“Shit.”
I looked around Allie just as Carson pushed through the door. He stumbled slightly, and it was clear that he was drunk.
“What are you doing here?” Allie’s voice was strained as she took the smallest step back.
“Allie!” He practically cheered her name just as Olly and Beck walked in behind him.
I held my breath as I watched him swagger into the room. He was grinning as his eyes met mine, and I knew he had to be intoxicated because the smile didn’t fall from his face.
“Well, looky here.” He pulled out a chair and sat down with his feet wide and his arms loose. He would look so at ease if it wasn’t for the way his jaw tightened.
I knew better than to trust any sort of calmness from him.
It almost scared me more. The way Beck was looking at me felt like the calm before the storm, and I didn’t want to get caught in his onslaught.
“We didn’t realize you guys were here.” Allie sounded so professional. “We’ll get out of your way.”
She reached for my hand, but Beck’s voice stopped us both.
“Stay.” He cocked his head just slightly, and I could feel him staring at me. “I already warned Josie once to not be here, but she didn’t listen.” My spine straightened and the urge to run from the room was overwhelming. “So stay. Finish your work.”
Allie turned to me, but I was still looking at him. I felt like he was a snake and I was his prey, and if I dared look away for even a second he would strike. If I dared to turn away from him, he would make me realize my mistake.
Allie moved back to the table, and the two of us started working again silently. Carson had a bottle of liquor in his hands, and he chugged from it before passing it to one of the others.
I wasn’t sure if this was normal behavior for them, but the way Allie sat with her back perfectly straight and her eyes constantly darting to them made me think it wasn’t.
The three of them laughed and talked as Allie and I finished up what we were doing, and it felt like it had been hours since they walked in the room. I knew it had only been minutes, but every second felt excruciatingly long as I watched him.
I had no idea what they were thinking, what their plan was tonight as they looked like they didn’t give a shit, but I knew that I didn’t trust a single one of them.
I stood with Allie and the two of us carried the bins of silverware over to the bar.
“Josie.” Beck’s voice was smooth and effortless, and my stomach fluttered at the sound. “Come here.”
Allie looked up at me, and I knew that she was willing to tell him to go to hell if I wanted her to, but part of me wanted to know what he wanted.
I wanted to end whatever game he was playing and just get it the hell over with.
I walked toward him, but every part of my body warned me to stop. My breathing was rushed, my hands shook, and I felt like every part of me knew that I should fear him.
“What?” I stopped several feet away from him and linked my fingers together in front of me.
“A little closer.” He crooked his finger as he bit down on his lip, and it was as if every bit of anger he had shown me before was replaced with lust.
He was looking at me like he wanted to devour me. He was looking at me like he had on the beach, but there were no pretenses of him being a nice guy.
This Beck felt like pure sin, and I was an idiot as I stepped closer until I was just out of his reach.
He leaned forward in his chair, his elbows resting on his knees, and his gaze raked over every inch of my body. His scrutiny of me felt tangible and forbidden. He hadn’t even touched me, and my entire body felt tight with need.
Need to get away from him.
Need to be closer.
“What do you want, Beck?” I hated the way he was making me feel. I felt like a whirlwind of confusion when it came to him, and I would rather just deal with his hate.
With his hate, I knew exactly where I stood.
I knew what to expect.
“I want a lot of things, Josie.” He rubbed his chin as he spoke, and I noticed that Carson and Olly were both watching us.
They were waiting for a show.
“I need to get back to work.” It was a lie. We were finished for the night, and the only thing I needed to do was clock out before I ran out of this place without looking back.
Allie was still standing next to the bar, and I knew that she wouldn’t leave without me.
“What you need is to get on your fucking knees.”
I took a sharp inhale of breath as my gaze slammed into his.
“I’ve been thinking about that pretty little mouth of yours.” His eyes were so dark, and I didn’t know how much of this was really him and how much was the alcohol. “I can’t wait to see what your lips look like stretched around my cock.”
My gaze darted to Olly who was leaned back in his chair with a small smile on his face. They weren’t affected at all by what their friend was saying.
“Don’t look at him.” Beck’s voice held all the venom that I had become used to, and I didn’t hesitate to follow his command. I looked away from Olly and shifted on my feet as I looked back at Beck.
I should have told him to shut up. I should have slapped the shit out of him and walked away, but I did neither of those things. I stared into his eyes that felt like they were going to consume me, and I tried my hardest not to squeeze my thighs together as an ache began to build there.
“You only look at me.” He was so fucking sure of himself, so sure of what he was capable of. “When I fuck that mouth of yours, you only look at me.”
“That’s never going to happen.” My voice was sure, but I felt rattled to my core.
“Don’t challenge me, doll.” He grinned, and I had a feeling that even though it rarely happened, Beck loved being challenged. “You won’t like how it ends.”
“It’s not a challenge.” I was acting far braver than I felt. “It’s a promise. You will never touch me.”
His smile became almost sinister, and I could barely catch my breath. “God, this is going to be fun.” He stood from his chair, and I thought he was going to touch me now. My body froze and the only thing I could hear was my heart racing.
I had known Beck was an ass. He proved that to me the day I met him, but I hadn’t actually feared him until this moment.
I feared what he was going to do.
I feared how far he would take his hate for Lucas.
I feared him.
He lifted the bottle from the table and tipped it forward. The brown liquor hit the table in a cascade and trickled down the sides before hitting the floor.
Beck held my gaze the entire time. He didn’t care what kind of mess he made. He didn’t give two shits about the things he ruined.
He was just fucking things up without a single thought of the repercussions.
“If you won’t get on your knees for me…” He lifted the bottle, making sure every last drop fell from the lip before dropping it on the table with a loud smack. He took a step closer to me, and I held my ground and didn’t move away from him, even though every single part of me wanted to retreat.
He reached his hand out and ran his thumb over my bottom lip as he stared at my mouth. I felt frozen under his touch, the soft caress a complete contrast to the way he was looking at me. “Then get on your knees and clean up this fucking mess.”