Page 69 of Beyond the Hate

I immediately open my mouth to take the word back, but Eli places a finger over my lips. “You won’t regret it.” He unties my robe and shoves the material off of my shoulders until I’m bared to him. “Let me show you why.”

He dips his head to lick my breast and I force my fear into a tiny box in my mind. I’ll deal with it later.

Chapter 21

“It’s possible I’ve been outmaneuvered but I’ll never admit it out loud.” ~ Eli

Eli

“What are we doing here?” Paisley asks as I park atMermaid Mystical Gardens.“I thought we were meeting your family.”

“We are. It’s family day.”

“We’re at an amusement park for children.”

I quirk up an eyebrow. “And you’ve never been here with your friends as an adult?”

“You haven’t lived on Smuggler’s Hideaway for a decade. How do you know everything?”

“The smuggler’s grapevine is very thorough.”

“Whatever,” she mutters before asking, “Why are we here on family day when your youngest brother is old enough to drink?”

“When one of us has a birthday, the person having his birthday gets to choose where to spend the day.”

“Whose birthday is it? Why didn’t you tell me? I don’thave a present.”

Panic lights her eyes and I squeeze her hand. “It’s Miles’ birthday next week. And don’t worry. I put your name on my present.”

“Miles? I’m surprised he doesn’t want to spend the day surfing.”

“Trust me, he does. But Mom put her foot down last year when Rhett smacked Zane with a surfboard and gave him a concussion.”

I gasp. “A concussion?”

“In Rhett’s defense, Zane deserved it. Zane kept teasing him about Dakota.”

“What is the deal with Rhett and Dakota anyway? Are they exes?”

“Nope. They’re an explosion ready to happen.”

She grins. “I do love a good explosion.”

“My chemistry nerd.”

She scowls at me. “Chemistry is essential to human life. Without chemistry, medicines wouldn’t be possible and—”

Instead of explaining how I was teasing her, I stop her rant in another way. I lean across the console and mold my lips to hers. She sighs and I plunge my tongue inside her mouth. Her taste hits me and I growl as I palm her neck to bring her closer.

There’s a knock on my window. “Are you joining us or are you going to make out in your car all day?”

I wrest my mouth from Paisley’s to glare at Kai.

The door behind me opens and Zane settles in the back seat.

“What are you doing?”

He shrugs. “I thought we were meeting in here since you two won’t come out.”

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