when her jaw goes slack, her eyes roaming the beauty of his tattoo. ‘I hate to break it to you,’ Becker goes on, grabbing something from the shelf before closing the fridge and turning back to face us. He has an apple in his hand. The forbidden fruit for the forbidden man. ‘But even I can see what’s going on here.’ He takes a huge bite from the flesh and chews slowly, holding it up in an indication that he hasn’t finished. I lose my ability to stand on steady legs, so hurry across to the table and take a seat next to Lucy, intrigued by what he’s going to say. He swallows, and I swear I hear Lucy hold back a cough. ‘And I’m a novice at all this love shit.’ He nods and takes his apple back to his lush lips.
‘You don’t do too bad,’ I tell him, watching as the fruit pauses at his mouth.
He grins behind it. ‘Thank you, princess.’ He rips another chuck away and proceeds to chew with his grin still fixed firmly on his beautiful face, looking rather proud of himself.
I look at Lucy when I feel her arm brush against mine, finding her fidgeting in her chair. ‘Magnificent,’ I whisper, knocking her with my elbow.
She gives me an exasperated look, shaking her head.
‘Trust me,’ Becker says around his chews, and we both look across to him – me cool, Lucy still fidgeting. I’m used to his lethal naked presence by now . . . kind of. Not really. But Lucy definitely isn’t. She’s purposely darting her eyes all over the kitchen to avoid looking at him. Becker points his apple at her. ‘I’ve run faster and farther from women who’ve acted less crazy than you.’
‘I was drunk,’ she grunts while I grin from ear-to-ear.
‘They all say that,’ Becker says around his laugh.
‘Thanks.’ My friend rests her arms on the table and lets her head fall into them with a thud.
‘Welcome,’ Becker chirps, chest puffing out on a smile that tells me he thinks he’s done good. I’ve just fallen in love with him all over again. My insensitive, clueless, crooked sinner is giving my best friend advice on relationships. Albeit crap advice.
‘Be quiet now,’ Lucy says, sitting up and trying to comb through her knotted mane with her fingers.
‘Why?’ Becker asks, hurt. ‘I’m just getting started.’
‘Because I might fall in love with you, too.’
I laugh loudly, receiving a surprised look from Becker and a sideways grin from Lucy. It takes Becker a few seconds to catch up. Then he shakes his head in dismay and throws his apple across the kitchen. It lands in the bin with accuracy. ‘So,’ he says, squaring confident shoulders as he moseys over, peeking down at his bare feet casually. I narrow cautious eyes on him, and when he arrives at the table, both Lucy and I follow his cool face down as he bends, resting his elbows on the table before us. ‘My princess told you that she’s in love with me?’
I roll my eyes. This is old news to him, the bumptious idiot.
‘Am I sharing something new?’ Lucy asks.
‘No.’ Leaning in, he takes his glasses off and slips an arm between his teeth, chewing thoughtfully. ‘But I can tell you something new.’
He can? Like what?
‘What’s that?’ Lucy asks.
‘Yes, what’s that?’ I mimic, and he grins mischievously.
‘Your best mate will soon be my wife.’ He nods his approval to his own declaration and takes my hand, thrusting the gigantic emerald under Lucy’s nose. Oh, the bastard.
Her stunned eyes drop to it, then swing to me. ‘What?’
I smile, nervous as shit, damning Becker to hell. I should be the one to tell my best friend, not him. ‘I haven’t had the chance to mention it.’
‘Oh my fucking God,’ she blurts out, seizing my hand from Becker and having a good inspection of my ring. ‘Is it real?’
I snort, forcing back my laugh, and Becker huffs his disgust as he pushes himself up from the table on stupidly taut arms. He leans over to the worktop nearby and collects something before throwing it on the table before us. My eyes follow its path and expand in surprise when I register what it is. Lucy’s bag. He got it back? ‘I have your phone, purse and keys in my office, princess,’ he tells me before turning and striding out, leaving Lucy still gawping at my ring and me gazing at the map on his back. ‘You can go home