Page 117 of Beautiful Defiance

40

SEVEN

Her eyes flutter open, and I heave a sigh of relief.

“Leigh, baby.” I clasp her head in my palm and lay a kiss on her forehead. “Goddamn, you scared the fuck out of me.”

We are back at the hospital. Both Leigh and the girl in the burning house with her suffered smoke inhalation. The doctors kept them overnight for observation to be on the safe side.

The oxygen mask is off her face, and she now has these prongs in her nostrils giving her a smaller dose of oxygen. I’m expecting her to ream me out for that damn kiss, but of course, Leigh isn’t predictable.

“My friend Sorrow? Is she okay? Her father. What happened to her father?”

Sorrow, the girl with long black hair and the deepest blue eyes set in a dainty face is the shy girl her father claimed ran away at fifteen. Happened after her mom overdosed. To think she’s been living in that house right under our noses. I bet her “running away” had to do with her dad’s fucked-up mind and drinking himself to oblivion.

“She’s good, babe. They have her in the next room. Smoke inhalation. What you have too.”

“Her dad?”

“He killed himself, Leigh. I’m sorry.”

She bunches the covers in her hand, a single tear sliding down her face. “What will happen to her? I should ask Thomas if she can stay with me or in his place. I doubt Sorrow will want the couch. Or I can crash on the couch and she can have the bed. She’ll love the skylight.”

I silence her concern for her friend with my mouth pressed on hers. She kisses me back, her soft sigh of contentment the best sound I’ve heard in a long time. We break off our kiss, and I hold her hand, needing to touch her. For her to know I’m here and will always be here for her.

“Leigh, Trace’s parents already spoke with Sorrow and offered their guesthouse to her. They told Dad and I it was their fault Kyle ended up the way he did. Trace’s dad and Kyle were partners. Something happened between them, and Trace’s dad ended the partnership.”

I wipe the tear from her cheek. Cup her face in my palms. Her eyes close, and she utters the words I knew were coming the moment she saw me and Ginger.

“I hate you, Seven.”

“I know, baby.”

She opens her eyes, and I love the hardened defiance in their amber depths.

“When I saw you kissing Ginger, I wanted to steal your letterman jacket, toss all your expensive shoes out the window and set them on fire. Then I would use condoms like water balloons and chuck them inside your bedroom.”

“You still can, Leigh. Use me as target practice too, baby. Or you can kick me in the balls and send your friend M after me. Go right on ahead. I deserve it. But don’t take away our pinky swears. I live for those.”

“Pinky swear I can use you for target practice.”

“Do I stand in one place or will I be a moving target?”

“I have great aim. Am a fast runner too. The fun is in the chase, isn’t?” She smirks.

I shake my head. This girl. I kiss the corner of her mouth. “We are on for a game of dodge cock sock.”

She chuckles. “Nice. I love it.”

Her laughter dies down and she gets all serious.

“Seeing you with her hurt, Seven. I hated you so much. But after what happened with your parents, I don’t believe you would cheat on me. What’d Ginger do? When I get out of here, she’s going to get a face full of cornstarch in every color of the rainbow.”

“That’s my girl. My spitfire.” Smiling, I capture her mouth in mine. She sucks on my bottom lip. Tangles her tongue with mine. She’s sweet and warm, and after she’s feeling better, I intend on showing her who I belong to until we both can’t walk straight.

“Leigh—” Blowing out a breath, I tent her hands and rest my forehead on them.

What I am about to tell her will hurt her, and I never want to hurt Leigh. But I want her love more than I hate hurting her, so this is my selfishness coming out to play.

---