Dirty Little Tease (Book 2) The Dirty Little Secrets Series

Chapter Twenty-Four-Lance

Hello, Lovelies, 

I hope everyone is having a great day!  Thank you so much for reading Dirty Little Tease!  I truly appreciate you all so much.  Thank you for being patient while I was on hiatus and a special thank you to those who wished me well and gave their condolences.  I really do have the best readers.  

News: Though Dirty Little Secrets didn't place in The Annual Bad Boy Awards 2019, it did walk away with the title of Best Plot!  I am truly honored. I want to thank the judges and the host.  Also, I am changing my uploading time to better fit my schedule to 7 p.m Central.  This is because a lot of things have changed in my life.  The days will remain the same.  

I hope you like this chapter.  If you do, please consider voting.  Comments are deeply appreciated.  If you have any questions, comment or send me a message.  

-XXXXX Amanda 

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Becca's breathing as she slept sprawled over my chest calmed me more than anything in my life. My fingers moved lazily through her hair as I stared at the ceiling experiencing a sense of peace that was both unfamiliar but pleasant even in the wake of the meeting with my father. Just seeing her afterwards, basking in her presence was enough to wipe away all traces of anger and pain.

I took a deep breath, causing her to stir. Her head lifted, her eyes flitting over my features before pursing those beautiful lips of hers. A shadow passed through her eyes.

"What are you thinking about?" She whispered her voice a balm to my soul.

I gave her a smile, "I was thinking how you calm me even during the times that are the hardest for me," I said, caressing her cheek, "After dealing with my father, all I wanted to do was come home to you. The moment I saw you in the kitchen, everything was okay again. Becca, you are my peace. You are the one who makes me calm. I've never had that before."

Her eyes shined with tears, "You do that for me too," she said, kissing my chest over the heart that I had given to her, "Honestly, you are my safe place. I didn't think I would have that again after Barrett."

She winced as she said his name and I frowned, "What is it?"

She shook her head but then, sighed, "Sometimes, I worry talking about Barrett hurts you," she said, shrugging, "Because he's not an ex. He's someone I will always love."

I shook my head, "Becca, I would never want to take his memory from you," I said, caressing her cheek, "He helped make you who you are. I'm grateful to him for loving you when he was alive and encouraging you to go against your parent's wishes and become your true self. So, no. It doesn't bother me if you talk about him. It wouldn't even bother me if you put up his picture. He's a part of you. I would never take that away or be upset about that."

She smiled, "I still can't look at his pictures," she said, swallowing, "It's hard enough talking about him without feeling guilty."

"Guilty for what?" I asked, raising my brow.

"He died because of me," she said in a whisper that still had the power to break my heart, "He loved me and because of that, my parents intervened, telling him a lie. I didn't get there in time to save him. I found him...dead. It was...the worst moment in my life."

"It wasn't your fault, Becca," I said but she shook her head, "Listen to me. I am a man who loves you. I would choose to love you even if your parents tried to take you away from me. I would fight for you. In the end, your parents chose to tell him that lie. That's on them. Barrett chose to take his life and though I understand more than anyone else why he did it, it was still his choice. It was a mistake but he should have fought to talk to you instead. That guilt doesn't fall on you. Now, I have strayed away from believing in anything above in the past but for some reason, I always believed that the people who passed on...Who loved us...They help us. Maybe he helped us find each other."

Her eyes widened as a smile slid over her face, "I believe that too," she said, giggling, "I thought you would think I was crazy but I thought I felt him when I talked to Lena after she found out about us."

"I don't think you're crazy," I said, tucking a stray piece of her hair behind her ear, "I believe you. That means, that I should promise him that I'll love you just as much and maybe even more than he was able to do in life and I definitely owe him thanks and major respect for sending you to me."

She smiled, casting away the darkness in her eyes, "Thank you for understanding how important he still is to me," she said, "I didn't think it was possible but I love you more because of it."

"Well, more love is always welcome," I said kissing her forehead before pressing her head against my chest, "Let's get some sleep. I want to wake up with you tomorrow."

She kissed my chest before relaxing and falling asleep in my arms.

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I opened my eyes, finding Becca still asleep with her ear pressed against my chest. I blinked as the sound of the notification going off on my phone. I swallowed because every time I got a call or text lately it was bad news. I tightened my arm around Becca happy she was with me...Happy it wasn't her.

I picked up the phone from the bedside table to look at the text message with a sigh. Asher had talked to a lawyer who had drawn up the divorce papers. My mother had signed them earlier that morning. All that was left was my father's signature.

I thanked him and took a deep breath. Becca stirred before glancing up at me with her brows raised, "Is everything alright?"

"It is," I said, smiling, "Get dressed. I promised I would go see my mother and I'm going to take you out for breakfast. I'm going to check my emails for work and then, get dressed."

She smiled, her eyes sparkling before kissing my cheek before leaving me for the bathroom, making me wish I could follow her. I pulled my gaze away from the temptation and reached for my laptop. As soon as I opened my email, my phone rang. I picked it up answering the phone when I found Gideon's name flashing across the screen.

"What's going on, Gid?"

"Did you not check the news?" He asked, his voice tight, "Linc was killed last night in his cell and his father has been all over the news blaming his so-called mental illness on Becca using Barrett's death as proof."

I swallowed, glancing at the closed door to the bathroom, not moving toward it because I wanted to give Becca a few more minutes of peace before it was shattered to pieces.

"Gid, call Jay, Nica, Asher and Lena," I said, "Tell them we need them. Can you get in touch with Carina and bring her here too?"

"Yeah," Gid said, "What are you going to do?"

I ground my teeth, "I'm going to protect Becca," I said, my nostrils flaring, "From whatever comes."