The Arrangement (A Real Man, #23) - Jenika Snow Page 0,1

to repay me.”

His voice had been so deep and coaxing, and I pictured him smiling, a shit-eating grin playing across his too handsome face as he spoke those words. I didn’t know what kind of payment he was referring to, but I knew it wouldn’t be the monetary kind.

Beckham hated me, and I knew he’d make me pay in more than one way.

And that scared me most of all.

Chapter Two

Beckham

I saw the cab pull to a stop at the curb, and I stood there, looking out the window, watching as Lenora stayed in the vehicle and stared at my house. Even from a distance, I could tell she was nervous, afraid.

And I didn’t blame her.

We’d left on fucking awful terms six months ago, and that was all my fault. I’d been so angry and hurt, using that to fuel my emotions and projecting them onto her, because she’d been right there. God, I’d been a bastard that day, and it haunted me ever since.

But seeing my father’s heart break because the love of his life—her mother—had been having an affair had been the hardest thing I’d ever witnessed. And I’d taken it out on Lenora.

And as soon as I said the hurtful things, as soon as that shit spewed from my mouth, I wished I could have taken it back. I’d wanted to go back in time and repair the damage I caused between us.

Every day, I wanted to call her up and apologize. The things I said had made tears well up in her eyes... things that made me feel as if I were nothing more than a piece of shit on the bottom of someone’s shoe.

But my anger and the betrayal made me a prideful bastard. And I hadn’t apologized, I hadn’t said anything to her since then.

Six fucking months of me being a worthless fuck and too afraid to confront her had ruined my happiness and any hope I could repair the damage.

And every single day, I hated my fucking self even more because of it. So when she called me just last month, asking for my help, I knew I had to make things right. It had to be fate that had her coming into my life once more.

I had to show her I’d been wrong, that what happened wasn’t her fault, that no matter what, no matter how things ended, she’d always have me in her life. I’d always have her back.

I watched as she finally started walking toward the house, her nervousness, her fear, clear on her face. I thought about her phone call, how she asked for a place to stay and that she’d pay me back. And I told her we’d find some way that she could.

I didn’t even know why I said it, didn’t know why I thought it would be a good idea to end the conversation on that note. She probably thought I was some dirty bastard, that I would be cruel to her. I didn’t blame her for thinking that. It wasn’t like I’d shown her anything different.

Because the truth was... I loved Lenora. I always had. Ever since my father married her mom and we moved in together. Ever since I saw how sweet and kind she was, how smart and beautiful she was.

Ever since I realized my life would never be the same without her in it.

And I’d fucked it up.

But now was my chance to make things right. We’d made the arrangement for her to live with me until she got on her feet. But what she didn’t know, what she’d find out sooner rather than later, was that I wasn’t going to let her leave. I would show her she was meant to be mine. Always.

I’d show her how wrong I’d been, that if I could take it back, I would.

I’d show her that even though I’d fucked up, I could make things right.

I’d fall to my hands and knees and beg for forgiveness.

But the wound it caused her was no doubt deep, and whether she believed me or not was another story.

Chapter Three

Lenora

My heart was thundering as I knocked on the front door and then took a step back, as if that foot of space would have some kind of shield, be some kind of wall to protect me. For six months, I replayed Beckham’s words in my head over and over again, this broken record that dug into my heart. They not only hurt because I cared about him, because he’d been