I waited in the shadows until I saw him approach. Unfortunately, he wasn’t alone.
Two women drifted toward him as he reached his bike.
They were older than him—confident, wearing heavy makeup, with slow, knowing smiles. One of them moved closer, trailing her fingers up his chest and brushing her lips against his jaw. The other giggled softly, leaning in so her breasts brushed against his arm. It was obvious that both knew him intimately.
I felt a stab of jealousy that I had no right to feel.
“We thought you might like to celebrate your victory,” she purred.
Beck’s mouth curved into a lazy grin, but before he could accept their offer, I stepped forward.
“He’s busy.”
Both women turned, surprised by my presence.
Strangely enough, Beck didn’t seem to be.
They assessed me quickly—my age and my clothes, not the least bit provocative, and dismissed me as no competition.
One arched a brow, “And who are you, little girl?”
“Not your problem,” I said calmly, ignoring the ‘little girl’ remark. “But definitely his.”
I didn’t look at Beck, never breaking eye contact with the patch chasers… or was it sweetbutts? I truly didn’t give a shit either way.
Silence stretched just long enough to become uncomfortable.
For them, not me. I lived for this kind of thing.
Then Beck exhaled a quiet laugh. “Go. I’ll see you back at the clubhouse.”
They hesitated long enough to understand he was serious, then turned and walked away, heels clicking as they headed back to the warehouse, all the while glancing back at me with dirty looks.
When I finally shifted my attention to Beck, he was already watching me.
“What did I do to deserve a visit from the evil queen of Ashford High?” His voice was mocking as he looked my body up and down with heat in his eyes.
I didn’t rise to the bait.
He leaned back against his bike, arms crossed, posture loose and unthreatening—in the way predators use to lure in their prey. When I didn’t answer immediately, he repeated the question.
“Why are you here, Taryn?” he smirked.
I took one step closer to him. Not quite within his reach — I didn’t fool myself into thinking he didn’t have the speed to grab me if he wanted to.
“I need you to do something for me.” I adjusted my go-bag.
Now he looked curious and slightly intrigued. “What could you possibly want from me?”
“There’s a biology exam,” I continued. “A copy of it turned up where it shouldn’t have.”
Beck blinked.
Then his smirk grew into a full-fledged smile. And I felt my breath stutter the slightest bit. Damn, he was pretty.
“You didn’t come all this way to spread gossip,” he laughed. “Get to the part that involves me.”
“I took it,” I said for the first time out loud. “And I need you to say that you did.”
