Reese (Pack of Misfits #2) - Raven Kennedy Page 0,73

Luca and leave me out of it. My rat squeaks in agreement.

It’s after midnight by the time we get to the beach campsite and set up the tents, so everyone pretty much crashes. I share a large tent with Mitzy, Zoey, and Freya, and we pass out quickly, and I sleep like the dead.

I wake up with a grinning Mitzy sitting on my stomach and holding a sock over my face. “Wake up!” she trills.

I grimace and blink up at her, bleary-eyed. “Ugh. Whose sock is that?”

“It’s Luca’s,” she grins as she slides off me.

I see that the tent is already empty, so I’m the last one up. “How did you get Luca’s sock?” I ask, rubbing my eyes.

“I didn’t. You did.”

I frown at her. “What?”

She tosses the sock at me. “When I woke up, you were in your rat form, and you were snuggling it.”

“I was not!”

“Were too,” she laughs, her eyes gleaming.

“I don’t even remember shifting.”

She giggles delightedly. “Come on. It’s already one o’clock in the afternoon and everyone’s eating.”

She walks out of the tent, and I quickly scramble after her. The beach seems busy today, with people littered all along the shore. I can see our group down close to the shore, a huge plastic tarp laid down and everyone hanging around eating pizza.

“You’re finally awake!” Addie says when she sees me. She pats the spot next to her, nudging Herrick on her left. “Herrick, move over so I can sit with Reese.”

Instead of moving, he picks her up, scoots over, and plops her down on his lap. She rolls her eyes, but her smile reveals how much she likes it. “Preds.”

I sit down, and someone passes over a pizza box. I eat four pieces in rapid succession while I listen to everyone talk and joke. I try to remember everyone’s names, but it’s a little tough. I know everyone from our car last night, but I don’t know everyone from Stinger’s car still. But everyone is so relaxed, passing beers and pizza, and I relax right along with them, even forgetting about Sid for a little while.

When I finally finish stuffing my face, two bottles appear in front of my face—one water and one beer. I look up and find Luca standing over me. I reach out and take both, choosing to drink the water first.

He sits down next to me, and I can tell by the glint in his eye that he’s amused. “I think your rat visited me last night.”

“No, I think you’re mistaken,” I say really innocently before wiping my mouth with my hand.

He shakes his head and leans back on the tarp, splaying his legs in front of him. “I don’t think I am. See, I was sleeping when I suddenly felt these tiny little claws climbing up my body.”

What the hell was my rat thinking?

“Oh?”

He nods, watching as I quickly upend the bottle of beer and swallow some down. I cough a little, because I haven’t had any in a long time. I grimace and push the bottle towards him. “Gross.”

He chuckles and takes it from me. “Not a fan of beer?”

“Guess I lost the taste for it.”

Keeping his eyes locked on me, he puts the rim to his lips and tips it back. I watch, fascinated, as he swallows the liquid down. I have the sudden urge to lean forward and get his Adam’s apple between my teeth and—

“You’re panting, Mousey.”

Startled, I rear back, realizing I was leaning towards him with my mouth open like an idiot.

“Let’s get back to how you snuck into my tent at night and tried to have your way with me.”

My face blazes. “I did not!”

“You did,” he says smugly, flashing his gorgeous smile.

I cross my arms and sniff. “That must’ve been some other rat.”

“I don’t think so,” he replies, shaking his head after taking another drink.

“Why’s that?”

“Because. You tried climbing up to my neck and nabbing another one of these,” he says, lifting his chain of lug nuts.

“Lots of rats would like that,” I defend. “They’re shiny.”

“Hmm. Would lots of rats also try to yank off the boxers that I was already wearing, only to give up and steal one of my socks instead?”

“Umm…”

“Don’t leave out how she bit me on the toe on her way out,” Toby grumbles from the other side of the tarp. The others chuckle. “You have damn sharp teeth, Reese.”

“She tried to steal the change out of my pocket too,” Stinger says. “I saw her rooting around in my