Kristen Ashley

“I grabbed my shot of tequila. Then I tossed it back. When I put my empty down to the bar and after I took in a deep breath, I informed her, “I like you. I need a new best friend. I’ve added you to the top of a list that has one name. Yours.”

“I stood there. Still. Frozen. Looking at the most handsome man I’d ever seen in my life. The man I fell in love with when he was still mostly a boy. The man who raised two great kids against the odds. The man who kept the streets of my hometown safe. The only man outside my brother and father who even tried to take care of me, he did it in a way that was beautiful, precious, so I let him. The man who made me happy. The man who was happy being with me.”

“Any good woman knows two things. She knows how to take care of herself and she knows how to take care of the ones she loves. Today, you demonstrated you’re a good woman Rees. And it was an honor to be there because it was a sight to behold.”

“But between these two men she loved, both in one way or another holding her close always, Clarisse Haines knew she would never fall.”

“As I’m concerned, Fin, you did not fuck up. Those boys didn’t touch my daughter. So the way I see it, as her man, you did your job.”

“Uh… didn’t we just pretty much share we care deeply for each other not five minutes ago?” I asked cautiously. “No, we didn’t pretty much do anything and we sure as fuck didn’t pretty much share we care deeply for each other. We tod each other we’re in love,” he corrected me and my belly compressed as my heart skipped a beat. “No,” I contradicted stupidly but correctly, my heart, now racing, messing with my ability to think. “I think it was you telling me we’re in love.”His brows shot together and that was hot too. “Do you disagree?” he fired back. “Uh… no,” I replied. His brows then shot up and damn, that was hot too. “Your point?”

“I’m falling in love with you, Mike Haines.” As I spoke, with every word his arms got tighter and tighter and his face, already close, became a breath away. “Angel, you’re already gone.”I blinked and asked, “Sorry?”“I read your diaries. I caught your pass in that hotel room. I listened to your offer to stay. I saw you wave good-bye at the airport and got your call before I’d pulled out of the parking lot. You fell with a kiss. I know, honey, because I was right there with you.”

“I took in a deep breath and let it out. He had my back. He had my front. He had my family.He had my heart.”

“We already established I’m whipped. Got no problem with that considering how that’s come about puts me in a good mood.”

“I haven’t bought Jerra flowers since I pissed her off when we were datin’ and fell asleep durin’ some crappy-ass movie she forced me to take her to sayin’ that movie was Hollywood’s version f us. How could I fall asleep watching the story of us, she asks. And, bro, if that was us, we are borin’ as shit.”

“I see a badge on four belts. I’d like it explained why he’s here,” Debbie demanded, eyeing up Cal. “Mostly ‘cause there’s nothin’ on TV,” Cal replied, Debbie’s eyes narrowed and Merry chuckled.”

“You were my high school girlfriend. You put out at fifteen. I put up with a lotta shit back then I would not put up with now. You had eyes on your sister at least the last fifteen minutes. I think you can see why I’m pretty fuckin’ pleased I got the chance to make the switch twenty-five years later.”“Harsh,” he heard Sully mutter from behind him. “True, but harsh,” he added.”

“Holy fuck,” Sully muttered, his eyes on Mike. “Funeral hook up. Didn’t know you had that in you. Impressed.”

“I pretty much thought everything about Mike was awesome but this new side to Mike was beyond awesome. I didn’t even know what that was and I was too turned on to try to figure it out.”

“This is the deal, Angel. You… ran… away from me. And I tasted regret for the first time in my life. And that didn’t sting, it fuckin’ killed.”

“I’m sayin’ that I care about you, I do it deeply and I have for a really fuckin’ long time. We’re gonna explore this and I hope to God the feelin’ I got is not wrong because I tried time and again to make it feel wrong but all it ever felt was right.”

“I’m here to right wrongs and I’m gonna do it, Angel. You told me I’d had my last chance but I don’t accept that and I won’t. If you tell me now that my explanation is not enough and you want me gone, I’m not goin’. I’m not giving up. I got one part of my life’s dream still open to me, very sign she gives me is screaming that she’s standing in my arms right now and I’m not gonna be ninety years old, looking back on my life and regretting that I gave up that dream.”

“Reesee answered my cell?” Dusty was silent. “Dusty,” he called. “My daughter answered your cell?”“If I say yes, are you gonna get pissed at your girl?”“Uh… yeah.”“Then I decline to answer.”Fuck.”

“The One.” Mike declared and Merry’s brows shot up.“The One?” Merry asked.“The One.” Mike confirmed. “In a weekend?” Merry asked.“In a weekend,” Mike confirmed.“No shit?” Merry whispered.“Absolutely no fuckin’ shit,” Mike answered.Merry whistled. Then he smiled. Then he repeated, “Good for you, man.”“Oh yeah,” Mike muttered.”

“And girls tell me he’s hot.” He grinned and finished, “I wouldn’t know, seein’ as I’m a guy but I look like him and I’m smokin’ hot so he’s gotta be hot.”

“If this is about working through your pain with me, I gave what I’m gonna give to that. If this is about something else, then I’ll be spending the night.”

“Toasted almond pancakes. Sweet soft 'okays'. Makin' me laugh more in a few weeks than I have in decades. 'Yes, Daddys' I feel in my dick. The first voicemail you left me, babe. I saved it and I listen to it once a day. If I lose focus, I see you on your back, knees high, legs wide, offering your sweet, wet pussy to me. You smile at me in bed every time you wander outta my bedroom in my shirts, my tees, or your work clothes and honest to Christ, it sets me up for the day. And no matter what shit goes down, I get through it knowin' whichever bed I climb into at night, you're in it ready to snuggle into me or give me what I wanna take. Your girl, a headache. You, never. And in a life that's been full of headaches, babe, having that, there is no price tag. You gotta get it and do it fuckin' now that there's a lotta different kinds of give and take. And you give as good as you get, baby, trust me.”

“My eyes went to him. "Your rule, honey. I can go put panties on." His eyes came to me. "You do, I get the strap.”

“Poker isn't all about the cards. Poker's mostly about attention. You got a woman whose legs are like yours, tits are like yours, hair is like yours and ass is like yours, all she's gotta do for me is sit there and half the men at the table won't be concentrating on their cards. They'll be thinking about your legs, tits, hair and ass, how much they want 'em and just what they'd do to get 'em.""I appreciate the compliment, Ty, but I don't think I'm all that.""You got a dick?"I felt my mouth twitch.Then I answered, "No.""Trust me”

“Pero no había encontrado a nadie que se quedara conmigo. No estaba desesperada. Si eso pasaba, pasaba. Si no lo hacía, podía cuidar de mi misma. Pero si pasaba, tenía que ser lo correcto.”

“Puse el teléfono en su cargador e inmediatamente comencé a hacer de todo. Enloquecer por las posibles actividades de Knight al mismo tiempo que guardaba las compras. Luego enloquecí al mismo tiempo que hacía un sándwich. Luego enloquecí al mismo tiempo que comía mi sándwich y me cambiaba de ropa. Luego enloquecí mientras caminaba a mi auto y continué enloqueciendo mientras manejaba a mi clase.Y por suerte había enloquecido lo suficiente que para el momento en que llegué a clase lo pude empujar a un lado y concentrarme.”

“Te jodes a la gente alrededor, eventualmente ellos te joderán de vuelta y ya que a nadie le gusta ser jodido al menos que lo quieran, cuando son movidos a hacerlo, joden más fuerte.”

“Jesus," he buried his face in my neck. "There's nothin' better in the world than hearing you say my name when I'm inside you." He slid in deeper, filling me. "I've been waiting years to be right here.”

“Okay, I’ve never done this. This is the guy’s department. What do I do? We need to get Lee’s size and we need industrial strength. Show me which ones to buy.”Eddie looked at the display and looked at me. “You’re askin’ me to help you buy condoms for Lee?”“Industrial strength condoms,” I reminded him. ...“Let me get this straight,” he said and I could tell he was laughing, “you dragged Eddie to Walgreen’s to help pick out condoms for me?”“Well, I didn’t know!”…“Did you tell Eddie the part about long-lasting reliability?”Oh Lord.“Forget it,” I said.“Indy?” he called.“What?” I snapped, kinda pissy.“I love you.” He still had laughter in his voice and there was something very cool about him laughing and saying I love you at the same time.”

“Maybe we should have this conversation in an alternate universe where Alternate Indy gives a shit what Alternate Lee wants her to wear.”

“You want to marry me?”“No. I’m gonna marry you.”

“For what it’s worth, I’ll share my intentions. You and me, we aren’t practice for the real thing. It isn’t that too much is at stake with family and friends, it’s because I love you. You’re funny, beautiful and you care about people. I like the way you look at me, especially when you think I don’t notice it. I like that we have history and our kids will have a big family and share that history because there was never a time when their Mom and Dad weren’t together. If you were a terrible lay, I might have second thoughts but you and I are dynamite together. I intend to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you. If that freaks you out, tough, because now we’ve started this, there’s no goin’ back.”

“Lee, you’re gonna have to get over this jealous-possessiveness thing.”“Indy, you’re gonna have to get used to the fact that I’m the jealous-possessive type.”

“How did Terrible Teddy’s face get like that?”“Me.”“You hit him?”“He touched you, you said it hurt. I found him and beat the shit out of him.”Oh… my… God.”

“What we have here is good and if you’d get over your thoughts that it isn’t gonna last, you’d realise how much better it’s gonna get if you’d just relax.”

“They’re on Lee and Indy Sex Watch.”“Come again?”“They want to know when we’ve done it.”Silence. I went on.“If we don’t do it soon, they might force us to at gunpoint.”“Christ.”“I know. No pressure though. I told them we’re taking is slow.”“You have to report in?”“I kind of feel obliged.”“How’s that?”I didn’t want to tell him I’d recruited them both for Lee Maneuvres in the past, so I said, “Never mind.”“If something doesn’t happen soon, it’s gonna be bad. I can’t keep focussed, all I can think of is what’s on your Victoria’s Secret credit statement.“You need to keep focused,” I told him, “bad guys are after me.”“Tell me about it.”

“Do you always wear underwear like this, or is it for me?”I rolled to my back and pulled the sheet to my waist. “It isn’t for you, I’ve been wearing underwear like this since Gram gave me my first Frederick’s of Hollywood box on my sixteenth birthday. Now, I owe Victoria’s Secret my first-born child.”Before speaking again, Lee waited several seconds that can only be described as ‘loaded silence’. While this silence was going on, he pulled the sheet back down.“You’re tellin’ me that since you were sixteen you’ve been sittin’ next to me every year at Christmas Dinner wearin’ underwear like this?”

“So, now you’re getting shot at, you’re gonna leave me?”“Girlie, I’m from Texas. We shoot at each other to say good morning.”

“I don’t get a taste of you soon, I’m givin’ up the search and takin’ you to my cabin in Grand Lake. No phones, no cell coverage, no buzzer. Anyone knocks on the door and I’m shooting them.”

“At that promise, and him calling me “gorgeous”, an electric spasm went straight through my lower belly and he kissed me and that was it. I’m a slut. I don’t know what to say, even with the emotional scene, I gave in.”

“At the sight and realisation that I was sleeping next to a naked Liam Nightingale, I’m not embarrassed to admit, I think I had a mini-orgasm”

“Jeez, we haven’t even slept together and already you don’t trust me.”“I’ve known you all your life not to mention the fact that my idiot sister is in the next room and when you two get together it’s like Laurel and Hardy do Denver.”

“Lee on the other hand was not asexual. He might think of me as his little sister and could calmly sleep next to me without his nipples getting hard (or anything else getting hard for that matter) but I was pretty certain I could not do the same.”

“The hot-o-meter started ringing like crazy as hot guys descended on me, my car and Tack from two directions. Boy was I glad I curled my hair.”

“You are not movin’ onto another guy,” he crossed his arms on his chest and finished, “Ever.” “That choice is not yours.” “Yeah it is,” he returned swiftly. “You can’t give away what’s mine.” “You aren’t getting this, Chace, but just now, I took it back.” “Can’t take back what’s mine either.”

“His eyes sliced to me and he clipped, “Stop that shit.” “What shit?” I asked “The cold, remote Faye. It’s shit,” he answered. “You’re right. It is. It’s a façade to hide the fact my heart is breaking. But, whatever. That isn’t your problem anymore. Now, can I point out, you told me you need space but you’re still fraking here?”

“I’ll call you Tuesday,” he whispered. I lifted my wineglass his way and invited, “You do that.” He didn’t move. I took another sip of wine. When I lowered my glass, reading me yet again, he noted, “You’re not gonna answer.” “Nope,” I replied, sounding shockingly cavalier considering my insides were bleeding.”

“No, it’s never happened to me before but I doubt after I fell head over heels in love with a wonderful man who kept important things from me, I’ll get over it just like that. I’ll drink with my girls and cry and wonder if I made the right decision. Then another man will come along, he won’t be as wonderful as my first love, but I suppose I’ll eventually get over it and move on.”

“He started to pull away again but she called his name so he stopped.“Yeah?”“Before you go, give me the dimples,” she demanded.That thing in his throat prickled and Hawk dipped his head and kissed the indentation at the base of his wife’s throat. Then he lifted his head and smiled at her.Her hand came to his face and he felt the pad of her thumb in one of his dimples.Then her eyes moved from her thumb to his and she smiled back. ”

“I don’t put up with the shit you’ve handed me the last week because you’re some fuckin’ piece I want to conquer. I put up with it because I’ve liked you since you were eight years old. You made me laugh. You understood me. You looked out for me when no one else fuckin’ bothered and you acted like you thought I could move mountains and I needed someone who thought that about me because my Dad sure as fuck didn’t.”