Page 62 of Erotic Behavior (Observant Behaviors)

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Okay, I’ll send the plane.”

Listening to his one sided conversation was driving me insane.If he wanted to send a plane, then that had to have meant it was Leo.Ashlee was here in New York, or at least I thought she was.I motioned to Beckett and mouthed, ‘Who is it?’but he just held up a finger.

“No, that’s fine.I’ll let them know to expect you.”

He looked up at me quickly, then shook his head.“Let me think about it.I don’t want to risk her.Get settled in and I’ll make some calls to ensure you are good.Burn this phone.There will be one at the house.”

Friends and Family

Beckett

IknewthesecondI told Raven about Leo moving Talia, it was going to be nearly impossible to keep her in one place.After multiple arguments, I finally conceded, and we were stepping off my plane and onto the runway in Toronto.Leo and Talia’s situation had gone from bad to worse, and he made the decision that it was time for them to leave.The risk was huge, but it was less than the risk of her staying there.

“Do you think she’s okay?”Raven asked for what had to be the hundredth time.

“Yes, I’m sure she is.Leo is with her.”

“Then why didn’t he answer before we took off?He still hasn’t texted you back, has he?”

“No, they arrived safely at the house, so I’m not worried about them.It’s still early.Maybe they are sleeping.”

I pulled her to my side as we approached the car that was waiting.I had an apartment in the city and a house on the outskirts.Leo and Talia were at the house, so we had about a forty-five minute drive ahead of us.The way things changed so quickly had left me a little unsettled.I had planned to propose to Raven in one of the biggest, most extravagant ways possible.I’d had a restaurant booked, a florist who did the flowers, a band who would play her favorite songs, and then Leo called and I realized it was the most ridiculous idea I’d ever had.That wasn’t what Raven and I were about.Making sure we were there when our friends and family needed us was.I lifted my hand to my chest pocket and felt the box I’d brought with me.Once I knew things were okay, I’d find a good time to ask her.I wanted it special, but every moment with her was special.

We pulled up to the main gate and security waved me in as I drove up.Normally we’d only have a few people on staff here to maintain the property, but with everything that was going on with Talia, I didn’t want to risk it.I’d called Calvano Security, a company I’d done business with in the past, and arranged for them to send some people out to work with my security team.I hadn’t met Talia yet, but she was the only person my girl had outside of me and I’d be fucking damned if anything happened to her.

When I pulled up to the front door, a guard walked down the front steps and opened Raven’s door as I got out on the other side and came around to help her out.

“Have someone bring our bags in.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Where are they?”

“I believe they are in the bedroom.They haven’t been down for breakfast yet.”

The guard raised his eyebrows at my questioning look and just smiled.

“Send someone to let them know we are here.Have Leo meet me in my office.”

“Yes, sir.”

Raven gripped my hand a little tighter and when I looked at her, she had a ridiculous smile on her face.Even with all the shit that seemed to constantly follow us, she was still a total romantic.We made our way into the house, and I watched as her gaze ran over the decor.I didn’t come here often.Back when my father was alive, we had more business in Toronto, but I had been considering selling both of the properties for a while now.When we got to my office, I opened my laptop and had just about sat down when a tiny thing of a woman came running in, shouting Raven’s name.

The amount of noise that reverberated off the walls was nearly deafening, but the sheer joy as the two women embraced and jumped up and down was something I’d never forget.I looked up as Leo walked in with a smile on his face, running his hand through his wet hair.I looked back at Talia and realized her hair was just as wet as his and I gave him a look, shaking my head.All he did was shrug, and I didn’t even bother commenting but reached a hand forward and greeted him.

“I see you couldn’t get her to stay home.”

“No.I may pretend that I’m the one in charge of our relationship, but it’s clear she has me by the balls.”

Leo just laughed and reached out a hand to Raven.“It’s good to see you again.”

She smiled like a kid in a candy store and pulled him in for a hug.“Thank you for taking care of Tal for me when I couldn’t.”

I watched as he awkwardly took a step back and looked over at Talia.There was definitely something more going on between the two of them than he had let on.

“You must be Beckett.Leo has told me a lot about you,” Talia said as she reached for my hand.“The last few months have been hell, but knowing Raven was with someone who made her happy made things a lot better for me.”