Beyond Vengeance (Pacific Prep, #3)

by R.A. Smyth

Leaning in, I whisper in Daniel’s ear, “Play a game with me?” I flick a glance in Mason’s direction, and he hesitantly agrees. “Put your arm around me,” I whisper, squashing my smirk. Doing as I tell him, he leans in and drapes his arm across the back of my chair, his fingers dangling over my shoulder. Pretending to focus on my work, I peer up at him through my eyelashes, watching Mason’s features narrow, his jaw clenching as he strangles his stylus, oblivious to the girl who may as well be doing naked star jumps beside him. Daniel bends down to whisper in my ear, and to anyone else, it would look like two lovers sharing a secret. “You’re going to get me killed,” he says, half joking. I let out a girly giggle, batting my eyelashes at him like he just said the sweetest thing. “He’s going to bury my body out in the forest. Tell my family that I love them. Make sure my brother gets my baseball card collection.” He sighs dramatically. “I never got the chance to tell Wendi how amazing I thought her tits were.” My laugh is real this time as he continues with the theatrics.

“You put a knife through my father’s hand?” Wilder barks when he spots me, making everyone else stare in my direction as West and Beck come out of the room and join the party. “In fairness, he put his hands on me first.” I shrug.

I’m pretty sure I’m sporting a ‘deer caught in the headlights’ expression as Wilder maneuvers me back into the crowd, quickly fobbing everyone off as he ushers me out of the room. “Wilder,” I whisper-hiss, clinging onto his arm for dear life. “I am not marrying you.” “Oh, Sunshine, you wound me. There I thought we were in love.” I try to scowl at him, but the whole panicked eye thing kind of ruins it, and he chuckles at my freak out. He directs me into a back kitchen, quickly kicking the few staff members out, and grabs me a glass of water while I collapse onto a stool.