Page 59 of Beneath Your Beautiful

I wasn’t so sure, but it was nice to hear. “Thanks.”

“I need to ramble,” Zeke said, grabbing his skateboard. “Catch you later.”

“See you.”

A few minutes later, I looked inside the bar and saw Zeke talking to Killian. I smiled to myself when I heard them laughing.

I hooked myself up to my music and got back to my mural. The brick was cracked in places, parts of the wall crumbling. I liked that it wasn’t perfect and that my mural looked more like graffiti. When I finished this, I was going to work on my next piece—my street art.

“Time for a break,” Ava called from the doorway.

“I need to finish.”

She dragged me away and forced me to eat with her. I didn’t realize I was so hungry until she unpacked the deli sandwiches and tossed me a bag of chips. She bought enough to feed a small country. I offered her money, but she waved it away. “Killian and Louis gave me money. They’ll eat most of it anyway so get in there before they get here.”

I knew all about fighting for food in a household of boys, so after checking out the selection, I grabbed a turkey and Swiss and ripped open my bag of chips.

“Wanna do half and half?” Ava asked, holding up half of her sandwich.

“What’s yours?”

“Tuna melt.”

I swapped half of my sandwich for half of hers and took a big bite of the turkey sandwich.

Killian and Louis came outside with bottles of water and Killian took the seat next to me, with Louis next to Ava. Killian’s hand found my thigh under the table and he rested it there, on my bare skin, as if his hand belonged on my thigh. A little thrill shot through me. I loved that his hand belonged there.

“Yes!” Ava said, punching the air in victory. “My coffee arrangement worked.”

Louis chuckled. “It takes a village.”

Killian snorted. I concentrated on eating my food, but with Killian’s hand branding my skin, it wasn’t an easy task. My pulse was racing, and my stomach was all fluttery as I stuffed my face with food I wasn’t hungry for anymore.

I side-eyed Killian.Do you know that your hand is setting off a five-alarm fire inside me?

He smirked.Yes. I’m aware of what I’m doing to you.

I tried not to think about his naked body or what it could do to mine. His hand drifted to my inner thigh and inched its way upwards. I squirmed in my seat and pushed his hand away.

“Chips?” Ava asked, dangling a bag in front of Killian’s face.

He batted them away. She arched her brows at me, as if to say, I told you so.

“You don’t eat chips?” I asked, plucking one from my bag and tossing it into my mouth.

“No chips,” Louis said. “No cookies, candy, cake, brownies—”

“She gets the point,” Killian said.

“He even has issues with sandwiches,” Ava said. “Notice how he only went for the ones with the birdseed bread and raw vegetables.”

I peeked at his sandwich choices. Sure enough, he’d chosen two that I’d passed up. One had birdseed bread and the other one was a wrap with raw vegetables and sprouts sticking out of it.

“I almost didn’t order them,” Ava said. “Out of protest.”

“Save your energy for something that matters,” Killian advised, as his hand returned to my thigh. His fingers traced the outline of my underwear and slipped inside, rubbing between my folds. I nearly choked on my sandwich and started coughing, my eyes watering. He removed his hand to give me a few helpful thumps on the back.

“Drink some water,” Killian said, all innocence, offering me his water bottle. I coughed a few times then took a swig of my Coke, glaring at him. He pretended to cower. What a comedian.