Page 20 of Defiant Beta

What happened to the asshat from before? Why do I like him now when I was getting ready to run him through with my foil an hour ago?

“You don’t look like a Mr. Tomaz,” I say, curious about his first name.

“And you don’t look like a Miss Farrow,” is his bland response.

Shit. That is a dangerous conversation to veer into. I change the subject immediately. “Can you show me that lunge again?”

Lips flattening as if to mute a smile, he shows me the lunge.

In the distance, a bell rings.

“Shouldn’t you be in class?” he asks.

“Yeah. And?” I wait for him to kick me out.

“You’re favoring your right again.”

I blink. “What?”

“You keep falling out of position. You have to be hyper-conscious of your stance until muscle memory means you correct yourself.”

I reassess my posture and return to the one he showed me before.

“Good.” He taps his foil with mine.

I guess he doesn’t give a flying fuck about me missing my next class.

We get into a rhythm, and it feels good. Sweat coats my forehead, and my breathing picks up.

We trade another series of blows, and I lunge. He sidesteps. I lose my balance, wobbling. He wraps his arm around me, catching me.

And suddenly, I’m in his arms, way too close for comfort.

“Levi,” he says, eyes flicking to my mouth.

I blink up at him like a brainless twit. “What?”

“My name.”

“Oh.” Obviously, I can’t tell him my real name, so I continue to stare up at him as his hands burn through my thin spandex leggings.

A door swings open, and his arm falls away as I straighten and twist to see who it is.

Una, a brown-haired omega who smells like coconut macaroons.

Her eyes dart from me to Levi and back again. “You’re late for ballroom dancing.”

“Is it too late to ask you to stab me in the face?” I mutter as I hand him my foil, and I can’t help but notice his lips flattening.

I nod at him, silently thanking him for the lesson. Then I follow Una out, asking her to wait for me while I change.

With every step, I sense him watching me, and I feel the lingering echo of his touch on my hips.

Why was he such a jackass earlier? And more importantly, why did he become a different person when we were alone?

Chapter 7

Xavier

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