With Every Heartbeat (Forbidden Men 4)

Zoey blushed but smiled obligingly. I wasn’t sure what to do about her anymore. Before we’d met, I’d wanted us to be friends. I’d wanted her to like me. After learning how intensely some parts of me reacted to her, however, I wanted distance from her more.

I’d never do anything to betray my girl, but there was no need to create any undue awkwardness where I could avoid it. But what was I supposed to do when Cora wanted us both around her together?

The whole thing depressed me a little. I’d been so hopeful that I could befriend Zoey. If only there wasn’t always this thrumming tension brewing inside me when I looked at her. Inappropriate urges kept bubbling up. I wanted to move closer, inhale that lovely mysterious scent, touch her soft-looking skin, bury my fingers in her hair, then press her against a wall and lift her up until the base of her throat was level with my mouth, where I could bite—

Great. There I went again. Muscles coiled tight, I glanced up cautiously from the pancake I was devouring, hoping no one could guess where my mind had just gone. Cora was still carrying on about who was who in her crowd of friends, and Zoey hugged one arm over her chest and nodded as if she was trying to pay attention while her mind was wandering in a completely different direction.

I glanced away, smiling to myself because her reaction reminded me too much of what I did when Cora started gossiping about all her girlfriends. It really was too bad I had to stay away from Zoey. I think I would’ve liked her.

A hard knock on the front door interrupted Cora mid-speech a split second before the front slammed open.

“Hey, motherfuckers,” a familiar voice called. “Don’t tell me you little pigs ate all the pancakes yet, did you?”

Zoey sat up straight, her eyes wide. “Who is that?” she asked while Cora whirled to me, scowling.

“What the hell is he doing here?”

“I-I don’t know.” I started to stand, but Ten appeared in the kitchen entrance before I could waylay him. Grabbing onto the doorframe above his head, he leaned into the room and leered at us, wiggling his eyebrows. “Well, doesn’t this just look like a cozy little threesome?”

Zoey gasped a

nd set her hand over her heart.

Ten winked at her and glanced at me, knowingly.

I scowled. “What’re you doing here?”

“And have you never heard of knocking?” Cora snapped.

Ten’s eyes narrowed when he glanced at her. “I did knock, bitch. Weren’t you listening? And if I’d waited for permission to enter, you wouldn’t have let me.”

“Got that right, asshole,” Cora grumbled just before I repeated, “Seriously. What’re you doing here?”

“What?” He shrugged his shoulders as if he thought the question was incredulous. “Can’t I pick my roommate up for football practice? You do remember we have practice this morning, right?” He glanced between Zoey and Cora again. “You didn’t get otherwise...occupied, did you?”

I clenched my jaw, upset he was getting so close to some of the things I hadn’t been able to stop my brain from thinking. “Yes, I remembered practice.” I folded my arms over my chest and glared him down, silently commanding him to make another crack about me being here with both girls. “And my truck is right outside. I can drive myself.”

Ten dropped his arms from the doorframe. “Fine. Then I’m here for the pancakes, I guess.” He sauntered into the kitchen and winked at Zoey. “Morning, Blondie. These two didn’t keep you up all night, did they? You know, if they ever get too loud and rowdy, you’re always welcome to come back to my place to get away from them.”

“Ten,” I growled. I was tempted to break his face.

Something must be seriously wrong with me. Friday night, I’d pushed Cane Belcher against a wall? Last night, I could’ve easily taken out K.C. for the way he’d talked about Zoey. And this morning, I wanted to break Ten’s face. It was enough aggression in three days to freak me out. I never, ever wanted to take up any of my mother’s abusive qualities. But here I was, feeling violent all over again.

“What?” Ten glanced at me with his eyebrows lifted. “It was a perfectly polite invitation.” He smiled at Zoey again. “I honestly don’t know how they are together, you see. I don’t let her stay over at our place.” He returned his attention to me. “Sit back down and relax already, pretty boy. Practice isn’t for another forty-five minutes.”

My jaw bunched. I was about to order him from the apartment when Zoey surged to her feet. “Let me get you a plate. The pancakes are amazing.”

Wait? What? Zoey actually wanted him here? I couldn’t even feel smug about her praise of my pancakes. She looked too happy that he was staying. Even her shoulders weren’t as tense as they’d been since she’d entered the kitchen this morning. When she sent him a warm smile, I froze.

Oh, no. What if she liked him? What if... Nausea swirled up my throat. I have no idea why, but I didn’t like the idea of her liking Ten. At all.

Ten seemed surprised by her generous offer. He lifted his eyebrows and shot a glance my way. I wanted to wipe that smug smirk off his face with my fist. And Cora was no help whatsoever. She just groaned and stuffed more pancake into her mouth.

“Well, hot damn. I like you, Blondie,” Ten finally announced. He smiled charmingly as he seated himself.

I was still standing, glaring at him when I noticed Zoey was having trouble finding which cabinet the plates were in.

“They’re in here,” I told her, brushing past her to open a door to her left. When Zoey let out a quiet inhalation, I turned back wondering what was wrong.