He dips his head. “Next time your little iron heart beats a bit harder than you want it to, give in...” He trails off, his thumb coming up, pressing firmly into the underside of my jaw, and tilting it up farther. “Or go the fuck home... not to someone else simply because you know he could never get under your skin.”
My jaw clamps tight. His perceptiveness is as disturbing as it is alluring, but the way he insinuates my attention belongs to him is not good.
It’s dangerous.
It’s dangerous because my insides are suddenly dancing to a beat I’ve never heard, yet there it is, thrumming beneath my skin.
As if he’s aware, his eyes seem to gleam, but he holds his frown in place, putting me on edge even more when he says, “You went there to regain control of your own mind, but you have no idea what jumping at Scott’s call screams inside his.”
Screw Scott, what the hell is happening here?
It’s as if Ransom found a dark corner in my mind and took up shop there, discovering all my inner issues and blurring truths.
It’s anxiety-inducing, so I pivot, call on my mother’s training and hide all hints of humanism. I have to.
Stand calm, speak cold, and don’t forget to smile.
“I can handle Scott Gentry.” This time, it’s me who moves closer. “And if I want to handle him, I can do that too.”
His nostrils flare, and an angry little growl escapes, gaining his friends’ attention.
Slowly, they walk closer, and Ransom nearly knocks me on my ass when his chest bumps into mine. “I should have let you get arrested, you deserved it the second you climbed behind the wheel.”
My brows cave and he jerks away from me.
“If you ever think about drinking and driving again, don’t.” His words are a menacing command, low and deep.
He doesn’t have to vocalize how I’ll regret it; his words are dipped in the threat.
With erratic movements, he snags his sweater from the back of the chair, quickly tugging it over his head, and without a word, the others do the same.
They’re out the door not thirty seconds later.
Just like that, I’m reminded they are a unit, and I don’t have one.
It takes a second to remember that’s the way I like it.
My phone alerts me that the Uber Eats driver has just left my coffee on the porch, so I throw my legs over the side of the lounge chair, but before I can push to my feet, my side gate rattles, and my head snaps that way.
Beretta hops over the fence with a wink, and I cross my arms as he opens the gate, revealing Ransom and Arsen on the other side of it.
Arsen smirks, holding up his hand, my coffee tucked inside it, an entire tray of coffees in the other.
Ransom grabs it along with another from the drink carrier and slips ahead of them, so I drop back in the chair and let the guy bring it to me.
He offers me both, and I gladly accept.
“Thank you.” I tilt my head.
Ransom must be wondering what exactly lies behind the dark lenses over my eyes, because he pushes them up onto my head.
He frowns. “I’m not seeing anger.”
I scoff, and bring my drink to my lips, reveling in the rich aroma before taking a small sip. Delicious.
I shrug. “I will never be angry when a hot latte is placed in my hand, and I have two.”
The corner of his mouth tips up and my shoulders ease a bit.
“Listen—” I begin, but then he’s pulling off his shirt, his tight body commanding my eyes to take inventory of each and every inch.
Ransom’s body is something to be admired. His skin shines like the finest of silks, glowing a deep gold, and he’s toned at every inch. The cuts of his abs are natural and deep. He’s not burly by any means, rather tapered to precision, as are the sharp cuts of his hip bones pitted perfectly, inviting on their very own. I follow the length of the lines, and only then do I notice he’s wearing swim trunks.
They all are, and at some point, the other two managed to discard their tops, too, both having already dropped in the chairs to my right, hot drinks at their lips.
Ransom claims the one at my left.
“You were saying?” He raises a brow.
A laugh sputters from me, and I push my glasses back down. “Yeah, yeah. Sun, swimming, and seriously delicious coffee it is, but