Page 64 of Pretty Little Lies

I sigh. God, he’s exasperating, careless, fucking hot, and stupid, has a solid answer for everything. “I don’t want you hurt.”

“And I believe you.”

“Which means Ineedyou to chill on the immoral bullshit.”

His lips only heave a tad, showing me he’s half soaking that in. “Okay, baby. Anything else?”

“No…for now.”

Reeve unleashes his half-cocked smirk into a full one, visibly illustrating how he enjoys my worrying. “If you think of more, just let me know, but tonight…we’re just going to relax until Igotta take you home. I’ll go grab you a drink. What would you like?”

“Surprise me.”

His hazels drop down to my lips, suggesting what he’d enjoy even better. “I plan to, McQueen.”

“I’ll go hang out by that railing.” I point a few feet away toward the silent back of the boat before Reeve bumps my chest with his, his mouth hovering dangerously over mine.

“You know I like it when you’re a good girl.” His bottom lip dips and brushes against mine. “But I don’t want to fix the bad that runs through those South Shore veins.” He slides something long and hard through my palm and, for the very briefest of moments, my brain thinks it’s his cock. Or that’s what it decided it needed anyway. “To make you feel safer.”

Winking at me, he strides in the opposite direction as I glance down to find what he gave me instead—a black switchblade.

Feel safer.

Squeezing it in my hand, he just proves time and time again that my safety is a priority of his, too. What man would go to these limits when they don’t give a fuck? It’s something we share and also something we don’t.

We’re not born opponents. It’s where the line begins to get fuzzy, and the magnetism makes sense, because there’s no other way to bat it off. The only thing is that he’s associated with Torin, but he jostles with him too. Two peasnotin the same pod, but they can slide their differences aside.

Pocketing the weapon, I go and claim the spot I said I’d be standing. I’m on the bottom level, away from most of the guests who are partying by the pool and hot tub, but it doesn’t stop Vivian’s arrival apparently from stalking me through the space.

“I’m surprised the yacht hasn’t been infested with fleas yet,” she sasses at my back, and I’m impressed that she has the ballsto even approach me when there’s no one around. I’d smack her cocky bitch ass attitude right out of her body like an exorcist.

However, this isn’t my turf, and I’m fully aware of that.

“I took a shower with the hose before I left,” I reply, looking over the ocean and not bothering to spare her a second of my time.

A strong floral scent fills my nostrils, hinting that she’s closer before her weight falls to the short silver railing. “I don’t think I need to say that you need to stay away from Cairo.”

“Absolutely not. He’s all yours, sis.”

“That includes you keeping your dirty snatch away too.”

“It’s attached to me, so that’s a given.” Pain registers before her long nails do, digging into my forearm. The only warning she knows how to give me, because I’m highly assuming she doesn’t fight with her fists.

Geezus, didn’t I just say I got it?

“You know your species is going to be non-existent soon, right? South Shore will be no more.”

I’m not sure where she heard that, or what Cairo tells her, but I don’t feed into her taunting. Instead, I warn offer her a warning myself. “Get your hand off me.”

“Cairo is going to win one of the Titan’s seats. That means more power. That means muscle. That means you and yourpeopleare done.”

“Sounding a little discriminatory here, Viv. Calm it down, girl.”

“Do youthinkthis is a joke?” she sneers through perfectly white teeth, thrusting her nails deeper into my flesh and she’s about to break the skin, to where I’m going to crack her in that already haughty nose of hers.

“The more you talk, yeah. A confident person only says it once.” Which she clearly isn’t. I’m not sure where Cairo pickedthis girl up, but I didn’t think the pushy, needy bitch was his ammo.

Not that someone like me would be.

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