Page 120 of Defiant Beta

“You think he used you.”

I blink up at him. “What?”

“There’s only one reason I can think of for a woman to freeze a guy out the way you just did.”

“Really?” I pretend ignorance.

“Really.” He waits until I’ve snipped a little more, then turns to look at the mirror behind me. “That should be good enough. Thanks.”

I brush the hair off my legs, but as I prepare to make my escape, he speaks.

“Levi doesn’t sleep around.” He pulls an electric razor and a can of shaving cream from the top drawer of the counter I was sitting on, setting both down next to the sink along with a small white towel.

I’m not only curious about this conversation; I’m also curious about what he looks like underneath all that hair. His strong jaw is more visible, giving him a rugged charm, but his short, dark beard obscures the lower half of his face. I thought he was striking, even with a thick beard I don’t like. I’m almost scared to see him without a beard.

He meets my gaze in the mirror and smiles as he rubs a hand over his cheek. “Be honest. Was this monstrosity the reason the offer to take you to Paris didn’t work? Levi says I look like a bear leaving a cave after hibernation.”

I snort. “More like a lost hiker who stumbled onto the road after wandering the forest for six months.”

“Six? Ouch. You cruel, cruel woman.” I can’t have offended him too badly from the wide grin he flashes me.

I sniff. “A big, strong alpha like you can take it.”

He applies shaving cream to his beard while I watch, resting my hip against the bathroom counter. I’ve never seen a man shave outside of those ridiculous commercials where the guy starts off smooth-shaven to begin with, so this is an interesting experience.

I watch him work in smooth, careful strokes as the buzz of the electric razor reduces his beard to scraggly, short bits of hair in the sink. It’s strangely hypnotic.

He rinses out the shaver with his face half-smooth. “Levi thinks he took advantage of you.”

I blink at him. “He thinkswhat?”

Warm gray eyes flick up to me, briefly holding my gaze. “That’s what he didn’t want me to tell you downstairs. He was scared you’d agree.”

“What?”

All traces of amusement vanish from his expression. “He doesn’t let many people close. I don’t know if he told you why…”

“His uncle. He said…” I start getting angry enough I want to kick something. Not just anything. Levi’s uncle for being such an evil prick. “He said some really fucked up things.”

The corners of his eyes pull in a half-smile. “He’s let you in and he’s afraid you’re going to do some damage on the way out.”

I stare at him, struggling to believe what I’m hearing.

Xavier shaves a little more of his beard and continues, “So he’s bracing himself for it. And I think maybe you’re doing the same thing.”

“He told you that?”

“He didn’t need to tell me. I know Levi. And I saw the way you were downstairs. Self-preservation was kicking in. I’m guessing you overheard something?”

When I don’t respond, he nods. “Whatever you heard was only a brief part of a much longer conversation. Hence the whiskey for breakfast and the loud TV.”

He dries the razor with a towel. “Levi doesn’t open up about his past to anyone but us. And us, he trusts.”

I twist my lips into a smile. “He doesn’t trust me.”

“He does or he wouldn’t have told you about something that gutted him.” He swipes a towel over his jaw and tosses it aside, turning to face me dramatically. “How’d I look?”

Fucking hot is how you look. Like temptation personified.

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