Page 97 of Dirty Little Mistake

Syn and Jaxtyn materialized from the darkness. Syn's knowing look made heat crawl up my neck.

I smoothed my skirt, acutely aware of my swollen lips and tangled hair. "We were just?—"

"Fucking?" Syn's smirk could've lit up half the coastline.

Trystan coughed, suspiciously close to a laugh. His hand found the small of my back, thumb tracing circles.

I cleared my throat. "Talking," I corrected her.

Jax laughed. "You have sand in your hair, Cam." I reached up, brushing my fingers through my messy hair.

"Where's Kaia?" I changed the subject, trying to ignore the growing voices behind us and the heat creeping up my neck.

"She was tired, so I'm moving the party to the beach, and then I'm going back to my wife." Jax's eyes darted over my shoulder, his easy smile fading as a commotion stirred behind us.

The shift in energy hit me before I saw them. Owen moved through the crowd like a storm front, each step deliberate,shoulders coiled tight. People scattered instinctively, leaving him on a collision course with Brody, one of their teammates. The beach went quiet except for the waves; that endless rhythm was suddenly ominous.

Brody's smirk appeared, followed by words too soft to catch—but I saw them land. Owen's expression shifted microscopically. Then—impact. The crack of knuckles against jaw scattered the remaining onlookers like startled birds.

"Shit—" Jax's curse was lost in the chaos as both men hit the sand. Limbs tangled, fists flew, each impact punctuated by grunts and the dull thud of flesh meeting flesh.

Jax grabbed Owen around the waist, jerking him off Brody, and someone else grabbed Brody, helping him up. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Owen straightened slowly, blood trickling from his split lip. His eyes found mine across the crowd, and something in his expression made my chest tighten.

"He called Cam a whore." The words fell like stones into silence. I'd heard all the whispers all night, but I didn't expect someone to say that to Owen's face. Owen wrenched free from Jax's grip, his voice rising. "And I'm done—" He spat blood into the sand. "I'm fucking done letting everyone blame her."

The night seemed to hold its breath. Owen's shoulders rose and fell with each ragged breath.

"You want someone to hate?" He shouted into the crowd. His laugh was bitter, sharp enough to cut. "Hate me. I'm the one who cheated. Me."

The crowd shifted uncomfortably, whispers dying before they could take root.

His gaze met mine again, and my lips lifted into a thankful smile before shifting to meet Trystan's gaze.

The look that passed between the two men carried weight—respect, forgiveness, appreciation. Whatever understandingthey reached in that silent exchange felt like the first real step forward. Maybe we'd all be able to move past this, and things would be like they were again.

"You want to stay down here and party or..."

"I'm ready for a shower and bed."

Smiling, he slid his arm around my shoulder. "My bed or yours."

"Hey," Jax's voice called out. "Tryst." We both twisted to see Jax running up to us. "I need to talk to you about something," Jax said to Trystan.

"What's up?"

"I think Syn is dating Sebastian King."

The words hit like a hammer to glass, shattering our easy laughter and leaving silence sharp as shards. I didn't know Sebastian King personally, but I'd heard about him and his reputation. He was bad news, and so was the gang of hellions he ran with.

"You're sure?" Trystan's voice carried an edge I'd never heard before. The kind that comes from knowing too much. Seeing too much.

"Kaia and I went for a walk on the beach last night, and we saw them together on the boardwalk."

"Just the two of them?"

"They were with a group of people, but it was pretty obvious."

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