Page 5 of Daring the Defender

“By the way, what’s your na–” I start, but she’s up on her knees, body leaning over mine. Her lips aren’t cold like her hands–they’re warm–soft. Moving my hands to her hips, I run them down her sides, pushing that stupid skirt high enough to drag her onto my lap. She falls forward, those cool hands gripping the thin cotton front of my shirt, her hair making a curtain around us, blonde and feather-light. Although she makes the first move, there’s a hint of hesitation. I cup the side of herface with my hand and take control, leaning into the kiss, licking at the seam of her lips for a taste.

Big mistake.

Her mouth is hot, and tastes like the berry flavor of the seltzer, she feels good–reckless. My cock thickens, drills unabashedly into her thigh. Fuck, now I want more.

Her.

I wanther.

“Seriously,” I say between kisses, “I’m Reid. What’s your name?”

She pulls back, eyes cast down. “Shelby.”

I dive back in, a thought niggling at the back of my brain, somewhere deep behind the foggy lust.Shelby.

I jerk back. “Did you say Shelby?”

“Yeah.” She loops her hands around my neck and places warm kisses along my shoulder.

“Shit. Shit.Shit.”Now I know why she looks familiar. “He’s going to kill me.”

Because it wasn’t Cupid that sent this girl to my doorstep but some twisted god of chaos, the front door swings open. In a panic, I shove her off, jumping to my feet.

“What the–!”

“I swear I didn’t know.” I hold my hands out, but he’s already coming at me, a ball of rage and fury that no one, not even Reese expects. I brace myself for the impact of Axel’s fist slamming into my jaw. All I can think as he makes contact is that I have it coming.

“Axel! Stop!” Shelby screeches, and there are other voices, Nadia and Twyler. My friend comes at me a second time, but I slam my hand out, blocking his fury until Reese grabs him with both hands and drags him off.

“What are you doing?” Nadia asks her boyfriend. Twyler shrugs. Everyone is confused.

He struggles against Reese’s grip, eyes filled with betrayal, and he spits out, “What the fuck are you doing with my sister?”

3

Shelby

“I swear to God,”Reid says, touching the spot on his lip where it’s already started to swell from Axel’s punch. Mine tingle too, feeling equally swollen and abused. “I didn’t know who she was until–”

“He didn’t,” I cut in. Axel hadn’t actually seen me kissing his friend. Just that I was on his lap, which, by the way, I’m aware isn’t much better. “I didn’t tell him who I was.”

“You didn’t tell him.” My brother’s attention shifts to me and there’s no missing the sarcasm. Oh boy. I’m not afraid of my brother, but I can’t have him mad at me. Not when I need him like I do at the moment. “You think that makes it better? You’re just sitting on top of guys you don’t know all of a sudden?” His expression shifts as if he’s finally processed I’m here, in his living room, and not in Texas like I should be. “Shel, do Mom and Dad even know you’re here?”

I open my mouth to answer but feel the heat of every eye in the room on me. Reid and Reese, teammates of my brother’s that I know of, but have never met. Reese walks back from the freezerand tosses an ice pack to Reid. A wave of guilt hits, knowing that was my fault.

After handing off the ice, Reese stops next to the smaller girl, sliding his arm around her back. She and Nadia haven’t stopped staring at me since they walked in. I don’t know much about Nadia, but I do know she’s Axel’s new girlfriend and is the main reason he and my father had a falling out. The reason Axel isn’t coming back home after he graduates.

It occurs to me, making the moment even more awkward, that they’re all dressed nice–too nice for a weeknight–including my brother.

My eyes slide to the mostly eaten heart-shaped pizza. They were on a Valentine’s Date and I blew it all up.

“I can explain,” I say, second-guessing coming here and interfering with my brother’s life. “But in private. Please?”

Axel runs a hand through his hair, and sighs, before turning to his friends. “Can you give us a second to sort this out?”

“Of course,” Nadia agrees but pushes past him. “I’m Nadia, by the way, your brother’s girlfriend. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Shelby,” I say, taking in the dark-haired girl. “And same.”

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