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9741a19
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I can't believe you can create such beauty." "I can't believe I'm finally looking at my beauty. You can't see it, Lark. I know you can't. Maybe it's a girl thing or your shitty family or you do see it and are just fishing for compliments, but you are too beautiful to get right on paper. No matter how much I try," I said, cupping her face, "I can't make my art look nearly as perfect as you." "Shit," she whispered. "Did you just think that ..
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that-damn-creative
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Bijou Hunter |
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1958e4c
|
His name was Aaron and he was the answer to all my prayers.
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Bijou Hunter |
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a7eb24f
|
Baby Cooper and Aaron running around causing trouble," Dad said, setting an album on Lark's lap. "Aaron was a very good baby. Didn't cry at all. Not once." When I laughed, Dad gave me a wink. "Here was our boy at three months." Lark looked at the picture and laughed. Knowing exactly what she thought was so funny, I explained, "They thought they were adopting a girl, so I wore pink those first few months." "Babies grow so fast at that age..
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aarons-parents
curls
baby-pictures
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Bijou Hunter |
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8679541
|
What are we talking about?" Tawny asked as Judd rolled a ball, knocked over a few pins, then frowned like he might knock the others over with his angry glare. "Aaron's going to fix her tat," Bailey explained while Cooper and Farah wandered off. "He's an artist," Tawny cooed. "He made this angel on Judd." After Tawny showed me Judd's arm, she put her hand back to where she had a gorgeous tattoo of a fallen angel. "He's very talented," she..
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tawny-and-judd
vaughn
lark
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Bijou Hunter |
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ba6b652
|
From the day I met her at the wedding rehearsal, I couldn't stop thinking of her beautiful face. I was forever drawing her, sketching her, and even tattooing her. How many people in Ellsberg were walking around with tattoos of Lark's face? Whenever a client didn't bring a specific image in and a woman's face was involved, I used Lark's. Hell, I hadn't even noticed this fact until two happy clients showed off their tattoos and I realized the..
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Bijou Hunter |
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18026ff
|
I'll take another stab at talking to her." "If you can't find a way, get Cooper to do it. You know how he loves controlling things. I'm sure he'll want to help." "True, but once he starts meddling, he won't stop. I don't need him giving me pointers for the rest of my relationship with Lark." "Lark," my mother said, testing out the name. "She had such a sweet smile. I could look at that smile for the rest of my life. Yes, go kick fate in ..
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Bijou Hunter |
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f9591f6
|
I don't even know her." "But you want to." "She's beautiful, but that's the end of it." "A lot of girls are beautiful, but Farah is beautiful in a different way," he said, getting that dreamy look when talking about his girl. "She made me see her and not want to look at any other chick. Farah didn't have to try either. That's the thing about you and Lark. You two were breathing in rhythm at the reception dinner and never even said more t..
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cooper
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Bijou Hunter |
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8dfd404
|
If you don't make a move on Lark, I'm going to hook you two up. Don't make me stoop to that shit, man. Bad enough I'm helping Tucker find a decent fuck for Bailey. I really don't need to play matchmaker with you too." "I've got it handled." Cooper smirked. "Lark's coming to your shop to get a tat fixed. You're welcome for that." "What?" I muttered, frowning even if this idea interested me. "She's got a lame worm tat and needs it fixed. ..
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dont-make-me-stoop-to-that
jazzing-your-pants
cooper
secretive
|
Bijou Hunter |
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0b38210
|
I heard you're having dinner with Lark," she said, wiggling her eyebrows. "Hurry up and marry her, so we can double date and annoy Vaughn." "Can't you double date with Tawny and Judd?" Cooper and Farah laughed. "Yeah, right," they said in unison, causing me to wonder if their brains had merged from too much sex. "If I have my way, Lark will be mine." "He's stalking her," Cooper told Farah. "Draws pictures of her naked too." Farah laugh..
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double-date
yes-maam
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Bijou Hunter |
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6b34bcd
|
Despite the chaos, our family had a solid routine. Weekends were spent at the cabin where we enjoyed the quiet. A few times a week, Raven and Lark trained at Big Bob's. My kids and I cawed for mommy during games. Once a week, we dropped by Cooper's new house to add to his chaos. At least twice a week, we lived at the bowling alley. All the kids loved the game and River was quite talented like his pop. Our youngest Nevaeh even enjoyed bowli..
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Bijou Hunter |
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2953e05
|
Attachments made men soft. This fact was made obvious lately by my buddies. I blamed Tucker. A little over a year earlier, the idiot strolled over to a table filled with college girls. Each one shot him down until he was left with Maddy. For whatever reason, she thought he was funny. Or maybe just hot enough to overcome his lack of brain cells. They hooked up and he quickly handed his balls to her with a ribbon tied around them. He acted l..
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Bijou Hunter |
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c5cd734
|
Wanna get some pulled pork over at Stucky's?" I asked, climbing off the Harley. Lark blinked hard like she was about to say no, but wasn't sure how. "Do you not like barbecue?" I asked. "I do, but it's been really slow at the restaurant and I don't really have money to spend and..." Lark was sweaty and a hint of her eyeliner had smudged on the right side. Yet, she never looked more beautiful than when I realized she wanted me. No, she f..
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stop-playing-games
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Bijou Hunter |
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4bb57f7
|
Laughing, I stood up and got her a Coke from the fridge. When I handed it to her, Raven stared at my flat belly then leaned her face against it. "You're so lucky," she whispered. "Your mommy will make you laugh and kiss away the tears. She'll read you books about self esteem then sing you awful songs until you sleep out of boredom. You're going to grow up so loved and you won't know any other way." When Raven looked up at me, she smiled a..
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family
yes-sir
raven
|
Bijou Hunter |
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56e2534
|
In a booth, Bailey sat next to Vaughn while frowning at her drink. "I need a man!" she declared when she saw me. Vaughn glanced at her and sighed. "I'll do you, but no names." Bailey didn't get it, but I laughed while Cooper acted irritated. Aaron kissed the top of my head then walked over to get us drinks. "Why can't I trap a man into a relationship like you bitches?" she asked with complete seriousness. "Your subtly turns men off," V..
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bailey
vaughn
cooper
|
Bijou Hunter |
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957a7a1
|
I like the carrot cake," Maddy announced and Tucker nodded. "Fucking hillbillies," I muttered. "We really do love our carrot cake." --
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carrot-cake
tucker-and-maddy
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Bijou Hunter |
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72f9aca
|
Want me hold the bag?" Cooper said from behind me. Never slowing my punches, I muttered, "Not really." Cooper took the bag like I knew he would and held it still. "We should talk." "Then talk." "You're into my sister," he said then continued after I remained quiet, "You were into my girl. You seem to have a thing for my stuff." "I'm telling Bailey you said she's your stuff," I grunted, punching harder. "I suspect she'll kick you in the..
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nick
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Bijou Hunter |
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22e0d7f
|
If Bailey wants to go, we'll go. I'm not choosing for her." "You can't let her boss you around, man. She'll own your balls." "She already owns them. At this point, we're just negotiating visitation rights." Cooper grinned."
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nick-and-cooper
visitation-rights
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Bijou Hunter |
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b23e7fc
|
Hey, Dylan," I said, holding my orange ball. "You got rid of the Mohawk." Lark and Raven's stepbrother ran his hand over his bald head and sighed. "Yeah, I'd been thinking about going the business man route for a while. Kept going back and forth about cutting it. A few weeks ago, I got drunk at Lark's place. The sisters were nice enough to shave my head while I was passed out." Nearby, Raven laughed so hard she had trouble distracting Vau..
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tucker
vaughn-and-raven
nick
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Bijou Hunter |
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be788f7
|
Maddy showed up around eleven to drop off Scarlet and take me dress shopping. She used her mom skills to get me off the couch. "Hey, pumpkin, I'll get you a strawberry shake if you get up now," she whispered, stroking my head. "You'd like that, wouldn't you, baby? A big strawberry shake from Burger King. Does that sound good?" "Can I have whipped cream too?" I asked with my eyes still closed. "Sure, sweetie." Tempted by a promised rewar..
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mom-skills
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Bijou Hunter |
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416fff6
|
I see you," I whispered in his ear. "You're mine in every way and nothing will make me let go."
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Bijou Hunter |
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71ccd69
|
When I entered, she sat up and focused on the bag in my hand. "The chick at the store said it works better in the morning, but it might work tonight. I bought a few extra tests, just in case. Do you need to pee?" Lark stared at me then burst into laughter. "A few weeks into our relationship and we're talking about peeing. Awesome."
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pee
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Bijou Hunter |
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05d535e
|
The chick last night marked you," he said, gesturing to my throat. "Might be a stalker. You'll want to prepare to wake up with your balls removed." "Raven might cut off my balls, but not because she's a stalker. More like she's just in a bad mood or gassy." Tawny looked at me then shook her head. "Oh, Vaughn. You're fucked." "Actually, I was and quite well. In fact, I think she bruised my hip bones." Laughing, Tawny cuddled against Judd..
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commited
psychic
vaughn
judd-and-tawny
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Bijou Hunter |
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699c8d5
|
Figuring I might entertain myself with heckling, I walked to the bar. I never made it through the door. Instead, I leaned against the doorway, crossed my arms, and enjoyed the spectacle of Raven, Bailey, and Sawyer singing horribly along with Steve Perry. The three blondes sang their talentless hearts out with Sawyer on a stool in the middle. Bailey wasn't singing as much as yelling to the music. Sawyer was talking the song. Raven though w..
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kareoke
pay-the-man
sawyer
vaughn
raven
|
Bijou Hunter |
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c640ffb
|
Rolling my eyes, I took Dylan's hand and followed Harlow inside. Jace sat in the front of the TV. I knew he was grumpy based on the way he didn't look at me. When I flopped next to him on the couch, he did smile. "You smell like a strip club," he said, narrowing his eyes at me. "How would you know?" "I'm not telling you my secrets." Shaking my head, I sighed loudly. "Why do you make me do this to you? It's like you want to suffer." Ja..
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marry-me
squirrely
tad-and-toni
harlow
jace
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Bijou Hunter |
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e56aea5
|
My sister came out to the porch to meet us. I knew she missed having me around the house. We spent most of our time together and often shared a bed at night. I wondered what she did when the nightmares bothered her now. "I'm sorry," I said, feeling guilty as I hugged her. "You should be," she teased, clearly having no idea what I was talking about. "We're all ashamed of you."
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Bijou Hunter |
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98cd566
|
After a very enjoyable half hour in the shower, we dressed and walked down to his SUV. Even with the weather too cold for the Harley, I spotted Judd and Tawny riding theirs in the opposite direction as us. I loved how Tawny had her own Harley and tried to imagine myself on one. The vision ended with me crashing into a mailbox, so I figured I'd leave the Harley riding to Tawny and Harlow.
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Bijou Hunter |
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5c045b7
|
Nice hammer," Harlow said from behind me. "Hey," I said, glancing around casually to see if Winnie was with her. "Nice shiner." "You should see the other chick," she muttered. "Can we talk?" Setting down my hammer, I followed her away from the other guys. Harlow seemed tense and I worried something was wrong with Winnie. "This is awkward and I feel weird coming here like this," she said, pushing her blonde hair behind her ears. "Are you..
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harlow
dylan
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Bijou Hunter |
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b3c1b81
|
Lark Barnes wasn't much older than me, yet she was married and pregnant with twins. On bed rest for the last few months, she was trapped in her updated Craftsman-style house. Thanks to Bailey, my new job involved caring for Lark during the day. Petite with spiky dark hair, Lark needed the help too. She was all belly these days. In fact when I arrived at the house that morning, I found her stuck in bed. "I'm beached!" she cried as I entere..
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winnie-and-lark
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Bijou Hunter |
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89dc33b
|
I vaguely remember having a waist," Lark said, waddling into the room. "I could see my feet too. They weren't great feet, but I liked looking at them." "You'll see them soon then you won't appreciate it. All the stuff that bothers you now will become a faint memory once you have the babies." "How do you know?" she said, teasing me. "You read that in a book? I get enough know-it-all crap from Raven who watched a TV show and is therefore an..
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waist-and-feet
winnie-and-lark
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Bijou Hunter |
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1e0c8e3
|
Tall, narrow, and grand, the first house was a Victorian. Once loved by a family, it ended up a college rental. Dylan took it from rundown and abused to grand again. "Could you see yourself living here?" he asked, wrapping his arms around me from behind. "No," I said softly. "Good. Me either, but I'd have moved in tomorrow if you said yes." Squirming around to face him, I sighed. "You're so whipped." "I know, but only when it comes to ..
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make-it-ours
|
Bijou Hunter |
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fbd71fd
|
I'm so sick of sitting on this fucking thing," she sighed, finding a comfortable spot. "After they're born, let's burn the couch." "Or donate it," Aaron said, bringing her a glass of water. "Don't ruin my destructive groove with your good sense."
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destructive-groove
good-sense
|
Bijou Hunter |
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6314bbb
|
Everyone said I had a boyish look about me. The Thunderdome manager Axel mentioned the same thing when I arrived for my first fight. I just smiled at his comment since I never had a talent for the kind of trash talking that made so many men scary. As a teenager, I practiced acting tough in front of the mirror. I always ended up laughing because even I didn't believe the bullshit coming out of my mouth. Though tall and strong, I'd never be..
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Bijou Hunter |
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37420c3
|
Do you always drink Sprite?" I asked. "Yeah, why?" "I want to buy some for when you visit my place." Bailey grinned like I had told her she won the lottery. If she kept smiling at me that way, I didn't think my ego could fit into the restaurant much longer."
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sprite
nick-and-bailey
|
Bijou Hunter |
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69eed07
|
I just kept eating my hot dogs and bowling by myself. Bailey sometimes rolled a ball into a gutter. When I had them put up the bumpers for her, she managed to roll the ball into another alley and land in that gutter.
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Bijou Hunter |
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9d42aab
|
I bet you're a real heartbreaker," he said, giving me a nearly irresistible smile. "I've never broken a single heart," I admitted. "I've broken more than a few noses and stomped on several ball sacks though." Vaughn's grin widened. "Let me buy you a drink." "I have a drink." "Fine. Let me take you to a booth and sweet talk your sexy ass into my bed tonight." "I'm abstaining from fucking guys like you." "Guys like me? You mean, sexy ba..
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Bijou Hunter |
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a2c6732
|
Suddenly, he looked up at me and demanded, "Say my name." My pride wouldn't allow me to submit, so I mumbled, "What was it again? Vinnie? Vance? Something with a V, right?" His response was to pop the button on my shorts and tug them down to my ankles. I kicked them off along with my sandals then struggled to act unimpressed. Vaughn grinned in a way that made me a little nervous about what happened next. He likely sensed my fear because h..
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vaughn-and-raven
|
Bijou Hunter |
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d004bc3
|
As he slid a bit closer, I caught a whiff of his cologne. Smelling like chocolate, the scent was bait to any self-respecting woman.
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Bijou Hunter |
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002ca95
|
Good morning." "Fuck you," she growled, still confused. "I wore you out, huh?" Raven's angry panicked eyes narrowing, she glared at me. "If anyone was worn out, it was you. I'm surprised I didn't break your dick." "Who said you didn't?" I said, causing her to smirk. "I might need a little cast for it." Raven finally smiled for real. "It wouldn't be the first time." "We could test it out," I said, wiggling my eyebrows. "I need to leav..
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vaughn-and-raven
|
Bijou Hunter |
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f5b7597
|
This is nice. Two friends being friendly," he said. Rolling my eyes, I sipped my drink and ignored his cocky smile. "How long has it been?" he asked, tapping my sandal with his boot. "The abstaining thing." Crossing my arms under my tits, I tightened them and pushed up the girls for him to admire. "I bet you've banged a girl recently. Like I could probably smell her on you, if I got close enough," I grumbled, remembering how he smelle..
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|
vaughn-and-raven
nicknames
|
Bijou Hunter |
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1277b08
|
When she was relaxed, Raven was the picture of innocence. When she was feisty, she was sex kitten personified. When she was angry, I worried she would neuter me.
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|
winning-combination
|
Bijou Hunter |
|
ea84a55
|
Laughing, I took her hand back in mine. "I don't like seeing someone as hot as you bruised up, but I don't judge you fighting for money. We all do what we can. Look at me and my work. Not exactly a dream job, but I'm big, strong, and don't mind hurting people. Not a lot of jobs for a guy with my skill set. I was never good at school. I hate computers and have no patience with fixing things. I had the choice of being an enforcer or a gigolo...
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|
lap-dance
vaughn-and-raven
|
Bijou Hunter |
|
4c50d00
|
I don't know how to swim," I said as we walked onto the back deck where the pool awaited. "I'll teach you," Bailey said, smiling over her shoulder. "First, I need to clean out some of the gunk from the storm." After scooping up dead leaves and bugs until the pool looked pristine, Bailey jumped into the pool. "There's a secret to swimming," she said, giving me a wink. Tossing off my shirt, I didn't think about how much I hated to go shirt..
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|
brass-balls
nick-and-bailey
sawyer
|
Bijou Hunter |
|
170f69a
|
It isn't easy being on the outside," I admitted. "Judd and I were tight. We spent a shitload of time together. Not talking or having feelings, but I had someone to sit next to me and drink beer with. We played pool every night and had sex with different chicks every night and woke up alone every morning. We were the same. Now, he's whipped and Tawny walks around with his balls in her purse. I asked once if we could take his balls out occasi..
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|
|
Bijou Hunter |
|
68f0af6
|
The first time I saw Bailey, I just wanted her to know I existed. In the end, I could only survive when she held my heart in her hands. Bailey Fucking Johansson was my salvation.
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Bijou Hunter |