Tame his Beast - Claire C. Riley Page 0,58

pouted at me, her eyes all big and wide. “This is Lorenzo, not that it’s any of your business,” she snapped. She turned back to him, her cheeks flaming red at the audience we had gathered. “What are you doing here?”

Lorenzo’s mouth twitched into the hint of a smile. “Thought I’d come and take you out to lunch.”

“I can’t leave here, I’m too busy,” she said impatiently before sighing. “Sorry, that sounded really ungrateful. I really appreciate the gesture, but I barely get time for a cup of coffee so lunch is out of the question.”

Lorenzo nodded sagely, his hard gaze moving between me and Belle. “That’s okay, my fault.” He held his hands up. “Dinner tonight at my place, then.”

Belle looked back to me, a small frown puckering between her brows. We shared a moment, a split second between us that was just ours. She told me so much in that look. She told me goodbye. She told me she was sorry, and good luck, but mostly she told me goodbye.

“Sure, that sounds great,” she said, looking back to him.

Lorenzo pulled his hands from his pockets and my gaze roved over his hands, checking them for weapons, but there was nothing there. He was just a man coming to take his girl for lunch. And I fucking hated him with every bone in my body.

“I’ll walk you back out,” Belle said, moving toward him.

“Belle!” I called her name and I watched as her shoulders rounded before she turned to look back at me. “I meant what I said.”

I was losing her.

Maybe I’d never even had her to begin with.

Sure as shit didn’t deserve her after the way I’d treated her.

She sighed, her forehead still furrowed with tension and sadness. She glanced between Lorenzo—in his expensive suit, looking like every woman’s wet dream, successful business owner who could treat her right—and me, with my big white ass on show to the world, a body full of scars, a disfigured face, and a dangerous outlaw who treated her like shit and couldn’t offer her anything but my fucked-up self. I already knew who she would pick, and truth be known, I couldn’t blame her either.

“Stay,” I practically begged as I swayed on my feet. My vision was going blurry, my head thumping so hard I wondered if my brain was trying to get out of my head. “Belle…stay.”

I sounded pathetic, but I had to try. I’d fucked up—I knew it and she knew it. But I needed her. Hated the realization, but there it was, as plain as day. I needed her, but more importantly, I wanted her.

“I meant what I said too, Beast,” she finally replied, and she sounded heartbroken. She chewed on the inside of her cheek and looked at the ground, and I watched as Lorenzo straightened up and took a step toward me, pushing Belle behind her like he was protecting her. Like I’d ever hurt her.

Lorenzo frowned. “Beast? Like Beauty and the Beast, huh?” He laughed lightly, gesturing between me and Belle. “I see it now,” he chuckled.

I scowled. “What the fuck did you just say to me?” I didn’t care what Belle thought; if this fucker stepped out of line again I would shoot him in the goddamned face.

Lorenzo took another step toward me, the hint of a smile on his lips. The prospect grabbed my arm as I lurched toward him, pulling me back. Lorenzo looked me up and down, a pitying look on his face. Belle reached for him but he turned to her, giving a soft shake of his head, and she released him. Who was this guy, the fucking woman whisperer, thinking he could control my girl with just a single shake of his head. And yet she’d listened to him, stepping back, and moving further away from me.

“Only this time, the beast doesn’t win the girl, huh?” he continued casually, like he’d just offered me a compliment and not insulted me.

“Lorenzo!” Belle exclaimed from behind him.

“Nah, it’s okay, Belle, he’s right; this ain’t a fairy tale, and there ain’t no happy ending coming for me. You stay with your little fuckboy here.” I gritted my teeth, hating the words coming out of my mouth. “But when you’re fucking him, you think of me, yeah?” I laughed, a dark, bitter laugh and her mouth opened in shock. She hated me, and that was okay by me because fuck her.

Lorenzo laughed with me. “She won’t have time to think of you, my