I KISS THE corner of her mouth, her warm breath soft and calm as she sleeps. I’ve barely slept. But it’s okay. I’m so happy, I don’t want to miss a moment.
I kiss the bruise on her cheek, reaching around and cupping her face to hold her close. I can’t believe what almost happened to her. Callum deserves to be in jail. They all do, but I know hurting them would bring attention on the Jaegers, so maybe I’ll just have to find another way to punish him.
In addition to what Dallas probably did to him after we left last night, that is. We saw the rest of her brothers—including Dallas—pull into the driveway a few hours after we got back, so thankfully, no one was arrested.
Callum is keeping his mouth shut.
But that doesn’t mean he’s even nearly paid for what he did. Liv likes to give the impression she’s a fighter, and she is, but she’s not steel, and thanks to a lot of people, including me, she’s been abused long enough. I’m her armor now.
I kiss her temple and her jaw, skimming my mouth over to hers and take it oh so gently so she feels the love. Her breathing hitches, her body stirring, and I slide my hand down her body, under the sheet, to between her legs.
I shiver at just the feel of her, and I hear her start to pant a little, her eyes still closed.
I watch her, working my fingers inside her, but I can’t take it. I want to kiss her down there. Her thighs fall open, and I pull the sheet off, sliding myself down her body.
But then my phone rings, and I stop.
Dammit. I grab it off the floor, knowing Liv’s awake already, but I don’t want her disturbed.
She gives a little groan in protest, grabbing me back, but I just laugh. “Shhh…” I tell her.
I see my mom’s name on the screen, and I answer. “Morning.”
“Where are you?” she bursts out.
Liv pulls me into her arms, and I kiss her. “Still at Liv’s,” I say.
Liv takes my other hand, putting it back where it was between her thighs.
I keep my laughter quiet.
“Okay, since I know you two are dating now, this changes things,” my mom tells me. “Are you sleeping in separate beds?”
Liv rears back, having heard that, and looks at me like she’s wondering if I’m aware how dumb my mom is.
“Of course not,” I say without shame. “You’re being homophobic.”
“Don’t you use that word with me!” Mom growls. “If she were Callum, there’s no way I’d allow it, either. Sex is big deal, Clay. You can’t just start treating this house like a hotel and practically living with your girlfriend!”
I roll my eyes, tipping my head back as Liv dives into my neck.
“I don’t care if you’re eighteen or not,” Gigi goes on. “I need to meet her. She’s coming to dinner tonight. Do you understand?”
My body is throbbing, Liv so warm under my hand.
“Clay?” Mom yells. “Are you being safe? You are still under my roof, you know.”
The room spins.
“Give me back the phone!” Mom cries. And then I hear my father’s voice. “I’ll handle your mother. Bring Liv to Coco’s at seven, okay?”
I nod, excited because that’s my favorite restaurant. “’Kay. Thanks, Dad.”
“Love you.” And he hangs up, letting me go.
I drop the phone and cover her body with mine, needing this more than food. “Let’s stay in bed all day,” I tell her.
“Just try to leave,” she threatens.
I straddle her, sitting up, and I can’t stop smiling. It’s probably all over social media, so if nothing else, I’m going to enjoy this one day before everyone else does their damnedest to infiltrate my peace of mind.
I stare down at her and pull off my T-shirt—her T-shirt—and grab her leather jacket from the end of the bed. If she’s going to see anyone naked in it, it’s going to be me.
I pull it on, leaving it unzipped, a strip of my bare skin visible down the middle with the hint of the curve of my breasts. I pull my hair out from the back and let her look.
She kneads my hips, shifting underneath me as her heated gaze falls down my body. “You definitely need a leather jacket.”
“We can go shopping later,” I tell her.
Any excuse to go shopping…
But she shakes her head. “No. You’ll wear mine.”
Yes, I will. No more hiding our little trinkets of each other.
My eyes fall on the bruise on her cheek again, and I take her hands, holding them in mine. “You should’ve posted that audio.”
She looks up at me, her smile slowly dissipating as a thoughtful expression crosses her face. “Maybe I will,” she tells me. “Or maybe I want to see what happens next.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean Callum has slept in this house more nights than you. Did you know that?”
I freeze. What?
She inhales and exhales. “He and Dallas…” she almost whispers.
“What?” I exclaim, dumbfounded.
But she nods. “Last summer, for about a month.”
I gape at her. He and Dallas what? Is she serious?
“Dallas broke it off,” she tells me, “and Callum was not happy.”
Oh my God. I think, trying to find any clues I had, but there are none. Nothing that I picked up on, except…
Is that why he targeted Liv? Because she was a Jaeger he had access to at school every day and could hurt?
“I didn’t know Dallas was…”
“He’s bi,” she says. “But don’t bring it up. Dallas doesn’t like anyone in his business.”
I’d gathered as much.
“Callum, I’m pretty sure is not bi,” she tells me, almost as if she’s breaking some bad news. “Or straight.”
“Fuck…” I breathe out, thinking about all his taunting and the other girls at school.
But then a thought occurs to me. Last summer, Callum would’ve been seventeen. Dallas was at least twenty then. Callum could’ve gotten him into a lot of trouble, but of course, he would’ve outed himself in the process.
So, Callum went after Liv instead. It wasn’t random.
“It doesn’t excuse his behavior,” she says, “but the more I look around at the world, Clay, the more I realize that villains are a lot more complicated than we want them to be. Sometimes, they’re just people who are really afraid.”
It definitely doesn’t excuse anything.
“Everyone has a story, Clay.” She glides her hands up and down my thighs. “Callum will sink himself on his own. Or swim. And while we wait to see which, we have the cameras secretly recording every day to make sure he behaves himself. I like having that leverage over him.”
Especially since he can still send Dallas to prison.
“But what about your land?” I ask her. “You could use that video to blackmail his father.”
“Once they know we have footage, they’ll find the cameras and remove them,” she says. “We don’t want to give up that ace yet. I was actually hoping your mom and dad can help with the land.”
Oh?
“Did you know structures over a hundred years old can be petitioned to be protected as historical landmarks?” she taunts. “Your parents sit on the city council, right?”
I smile, leaning down, nose to nose. “Are you just dating me for my power?”
She flips me over and comes down on top of me. “I love having a powerful girlfriend,” she whispers over my lips.
Goosebumps spread at the sound of that word. “I love that I’m your girlfriend.”
She nibbles my ear, and I can’t think about anything else anymore this morning. Just excited for dinner, and tonight, and more nights, and a whole summer of her smiling and hopefully in a bikini.
“I love you,” I say.
“I love you, too.” She bites me gently. “And I want our flag back. Don’t think I’ve forgotten.”
“Well, my parents need to attend a reunion for my father’s old frat next weekend,” I taunt her. “I’ll be home alone. Doors locked. If you can get to me, you can have more than just the flag.”
She laughs against my skin. “Maybe you forgot what my last name is, but I love a challenge. And I promise. You won’t even hear me until I’m standing right behind you.”
Tingles spread up my spine, wanting time to slow down but excited for next weekend to get here. She’ll have to chase me, but I look forward to when she catches me.
Spreading open my jacket, she sucks on my nipple, but then I remember something else and grab my phone.
“Wait.” I stop her, bringing up the screenshot I took from something online. “Can we do this?”
I show her the pic of a splendid new position I want to try, and her eyes go wide. “Jesus, Clay…”
And I laugh as she covers my mouth with hers, groaning like I’m driving her insane.
• • •
The next morning, I stand with Liv in front of the school, under the tree as everyone exits cars and heads for the doors. I know people are looking, but I only stare at her hand in mine.
“You ready?” she asks quietly.
“They all already know.” I caress her fingers. “At least there’s that.”
She pulls me along, both of us making our way down the sidewalk as eyes turn and voices quiet, the stairs to the doors looming above.
“They’ll look,” she assures me, squeezing my hand. “They’ll talk. But every time they do, just remember they’re not feeling this.”
We climb the stairs, and I stop, my heart thumping, but it’s more because I’m excited for people to know I love her than dreading the pushback.
“Don’t worry,” I say, leaning in close and making no effort to hide my arm wrapping around her waist. “I’ll never not want to feel this.”
I’ll never let anyone else cost me what I love most in the world.
And we walk into school together.
