Page 9 of Loathe Thy Neighbor

“You ass!”

“No.” I push my finger against the table. “Nope. There are a few rules in life I abide by. If someone buys you pie, you absolutely cannotcall them an ass. Them’s the rules, River.”

She turns her nose up. “I don’t care if you buy me pie. I still hate you.”

“But a little bit less, right?”

She doesn’t say anything, but I can see it in her eyes.

They shift down to Leo, then roll right back in her head.

“Hey, be nice to Leo. He doesn’t deserve your wrath.”

“Seriously? You brought your turtle—I’m sorry,emotional support turtle—to breakfast. Again. What the hell?”

She can be mean to me all she wants, but Leo? No way. The little fella has been through the wringer.

“Listen, Ms. Sasshole. Leo isn’tmyemotional support turtle.I’mhis emotional support handler. He was injured when he lived with his last owner. I’m helping nurse him back to health.”

Her eyes widen with surprise.

Yeah, River, I’m not a total asshole. Sure, I might blare my music and steal your pie, but I do have a heart.

She shakes her head. “You’re making that up.”

I lean into the table. “Am not.”

“Are too,” she argues, matching my movements.

I shift another inch.

So does she.

Hazel.

Her eyes are hazel.

I don’t know why I’m only now noticing—probably because this is the closest I’ve ever been to her—but her eyes are the most beautiful combination of gold and green I’ve ever seen.

Her tongue peeks out and slides across her lips, and I track the movement.

I can’t look away becausefuck meher mouth is so damn kissable, and it’s been entirely too long since I’ve kissed somebody.

It lasts so long that I’m sitting here contemplating closing the distance between us like this isn’t River fucking White across from me. Like she doesn’t hate me. Like I don’t hate her.

“Am not,” I force myself to say instead.

“Are—”

“You know, dears, if you wanted your own private space, we could all leave,” Lucy interrupts.

We jump apart like we’ve been caught doing something we shouldn’t, and Leo darts back into his shell, startled by the sudden movement.

“Sorry, buddy.” I run my finger down the plastic hut, trying to soothe him.

And myself a bit.

River’s hot and gets my dick going, but kissing her? Hell would have to freeze over first.

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