Page 119 of Beautiful Defiance

She nods, her amber eyes shimmering with fresh tears. “Thank you, everyone. You’re such good people.”

“Hey, since we’re all about telling truths, we should shed light on what happened to Allison,” Trace pipes up from the back of the room.

“Yeah, maybe then you won’t hate my cousin so much, Seven.” Malice walks over and stands next to the bed. “Ginger gave Allison the drink. John did the assaulting. It was dark, and she thought it was Red. Red was the last guy she spoke to. You weren’t at the party, and Red knew that. He warned Allison to keep an eye on her drink. Would’ve stuck around, but we had a family emergency.”

That’s right. Their grandmother fell and was taken to the hospital. Those Sterling guys love the fuck out of their grandmother.

“The cops have Ginger and John in custody,” Malice says. “Girls from Cambridge and Delridge are coming forward. Some as recently as Brody’s party.”

The one where I caught that fucker Shay with his hand in my girl’s hair.

“Allison warned us Ginger might do something to you or Leigh. We followed her, and bam, she didn’t disappoint. But you, bro—” Malice smacks me upside the head. “Shit, you better wash your mouth with soap and water before you go kissing on our friend Leigh.”

I shake my head, unable to stop smiling. “Want me to do that, baby?”

“Uh-uh. Kiss. Now.” She shifts on my lap, and cocooning my head in her palms, she pulls me to her. Thank fuck everyone has the good sense to book it out of the room and give us privacy.

Closing my eyes, I take in how soft her lips are. How nicely we fit, her ass nestled on my crotch. How randy my dick gets when she squirms when I deepen the kiss, missing her flavor, her soft sighs of contentment as she holds onto me tight with her arms wrapped around my neck. The desperate way she kisses and holds me reminds me of my own desperation as I bolted after her last night.

To think I almost lost Beautiful Defiance first to Ginger’s jealousy then that damn fire. I break off the kiss.

“Leigh?”

“Hmm?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Always.”

“That night I stayed over, after we got home from the hospital, how’d you end up on the couch on top of me the next morning?”

“You had a nightmare.”

“You heard me?”

“I’m a light sleeper.”

“What’d you hear?”

“That you were sorry you didn’t save me in time. You thought I’d drowned.”

“You kissed me.”

“Yes. With as much as you were hurting, you were deserving of my first kiss.”

“Aw, babe.” I pull her to me and clamp my mouth on hers. God, I’m one lucky bastard. I kiss her breathless. After we end the kiss and catch our breath, I tell her about Meisa. I owe Leigh the reason I didn’t like her defiance.

“I’m so sorry, Seven.”

“If I was a better swimmer, I could’ve saved her.”

“Could’ve. Should’ve. You can’t change the past. You can only move forward. If you want, I can teach you how to swim. I’m thinking Thomas won’t mind if we use his pool.”

“As long as we can swim at night and stargaze, I am in.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” She cradles my face in her small palm. “Thank you for saving my life last night, Seven.”

“And you’ll be owing me, ’cause we both know you’re not in the business of owing someone you want leverage over or care for. Am I spot on, Leigh?”

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