With Every Heartbeat (Forbidden Men 4)

“I know.” He lifted his hands as if he totally agreed with my confusion. “I made one remark about your ass and he ordered me to back off and leave you alone.”

“You did what?” If I wasn’t sitting, I probably would’ve tried to cover my tush with my hands. I settled for crossing my arms over my chest to hide the girls from him, even though the button-up pink and white plaid blouse I was wearing didn’t show a hint of cleavage.

“Fine.” He rolled his eyes and blew out a disgusted breath. “I checked out your legs too. But God, I’m a guy, okay? I look at women. Why is that such a bad thing?”

“Probably because you’re really lewd about it,” Reese offered helpfully. “I mean, do I make you feel like a piece of bacon for sale when I check you out? No. There is a tasteful way to look.”

Turning all his attention to her, Ten hiked his foot onto the chair next to the desk where she was sitting and rested his elbows on his thigh while he wiggled his eyebrows at her. “So you check me out, huh, Buttercup?”

“Yes,” she answered dryly and patted his cheek. “And I’ve found you completely lacking compared to my Mason. Sorry.”

On the other side of me, Caroline cracked up laughing. Ten jerked his foot off the chair, scowling as he straightened. Then he sniffed at Reese. “Pfft. As if I want to be as pretty as Lowe, anyway.”

“Well, good.” Reese set a hand over her heart, looking relieved. “Because you don’t even rank in his league.”

Ten gaped at her. “Jesus, thank God I’m not a self-conscious pansy ass, otherwise that would’ve stung.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Reese assured him brightly. “I wouldn’t have said anything if I didn’t know what a huge, overinflated ego you have.”

Ten opened his mouth but didn’t seem to know what to say, not that Reese was paying him any more attention anyway. Her face brightened, and she leapt out of her chair. “Now there’s a guy in my Mason’s league. Quinn!”

Hearing that name made me stop breathing. I zipped my attention to where Reese was bounding past us, and sucked in a breath when I saw him in the opening of the lecture hall.

Oh, good Lord. I was going to share my first class with Quinn Hamilton?

He looked good in crisp dark jeans and a pale green shirt that clung to his heavenly chest. I couldn’t look away because something about looking at him just seemed to bring me to life. I could suddenly smell better—the crisp graphite of a newly sharpened pencil pierced my nostrils—hear better—every crinkle of paper and shift of a book bag rattled through my eardrums—see better—the fluorescent lights sprayed down on his neatly combed dark hair—even taste better—the hint of mint toothpaste coated my teeth.

At first, Quinn didn’t see Reese; he was too busy scanning the back of the room. When he did spot her, she was already right there—barefoot and all—plowing into him. He jerked a startled step away, but Reese tackled him into a hug anyway.

“I’m so glad you share a class with us, too.” She grinned up at him adoringly as she pulled back to hook her arm through his and sweep him across the room to our group. “This will make having to put up with Ten much more bearable.”

As I watched her drag him closer, I tried not to feel anything about the way she’d hugged him and clung to his arm. I told myself it was injustice on Cora’s behalf, but sadly, I felt the same simmering heat and flushy cheeks as when I’d seen Cora touch him.

Clearly, he didn’t know how to take Reese’s attention. I could tell he wasn’t comfortable with how familiarly she handled him, but he didn’t want to be rude and pull away, either. It all lingered in his eyes as he sent her a tense smile.

Ten lifted his hand, scowling at Reese. “What the hell? Why didn’t I get that kind of greeting?”

In answer, Reese clung to Quinn’s arm tighter and even rested her cheek against his shoulder in a possessive move. “Because you never dove in front of a speeding bullet and were shot to save my cousin’s life, that’s why.”

“Oh my God!” Ten cried, throwing up his hands in disbelief. “It was a flesh wound.”

“Most beautiful, amazing, gallant flesh wound ever.” Reese found a puckered nick of flesh on Quinn’s arm before she kissed it. “This is why my Eva’s still alive.”

My mouth fell open when I realized what she meant. “Wait. You were really shot?”

At my voice, he jerked his attention abruptly to me. His lips parted as surprise washed over his features. Cheeks flushing darker, he darted his gaze away until it set on Caroline next, which seemed to surprise him even more. “Oh,” he rushed out the word, glancing between the two of us. “Hi.” When his gaze settled on me, the heat that always consumed me in his presence flared even hotter.

Since he didn’t seem eager to talk about his experience, Reese was more than willing to fill me in on what had happened. “Yes, he was shot. He was so brave and heroic about it too.”

Ten snickered. “Aren’t brave and heroic the same thing?”

“Shut up,” Reese said pleasantly, without taking her gaze off me. “Eva, my cousin, told me all about it. This sick, sadistic, evil witch of a woman pulled a gun on her—”

“The same woman who—” Ten tried to cut in to add, but Reese punched him in the arm, silencing him.

Keeping eye contact with me the entire time, she continued her story, “...and pulled the trigger. She probably would’ve hit Eva right in the heart and killed her.”

“Pfft,” Ten muttered, rolling his eyes. “As if she could aim that good.” This time, everyone ignored him.