Page 26 of Pretty Little Lies

“That’s better,” Levi claims haughtily as he pins both palms on each side of my ribs. “Now…what the fuck did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything,” I’m quick to retort. “He texted me?—”

“Hewhat?”

Geezus Christ.

“Levi, please listen,” I plead through clenched teeth. “I’m not?—”

“Did youseehim?”

“No.”

“Did you message him back?”

“Yes, but—” Levi slams his hand into the hard ground next to my head, making me jolt before he leans forward, squashing me with his big-ass frame and too many breakfast burritos this morning.

“What did you say, Astor?” he challenges, moving his head slightly to my left and dropping it down between the crook of my neck. “And it better be good.”

“I asked…” His warm breath flirts with my skin and I involuntarily shiver at being pinned down. At how my body buzzes with excitement after that kiss and how he followed my lead within a second. “Who it was.”

“And he confirmed it?” I hesitate before nodding, not sure if I can speak without it coming out as a needy whimper. “How?”

Fuck me.

“He called me McQueen. It’s this…stupid nickname he calls me.”

“It is stupid. But you like it,” Levi lightly accuses, slowly running the tip of his nose along the column of my neck, and I still because I don’t know what he’s doing. But it feels like he’s about to sink his teeth into my flesh and suck the life out of me. “Which means I didn’t deter him enough. My bad.”

“Well, don’t?—”

“You’ll have plenty of him when the time comes.” My stomach drops because it sounds as though he’s disappointed about that fact. That we won’t have a lot of time with this bogus relationship we have. “But, until then, you don’t leave my sight. You fuckin’ swoon every time you see me. I want the look of sex in your eyes every time I look at you when we’re out in public.”

I force my legs to remain grounded to the soft blanket beneath us and I dare not breathe.

I can’t anyway.

This stupid pretense of a relationship needs to end before my girl dick starts thinking for me.

“I got you,” I reply to keep any awkward silence between us.

“I hope so,” he manages immediately. “I need to look like a male claiming his mate and shit so don’t fuck it up for me by making me chase after something that doesn’t want to bekept.”

I press my lips together because that sounds as flattering as him telling me that the thought of kissing me reminds me of kissing his sister.

He hasn’t, but I feel like it’s coming. And it needs to so I don’t get any crazy ideas or Levi thinking I’m going to fall in love with him or some shit.

“Let me guess,” I grind out. “You’ll be the one breaking up with me and not the other way around.”

Levi chuckles like the asshole he is, and I throw a punch into the side of his gut, earning a little grunt, but it doesn’t stop his joyous laughter. “The King of South Shore isn’t going to play well with other potential clowns. And, if we were dating, I’d put them all in the ground for being so close.”

“I’m waiting for the punch line.”

“Which one?”

I want to clobber him again, but refrain and clutch the blanket underneath us instead. “Can you get off me?”

“No,” he immediately recants. “We’re fake making out and shit. What would be the punch line?”

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