Adriane Leigh - Light in Mourning

“Fuck, get off me. Are you crazy?” Kyle screamed as blood splattered.

“You touched her. Don’t do it again. Ever. Don’t fucking touch her. Don’t fucking call her. And don’t think you’ll ever fucking see her again.” I landed one more blow and his eye started swelling immediately.

“Get some shit, Georgia. I’ll hire someone to come back and get anything else.” I pulled her out of the room by the arm. She yanked out of my grip, ran to Kyle, and landed one swift kick in his gut.

“Fuck!” He hunched over painfully.

“Asshole,” she sneered. That was my girl. So fucking hot when she was pissed. She grabbed a bag and threw personal items into it. She sprinted into the living room and pulled picture frames off the mantel, leaving the ones of her and Kyle.

“I’m done; let’s go.” She finally looked at me.

“Just remember.” Kyle leaned against the doorframe, hand still cupping his nose, blood dripping down his shirt. “I had her first and I’ll have her last. Don’t forget that.” His eyes cut from me to her, a sickening sneer on his face. His words felt like a threat as much as a statement.

“Fuck off,” Georgia shot at him before she grabbed my hand and we walked out the door, leaving it swinging on the hinges.

“Jesus, are you okay?” Georgia wet a napkin with water and swiped blood off my face while Diva meowed obnoxiously from the backseat. We were stopped at a Starbucks parking lot a few blocks from her old apartment.

“I’m great.” I grinned and caught her wrist in my hand and pulled her lips to mine. “So fucking hot,” I whispered.

“What?” She pulled away, her eyebrows knit together in confusion.

“You know how hot it makes me when you’re angry, babe. You kicked his ass. You threw the first punch. I’m hard as a fucking rock right now.”

“Tristan.” She giggled before I pulled her to me again. I pressed her lips to mine, pulling her into my lap, desperate to take her right here, regardless of who could see.

“Move in with me,” I breathed between kisses.

“What?” Her chest heaved with pants. I’d stolen her breath from kissing her. I wanted to steal her heart too. I hadn’t thought about asking her to move in with me before the words came out of my mouth. But there they were and I didn’t regret them.

“Move in with me.” I nipped at her lips again as my hands went up her shirt to knead her breasts.

“You’re crazy.” She pushed my hands out of her shirt.

“Crazy for you,” I flirted.

“And corny.” She rolled her eyes.

“Move in with me. My place is smaller, easier to maintain, plus you’re renting the beach house out in the spring, right? Let’s get you moved in now, then you can list the house.” This idea was sounding better and fucking better the more I attempted to convince her.

Her eyes searched my face, I was assuming to look for any ounce of hesitation on my part. She wouldn't find it.

“You wanna live with me?” she murmured, her eyes all hooded and sexy again.

I held her tightly to me, caressing her back with an open palm. “Absolutely.”

“But I snore.”

“Not any louder than I do.”

“And I steal the covers,” she whispered.

“Don’t need any. Having your hot body wrapped around mine is heat enough.”

“So fucking corny.” She rolled her eyes again and I tilted my head and took her lips with mine.

I kissed her and ran my hands up her back, grinding my hips into hers as she fisted her hands in my hair and arched her body against mine. “Say yes,” I murmured.

“Yes,” she breathed and I took her lips again because she was one step closer to being mine forever.

“So then she hauls back and lands a kick right to his gut,” I gushed as Gavin and I sat in the living room, drinking beer. The Disney Christmas Day Parade played on the TV screen in front of us—something Georgia insisted on watching. While I teased her about it relentlessly, secretly I thought it was utterly adorable.

“Fuck, that’s hot.”

“Really fucking hot.” I agreed with him. He knew all about the power of anger when it came to sex. All that passion and rage bottled up? Really fucking hot.

“You kicked him, Georgia?” Drew squealed from the kitchen. Georgia only shrugged, but the grin spread wide across her face told me she was proud of herself.

“I always knew you were a superwoman,” Silas, Georgia's gay best friend, chimed in from the dining room. He and his boyfriend Justin were setting the table for Christmas dinner. The house smelled delicious, like ham and mashed potatoes and pies. Heaven. Especially because Georgia was there, my girl, cooking us a feast. I’d helped however I could: opening the wine, making the mashed potatoes, goosing her when she'd bent to take the ham out of the oven.

“Charlie, out of the kitchen.” I pointed and the old dog gave me a sidelong glance, trotting back to the living room. Diva curled around Georgia's feet, a loud meow releasing from her throat. She was begging for scraps just as much as Charlie'd been, but her name was Diva for a reason; that cat got away with everything. When we'd brought her home last week Charlie had stuck his big nose in her face, she'd given him one fierce swat, and their relationship had been established—Diva ruled the roost.

“Time to eat,” Georgia sang from the kitchen as she carried the ham to the table. “Come slice, babe.” She looked at me and I was drawn to her like a moth to a flame. I set my beer on the counter and went to her without another thought. I wrapped an arm around her waist, so fucking thankful to share Christmas together—with her and our friends. I landed a kiss on the top of her head and she returned the sentiment with a peck on my lips.

“You look beautiful,” I muttered into her hair.

“Thanks.” She tucked her head under my chin with a smile.

“Cut the sloppy shit; I’m starving.” Gavin plopped on a chair. I chuckled and then took the electric knife in hand and prepared to slice the ham.

“We’ve got an announcement.” Drew leaned into Gavin’s chest, her hand splayed across his leg after we'd finished eating, our bellies stretched to the max, with half empty wine glasses in front of us.

“So do we.” Georgia chanced a glance at me and I gave her neck a soft squeeze.

“Us first.”

“Okay.” Georgia laughed.

“We’re pregnant.”

“What?” Georgia choked on her wine.

“Seriously?” I shot a glance to Gavin. The wide grin on his face confirmed what Drew had said. Also that he was happy about it. Really fucking happy. “Congrats, man.” I grinned.

“Drew, aren’t you on birth control?” This clearly hadn’t yet sunk in for Georgia.

“I was. I was so busy catching up on work after summer, I forgot to refill my prescription.” Drew shrugged.

“Wait, after summer? How far along are you?”

“Thirteen weeks. We’re due May 28.” The grin split across her face.

“In spring? Jesus, Drew. How come you didn’t tell me?”

“I didn’t find out until I was almost ten weeks along. I was so caught up in everything, I sorta forgot that I hadn’t had my period.”

“God, TMI,” Silas whined from across the table.

“Wow. Congratulations,” Georgia murmured.

“I can’t believe you’re going to be a parent. What kind of world is this?” Silas teased. “Congrats, Daddy. Hopefully, he or she takes after you.” He winked at Gavin.