Page 66 of Before We Break

The cycle repeats until she’s selected five pink ducks, winning two candy bracelets, a box of crayons, a bubble wand, and a five dollar gift card to Saps and Swirls.

She skips off with her winnings and the line moves forward.

Half an hour later, we’re already out of candy bracelets, and we’re sorting through the pond to find all of the ducks with red dots on the bottom. A blue duck slips out of my hand and onto the table from several inches up, splashing Jeff with water. I laugh at his expense, and he flicks a few droplets at me in retaliation. I gasp as the cool water hits my face. Jeff chuckles, but I’m still stunned and unmoving as the water drips down my cheeks.

He rounds to my side of the makeshift pond, and before I realize what’s happening, his hands are on me, his thumbs swiping at the dampness on my cheekbones, his green gaze searing into me. “There. Good as new.”

“Get your hands off my woman.” Noah’s husky voice breaks through the silence, and my head snaps toward the sound. He’s glaring at Jeff, hands fisted at his sides, jaw set and spine rigid.

Jeff’s hands drop away, and he takes a step back. “Sorry, man. I didn’t know.”

“Now you do.”

I set down the duck I’d been holding and pat Jeff’s shoulder, a friendly gesture I realize much too late might be misconstrued by the brooding man in front of me. “I’ll be right back.”

As soon as I’m on the other side of the table, Noah takes my hand and drags me out of the gym. I’m stumbling to keep up with his pace. Once we’re through the double doors, he whirls me around, caging me against a set of lockers nearby. He rests his elbow above my head and leans in dangerously close.

“Where’s Auggie?” I ask, bewildered and breathless as I search for a way out of this predicament.

“He’s with Emmy. Don’t worry about him.”

“Ok…” My chest brushes against his with each in-drawn breath.

“We have a contract,” he whispers. “Or have you forgotten already?”

My pulse picks up at the gruffness in his voice. “I know.”

“They why the fuck are you in there flirting with another man in front of the whole goddamn town?”

A breathy laugh escapes me. “That gym barely holds one hundred people. It’s hardly the whole town.”

“Answer the question.”

His rumbly voice settles in the pit of my stomach. I’m seconds away from dissolving into a puddle. Instead, I draw in a breath and muster up an ounce or two of courage. “I was not flirting with Jeff. He’s my coworker, that’s all. Nothing more.”

“Does he know that?”

“Of course, he does. What exactly are you implying?”

“He touched you. His fucking paws were all over you.”

I shove at his chest, but he doesn’t move so much as an inch. His large, tattooed palm skates along my waist, sending a riot of goose bumps erupting across my flesh. His jaw ticks as the seconds pass by ever so slowly, as if time itself has a vendetta against me. My pussy throbs with need. I rub my thighs together, desperate for friction.

Suddenly his mouth is at my ear again. “Do you want him? Do you wish it were his hands on you right now?”

I feel hazy, almost drunk on his touch, and my pulse is drumming in my ear. I can’t think straight when he’s this close. Still, I won’t let him win this one. “What if I do? Are you jealous, Weston?”

“Of course not.”

I bite down on my bottom lip, and Noah tracks the movement, his gaze scorching.

“Liar,” I whisper.

His pupils dilate, the blue all but disappearing behind a wall of shadow so intense it nearly stops my heart from beating.

Is he going to kiss me again?

His other hand lowers, cradling my cheek exactly where Jeff had touched me. “You’re mine for the next three months. While we’re together, I get all of you. Remember that. Next time I catch you with another man, I won’t hesitate to remind you... contract be damned.”