Battling Beckett Page 6

  As soon as she walked into the Dining Hall with her tray of food there was a lull in the conversation. She lowered her eyes, and with hunched shoulders made her way to where she sat with Pepper. When she heard her name shouted, she stiffened, but then relaxed when she realized it was Pepper.

  Usually, she and Pepper sat at a table for two, but not today. The table had exploded to three, with an open seat. Greer gripped her tray and prayed this was just a pit stop before she and Pepper sat at their own table.

  On her way, she pleaded silently with Pepper, hoping she would understand her need to be alone and vent. Pepper gave her a puppy dog eyes and gestured with her head to the open chair. She heaved a sigh and rounded the table to the empty spot.

  As soon as she sat, she understood why Pepper wanted to sit here. Wowser! These boys were hot! She narrowed her eyes, didn’t these two usually sit at the football table? She glanced over to that table and rammed into Beckett’s furious stare. After a stare down, he gestured with his head to come over red hot anger rolled through her.

  The first two weeks at this school she had been ordered to not tell anyone they were associated. Then after driving her into the den of wolves this morning, her concerns were shrugged off while simultaneously demanding she’d tell no one of their relationship. Now, he was beckoning her over to his table like a stupid dog. Not going to happen.

  The vibration of her phone on the table pulled her gaze from his.

  ‘If you two stare any harder the air will combust.’

  Greer rolled her eyes as Pepper leaned across the table and whispered. “We are so….”

  The guys at their table had stopped talking and were smirking at something over her shoulder. Curious, Greer followed their gaze and her eyes widened. Through gritted teeth, she mumbled. “He’d better not be coming over here.”

  Pepper’s eyes were bugging out of her head. “Holy shit! He’s coming over here. This is going to be good! Where is my popcorn?”

  Greer felt eyes boring into her forehead, but she refused to look up.

  “Hi, Beckett!” Was Pepper’s perky greeting. “Want to join us?”

  Quickly she said a silent prayer, “Go away. Go away. Go away.”

  “I need to talk to Greer.”

  Beckett’s cold, controlled voice washed over her. Greer could feel the shock sweep through the Dining Hall. The need to blast Beckett for putting her in the spotlight, again, warred with her need to get out of the spotlight.

  With controlled, precise movements, Greer pushed her chair back. Without looking at him she walked stiffly to the hallway and blasted him as soon as they were out of sight.

  “What?” Greer threw her hands up. “What do you want? What was so important that you had to create more drama?” With every word the volume increased. She could feel her blood pumping through her veins.

  Beckett towered over her and for some inexplicable reason seemed to be just as upset as she was.

  “I’m the one creating drama? If you had just come over when I asked you then we wouldn’t have to be out here!”

  “I’m not a dam dog Beckett! This morning has been hell. Ever since I got out of your monstrous truck every eye in this stupid school has been on me and then you go and beckon me!”

  Beckett looked incredulous. His eyebrows shot up and his fists uncurled and he did that weird staring into my brain that made me uncomfortable.

  “What?” Why are you looking at me like that?”

  He kept doing it and she felt her cheeks heat up and then she was shifting from side to side, crossing her arms under her chest. Finally, he spoke, but his voice had lost the edge. Instead, it was brimming with incredulous curiosity.

  “Let me get this straight. You are mad at me because I didn’t drop you off a block from school and because we arrived together everyone is looking at you and talking about you?”

  Greer wanted to tear her hair out. “Yes! And now this crazy stupid talk is going to follow me for the rest of the day! How is this a casual acquaintance? Now, what am I supposed to tell people?”

  “Tell them we are living together.” Beckett shrugged and then grinned. His eyes actually sparkled and he had dimples. She was momentarily speechless at the change in him.

  What the hell was wrong with him? She could feel her blood heating back up as she got over her shock from his Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” She almost winced at her own high pitch.

  He laughed, and not with contempt! Then he leaned against the wall with one shoulder and shrugged the other. “They are going to find out eventually.”

  This guy was crazy. She could feel her eyes trying to pop out of her sockets. Beckett was losing his mind and she was through trying to figure him out.

  “I’m done with this!” She spun around, stopped, looked over her shoulder, and hissed, “Stay away from me!”

  ««« »»»

  Beckett watched her stalk away, his eyes admiring her swaying ass and her tanned, muscular legs. The shitty mood he had been in since this morning was finally lightening up. The minute he stepped into the kitchen and saw her sun-kissed, glowing face he knew shit would hit the fan at school. Sure enough, the smack started as soon as he set foot in the school. All morning he had been asked asinine questions from guys who had been salivating at the mouth.

  “You know the new girl?”

  “Damn, what did she do to herself?”

  “Are you together?”

  “Have you gotten a look at what is under that uniform?”

  Each fucking trashy question made his jaw lock down tighter and tighter. His dad would have an epic meltdown if he heard the shit flying around about Greer. Beckett had never seen David as protective as he was with the Smith women. Maybe that was why he wanted to punch so many dipshits in the face today. Starting with who he thought were his best friends.

  His jaw almost snapped and a growl that had been creeping up his throat all morning escaped as soon as he walked into the Dining Hall. Instead of seeing Greer at her usual table he saw Jason Rodriguez and Mark Bauers. They were making themselves at home with the girl Greer usually sat with. Beckett fought the urge to march over there and ask what the hell they were doing. Instead, he headed to the football table and took a seat facing them.

  A hush swept through the room as soon as Greer set foot in the room. She stuttered her footing as her pink face swept the room. He saw Mark nudge Jason and their attention was immediately drawn to the entryway. When her friend hollered her name Greer’s eyebrows rose and then they drew together when she spotted Mark and Jason.

  He watched with bated breath as she took a seat at her table, and after a brief ‘hello’, concentrated on eating. He continued to stare at her, willing her to look his way. Eventually, Greer lifted her gaze and slammed into his warning gaze. He narrowed his eyes to slits and stared her down. Reluctantly, he admired how steadily she returned his stare. Not only did she hold it, she narrowed her eyes in challenge.

  An exhilaration feathered through him. Challenge accepted. He upped the ante and gestured with his head for her to come over. Her eyes almost popped out of her head and he thought she was going to combust. And then she abruptly tore her eyes from him and looked at her phone.

  Oh no. She wasn’t going to dismiss him. And before he thought about it, he was on his feet stalking toward her. It was time to set some ground rules. Rule number one. Stay away from his friends.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the smug looks coming from Jason and Mark. He would get to the bottom of that later, right now he was going to talk to Greer. As soon as he had gotten up from his seat Greer looked down to her empty plate.

  ‘Too late, Greer.’ He thought with smug satisfaction. She didn’t get to look at him with fire in her eyes and then expect him to back down. When he announced he wanted to speak to her she had stalked out of the Dining Hall and yelled at him.

  He had been stunned. First, he couldn’t remember the last time anyone ha
d dared stand up to him at this school and secondly, she was genuinely mad at him.

  It got his blood pumping and made his cock perk up. He was exhilarated by the challenge she presented. A new game plan was forming, a much more enjoyable plan. Intimidating her wasn’t producing the results he wanted. Maybe it was time to bring charm to the game. His dad would be happier with him and maybe it would result in breaking Greer. And the bonus was it should stop the stupid fucks from chasing after her.

  When his anger melted away, Greer’s frustration went up a notch. He was actually disappointed as he watched her stomp away. He couldn’t remember the last time a girl had stimulated him, in any way. Well, except for the obvious way. And just sparring with Greer had him at half-mast.

  David could take care of himself. If Vivian screwed David over, well that was his dad’s problem. But he was suddenly eager to break Greer down, up close and personal, and make sure she was as genuine as she came across.

  His lips lifted in anticipation. Greer might have left, but Mark and Jason were still in the Dining Hall eagerly awaiting her return. His mood lifted at the opportunity to inform those two jackals he was living with Greer. If they still didn’t understand Greer wasn’t up for grabs, then there was always football practice.

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  Chapter 9

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  Greer gripped her phone tighter and then squeezed her eyes shut to clear the picture of what she had just read. She opened her eyes and read it again.

  ‘How could u not tell me u LIVING w/ Beckett!!!!’

  “Is everything okay honey?”

  Her mom’s concerned voice drifted over to her and she locked her phone and put it in the backpack sitting at her feet. She tried to smile. “Fine, Mom.”

  Vivian looked away from the road, concern all over her face. “It looked like you wanted to throw your phone through the windshield.”

  Her mom was right about that. “It was Pepper, letting me know she heard a rumor about a pop quiz for tomorrow. I didn’t think I had homework, but now I guess I do.”

  She didn’t like lying to her mom, but how could she explain that she was upset because Beckett had been telling people she was living with him?

  “Greer, is everything okay at school?”

  Her fingers were itching to reach for her phone and text Pepper to find out how she had found out. It was hard to concentrate on a conversation with her mom when swirls of dread were mixing with swirls of anger. She couldn’t decide how to feel, but first, she had to soothe the concern she heard in Vivian’s voice.

  Greer plastered a smile on her face and prayed it would convince her mom.

  “Everything is fine, Mom. Pepper and I are getting closer and a couple of other kids sat at our lunch table today.” At least that was the truth.

  Greer watched both of Vivian’s hands tighten on the wheel. “Greer, I love you so much, and you are still my first priority. I love David, but he understands you are my first concern. I am well aware it sucked to leave your high school, senior year. If something is not working at this school, please tell me. We will work it out together, just like we always have.”

  Greer knew Vivian would sacrifice her relationship with David for her and that would not be happening. This, this, whatever it was….was between she and Beckett. Their parents did not need to be involved.

  “I would tell you, Mom. Everything is fine. Please don’t worry.”

  With one last lingering look her mom relaxed her hands, and softly said, “Okay.”

  She had just finished texting Pepper when they pulled into the driveway. With each of Pepper’s responses the anger racking her body built up a little more. Beckett had returned to her lunch table after she had left him in the hall and announced they were living together.

  The gleaming, black pickup truck was in the driveway when she and her mom pulled in. ‘Good,’ Greer thought, savagely. The rioting tension in her chest was ready to burst and as soon as she saw Beckett, she was going to give him a piece of her mind. This time she didn’t have to hold back in fear, the entire student body would hear her.

  She hustled out of the car, with one goal in mind. Get to Beckett. With great effort, she restrained herself from slamming the front door and forced her voice to sound casual. “I’m going to change, Mom.”

  Greer didn’t look back as she took off up the stairs, straight to Beckett’s door, and threw it open. She heard it slam against the wall, took a step forward, and then stopped breathing. Standing in front of her, in nothing but a towel, was Beckett. She froze, except her eyes. Her eyes were eating up every piece of exposed bronzed skin.

  There was not one single place on Beckett to pinch an inch. She could see the delineation of each and every muscle on his body. Through a fog, she heard Beckett and gradually comprehended he was talking to her. She reluctantly raised her eyes and tried to focus.

  “What?”

  With his eyebrow raised and a smirk on his face, Beckett repeated, “Did you need something, other than to drool?”

  The fog cleared and she was mortified, but she hid it behind her anger. “Why would you tell people we are living together?”

  Beckett leaned sideways against his dresser and folded his arms. Her eyes darted to his bulging arms and then stopped herself before they wandered further down. Reluctantly she dragged her eyes up and sucked in a breath when her eyes met the heat in Beckett’s.

  Greer felt her blood pumping and heating up her body as the air became more and more charged between them. Not releasing her gaze, Beckett slowly straightened, and Greer’s breath stuttered. When he took a step toward her, Greer blurted out the panicked question again.

  “Why would you do that?” It started out as a croak but ended stronger. She breathed a sigh of relief when it stopped Beckett in place.

  “We are living together.” Beckett drawled not releasing her from his gaze.

  Her annoyance started to resurface with his casual answer. “Why would you tell people?”

  “Because I wanted to.”

  The edge in his voice and set of his jaw warned her to leave the subject alone, but she was mad. She settled her hands on her hips and braced her feet apart.

  “Seriously? ‘Because I wanted to.’ Are you two? Everything was going fine. Everyone was forgetting about the new girl and now I have to start all over again with the stares and bitchy looks!”

  The anger was burning through her and she started to pace. “I have to explain why we are living together and answer a bunch of questions that are no one’s business.”

  Her brain was in a frenzy and a sudden thought occurred to her. Greer marched over to Beckett and used her finger to poke him in the chest. “Do NOT say anything bad about my mom, Beckett.”

  Before she could blink, her wrist was grabbed, and Beckett pulled her against his chest. Greer inhaled sharply when her breasts impacted with the hardness of his chest. The tension in his arm as he held her tightly to him put her on high alert. The intensity rolling off of him was not to be taken lightly. The air crackled between them and Beckett was silently demanding that she look at him.

  She closed her eyes to try and get her rioting emotions under control, but she wasn’t a coward. Slowly, she raised her gaze and stopped at his tightly clamped lips. An unwanted image of her tongue slowly floating across them caused a shiver to run through her.

  His grave tone broke her from her fantasy. “Greer.”

  She raised her eyes and got sucked into the swirling heat directed at her.

  “If you continue to look at me like that, I will be putting you on my bed and fucking you.”

  The harsh words broke through her lust and had her pulling back, but the hand on her wrist refused to break. She stared at where Beckett held her and slowly drew in some air between her parted lips. When she was sure she could talk she raised her head and only had enough time to formulate that Beckett’s head was descending.

  Her
gasp was cut short when Beckett’s lips settled in for a short, thorough kiss. Her lips exploded with fire. His lips broke the contact but lingered millimeters away from her lips.

  When the soft whimper escaped her, it was like an alarm had gone off, waking her up from a bad dream. Mortification ran through her and Greer pulled her wrist free and escaped to the door. Greer didn’t know what had just happened, but she needed to get away.

  Just as she reached the doorway, Beckett’s low warning reached her. “As long as you don’t talk shit about my dad and stick to the facts, we won’t have a problem.”

  Seriously! She spun back around. “David has been nothing but nice and welcoming to me Beckett. I have nothing bad to say about him. And despite what you think, my mom is the hardest working, self-sacrificing woman I know. It’s obvious you don’t like her and if I hear you say anything about her I will find a way to make your life miserable.”

  She marched to her own room and slammed her door. Greer meant every word she said. She liked David and would never say a bad word about him. And because Beckett was his son, she would not say anything about him. But if he spoke even one negative word about Vivian, she would not have a problem telling David everything.

  Every time her mom reached out to him, she was rejected with a one-word response or he quickly left the room. Greer saw the hurt on her mom’s face and every time she wanted to go punch him in the face.

  Greer plopped on her luxurious bed and huddled up with her blankets and a book, but her mind kept repeating every second of her latest encounter with Beckett. No one had ever been able to rile her up like Beckett. Her body was still humming. And as much as she tried to convince herself it was because he made her so mad she saw red, her body kept feeling the brief, but mind-boggling kiss.

  She’d shared a few kisses, but when Beckett kissed her there was an immediate connection. Her brain stopped working and her body started humming. Even now, there was an ache between her legs, her breasts were heavy, and her lips were tingling.