Page 24 of Raise Me Up

And now two men are staring at me expectantly. Swallowing, I shake my head. “No talent for it.”

“She’s a neurologic physical therapist,” Liam answers.

Beau’s brows raise. “No shit?”

Heat rushes to my cheeks. “Ah, yeah. The title feels a bit much…”

Pride was as absent as my parents when I walked across that final graduation stage. Koval kids don’t earn attention by failing half a dozen college classes and graduating late.

“Fuck that. Don’t downplay your accomplishments.” Beau’s tone is surprisingly firm, earning a look of approval from Liam before he strides out the back door, leaving me to blink up at Beau in awe.

“See something you like, sweetheart?”

I purse my lips, and his eyes drop to them with a glint of lust. My heartbeat pulses low in my core.

Oh, this isdefinitelya crush.

“You’ve got something to say. Don’t hold it in.”

Buzzing from Malek’s drink, I give in. “Seriously. Where did you come from?”

With a slow smile, he shrugs. “Middle of nowhere.”

I narrow my eyes at him, but he’s unfazed, so I pop his hat off and rest it on my head. He quickly runs a hand through his poof of frizzy, dark brown hair. “Don’t look. It’s unruly. Unnatural. An eldritch horror.”

As I burst into a fit of giggles, his arms lazily encircle my waist. I rest my cheek on his chest, enjoying the solid beat of his heart.

“You’re real fucking cute, Stasi. Liam’s lucky to have you.”

“Oh, we’re not…we haven’t…”

Beau eases back to look at me. “But you want to.”

My stomach swoops. “God, could you imagine?”

His gem blue eyes light up. “Mmm, I can. And I am. You know, we could get his attention.”

He must be casting some kind of spell on me because the word slips out before I have time to think. “How?”

Beau offers me his hand. “Play along.”

A hard thud comes from the organ in my chest. Slipping my hand into his, I let him guide me past the back door. I could be imagining dark eyes watching us, but I don’t allow myself to look as Beau leads me down the hallway and up the stairs.

“You think someone stole all of his stuff?” I joke.

Earning laughs from Beau is becoming my newest addiction.

“I think he’s got serious commitment issues, but you probably know that already.”

My brows furrow as he pulls me through the only open door on the second floor.

It looks like Liam hired the same designer for the room as he did for his studio. The vibes are minimalist, with earthy tones and wood honeycomb soundproofing on one wall above an antique desk and record player. Two small leather couches face each other, one of which is occupied by people I don’t recognize.

We sit down on the other couch, and someone holds out a fist to bump against Beau’s. “Hey, what’s up, man? Haven’t seen you in a minute.”

As they fall into conversation, my nerves creep out like spiders.What am I still doing here?

Just as I’m about to push up to my feet, a strong presence makes itself known. I look toward the doorway to see Liam walking into the room.