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She propped her tiny chin on her hand and blinked long lashes atlook

“So what’s up with the hottie in the hotrod? You go get a boyfriend on us?”

I frowned at her and helped a couple of the little kids with some cereal

“No I don’t have time for a boyfriend You brats keep me too busy”

“He kissed you like he was your boyfriend” I winced because I forgot they had witnessed that Reeve chose just that ave me

“Guys like hilower “When they kiss you they do it because they want to, not because you’re iirlfriend”

She lifted an eyebrow at me, and it was easy to see how far beyond her years she was in the “yeah, right” look she leveled at uy like that kisses you, it doesn’t matter if you’re important or special All thatthe shit out of you”

“Language!” Reeve’s voice was sharp as I rolled my eyes

“It’s not like that He’s friends with hed “I wish I knew someone that had friends like that”

That set all the kidswell, the girls, off on a tangent about their drearew up hard and had little faith in the world around you, every little girl still wanted her prince to come to her rescue, even if that prince had a star tattooed on his face and charged in under horsepower instead of on a white stallion I let theh it followed hout the day

I didn’t hear fro if I said it didn’t botherto let hied ht or the next ave the full-ti out the front door with every intention of seeing if I could con Carhts beforeforever, and the sooner I took my life back, the less likely I was to drown in theto take the bus when Reeve surprisedher chilly de on the bus for a half an hour really wasn’t ever awesome, so I took her up on the offer

It only took five minutes before her real motivation became known

“Dove” Her tone was stern and made me look at her “I knoe aren’t friends and I don’t really know anything about you, but I feel like I have to tell you; you need to watch yourself I don’t think you knohat you’re doing getting entangled with a guy like Bax I know you love Race and believe the best of your brother, but if Bax is the kind of guy he keeps in his inner circle”—she shook her head and her dark hair slashed over her serious face—“you need to be looking out for yourself”

I gave her a rueful grin and tuckedfrom, Reeve, but you don’t know Race and you don’t know Bax, even if his reputation leaves little to be desired I’ll be okay”