exhausted. She didn’t even know how to deal with this. Her bag being stolen, her apartment broken into. It was all too much.

The cops thought it likely that it was her mugger who had trashed her place, but why would anyone rob her?

And how had Beau come to be in the right place at the right time?

She couldn’t believe he hadn’t gotten her texts, that he’d broken his foot. She wished he’d found some way to get here earlier. But then, she hadn’t done anything to find him, and she had something rather big to tell him.

She still had no idea how to do that. Or how he’d react considering she didn’t know if it was his baby or his brother’s.

And now, she stood in the middle of a complete mess and felt like crying. How many times would that make it today?

Well, she figured she was entitled to a few tears considering the turn her life had taken lately. And damn it, she was going to blame it on hormones.

“I don’t even know where to start,” she muttered, looking around in despair. They’d really done a good job. There was hardly anything left intact. How am I going to afford to replace any of this stuff?

She was so exhausted, she was swaying on her feet. She had barely eaten, then she’d vomited up everything she had eaten on poor Beau’s boots. Thankfully, he’d had another pair in his truck.

She had to clean those for him.

“Can you go get your boots from your truck?”

“What?” He gave her a strange look.

Right, because she was doing it again. Going into her own head and not explaining what she was thinking.

“The boots I puked on. I need to clean them for you. Would you go get them for me? I don’t think I have the energy right now.”

“You look like you’re dead on your feet. You’re pale and you have dark circles under your eyes.”

“Thanks,” she said dryly. “Why don’t you just tell me I look like shit?”

He pointed at her sternly. “Don’t start talking badly about yourself, you know what that will get you.”

She glared at him. “You’re the one that said it first.”

“I did not. I’d never say such a thing.”

“You’re crazy.” She’d already known that, but he was crazier than she thought. And he had a far more serious side than she’d realized.

“First of all, Snow, there is no way in hell you’re cleaning my boots, so get that out of your head right now.”

She opened her mouth, but he shot her a look.

“Second, you’re not cleaning this up.” He came over and took the sofa cushion out of her hand that she’d picked up. “No.”

She scowled. He couldn’t tell her what to do like she was a naughty toddler. “I have to clean this up. I have to see what can be salvaged and what I’ll need to replace.”

“I can tell you right now there’s little here that can be salvaged. And you’re not cleaning up any of it. I’ll take care of it.”

“I’m not letting you do it.”

“Oh, I’m not going to do it. I’m going to hire someone. I’ll get someone to change the locks too.”

“Do you think that’s necessary?” she asked in a small voice. Her arm crossed her tummy. This apartment had always been her safe place and now she felt violated. It was an awful feeling.

She just wanted to go to bed, pull the blankets over her head and pretend none of this had happened.

“I’m not taking any chances. This guy has your keys, and he could come back.”

“Oh, God.” She put her hand over her mouth. She hadn’t even thought of that. What if he came back? What would she do? She didn’t even have a bat to protect herself.

“Why don’t I have a bat?”

“Snow, you’re gonna need to clue me into the thoughts in your head, okay?” He grabbed her shoulders gently. “Although I’m guessing you’re thinking about protection, right?”

She nodded.

“Well, you don’t need to be worrying about that. Because I’m gonna protect you.”

She shook her head.

“Yes.” He squeezed her shoulders lightly. “And I don’t want any arguments, understand me? We need to lay down a few rules right now. I know I’m not the most dominant guy, but when it comes to health and safety, I’m in charge. What I say goes. And right now, you’re dead on your feet, you’ve been mugged and had your place trashed, as well as throwing up. You aren’t thinking straight.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not, Snow,” he said gently. “And that’s okay. It’s all right to let me make the decisions for a while.”

“You didn’t . . . I mean before, you didn’t seem like you would want to, uh, take that role.”

He nodded. “I don’t usually. I like being the fun twin.” He winked at her. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not capable of stepping up to the plate. And I’d do anything to look after you. So, this is what’s going to happen, you tell me if there’s anything else you need, we’ll pack it up then we’re going to a hotel. I’ll have people here to tidy up and change the locks. Although you won’t be staying here anymore.”

“I won’t?”

“No. But we don’t need to talk about that right now.” He eyed her carefully. Like he thought she might break if he pushed her too far. It wasn’t without foundation.

She felt very, very breakable right then.

“I . . . I . . .”

“No arguments. Not tonight. Tomorrow, after a good night’s sleep and some food then you give me your reasons, but not tonight, okay?”

That actually sounded perfect to her.

“I’m going to see what I can find that’s not trashed.” She started stepping toward the bedroom then froze. “Oh shit.”

“What is it?”

“Um, nothing.”

The flash drive!

Her laptop was one of the few items that had been taken, along with some cheap jewelry. But thankfully, after downloading the evidence, she’d cleared it off the laptop and her email. She moved into her bathroom.

Please let the flash drive be here.

She drew out the pack of sanitary pads. She’d slid the pen drive into one of them then repacked them.

Thank God. It was still in there. She slipped it into her pocket with a sigh of relief. Something else she needed to tell Beau about. She couldn’t believe he was here. That he’d saved her.

She rubbed at her temples. The cops had asked her if she’d known anyone who might have done this. They thought whoever mugged her had likely used her keys to rob her place. Which meant they’d known where she lived. They’d guessed that maybe the mugger had followed her from her place.

Moving into the bedroom, she just stood there, looking around. She realized she didn’t want anything in here. It had all been touched by whomever and done this. Tainted. It made her feel sick.

But she couldn’t afford to throw it all away and start again. She was going to have to get over it. Moving to gather up some clothes, she held up a pair of her panties. He’d touched her underwear.

“Leave it all, Snow.”

“What?” She turned to Beau, who stood in the doorway.

He held out a hand to her. “Drop that. Come here.”

She dropped her panties eagerly and moved toward him. He drew her close, hugging her tightly then kissed the top of her head. “You don’t need any of this stuff. Leave it. I’ll have whoever tidies the place up bag anything that isn’t ruined, then you can decide whether to keep it.”

“But I don’t have any clothes.”

“I’ll get you some.”

“I can’t let you do that. I don’t know when I’ll be able to get a new credit card. My credit cards! I need to cancel them. I don’t . . . I don’t . . .”

“Sh. Calm down. Sh. You’ll make yourself sick again. You can use my phone. Don’t worry about paying for shit. I have it covered.”

“I can’t let you do that. I’ll pay you back. I will. I just—”

He put his finger over her lips. “Stop.”

She gave him a surprised look. Then he bent down and replaced his finger with his lips. “You’re Beau’s girl now. Beau’s girl doesn’t pay for shit. Beau’s girl lets him take care of her. And Beau’s girl doesn’t argue.”

“Does Beau’s girl also kick him in the nuts when he’s being an arrogant ass?”

“Beau’s girl would never,” he said with an exaggerated gasp, placing his hand on his chest and giving her an affronted look. “Beau’s girl is a lady.”

“Beau’s girl sounds like a figment of Beau’s imagination,” she replied dryly.

“If she was a figment of Beau’s imagination, would Beau be able to kiss her?” He leaned down and kissed her again.

Oh, Lord, the man could kiss.

How had she ever thought kissing was just meh? Well, obviously, it was because she’d never been kissed by Beau Malone. Or his brother.

No, don’t think about that.

“There, Beau’s girl. What do you think about that?”

“I think you’re crazy. Also, why are you talking about yourself in the third person?”

“No fucking idea,” he replied, making her giggle. Something she hadn’t done in ages. She leaned her forehead against his chest.

He rubbed his hand up and down her back. “It’s okay, Snow. You’re not alone anymore. I’m here.”

“There’s stuff I have to tell you. So much stuff. I’m scared.”

His hand paused then he shifted her back and raised her face up. “You’re scared to tell me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because you’ll be mad at me.” Her lower lip wobbled. “You’ll leave me and this time you won’t come back.”

He ran his thumb over her lower lip. “I’m here because I want to be. You think I stalk just anyone?”

Her eyes widened at his words. “You were stalking me? Watching me? You rat!”

“Well, Maddox wouldn’t let me enact Operation Steal-Snow. So, I had to improvise. Figured I’d find a way to approach you. Then you were mugged by that asshole, and I knew I couldn’t stand by anymore.”

“Maddox knows you’re here.” Sadness flooded her. Maddox knew Beau was here, but he didn’t want to be here himself.

Because he didn’t want her.

“He’s a hardheaded idiot, Snow. But he’ll come around.”

She shook her head. “It’s fine. I don’t need him.”

“Ah, Snow, if only you said that with conviction, I might believe you. But let’s shelve discussions of my pig-headed, far uglier brother.”

She smiled at that.

“You need to know that I’m here for good. Whatever you have to tell me, we’ll work it out. All right?”

“What if it’s something really awful?”

His eyes narrowed. “Did you do what Maddox accused you of?”

“I didn’t. I swear.”

“Did you sleep with someone these past nine weeks, after sleeping with my brother and me?”

Her mouth dropped open. “Of course not! What do you take me for? I’ve slept with three men in my life. My asshole ex, your brother, and you.”

Beau smiled. “That means your number is going to stay at three. Because once you’re Beau’s girl, Beau never lets you go.”

She groaned. “Can you stop talking about yourself in the third person?”

He nodded. “Yeah, it’s really weird.”