Page 34 of Beautiful Defiance

15

LEIGH

Aknocking on my bedroom window startles me. I stop reading the text from Grandma Chu’s granddaughter. Who or what is outside my window? It’s midnight.

I listen again. Every nerve in my body stands on alert. Silence. I exhale the breath I didn’t realize I was holding and go back to reading the text from Rose. I text her, “Sending money now,” and keep my word, using Venmo. I hit the side button, ready to turn over for the night. But I hear it again.

Tap, tap, tap.What the hell? I hold the cellphone to my chest and slide farther under the covers. Hannah is at a party. Eleanor and Thomas won’t be back from their trip for another week. The only member of the family not accounted for is Henry. Did he return to scare the hell out of me?

I hold still, close my eyes, and listen. Tap, tap, tap. Crap! I should call 911. Except I’ve had mixed experiences with cops and will have to be on my deathbed or someone needs serious help before I’ll call them.

My heart beating fast, I get out of bed, and crouched on the floor with my phone in my hand, I crawl on my hands and knees to the window, hold up my phone, and snap a picture.

The flash is bright. The cursing is loud. The person’s voice is familiar. I pop my head up and yank open the curtains. Seven is outside with his pretty face pressed up against my window.

Under the moonlight, his hair is damp, and he is wearing a dark hoodie. He looks at me with this intensity in his pool of ink eyes, and goodness, Seven Shanahan is gorgeous. Angular face. Full lips. My heart beating faster, I push the window up an inch.

“Why are you here, Seven? Shouldn’t you be out partying?”

I didn’t ask if Mayhem won over Delridge’s football team, the Daredevils.

“I’m here to keep an eye on you. Want to make sure you don’t steal more of my stuff. Let me in, Leigh.” He taps on the glass.

“Use the front door.”

“Did you?”

“Did I what?”

“Come inside my house through the damn front door?”

“Of course not. I climbed up the tree by your window.”

“Point made. Let me in.”

In our crouched positions, we are eye to eye.

“Say the magic word.” My mouth suddenly dry, I lick my lips. He follows the movement. Seven takes his time responding.

“Please,” he finally says, tearing his gaze away from my mouth, looking me in the eyes again.

I take off the screen and open the window as far as it’ll go. After he climbs inside, I close the window and leave the screen leaning against the wall. I have a feeling he’ll leave the same way he came in. Crazy boy.

He takes off his sneakers and sets them next to the window screen. Then he strips.

“What are you doing?” I rush forward and stop him with my hands on his wrists.

“You said to put a sock on the snoring. I only snore when I’m uncomfortable as fuck. Three things do that. One, I’m sleeping on someone’s lumpy couch. Two, I doze off wearing clothes to bed. And three, I’m exhausted.”

He was all that on the night he stayed over.

“So, you’ll put a sock on it by—”

“Sleeping in my boxers only and sharing your bed, but I am not exhausted. I’m wired, and you’re the reason.”

“How is it my fault you’re inside my bedroom at the ungodly hour of midnight?”

I let go of his wrists and slip under the covers. Seven strips. I stare at the ceiling. The covers are pulled down. The side of the bed next to me dips. Seven is naked except for his boxers. And he just crawled into my bed. Great.

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