Page 45 of Pretty Little Lies

“How do I get rid of you now?” I beseech honestly, which only earns me one of those cocky Pretty Boy smirks.

“You don’t.”

I avert my focus to the parking lot, hinting that I’m ready to leave and be done with this shitshow today. “I need to go.”

And Levi is going to be here any minute.

“What did he do to you?” Tears—fuckingtears—burn the back of my eyes, but I exhibit ignorance. He takes one step forward and I gain back those tawny eyes that don’t give me any reprieve from avoiding the subject of Matteo and my past. “Tell me.”

“There’s nothing to?—”

“Tellme,” he repeats, his voice more of a growl. “I either get it out of you, or I grab his ass right now and torture it out of him.”

“You say that as if I’m going to stop you.”

His frown softens, and in front of me is the boy who kept coming around and offering me something in return. A life outside of Matteo. A person who would possibly like me for me and not my body.

I had a hardcore crush on Torin, but I was too terrified to leave Matteo.

Now, I wish I had.

Or maybe it was always supposed to be this way.

“I never wanted you to suffer the consequences of what I did,” Torin mutters over me. “I just wanted you.”

My head mindlessly rocks back and forth because I don’t believe him. If he wanted me that much, he could’ve tried to save me. He would’ve fought Matteo for me.

But, we were young as fuck, and I couldn’t expect a knight in shining armor when we were all stupid as hell with too much pride on our shoulders.

“You just wanted tofuckme.” I spit the word out because that’s all it’s ever been. “There was no love there, Torin. Just something that you couldn’t have, which made you wish for it more.”

Control.

Pride.

Male ego.

There’s nothing within Torin Wildes that could ever be described as selfless. He’s a prick. Prince of The Landings with a chip on his shoulder that he may have every right in wearing, but I’m not going to fall victim to him or Matteo ever again.

I hold all the power.

“I did,” he agrees solemnly. “But that changed. He may have wanted you at his side as a sidepiece, but I wanted you, period. I would’ve treated you like a queen and I was your servant. I would’ve done anything and everything you ever wanted.”

“I don’t believe?—”

“I don’t expect you to.” I meet that jagged jaw, calm and relaxed, as he meets my stare. It looks genuine. That he really does give a shit about how I’m feeling, and I don’t know howto digest that. “But, no matter what happens, no one is going to hurt you.”

“Besides you?”

“I’m not going to lay a finger on you unless my lips are on your skin.”

My nostrils flare as I try to rid the hot tears from my eyes.

I want to tell him to fuck off and go, but Levi and my plan of getting closer to him doesn’t offer that.

I don’t trust Torin because he’sme.

One inkling of betrayal and our petty is going to ramp up. Ideas of payback will form and fester to the point where it’s all we can focus on.

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