Page 92 of Vicious Kitten

“You two are a Kitty tease. I’ll be coming to collect as soon as I get back. If you’re asleep, be prepared to wake up with me fucking your face.”

“Fuck. I’m heading back there to fall asleep, like now.” Simon says in all seriousness, and Shaun just laughs, slapping a kiss on Rhys’ cheek before heading down the steps to the sandy bank. Simon follows him, and Marcus takes his place, approaching Rhys.

“We need to talk when you get back, Rhee.”

I should leave them alone, but I need to speak with our girl too, so I stand back and wait my turn.

“Is it one of those ‘we can’t be together if you keep seeing my PE teacher’talks?” Rhys asks, concern clear in her tone.

Marcus peers down at her in the dark, taking a few moments to study her, or at least what he can see in this light.

“No.” He finally responds, and Rhys’ shoulders drop in relief. “I just need to get a few things off my chest.”

Rhys slowly nods, taking a moment to look at her feet before she glances back up. “Right, ok.” Her voice is so small. So not like our girl. She’s been through hell lately, and Marcus, although entitled to have an opinion, is starting to piss me off. I don’t like the way it’s making Rhys feel.

“Hey.” Marcus steps forward, cupping her cheek. “I fucking love you, Rhee. I’m not trying to make you feel bad, and I’d hold back if I thought it would do any good, but secrets in this group relationship will only destroy what we have. So, I need an honest conversation with you later, but it doesn’t mean that I love you any less or that I want things to end. We just need to talk about stuff.”

“I’m not good with feelings, Marc.” She mutters quietly.

“Yes, you are. You’re getting better at expressing them. At feeling them.”

She nods. “Can we like… have makeup sex afterwards?”

Finally, Marcus cracks a smile. “Maybe.”

That’s all she needs to stand taller, her confidence coming back. “Challenge accepted, Marky Marc.” She giggles, and he sweeps down, wrapping his arms around her and stealing another kiss.

I give them a minute, but then, because I’m impatient as fuck right now, I wrap my arms around Rhys from behind and sever their connection.

“Dude! Rude!” Marcus hisses, and I throw him a dagger.

“Go get the fucking boat started. I need a minute with our girl.”

Marcus rolls his eyes at me, but blows Rhys a kiss and heads in the opposite direction to find the others.

“Baby Girl.” I rasp against Rhys’ dark silky hair, and she turns in my arms, wrapping hers around my waist.

“Big Guy. I feel like I keep fucking up.”

“Tonight is on Marcus. Not you.”

“Yes, but he must have been so worked up about not knowing who Ty was to steal a fucking boat and break into a stranger’s home.”

I nod.

While we cleaned, Shaun filled Rhys in on how Marcus stole a boat and pissed off on us. And how we had to steal a boat too to come after him.

“The situation is complicated, but it’s happened now, so we have to deal with it.”

Rhys pulls back from me, stepping out of my space. “I still feel I’m to blame. I can’t help feeling that way.” Her dark eyes are a little shiny in the warm light floating out from Tyler’s house. I hate to see her hurting so much. All I want is to take her pain away, so her smile never fades and her heart always feels full.

“It’ll pass, Rhys. Over time, the raw feelings you have will lessen, especially when me and the guys spend every day showing you how important you are.”

She grins. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, Gar. Or any of the guys, for that matter.”

“We aren’t going anywhere, Baby Girl. It’s time for you to accept that. No more thinking we are better off. It doesn’t work that way. Ok?”

She nods. “Yep.”

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