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9aa8c47
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My family is low class, but I'm a loyal person," I said. "Like I don't steal or lie or anything." Aaron frowned at me. "Why did you just tell me that?" "You looked like I might run off with your wallet." Smiling slightly, he leaned back and studied me. "More worried about you running off with my heart." --
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running-off-with-my-heart
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Bijou Hunter |
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38d7c56
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The next two days, Nick and I played house in my apartment. For lunch and dinner, we joined the family. On Sunday, Nick came along for the club's weekly family dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse. I knew he felt like an outsider, but Vaughn and Judd entertained him with their bromance. "Hard to believe they like the ladies," I said to Nick who just grinned as the enforcers argued about who was a shittier friend. "Tawny never lets you play video..
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tawny-and-raven
vaughn-and-judd
nick-and-bailey
tucker
superhero
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Bijou Hunter |
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20a1472
|
What are you looking to do?" Aaron asked as we walked into his workroom. "Nothing too complicated," I said, displaying my wrist. "I want Bailey's name on my wrist." Aaron exhaled slowly. "Are you sure? The Johanssons don't play when it comes having their women's names on their wrists. It's forever shit for them. That's how I knew Cooper wasn't fucking around with Farah." "Bailey's mine, but I can't find a way to make her truly believe. W..
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about-bailey
nick
tattoo
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Bijou Hunter |
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f452181
|
After seeing Dylan with the redhead, I sunk deeper into a depression. Even working at Lark's house did nothing to distract me. I simply went through the motions. Fortunately, Lark was especially tired and slept most of the day, so she never noticed my bad mood. Harlow wasn't as oblivious as we washed dishes after dinner. "What's up, stinky pup?" I rolled my eyes at her nickname for me. "Nothing." "She doesn't want to deal with the leave..
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meatloaf
tad
harlow
winnie
jace
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Bijou Hunter |
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1c7b319
|
Sporting a black eye, Dylan met me in the front of Cooper's office. I looked up at where guys were redoing the roof before returning my gaze to my new boss. "As much as I appreciate this chance," I said, "I don't want you giving me a job just to make Cooper happy." "Cooper's happiness isn't really my concern. The guy's rich and powerful. I'm sure his happiness is pretty much a done deal." I smirked. "Yeah, but you really need me to work ..
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nick-and-dylan
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Bijou Hunter |
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1684a57
|
Deputy Ennis Dickhead tipped back his stupid hat and smirked at me. "Hello, Bailey." "What do you want?" "I came to talk to your friend here. Just wondering if he'd seen his dad?" Nick showed no reaction, but I was pissed to have an asshole ruining my good mood. "If his dad was smart, he'd have run the fuck away once out of jail." Dickhead tried intimidating Nick with a dark glare. When that didn't work, he focused on me. "Bailey, I wan..
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rent-a-cop
taser-in-the-ass
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Bijou Hunter |
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fdf2652
|
I've ruined things for you," I said, eyes hot and tears threatening to fall. "I fucked up and now you'll end up with a record. You'll never have your dream because of me. I'm so sorry." Wrapping me in his strong arms, Nick sighed. "I punched him and made the first move. It's not your fault." "You had to punch him. He was calling me names and you're my man." Nick smiled down at me. "Yeah, I couldn't let him trash my girl." "I should have..
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lost-her-temper
nick-and-bailey
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Bijou Hunter |
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9ef4965
|
Cupping her face, I brushed her lips with my thumb. "You're medicine for my soul, Bailey. Never forget that." Her naughty gaze shifted into something softer. "Thank you for being brave enough to love me." Despite her earnest expression, I laughed. "Like I had a choice."
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nick-and-bailey
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Bijou Hunter |
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08698b6
|
The crew headed to Tequila Jodi's for a celebration. Raven and Vaughn arrived an hour after everyone. They made up for their tardiness by binge drinking a bottle of tequila. Well, Vaughn did. Raven binged on a pitcher of Diet Coke. "I might be binging for two!" she announced then sat down to look over the pictures of her niece and nephew. Harlow showed up with Toni. While her mom joined Jodi at a back table, Harlow made a beeline for Winn..
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harlow
lark-and-the-babies
when-you-know-you-know
nick
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Bijou Hunter |
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9e9c351
|
Stepping closer, I wiped away a tear from her cheek. "You'll make a great mom." "I guess we're going to find out," she said, melting into my arms. "I was on the pill. I can't even do that part right." Taking a deep breath and accepting this direction in my life, I said softly, "Don't listen to the crap in your head. Listen to my heart. It's known you from the beginning." Lark tightened her grip on me. "You're not mad." "Why would I be m..
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thor-sperm
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Bijou Hunter |
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5ba7f2f
|
Dylan lifted my chin so my lips could meet his. I kissed him hard, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion I'd held tight inside me. "Good things happen," I said, crying now. "Sometimes I forget that even when I have a blessing right in front of me." Dylan wrapped me tighter in his arms and smiled against my lips. "Me too, but I never lost faith in little Lark. If anyone could kick death in the ass, it would be her." I laughed at the thought o..
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dylan-and-winnie
vaughn
judd-and-tawny
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Bijou Hunter |
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c0ba116
|
Aaron lifted me up onto his hips and I knew we weren't staying. "We just got here," I murmured against his cheek. "Don't you think Judd and Coop will take their women home to celebrate?" Glancing around, I noticed Tawny high fiving Judd who looked pretty proud about his revenge on Mac. Nearby, Farah was squeezing Cooper's flexed muscles. None of them were planning to stay at the bar. "Are you okay, Bailey?" I asked as Aaron started for ..
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bailey
vaughn
judd-and-tawny
cooper-and-farah
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Bijou Hunter |
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77fe83d
|
Lark soaked in the claw foot tub with the dogs sleeping nearby. I knew she was tired and pretending otherwise. Eventually, the day would come when she would look at me and admit the pregnancy hormones were a pain in the ass. When she did so, I would baby the hell out of her and make her feel like a princess. Until then, she wanted to put on a brave face without admitting she took mini-naps through out the day.
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Bijou Hunter |
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bd22d07
|
I'd ask why you don't want to be whipped, but I sense there's a long heartfelt story behind it and I'll feel sorry for you and I'm not really in the mood to feel pity. Maybe after a few more orgasms, I can fake sympathy. We're just not there yet, champ." "I like that nickname," I said, taking her hand between mine. "Stud works too. King Cock is another favorite." "How about Cock-A-Doodle-Doo?" "Too cartoony. I need something manlier. Coc..
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vaughn-and-raven
haha
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Bijou Hunter |
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1998f0f
|
I remained with Lark in the hospital room until Aaron arrived out of breath from running. "My muse," he said, taking her hand. Leaving them alone to prepare for the surgery, I walked into the waiting room. Cooper patted the chair next to him and I joined him. "She'll be okay," he said, sounding convincing. I didn't feel like talking, so I texted Dylan, Harlow, Mom, and Dad to let them know what was happening. Cooper spoke quietly on the..
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|
winnie
bailey
pixies
cooper
babies
muse
lark
|
Bijou Hunter |
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f1496e3
|
Finishing her cigarette, Raven put it out in the ashtray then sighed. "I never really bought into the God thing. Religion felt like a lie men told to make people listen to them. Mostly, it seemed dumb to think a magic man in the sky cared about us. Like if I was a magic man and could make the earth or whatever, I wouldn't waste time on helping out losers." Raven set the ashtray on the ground and crossed her arms as if cold. "I see what Lar..
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heart-to-heart
practically-siblings-in-law
raven
|
Bijou Hunter |
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6d3556f
|
Life would never be easy for Winnie, but my job was to make her feel as safe as possible. Whether beating down a loud college idiot or keeping my mom states away, I'd do whatever necessary to protect what was mine.
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Bijou Hunter |
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b0cd75f
|
Bailey sat on the edge of the couch and fed Maddy grapes. The very swollen mommy-to-be initially complained about being fed like a pet. Eventually, she gave in and enjoyed the attention. Not to be outdone, Sawyer turned a fan towards Maddy and was painting her nails. I watched them baby her and wondered about when I would be that big and uncomfortable. "I'm in no hurry to have a baby," Tawny said, maybe for the tenth time since arriving. "..
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|
sawyer
tawny
farah
maddy
lark
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Bijou Hunter |
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cf862e8
|
Cooper nodded. "I'd so do this shit, if Farah let me." Vaughn made the sound of a snapping whip and the whipped guys frowned at him. He just smiled. "Ah, having control over my balls is so wonderful. You boys should beg your women to let you have them back for the night. Maybe if you promise to do the dishes or wash the floor or some other shit job, they'll agree." "Vaughn," Cooper said, giving his enforcer a dark glare, "when you meet a ..
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|
the-boys-being-boys
tucker
vaughn
cooper
judd
|
Bijou Hunter |
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4f2f361
|
Aaron loved to walk around shirtless and I overwhelmingly approved of his choice. Having seen the gym in one of the house's tiny bedrooms, I understood how he kept so ripped. Every time he caught me admiring the view, I pretended to be looking at his tats. He wasn't fooled.
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Bijou Hunter |
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be2aa66
|
Aaron was an artist in the body of a biker. He smiled easily like a sweet boy next door and glared often like a bad boy looking for someone to punch.
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Bijou Hunter |
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cb766ea
|
Cooper smiled. "You feel weird yet? Pulling the trigger is easy, but the stuff afterwards will bother you." "I'll be honest, Cooper. If you wanted me to kill a kid or a woman, I wouldn't be able to do it. I'm not hardcore and you shouldn't think what I did proved I was. Corbin was a dead man walking. Someone was killing him. It just happened to be me." Studying me, Cooper smiled. "I don't want blood thirsty freaks, you know? A lot of club..
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dog-comparison
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Bijou Hunter |
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bed0a57
|
After watching Vaughn and Judd dump the body and cover it with lye, I followed Cooper back to the cabin. "How are things going with Winnie?" he asked as we waited for the others to finish. "Good. We're moving into one of the houses I've remodeled. I'm planning to propose too." "Did you ask Tad for permission?" Frowning, I shook my head. "Give the guy a break. You show up, bang his daughter, steal her away, and don't even fake like his ..
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cooper-and-dylan
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Bijou Hunter |
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02eb5bf
|
I shivered as Raven scratched me gently. She was in a weird mood, nipping and licking like a hyper mouse. "Did you drink too much caffeine today?" I asked. Raven looked at me and I saw her walls ready to shoot back up to protect her heart. Instead, she grinned. "You're really hot, Vaughn. I've never had access to so much sexy man meat." Just like that, all my plans to keep her at a distance disappeared. . Kissing her softly, I rolled he..
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oops
vaughn-and-raven
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Bijou Hunter |
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13a5794
|
Let's say," Judd whispered, "that some fuck was to show up here and cause trouble. Let's say the piece of shit that put those bruises on your face shows up here, do you know what would happen?" As I shook my head, Judd laid over the covers I rested under. "I would shoot the fucker. No warning shot. No flesh wound. One shot and it would be over. Do you understand?"
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shoot-the-fucker
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Bijou Hunter |
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f4221e4
|
Tucker finally parked next to me. We joined Cooper who stared at a hawk flying over the woods. "I've had my eye on you since the Devils came to town," Cooper said, glancing at me. "Ignore the romantic vibe to that statement." Tucker snorted in amusement, but Cooper ignored him and continued, "The rest of the guys at the worksite hid when the Devils showed up. You decided to take on armed bikers with a fucking hammer. How you didn't end up..
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judd-and-vaughn
tucker
dylan
|
Bijou Hunter |
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8f5fb68
|
I wanted to come home, but I was embarrassed. There are things worse than embarrassment like my little sister thinking I didn't care about her. You needed me and I'd been dying without you. Turns out, I'm not likable enough to make friends who aren't my sister.
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Bijou Hunter |
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2103b33
|
We can't have sex at my parents' place," I said, giving him a grin. "You are so sex obsessed," he said, sighing dramatically. "I blame myself for being that good."
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that-good
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Bijou Hunter |
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9c7f7ee
|
Are you ready for dessert?" I finally asked. "Where are you from?" "I moved around a lot growing up." "Family in the military?" "No." "Why New Hampton?" "I'm a big fan of pork. Are you ready for dessert?" Cooper smiled softly, but his gaze was dark. "Did you bring a boyfriend with you to town?" "No," I said, stepping back. "I'm focused on school." Nodding, Cooper gave me a little grin. "Message received," he muttered, taking the de..
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extra-whip-cream
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Bijou Hunter |
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d14cf78
|
Skye snorted. "Parents are so lame sometimes. Mine think I'm a virgin. They also think I'd never drink beer because I'm a calorie freak. No one is that much of a calorie freak." Frowning as she yanked me along, I wondered about the calories in those tacos. Skye must have sensed my concerns because she snorted again. "The freshman fifteen is expected. If we don't pack on a little weight, people will think we're full of ourselves. Those gir..
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|
keeper
skye
farah
|
Bijou Hunter |
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2173765
|
Cooper sat in the back booth, reading a book he clearly hated with a passion. Occasionally, he smacked the book onto the table then glared at it hatefully. Finally, he returned to reading.
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|
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Bijou Hunter |
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e3df2e4
|
Need a ride?" Cooper asked, pulling over as I walked down the street. "Let me rephrase that. I know you need a ride, but are you desperate enough to take one from me?" "Why desperate?" "You tell me. You act like I'm a stalkey douche you can't shake loose." . "My ride cancelled and it'd be a pain to take three busses." "Is that your way of saying you're desperate enough?" Studying his grin and the rumbling hog, I figured the ride would..
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|
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Bijou Hunter |
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b97e840
|
Walking to Cooper, I asked, "Are you taking me home now?" Cooper took the beer from my hand. "There's pizza in the kitchen. Are you hungry?" "I'd like to go home." "Maybe your boyfriend can take you," he said, glaring at Nick who ignored him. "Is that your way of saying you won't take me?" Cooper finally pulled his gaze away from Nick and focused it on me. "Who gave you this drink?" "I don't know. Some guy." "Your boyfriend?" "No, s..
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|
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Bijou Hunter |
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a94c134
|
Denny's chick is getting restless," Fuckwad said. "Shut up, Tucker," Cooper muttered while gesturing for me to follow him. "Watch Bailey and make sure these assholes didn't roofie her." Arriving at his motorcycle, I avoided Cooper's angry glare. "You need to be more careful," he said, studying me. "College is full of perverted shits." "I was never going to drink it. You didn't save me from anything." Cooper glared at me then snorted. "..
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|
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Bijou Hunter |
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3647339
|
Glancing back at me as I settled on the Harley, Cooper sighed. "My sister dresses like a slut, but most of the girls at school dress that way. They act like whores, but they're not. They just like dressing up and playing sexy. These guys are losers and they come here with these ideas about the country girls being easy. When they aren't easy, they make them easy. They look down at local girls and poor chicks like you. Now that they know wher..
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|
make-them-dance
|
Bijou Hunter |
|
d658d78
|
You took a bullet to save those girls," I said as he watched me. A pale Dylan shrugged then flinched at the pain of the movement. "In my head, I would stop the bastards without getting shot. Didn't really work out that way." "Very brave though." Looking pale, Dylan nodded. "I'm sorry I kicked your ass that day. I never really thought of you as a girl." "That's okay," I said reaching for his hand. "I'm sorry I kicked your ass worse and m..
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raven-and-dylan
|
Bijou Hunter |
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c40a110
|
The sound of a rumbling Harley wasn't anything out of the ordinary around Ellsberg. This bike roared its engine once, twice, again and again as if attempting to gain someone's attention. Or challenge a person to a fight maybe. A frowning Aaron looked outside and his expression darkened. "It's your fuckwad stepbrother." My stomach flipped and I backed away from the door as if I might run. Returning to sanity, I sighed. "How would he know?"..
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|
fuck-off
promise-kept
dylan
haha
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Bijou Hunter |
|
a8f5be8
|
Cooper leaned back a little then reached out and tugged at my size too large pink Minnie Mouse sweatshirt. "You really wanted to put an exclamation mark on the no sex thing, huh?" Balking, I smacked his hand. "Screw you. This is my sexiest outfit. It's frigging Minnie Mouse, Cooper. The chick exudes sex." Grinning wider now, he played with my hair. "You can't know what I think about you." "What does that mean? You're so mysterious that a..
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|
fiesty
minnie-mouse
|
Bijou Hunter |
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a650bf3
|
So what are you studying at school?" I asked, watching the TV and not Cooper as he still played gently with a lock of my damp hair. "Pre-law." Glancing at him, I frowned then forced myself to stop. "You want to be a lawyer?" "Nope. Hate lawyers. Hate laws. Hate it all, but I'm the only one of my siblings with an IQ over shitfaced so the burden is on me to be the lawyer." "I don't get it. Tell your giant brain to dumb it down a little."
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iq-over-shitfaced
|
Bijou Hunter |
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5d03397
|
The moment I saw the red mark across Lark's face, a little part of my humanity died. While she entered the house and tried to explain, I heard only part of her words. The ones about who hurt her and who needed to bleed.
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Bijou Hunter |
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0c537c5
|
Grinning, Cooper leaned over and kissed the top of my head. "I like your shampoo." "You're being weird." "I'm just horny as hell. You were naked in the next room and I wanted you naked in here." "I'm not having sex with you." "Tonight," he said with an exasperated sigh. "You keep forgetting to end your declarations with the word 'tonight."
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tonight
|
Bijou Hunter |
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7f47a7b
|
You shouldn't call girls bitches." "That chick is a bitch. I don't need to know her to know that much. The way she was looking at you the first night was like she wanted to kill you because you took her table. Who gets that pissed off about a fucking table?" "She probably needs the tips." "So you like everyone, huh? Is your nickname doormat?" Crossing my arms again, I stared at the television and planned to ignore him. Except he was in ..
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|
bitches
cooper-and-farah
|
Bijou Hunter |
|
9f7d3f8
|
Shaking my head, I grudgingly smiled. "Will the pizza be here soon?" "Yes," he murmured, suddenly next to me. "You smell good." Before I could speak, his lips were on mine for a brief touch. I froze for the seconds our lips met and remained a little frozen when he pulled away. As he leaned back, his lips curved into a gentle grin. "Those lips of yours are fucking gorgeous." Covering my mouth, I sighed. All of my life, I heard about my fa..
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|
lips
|
Bijou Hunter |
|
08ebab5
|
The reason," he whispered, caressing my cheek and neck with his lips, "guys obsess over these lips is because they're so fucking sexy. Soft too. Little pink pillows that taste sweeter than candy." When he lifted his gaze and stared down at me, Cooper laughed. "You're pouting again." Unsure what would happen next, I said nothing. Cooper spent another minute kissing my neck then he climbed off of me and fell back into the corner groove of t..
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Bijou Hunter |