Page 34 of Pretty Poisoned

"I don't have any friends," I whisper. Why am I whispering?

The three of them laugh.

"How are those two things related?" River asks.

"That's usually when people try drugs, right? They do it with their friends? I don't have any friends."

"You havenofriends?" River asks. "I don't believe you."

"My sister is my friend," I tell them, then I start to laugh. "But she doesn't like me."

"I like you," Luca says.

"Don't talk to her," Hazel says. "Get her off the floor, Riv."

"Oh, shit," River says, jumping up from the sofa. "You're right—sorry. Come here, Teagan."

She grabs me under my armpits and pulls me to my feet, and then we both fall back onto the couch. I turn so that I'm facing Hazel and Luca with River at my back and pull my legs under my body.

"Luca, you're wearing a shirt," I say.

He smiles. "So are you."

"Yep," I reply with a laugh. "I didn't recognize you. You almost look like a normal human instead of…whatever you are."

"I missed you," he says. He stretches his arm across the back of the sofa and wipes my lower lip with his thumb. "Why are you bleeding?"

"Someone knocked me over."

He brings that thumb to his mouth and sucks it clean. "Black licorice. I knew it."

"Luca…" Hazel cautions.

"Shelikeshim, though," River says.

"Riv, don't," she cautions.

"Well, don't you feel kind of bad for them?"

Hazel looks back and forth between Luca and me. "I mean…kind of. But it doesn't have anything to do with Teagan. Declan said—"

She stops when River gets up and heads for the doors.

"Yeah, Hazel. Feel bad for me and walk away like River," Luca says.

But River doesn't walk away. She pulls the double doors closed in front of her, then turns back and smiles. "He said they can't talk or touch each other, right?"

She settles back into her spot behind me, then brushes my hair away from my neck. "He didn't say anything about watching."

I feel her warm mouth just beneath my ear, kissing me slowly and softly at first as if testing the waters. She wraps her arms around the front of my body, running her hands over my chest while she licks and sucks on my neck—my fucking weakness. I suck in a breath and lean back against her.

"Have you ever been with a girl before, Teagan?" Hazel asks, running her fingers up and down on the inside of my calf as she leans against Luca.

"Yes," I manage.

"Have you ever been with two girls before?"

"No," I tell her.

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