Always Been Mine by Victoria Paige Read Free Book Online Page A

hardness underneath his navy blue shirt over jeans that hugged well-muscled thighs sent a palpable twitch between her legs. Hell. No.  
    “What’s your game, really? I’m so tired of you popping up everywhere I am—”
    “No game, Beatrice.” His face turned serious. “I wouldn’t say leaving you was a mistake. Saying I had no choice is a lie. I can’t tell you why.”
    “I don’t care why. It doesn’t matter—”
    “Can we go somewhere to talk?” Gabe cut in gruffly. Oh, God, his whiskey eyes were boring straight into her and she could feel herself weakening. Damned alcohol.  
    “Nothing matters, don’t you see?” Beatrice’s tone was almost pleading. How could she make him leave her alone? “We were a mistake from the start. You chose your job like my father always did. You just proved to me that I was right all along.”
    “Let’s go somewhere else. Please, babe.”
    Beatrice frowned and narrowed her eyes. There was something wrong with Gabe. He was still larger than life, but obviously diminished. What happened to him? Damn it, she shouldn’t care. Stilling herself, she bit out, “I am done with you.”
    A commotion at the entrance of the club drew their attention. Beatrice felt her gut fall from under her when she spotted Travis with an unconscious Caitlin in his arms.  
    Beatrice hurried to them. “What happened?”
    “Passed out,” Travis clipped. “You and I are going to have words, Bee.”  
    Gabe chose that moment to grab her arm. “I’m not done with you.”  
    Travis’s shocked eyes fell on Gabe.
      “Hello, Lieutenant.”
    “Shit. Gabriel?”  
    “You have no right following me here!” Beatrice was feeling desperate. “This is stalking.”
    “Oh, please, Bee, your scream can wake the dead,” Caitlin muttered.  
    “Cat?” Travis whispered in relief.
    “You can put me down, Trav. I’m fine. I think.”
    “No way. I’m taking you to the hospital. You fainted once during our honeymoon, too. Ed’s bringing the car around.”  
    The Escalade pulled up in front of the club.
    “Gabe, we need to catch up. Man, you just disappeared off the face of the planet,” Travis said. “I have to take my wife to the hospital.”
    “I’ll be in touch.”
    Nate was flying down the steps of the club just as the Escalade was pulling away. “What happened?”
    “Caitlin fainted,” Beatrice announced.
    “Shit. That must have freaked Travis out.” Nate glared at Gabe. “You done with this guy? I can take you home. I don’t think you should be driving.”
    “We took a cab—”
    Gabe’s hand shot out and manacled Nate’s throat. “I told you this wouldn’t end well if you got between me and Beatrice.”
    “Bring it on, asshole.” Nate didn’t even flinch, just stared at Gabe in challenge.   “That all you got?”
    Beatrice recognized that gleam in Nate’s eye. For all his playful nature, he was such a war freak. She inserted herself between the two, and extricated Gabe’s fingers from Nate’s neck. Not releasing Gabe’s hand, she tugged him alongside her. “Go home, Nate, or go back to the bar. I told you I got this.”
     
    *****
    Gabe followed Beatrice’s lead as she dragged him toward the back of the club. He found himself getting hard as they approached the darkened alley. The possibilities of what could happen in this secluded area were playing havoc with his resolve to talk first.
    “Beatrice, what are you doing?” he asked tightly.
    “You said you wanted to talk,” she said flippantly.
    “There’s a 24-hour diner across—”
    “But we know it’s not talking you really want.” Beatrice pushed Gabe against the wall. “You want to fuck, don’t you?”
    Before Gabe could reply, Beatrice pressed her lips against his and slipped her tongue inside his mouth. Her taste was a heady mix of berries and wine. He groaned. He wanted to devour her, but not like this. She was drunk.
    With as much strength as he could muster, he grabbed her shoulders. “Damn