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“Motherfucker,” I whispered, then gritted my teeth together.
“What?” Brody asked. “What was that?” I didn’t answer him for several seconds. Instead, I watched Curtis as he wrapped his arms around Belle in greeting. I had nothing against the guy, I simply couldn’t stand him. I’d sat and watched him feed Belle tequila weeks ago, and I knew if I hadn’t been there, he would have taken advantage. I could see it in his eyes. He wanted her, but he couldn’t have her. He’d never have her if it was up to me.
He lingered too long in the hug with her, so I stood. “I gotta go.”
“Ford? Everything okay?” Brody asked.
“Yeah, yeah. My cell is about to die. I’ll call you tomorrow.” I ended the call and slammed the lid on my laptop closed, throwing it onto Belle’s bed. There was no way I was going to sit in here and watch as Curtis got closer and closer to Belle, so I pulled her bedroom door open, pushed my shoulders back, and then exited the room, intent on showing the fuckface that she was mine, and only mine.
* * *
BELLE
A lot had changed in the last week, and I wasn’t sure how to process it all. I went from not having a care in the world, to realizing just how dangerous this situation was in the blink of an eye. I understood why Mom and Dad kept wanting me to come home, but what happened the other night hadn’t changed my mind. I wasn’t going to let the cartel win and change my entire life. I wouldn’t press pause just because of them.
And then there was Ford. I wasn’t really sure what was happening between us, all I knew was that I didn’t want it to stop. From the moment he’d kissed me in the club, I hadn’t been able to think about anything else, but now he was showing me how he felt, each and every night. There was a side to a person you saw when they gave in to their desires, and with Ford, it was the deepest part of him.
He’s always kept himself so closed off, only giving everyone around him a cut-down version of himself, but when it was just him and me, he dropped the mask he wore, and his real face was so enthralling, I could barely look away. I’d thought I’d had a crush on Ford when I was a kid, but this was so much more compared to that. He’d told me I had him tied up in knots, but he had me under his spell, and I didn’t want a cure. I wanted to stay exactly where he wanted me, by his side, his skin touching mine, and our lips connected.
I ran the sole of my foot along Lottie’s back, and she looked up at me, her brown eyes full of content. Ford still hadn’t told me the real reason he’d adopted Lottie, but deep down, I knew it was because she’d have been put down. Since he’d been staying here and following me everywhere, he’d gotten to know the animals in the shelter, but like me, he’d always drifted toward Lottie.
When we brought her home a few days ago, I thought it would have taken her a little while to settle in, but within minutes of walking into the apartment, she’d found her spot next to the sofa and fell asleep. Just where she was right now. Her front paw covered my foot as I half lay, half sat on the sofa, watching something on the TV. I wasn’t even sure what was on because I was concentrating on the noise coming from my bedroom.
Ford had gone in there thirty minutes ago, and I hadn’t seen him since. Tonight we were meant to be ordering takeout and watching trash TV, but when the front door opened and Stella, Justin, and Curtis appeared, I knew it wasn’t going to happen. We’d have company, which would mean we couldn’t be too obvious. I hadn’t seen Justin and Curtis since before the near break-in, but Stella said she’d told them I wasn’t well. She knew we had to keep what was happening a secret, not just for my safety, but for hers too.
Lottie was on high alert as she sprung up into a standing position. Her lip curled back on her teeth in warning, but all it took was a stroke from me, and she calmed down, although she didn’t go back to sleep. She just sat there and stared at them as they made their way into the living room.
I stood, and Curtis wrapped his arms around me in greeting. “You got a dog?” Curtis asked, holding his hand out for her. She sniffed it but didn’t move forward. She stayed close to me, her tail not moving an inch and her side pressed against my thigh.
“Ford got a dog,” I said, running my palm over her soft fur. She was technically his dog, but I knew she was partly mine too.
Justin sneezed and then groaned. “I told you I’m allergic.”
“And I told Belle,” a gruff voice said, and both Lottie and I turned to face Ford as he sauntered into the living room. His eyes were narrowed on Curtis, and then his gaze moved to Justin. “I don’t give a shit.”
Stella’s lips quirked. She was a dog person, just like I was. Lottie had taken to Stella, and Stella had even taken her for walks. I had a feeling she enjoyed the fact Lottie was here now, even though it meant Justin would suffer.
“I thought we were friends, bro,” Justin groaned and sneezed again.
Ford raised his brows and slid his gaze to mine, and I could tell exactly what he was thinking. Justin thought everyone was his friend, and he was oblivious to the things around him. He still hadn’t noticed we had a new door or an alarm system. And I was positive if he weren’t allergic to dogs, he wouldn’t have even known Lottie was in the room with us.
Curtis moved closer to me and went to sit on the sofa, but with a growl from Lottie, he backed up into one of the chairs. “Okay, okay, jeez.”
“Taught her well,” Ford murmured, but only I could hear him. I turned my head to look at him, and as soon as I did, he winked. “I ordered pizza,” he told me. I wanted nothing more than to step forward and wrap my arms around his waist, but with people here, I couldn’t do that.
“Good, I’m starving,” Stella announced, bouncing down next to me on the sofa. As soon as she was sitting, Lottie moved forward and rested her head on Stella’s knees. “Hey there, Lottie. Have you had a busy day?” She rambled on and on as Justin sat on the other chair, leaving only one space for Ford, which was next to me.
“What are we watching?” Justin asked, and I knew then that they were here to stay.
I threw the remote to him and shrugged. “Don’t know. You choose.” Justin grinned at me and leaned forward as he started to flick through movies we could watch. My skin buzzed as the seat next to me dipped, and I stared down at Ford’s thigh as it pressed against mine.
“That was your dad on the call,” he whispered to me. I turned my head to look at him, but he kept his attention on the TV. “We were talking about the lake house. I told him we’d be there Friday night.” My eyes widened, and my stomach dipped. We hadn’t really talked about what was happening between us. We were just going with the flow, but I knew we couldn’t do anything in front of the family. They’d jump on it right away, and I didn’t want it to end when it had barely begun.
“Okay,” I murmured back, not sure what else to say. He finally looked at me, and I could see the questions in his eyes. Maybe he didn’t think it was a good idea? Maybe he wanted us to stop doing what we were doing? Or maybe he—
A knock on the door brought me out of my own head, and Ford ambled over to it. He glanced down at his cell a second before he opened it, and I knew he was looking at the security footage. I didn’t want to admit the number of times I’d checked the footage while I was in my bedroom. Ford had linked it up to my laptop, and I was becoming obsessed with watching it, just in case anything happened. I’d rather be prepared than ignorant, which was what I’d been. I hadn’t taken it as seriously as I should have, but now that I was aware of just how dangerous things were, I was on high alert.
The smell of pizza wafted through the air, and I stared at Ford as he closed the door and moved into the kitchen.
