Perpetual Devotion (Book 4 in the Original BOC Series) ✔

Chapter Twenty

The moment Sophie excused herself to see if everything was alright with Nathan and Carter, she pointed at Sam and sternly ordered for him to behave himself. The platinum blonde wrinkled his nose, scoffing how insulted he was.

"That's just beneath you, Soph, to think that I'd do anything."

He glanced up at her gray eyes staring with a hard gaze, challenging him to keep it up. Sam frowned, glancing away at the others quietly sitting around then sniffed, nodding and waving his hand for her to go away.

"I've got this, Soph! No worries when good ol' Sam's around!"

Sophie's blank stare showed little faith in that statement, but decided to not press any further. She looked over at the side of the room where Max had sat up frowning when she'd announced that she'd be back. Her brow rose, nodding at him as a way to relax.

"I'll be right back." she told the others, more for Max who swallowed hard, now skittishly glancing at the USWAT.

Sophie turned back to Sam, pointing at him and reiterated that he better not start shit.

After another round of "Oh, come on! Me? Start shit? Psssh... please." the brunette took her leave and made sure to pick up her pace than she'd normally walk. Max was doing well right now, and she didn't want to risk any more than she already was with making him snap at the pressure of being surrounded by those he was trained to kill, and whom didn't trust the blonde to begin with.

After Sophie was gone, the first thing the platinum blonde did was lean to the side in his chair staring at the door for comfirmation that the woman was really gone. He then spun around with wide eyes and a mischievous grin as his gray eyes settled on the only other blonde in the room. The younger was leaned back in a chair, eyes closed and face towards the ceiling.

Sam narrowed his eyes, grinning more when he caught the way Graham kept throwing angry glances Max's way.

Clearing his throat, Sam raised his brows, lowering his eyelids half-mast and smiled, "So, Terminator..."

Everyone looked up, including Max after opening his eyes, and he lifted his head to frown at Sam.

The platinum blonde took a deep breath and held onto the back of his chair, drumming the middle of his fingers on it excitedly as he questioned how the blonde was finding his new room at the Henrys. From the corner of his eye, Sam caught the USWAT leader's head snap up at the mention of this.

As though he didn't notice, Sam rose from his chair nodding, "Sophie was explaining that you are showing quite the improvement since your advancement from the basement to your own room."

Max lowered a brow, not saying anything.

He wasn't sure what to make of Sam. From what he remembered, the man was always talking back to Nathan, yet the taller man would grin at the blonde and mumble that he was an idiot. So it was unclear whether Sam was trying to make conversation with Max... or start crap.

Max had a sinking feeling it was the latter.

Shrugging at first, Max looked at the others who were staring at him, waiting for his reply.

He flicked his eyes to the USWAT leader and instinctively sneered, remembering the closeness he and Darla shared with one another. That didn't set well with him at all. Not one bit.

Turning back to Sam, Max mumbled that it was fine. Short and simple response, but as long as Sam frowned at his answers it meant that everything would remain calm; particularly Max's temper.

Sam pursed his mouth to the side, looking over at Graham becoming tense and the blonde decided to ask if Max got to sit at the dining table at breakfast time too. Graham rolled his head in Sam's direction with a droll look; noting the platinum blonde's smirk while staring straight at Max.