Page 22 of When You Became Mine

His left eye began to twitch again. “Yeah, sure, something like that.”

My eyes narrowed. “You’re not telling me something.”

I wasn’t convinced that having her in my house was a good idea, but I’d have to worry about that later. There was something more pressing weighing on my mind. “Listen, Hampton. You sure getting married so fast was a good idea? I mean, what do you really know about this guy?”

A slow smile spread across his face. “I know all I need to know about him.” He winked and finished, “If you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. But what do you know about him? His family? His childhood? Where is he from? It’s not all about sex.”

“No shit, asshole. I know everything there is to know about him, okay? Everything that’s important.”

I shook my head. It was beginning to pound. “I don’t know about that. There’s something about him I don’t trust. Call it a gut feeling.”

His face transformed, no longer in a joking mood. “What’s your problem, Lawson? You think you can come back

after years and suddenly start spouting advice? That you know a person after spending a couple hours at dinner with him?”

Hampton stepped around me, making a beeline for the front door.

I squeezed the base of my neck, that pounding now a full-blown headache. “Look, I’m sorry. I’m not trying to cause a fight here. I’m just looking out for you,” I called after him.

He skidded to a halt, his hand on the door. Not bothering to turn around, he snapped, “I don’t need you to do anything for me except take care of Piper. I can take care of myself.”

I followed him to the door and grabbed his shoulder to stop him from walking through it. He was right, he could take care of himself. I’d just have to trust him. “Sorry, dude,” I murmured.

He turned back toward me just as Seven meandered into the living room.

“You’ve got a fucking cat?” Hampton laughed loudly. “Pip’s gonna love that.”

I scooped Seven up and tucked her into the crook of my arm where she immediately closed her eyes and began to purr. “She’ll never even notice her.”

“Sure, she won’t.” He was smirking as he pulled the door open. “Just keep her for a little while, and I’ll find somewhere else for her to go.”

“She’s not a dog, Hampton,” I grumbled. “And last I checked, she was a fuckin adult. She can’t find her own place to go?”

“Oh, you noticed she’s a grownup, huh?” He grinned before throwing two fingers in the air. Waltzing through the door, he shouted over his shoulder, “Forgot to tell you, Smith’s moving in this weekend…I’ll let you tell Piper the good news.”

“Hampton, you asshole!” I shouted at his large figure as it folded into the sports car that was barely big enough for him. He threw an arm out the window and gave me a wave.

I waved back. With my middle finger.

“What the fuck have I gotten myself into?” I said aloud.

Seven’s yellow eyes that were too big for her head blinked at me slowly, and she meowed loudly.

I swear, it sounded like she was calling me an idiot. And she would be right. I was a dumbass.

9

Piper

Bam! Bam! Bam!

“I’ll get it!” Hampton announced as he leapt to his feet.

“Jesus, is it the cops?” I grumbled. “They almost beat the door down.”

I stood from where I was hunched over the laptop at our kitchen table and rolled my stiff neck. I pushed up onto my tiptoes to look over the bar and through the window. “Uhm, why is there a moving truck parked in front of the house?” I shouted to Hampton’s retreating back.

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