Except Alistair found out about the affair, hauled his wife and daughter to the police station, and in confronting my uncle, got himself and his wife killed in front of Leigh. My uncle died three years later in the line of duty, answering a domestic violence call.
“You knew all along I wasn’t your daughter.”
“Yes, Leigh.”
Thomas runs his palm over his face, looking like he’s aged a decade in the span of a minute.
“I would’ve told you the truth from the get-go, but I knew what you went through in those foster homes. I read the files. You needed to trust me first. To learn to open yourself to new people and experiences. To learn to let down your guard and let good people in while telling the bad ones to shove off. Had you come to me soon after your parents died, I would have given you the truth. But the girl you were at thirteen was different from the woman you are now.”
Dismay. Disloyal. Destruction. Disillusioned. The backward Ds tatted at the base of her neck. She’d been and seen all of that and more.
“The dress, I bought it with the monthly allowance you put in my account. I’ll pay you back. Can pack up my bags and leave as soon as I get—” She smooths the hand I’m not holding over her hospital gown. “I’ll leave as soon as I get to your guesthouse.”
Thomas, thank fuck, corrects and reassures her. “The place is yours, Leigh. And no need to leave. Stay. You’re family.”
She shakes her head. “The money—”
“Repay me if it makes you feel better. I hear the shop will need someone on a permanent basis. Mason stopped by the hospital. You were still out of it. He says the gal isn’t coming back from maternity leave.”
She smiles. “That was nice of him to come by.”
“He cares, Leigh. We all do. We’re your family now. Will you stay?”
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?”
“You’re onto me, big guy. Will you let me even the score?” she murmurs on my mouth, her lips soft and warm.
“You already have.”
Her brows furrow. “I haven’t stolen anything other than your truck.”
“You stole more than my truck, beautiful. Every time I’m with you, you steal pieces of my heart.”
“Would you like the pieces back?” Wistful smile on her face, and I am falling harder for Beautiful Defiance.
“No, baby. My heart is yours for as long as you want me.”
“A long time, Seven. I love you.”
“I love you too, Leigh.”
Epilogue
Seven and I walk hand in hand up the road. The music from the house at the end of the road is loud. As it should be at a “happening” party.
Our friends are at Brody’s party, waiting for us to show our faces. Seven and I would have been here sooner, but we had “business” to take care of. My oh my, what that boy can do with his mouth and the package in his pants.
I’m not bad myself. Seven came twice. Once in my mouth and once inside me. We cannot get enough of one another.
In non-Seven news, it’s been a week since the fire. Sorrow has moved into the guesthouse on Trace’s parents’ property. Seven asked Trace how that’s working out. I asked Sorrow the same. When Seven and I compared notes, the findings weren’t good. Trace and Sorrow are not getting along.
No surprise there. Sorrow is quiet and reserved. Trace is quiet, but his quiet isn’t reserved but in your face. He has this presence about him that’s hard to ignore. Strong. Obstinate. A beautiful creature on the outside but something darker on the inside.
I’m crossing my fingers those two come to a compromise. Seven and I are not in the business of breaking up fights between our friends.
Speaking of fighting and friends, Rue got a job working for Malice’s family. He’s not on track to graduating and is causing a lot of trouble now that football season is over. Malice’s family hired Rue to “babysit” Malice. The kicker? She’ll be living with him in his house on his parents’ property. Wow.
That’s another fight Seven and I won’t be breaking up. Those two have issues, and I have a feeling their hatred for one another has been coming to a head for quite some time now.
At one of our shopping trips, minus Red, I asked Rue why she hates Malice, but mum is the word from that girl.
“Hey, fucker, what’s up?”
Shay marches over and smacks Seven on the shoulder. Bypassing Seven’s glare, he pulls me in for a hug.
“Glad you’re alive, short stuff.”
“Me too. How was your date for homecoming?
” I slip my hand in Seven’s and lean into him. I love this guy so much, and I want the rest of the world to know he is mine and I am his.
“A total fail. She ditched my ass. But it’s my fault.” He cups the back of his neck. “I came on too strong. Scared her with my loud mouth.”
“Don’t look now, but she’s checking you out,” I say, smiling.
“What? She is?” He pivots and looks in Blair’s direction. Blair’s face turns a shade of pink. “Fuck, what should I do?”
“Talk to her. Show her a magic trick.”
“Yeah, a magic trick. Cool. See you later, Leigh.” He leaves, then backtracks, facing us again. “I forgot to tell you this, fucker, but Leigh sitting on Delridge’s side is my doing. In exchange for not pressing charges against your short-fused ass for knocking me on my ass, she agreed to cheer for me at the homecoming game and go to the dance with me. Except your girl got me to man up and ask out the girl of my dreams. Leigh is good people. I hope you didn’t give her a hard time. She has your back.”
“Thanks for telling me. I wouldn’t have known.” He plants a kiss on the top of my head. “Sorry, babe, for giving you a hard time. Next time, kick me in the balls, yeah? And sorry, bro, for punching you in the face multiple times. Won’t happen again.”
“We’re good?”
“All good.” They fist bump and do this explosion thing with their fingers. I shake my head. Boys will be boys.
“Will you do that, Leigh?” He pulls me against him, and we walk hip to hip to the party house.
“Kick you in the balls? Nope. I happen to like your impressive package, balls included.”
“Thank fuck, because I change my mind.”
Suddenly, I’m staring at the ground and we are headed back down the road.
“Seven?”
“I love you, Beautiful Defiance. Let me show you all the ways I love you.”
“Can I defy?”
“Hell yeah. Your defiance turns me the fuck on.”
“And your love makes me happy. You make me so happy, Seven. I love you.”
My father taught me to defy. Always for the right reason. Love is as good enough of a reason.
Acknowledgments
I want to take the time to thank my beta readers, Anna and Aleena. The feedback you provide is invaluable and much appreciated! I’ve incorporated your feedback into the story :). Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
x.o.
A.M.
Thank you so much for reading Leigh and Seven’s story. Ready for more books in the Cambridge and Dumas world?
Preorder Malice and Rue’s story in Hate Game.
Preorder Trace and Sorrow’s story in Sweet Sorrow.
Maddox Stassi’s story, Mad Love, will release in late September.
Read Xander Brody’s story in Before You.
Read Zeke Harrington’s story in Kissing Game.
Read Galley Rutherford’s story in Nora Ever After.
The girls of the Sass Squad will have their own series, starting with Syn Winters in Give You Up. Dare plays a big role in the book. He’s Syn’s best guy friend :).
For a sneak peek of the first three chapters (unedited) of Give You Up, Click here. Bonus? If you sign up for my newsletter (optional), you’ll get my book, Scars to Your Beautiful, FREE, sent straight to your reading device. Happy reading!
Also by ASHLYN MATHEWS
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For more on my contemporary romance series, Click here.
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Beautiful Defiance: Cambridge High Mayhem (Kiss Starter: Cambridge High Book 1) Page 21