LLucy’s Revenge(Divine Creek Ranch 15)(108)

She couldn’t resist looking back at him, her jaw set. He was fighting Patrick and Seth, in an attempt to follow her.

Beck’s vehemence had scared her until she’d realized he’d directed it at her. And he’d been so wrong. So wrong. And she couldn’t let it stand. No one was going to dictate to her what she could or couldn’t do.

If only he’d come to her and asked what she was doing, she would’ve smiled and reassured him. But he’d gone ape-shit and embarrassed her in the process. His reaction felt like a betrayal. He didn’t believe her promises after all. She turned away from him before she lost the fight and her tears betrayed her. She heard a shout in the distance behind her. It was a wounded sound. She furiously wiped away a tear before it tracked down her cheek.





Chapter Eighteen




Beck panted as Patrick and Seth struggled to keep him from following after Lucy. He finally shrugged them off and braced his hands against his knees as he caught his breath and suddenly hollered out into the night.

He sensed Patrick’s disapproval directed at him as he watched Lucy saunter away, her long jet-black hair floating around her shoulders in the light breeze. Her lush hips swayed with each step, drawing his eyes upward to her bare back, the sweet curve of her waist and the ramrod straight line of her spine.

Her ivory skin glowed in the twilight and he watched the way men looked at her, some of them stopping in mid-stride, others smiling admiringly before continuing on. He wanted to confront every one of them and beat their faces in for leering at his woman.

Looking over at Patrick, he watched the play of emotions on his best friend’s face as he observed Lucy walking away. He was surprised when Patrick smiled. How can he smile right now?

Beck moved to go after her and Seth stopped him again. “You do not go anywhere near her when you’re like this, you understand me?” Seth growled. “It’s bad enough you practically pushed her out the door. You go down there now and you’ll probably pick a fight with the first man who looks at her.”

“But she—”

“I know you don’t like it, Beck. But you’ll have to accept it now. You don’t come here, pick a fight with your woman, and not expect her friends to close ranks around her.”

“But she’s—”

“Safe for now. She’s safe, Beck. You can’t go off half-cocked on her like that. She will not tolerate it. You also don’t tell her what to do. She’s stubborn as hell in case you haven’t guessed it. If you tell her she can’t do something, she’ll do it just to prove you’re wrong. She backed down earlier, when you got here, because she loves you and cares about your feelings. She’s been talking about the two of you all day. She couldn’t wait to see you, dumbass.”

“She what?”

Disgust showed in Seth’s eyes. “Yes, jackass. She loves you. Or she did. I hope you don’t make a habit of treating her like this.”

Patrick spoke up. “He doesn’t. He thought she was taking her top off.”

“Well he got his wish, didn’t he?” Seth said. “It’s a damn good thing you didn’t both gang up on her.”

Patrick watched her disappear around the corner and said, “I saw her face when he said it. But I could just as easily have jumped to the same conclusion.”

Seth stood in the doorway, next to Val Teller. Beck wanted to hit that son of a bitch. He’d felt the same way earlier when Teller had been walking along with Lucy, talking with her, looking like he owned her.

Teller looked at him and said, “Lucy is a beautiful woman, O’Malley. I enjoyed talking to her today but there’s no way I’d make a move on another man’s woman unless he welcomed it. I understand the boundaries. It was obvious from the way she talked about you today that she cares about you both. All we did was walk her and Jayne to the restroom and to get a bite to eat. Would you rather we’d let her walk off on her own?”

“No. Thank you for seeing to her safety. I understand that’s what you were doing, but I…” I can’t lose another woman I love to someone else. “I hate that I hurt her.”

Patrick put a hand on his shoulder and Beck looked at his friend. “Take a breather, man. Let her calm down a bit. What’s done is done.” He smiled at Beck, confusing him. “Did you see how she just strutted right on out there? She’s something else.”

Seth scrubbed his hands over his face. “I’m trying to get the vision of my half-nekkid sister out of my mind.” He shook his head and looked up. “Okay. You start any fights down there and I’ll be at the head of the line planting a fist in your face, O’Malley. Understand? Make peace?”