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Taylor was the most frustrating person I had ever met. Perhaps all people were this annoying, and I just didn’t know because I spent very little time around them. Either way, Taylor was grating on my nerves, and right now my nerves were red and raw.

I was ready to snap.

“Do it again, and I will lean over and slam that face of yours into the sand,” I hissed across at him.

If Taylor wasn’t smirking, he was usually gloating and right now he was doing both. He was gloating because he had managed to annoy me to the point of explosion and he was smirking watching my reaction.

“Come on, Allie, it’s a lovely day,” he continued his pointless flirting.

“I willkill you.” I was deadly serious.

“No one else is covering up.” Taylor pointed out, his one and only point!

“No one else has to put up with you either.”

“Come on, show me that fine body of yours.”

Come to the beach, Allie. It will be fun, Allie. Come on, Allie, everyone is going. I wanted to slap myself for letting him talk me into this.

‘Zane, you better come save your best friend before I kill him.’I forced my words into Zane’s mind. He was playing volleyball, and I wouldn’t lie I had been stealing glances in his direction.

He was shirtless, I was a female, it was impossible not to!

‘Kill him, it doesn’t bother me.’Zane’s voice flooded my mind, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

He was playing like I wasn’t talking in his head.

My eyes flashed to Taylor when he dared to put his hand on my knee.‘Zane, he is touching me. I swear to God, if you don’t come over here and get your friend, I will drown him in the sea,’I roared my words into Zane’s mind while still glaring at Taylor.

We leave for the cabin tomorrow, and why the hell I agreed to spend an extra day with him I didn’t know.

“Get your hand off me.”

I watched Taylor’s grin grew wider. “Come on, baby, don’t be mean to your man.” He wiggled his eyebrows, and that was it.

“Ouch!” Taylor dodged my second punch, but at least I got a good one in.

“Touch me again, and I’ll hit you harder.”

‘Seems to me you are handling him fine. Anyway, if it bothers you so much, stop pretending to be his mate.’Zane’s voice flooded my mind, just in time for me to look up and catch his glance.

‘Fine. Don’t help me,’I grunted back into his mind.

Then I noticed the female on his team flirting with him and I saw red. No screw that, I saw blood red.

“Allie?”

I was too busy glaring at the female touching my mate to notice the sudden shadow being cast over me; then I looked up and, well, shit just got real.

“Aaron?” My mouth hung open as I looked up at a guy I hadn’t seen in years.

“Thought it was you, Allie, couldn’t miss that glare anywhere.” He flashed me a bright smile and ran a hand over his wet blonde hair. Water droplets covered his bare chest. He had grown up and filled out since I’d last seen him.

“Aaron Wilson?” I got to my feet, dusting the sand off and grinning up at him. “Seriously?”

“The one and only, Allie bear. Don’t tell me you didn’t recognize me?” He opened his arms, and I quickly jumped into them and hugged him tightly.

Aaron Wilson was my next-door neighbor and best friend until he moved away four years ago. He had been my best friend since I was five and now I was looking at a grown man.