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“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say, turning back toward him.
The pad of his finger grazes my lip, and he presses against it, pinching my mouth closed. Then his finger drags down, pulling my mouth open, swiping along the dampness of my sensitive skin. “The guys have always looked at you like you were their queen, but Archer has always been greedy when it comes to you. How long did it take after I left for you to let him in your bed?”
My hand snaps up, anger lighting a fuse in me as I shove his hand away from my mouth, stepping up to him until we’re toe to toe. He’s much taller than me, towering over me at six three, while I’m only five four. Though I’ve built my strength over the last eleven months, it’s nothing compared to Reign’s built form. He’s made of stone, though remains trim, not overly boxy. Lethal.
His lips pop into a smirk. “Still have that temper,” he tsks. “You’ll get yourself in trouble someday.”
I already have.
“What I do in my private life is none of your fucking business. But if you want to know the truth, I’m not with Archer, or anyone, for that matter. But I could be if I wanted, and I will be if I feel like it,” I snap.
His smile drops, lips pressing into a thin line as he runs his fingers through his hair.
He says nothing to me, just watching me with his angry stare.
I spin on my heel, seeing the girls standing off to the side with worried looks on their faces. Stepping away from Reign, I’m ready to be done with him, hating that my heart beats a little heavier, my breaths become a little tighter, my head a little fuzzier. He turns something on inside of me, and I want nothing to do with it. Not anymore.
Though, at the last moment, I pause, glancing at him over my shoulder. “How long are you in town for?” I ask him.
Please leave tomorrow. My soul can’t take it.
He cocks his head to the side as he reaches for the railing, squeezing it tightly in his grip, his strong fingers whitening from the pressure. “As long as I feel like being here.” He digs into his pocket, lifting out a pack of Camels. Pulling out a cigarette, he lights it up with his black lighter before spinning around and walking away from me. The Halloween lights glow, casting his retreating back in an orange hue.
My eyes refuse to be torn away from the muscles that tense and roll with every step as he moves to the back of the ship. And as they always have, people step away for him, giving him an easy path. It doesn’t matter what they’re doing, or how crowded it is.
The world moves for Reign. Reign never moves for the world.
He’s dangerous. The alarm blares so aggressively in my chest, and I have to take a breath over my skipping heart.
Eventually, I blink, spinning around and seeing Posie narrowing her eyes at me, as if she knows exactly where my mind is going. Like she can see the blood dripping from my heart. Eloise stands beside her, her eyes narrowed in irritation, while Vienna sits on her phone, already over the situation.
They know me, even with me gone for months, they know my soul.
Each one of them sat by me and repaired me, piece by piece, and helped me stand once again. They don’t want to watch me break like I did.
I don’t want to, either.
“Fuck no, Lakyn. You aren’t going down that road again,” Posie snaps, grabbing onto my wrist once I get close enough. She pulls me toward her, and we weed through throngs of college kids partying, alcohol and marijuana mixing with the smell of the ocean.
I narrow my eyes. “What are you talking about?” I lie.
“She’s talking about the fact that you just looked at Reign like he holds the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.” Eloise chuckles from behind me.
I glance at her over my shoulder, narrowing my eyes. “I was not.”
“You were, Lakyn. You gave him the most nauseating goo-goo eyes I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Don’t forget what he did to you,” Vienna says, leveling me a look.
We stop at the makeshift table at the head of the boat, liquor bottles and red Solo cups scattered across it. I grab the bottle of Jack Daniel’s, pouring myself half a cup, and then a can of Coke, filling it the rest of the way.
Perfect.
I take a sip. “Oh, trust me, I didn’t forget in the slightest.” The burn hits my throat, and I sigh as the warmth fills my veins. “How long has he been here, anyway?”
Posie takes her own sip. “He got here three months ago.”
My eyes widen. “Wait, three months ago? What the hell is he doing here for that long?”
Eloise digs into her pocket, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. I extend my hand, grabbing one from her and sticking it between my lips. She pulls out her skull candy lighter, her finger flicking the metal and sparking the tip until and orange cherry crackles.
