Stephanie’s Comments (group member since Jul 22, 2015)

Stephanie’s comments from the The #JustTheTip Readership group.

Chapter Fifteen

Deacon arrives at Indie’s 45 minutes later to pick up Frankie. Indie tells him that she’s going out of town overnight to help plan a wedding and she’s not happy about Frankie being left alone. Deacon agrees and says he’ll take Frankie home with him because he’s not leaving her alone. At the game, Frankie takes the extra tickets to the standing room to give them away while Deacon gets snacks. Two periods in Deacon tells Frankie that he’s missed this and she says she has, too. Then a guy behind them points to the ceiling and Deacon sees that they are on the KissCam and the crowd starts to chant for Frankie to “kiss him”. Which he does and he turns her chaste kiss in to something deeper. For the rest of the night Deacon keeps her off balance.

What were your thoughts on Chapter Fifteen?
Were Indie and Deacon justified in keeping the fact that Frankie wasn’t going to Indie’s after the game a secret?
Did you feel with them going to the game and admitting that they missed each other a start in the right direction for their relationship?

Chapter Fourteen

Deacon hasn’t seen Frankie in days but Cristiano is all over the gym whether she’s there or not. Deacon is training and not concentrating enough so he keeps getting laid out by his sparring partners. Sonny tells him that he needs to get his act together and focus on his training. After Sonny calls it a day he lets him know that he can’t go to the game with him tonight because they need to watch fight tapes to prepare for his match with Tamasino. Then he tells him Mav isn’t going to the game either because he has an out of town “date”. After Sonny leaves Deacon sees Cristiano in Frankie’s studio and when he goes to ask what he’s doing he overhears him talking to someone in Spanish saying he’s not going back to Spain. He leaves before Cristiano sees him and decides to see if Frankie wants to go to the game with him. When she answers her enthusiasm sounds forced but she’s talking to him. She asks about the fight and Deacon asks her if she’s worried about him. She says of course she is, somebody has to be. He tells her that the guys and his dad have ditched him tonight and did she want to go to the game? That it would just be the two of them like a million times before. He hangs up after telling her to get ready and that he’ll be there in a few.

What were your thoughts on Chapter Fourteen?
What did you think about Mav and his out of town “date”?
Were you mad with Cristiano and him insisting that he wasn’t going back to Spain?

Chapter Thirteen

Deacon’s POV

Deacon gets home and starts setting things up for Frankie and hoping to sober up some before she gets there. When the doorbell rings he’s thinking Frankie forgot her keys. Needless to say, he was not happy to find Veronica at his door. She tells him she saw everyone at the bar and that Frankie and Cristiano were all over each other when they were getting in to the cab. Veronica says she’s there to help relieve Deacon’s tension. Between his drunken state and picturing Cristiano and Frankie together, Deacon can’t fight off Veronica when she undoes his pants to “relieve his tension”. When she says it’s her turn, Deacon tells her that she has to leave. At this point he knows he screwed up and Frankie can never find out. Veronica doesn’t believe he’s serious and hasn’t moved when Sonny calls asking where he’s been. When he realized Veronica is there he starts yelling and Deacon and Veronica butts in, which makes Deacon angrier and he tells her that she needs to get out now. When she argues Sonny says to tell her to go outside and that Trent and Reggie can take her home since they are at the gate. As soon as she’s gone, Sonny starts in on Deacon telling him that he messed up. That he’s going to have a hard time convincing Frankie that she’s different if he isn’t willing to change for her. He tells him what Veronica did at the bar to make sure Frankie knew Deacon invited her and that she would just come to his place since he was gone already. Sonny tells him that he thought Deacon deserved Frankie but that he was wrong and she doesn’t need to be hurt by him. Then he storms off. Mav tells him not to let Sonny get to him but that he was right in that they wouldn’t let him hurt Frankie.

What were your thoughts on Chapter Thirteen?
Should Deacon have tried harder to fight off Veronica?
Was Sonny right in telling Deacon that he was wrong about thinking Deacon deserved Frankie?

Chicago!

Due to life, LOL, the Love Hurts Read Along/Discussion will continue on 3/9 and finish on 3/14. The new dates for the Love Burns Read Along/Discussion will also be announced then. :)

We will be reading/discussing the chapters on the following days.

Prologue - 2/15 Posted
Chapters 1-4 - 2/21 Posted
Chapters 5-8 - 2/22 Posted
Chapters 9-12 - 2/24 Posted
Chapters 13-16 - 3/11 Posted
Chapters 17-20 - 3/12 Posted
Chapters 21-24 - 3/13 Posted
Chapters 25-28 - 3/14 Posted
Chapters 29-32 - 3/15 Posted
Chapters 33-36 - 3/16 Posted

Chapter Twelve

Frankie’s POV

As Frankie watches Deacon leave the bar, she is happy he doesn’t pick up the lady that thought she would be going with him. As she’s thinking about whether or not she could be with Deacon and if their friends and family would accept them, Veronica walks in. She starts talking crap about Frankie being out when she’s supposed to be hurt and that’s why Deacon forfeited his fights. When Frankie tells her that she’s fine, Veronica basically says that she doesn’t care that Frankie broke a nail and that she was only worried about Deacon’s standings. Sonny breaks in and tells her to watch what she’s saying. Veronica then asks where Deacon is because she insists that he told her to meet him there, claiming that he is her boyfriend. Indie says she’s delusional and Mav tells her that he left and has early gym time, trying to get her to go away. It didn’t work. Veronica says she’ll just head over to his place and leaves. Sonny says he already texted Deacon a heads up because he knows that he didn’t invite her over. Frankie gets ready to leave, not sure whether she believes that Deacon has been honest about not being involved with Veronica. The interaction with her has shaken Frankie up. She tells her Loves and Indie goodbye and Indie tells her not to let Veronica get to her, that she knows where Deacon stands. Cristiano tells Reggie and Trent that he can see Frankie home safely and Frankie confirms it. As they are leaving they see Veronica also waiting for a taxi, but Frankie does her best to ignore her. Then she smells cherry and tobacco, the scent that reminds her of her attack. She starts to have a panic attack and she looks around but didn’t see him anywhere. She asks Cristiano if she can smell it, but he says he doesn’t and he does his best to soothe her. As they get in the cab to head home, still ignoring Veronica, Cristiano pretty much tries to take advantage of the vulnerable state telling her that he could stay with her and hold her or remind her of how well knows her body. Frankie says she doesn’t think his girlfriend would appreciate that reminder. Cristiano tells her that their relationship was over the minute he showed up at the hospital but hadn’t told her yet because he didn’t want to do it over the phone. But, if Frankie just gave him the word, he would call and do it right away. The chapter ends with Frankie turning him down by saying she is sleeping alone and, despite her misgivings regarding Deacon and Veronica, she has chosen Deacon.

What were your thoughts on Chapter Twelve?
How bad did you want to slap Veronica?
Did you hate Cristiano even more in this chapter?

Chapter Eleven

Deacon is out with his brothers and Trent at Hawkey Time and his plan to get laid turned in to a boys’ night instead because he doesn’t want anyone but Frankie. Frankie shows up with Cristiano and is surprised to see her Loves there. They sit down with Deacon and the guys and Cristiano sees Frankie’s garter tattoo and asks if it’s new. Then he says he can’t wait to see her new one, which was news to Deacon because he’s taken Frankie to get all of her other tattoos. When he asks her about it she tells him that it wasn’t like that. Indie interrupts and tells Deacon to calm himself because she took her to a gal that did work for her because it was in a sensitive place. Frankie tells them all they are ridiculous and heads to the washroom. Deacon is quick to follow and grabs Frankie by the wrist as she is coming out of the bathroom. He pulls her into an alcove and up against the wall. He asks her where the tattoo is and to show him all the while running his hands over her and kissing her ear and neck. Frankie tells him that they can’t do this here and she wasn’t going to show him her tattoo. He tells her that if he find out that she showed her “sensitive areas” to Cristiano or anyone else he is going to knock heads. She retaliates by saying she doesn’t belong to him and can show her sensitive areas to anyone she wants. He tells her she’s wrong and she says to tell that to Veronica. He tells her that he hasn’t been with Veronica in a while and that Frankie should him forget about her. When Frankie says she doesn’t want to be used, Deacon tells her that he wouldn’t ever use her and she is the only one in his system. Frankie pushes past him after telling him she can see why they call him “The Hitman.”

After going back to the table, Deacon makes to leave and intends to pick up a woman who is flirting with him from the bar. As he turns to leave he can see that he’s upset Frankie, who is struggling not to shed any tears. He leans down and whispers to her, telling her to come home with him. When she asks why he says they can talk about that later, that he would leave by himself and she should have Reggie bring her to his place. He heads out alone, right back the lady who thought she would be going home with him.

What were your thoughts on Chapter Eleven?
When Deacon was telling Frankie that he hadn’t been with Veronica in a while, but was thinking in his head that BJs don’t count, what were you thinking?
When Deacon left alone after telling Frankie to come over, at this point, did you think she was going to show up at his place?

Chapter Ten

It’s been a couple of months since Frankie has been out of the hospital and things are still tense between her and Deacon. Deacon is working to make up points to get back in to the standings for the championship, having taken several forfeits when Frankie was hurt. He’s at the gym and heading towards his brothers while pointedly ignoring Frankie’s studio because Cristiano is in there with her. Indie calls while on is way over and gives him crap about Cristiano and Frankie and tells him that she’ll help him with Frankie. He tells her that he’s giving her space and that she is his and there is no way Cristiano is going to take his girl. Indie hangs up on him after telling him not to piss on her friend while marking his territory. Deacon finishes walking over to his brothers and tells that the he needs to get laid so they were going out tonight.

What were your thoughts on Chapter Ten?
Could you feel the irritation coming off of Deacon?
Didn’t you love how Indie didn’t care that he was in a mood?
Were you upset that Deacon said he needed to go out and get laid?

Chapter Nine

Deacon’s POV

Deacon arrives at the hospital to take Frankie home and finds Cristiano waiting in the hall. He tells him he’s waiting to see Frankie but the detectives are in with her. He gets all huffy and stalks off when Deacon walks right in to the room. He greets the detectives and asks if they have any leads on Andrew yet. They tell him no and that they are just there to touch base with Frankie and make sure they have her contact info. Deacon asks if they will have units patrolling Indie’s house (where Frankie will be staying). When they tell him that they will do all they can to keep her safe, but resources are limited, Deacon says he’ll have someone with her at all times and that it’s non-negotiable.

After arguing with Frankie about sleeping over at Indie’s, Deacon helps her lie down since he can see she is in pain. Ashe’s helping her settle he sees her crying and soothers her the best he can while telling her that he won’t let anyone hurt her again.

The next morning Deacon is making coffee when Frankie shuffles in, in obvious pain, and a lot cranky. Deacon jokes about how they could be having coffee in his house and he wouldn’t have to sleep on Indie’s couch. He quickly grows angry when Frankie thanks him for “babysitting” her and forfeiting fights to stay with her. He quickly tells her she was hurt and they could have lost her. That he wasn’t babysitting. Then she tells him that she’s not ready to get in to what they talked about at her party, that the attack doesn’t change anything. Deacon tells her that except for this one time he couldn’t save her from the attack, he has always dropped everything to be there for her. That he’s always loved her and the only thing that has changed is the way he loves her is different. Deacon leaves after nodding to let Frankie know that he heard her when she tells him that she needs time to figure out if being with him is what she wants.

What were your thoughts on Chapter Nine?
Did you want Deacon to tell Cristiano to go away as much as I did?
How upset were you when Frankie told Deacon that she needed time because she didn’t know if she wanted to be with him?

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It was so bad! I could feel their worry jump off the pages!

Stupid, interrupting Andrew! LOL That kiss was so hot! And Frankie did have a right to be angry that Deacon waited until that moment to confess his love, but as we read on we find out why he waited but I was glad that he decided to tell her.

Yes, he definitely needed the wake up call and Indie certainly gave it to him!! And I love how he pointed out that giving her jewelry was his thing and it wasn't going to change. Pretty much tells Andrew what's what!

I hated Andrew from the beginning, too!!

Chapter Eight

The detectives are back to question Frankie now that she is awake. Deacon tells them that she’s having tests run and he doesn’t know if she’ll be back or up to talking with them. Detective Adams promise not to push her and that they would be back. An hour later, Frankie is back in the room Deacon tells her that the detectives are here and that he’ll tell them to come back later if she doesn’t feel up to talking to them. Frankie asked him to stay with her but that she wanted everyone else to stay out. The nurse assures her that she will keep them out and send the detectives in.

Frankie’s POV

Frankie feels Deacon nudging her awake to let her know that the detectives are there to talk to her. They introduce themselves and tell her to let them know if she needs a break while telling them about the attack. Frankie starts describing how she was getting her luggage ready and debating whether or not to leave Andrew a note when she hears him in the garage. As she walks in to the kitchen to meet him she’s hit over the head and goes on to explain how he keeps hitting her, kicking her, threatening her as he drags her through the house and how she attempts to fight back before he hits her hard enough that she goes through the glass doors in the shower before finally passing out. She answers as many of their questions as she can before she finally tells them that it hurts too much to remember. Deacon does his best to soothe her despite his own turmoil before telling her he needs a minute. He tells the detectives to leave because she’s had enough for today and waits at the door while they leave. Once they’re gone he heads back to Frankie’s side and wipes away her tears, kisses his spot on her wrist and brokenly tells her that he’s sorry and she realized that she just broke him.

What were your thoughts on Chapter Eight?
Were you shocked by everything that happened in the attack?
This was an emotionally brutal chapter!

Chapter Seven

Deacon is sleeping in the chair next to Frankie’s hospital bed, holding her hand, with his head resting in her lap. Something woke him but he doesn’t see anything. He starts to drift back to sleep when he feels someone running their fingers through his hair. When he looks and sees Frankie’s eyes are open he puts his head back down as sobs tear through him and everything hits him all at once – terror that she night not come back to him, rage, everything. He tells Frankie how happy he is to see her eyes are open. He gets her water as she tries to talk and counters her “how long” questions by asking if she knows who he is. Despite his worry at her apparent weakness, he grins and winks when she tells him she couldn’t ever forget who he was. They are interrupted by the nurse who jokingly tells Franke that he’s been giving the nurses a hard time and sends him out as she checks on Frankie. He heads out to call everyone, but before he leaves he tells her that he’s here and that everything is going to be okay because he’s got her like always.

What were your thoughts on Chapter Six?
How happy were you that Frankie was finally awake?
Did you want to reassure Deacon that everything would be okay the way he reassured Frankie?

Chapter Six

Frankie has been in the hospital for a week and hasn’t yet woken up. Deacon continues to stay with her, only leaving when he needs to shower. He talks Indie in to going back to the hotel room so she can eat and get some rest, promising her that he would call if Frankie woke up. He sits with Frankie, talking to her and playing her music. Mav shows up to tell him that the Detectives still have nothing and Andrew is still missing. And then Flashdance AKA Cristiano shows up. Cristiano is Frankie’s ex. Needless to say, Deacon is not happy. Mav leaves him alone after getting him to promise to behave. This would have been fine had Cristiano not used an accusing tone when he asked Deacon where his injuries came from. Reggie steps in to intervene but Cristiano apologizes to Deacon so that they don’t kick him out of the hospital room. He tells Deacon he came to Chicago (from Spain) as soon as a friend called him when they saw the news story about Frankie and he asks what happened. Deacon tells him about the attack and that all the Detectives have to go on is the fact that she said Andrew’s name when she called Deacon. Cristiano tells him about how the last time he talked to Frankie he told her not to marry Andrew and that he would come back to Chicago. She got angry and hung up on him. Mav shows up and tells Cristiano his time is up and, after some hushed whispering to Frankie, he left. After Mav leaves after visiting with Frankie, Deacon is alone with her. He starts talking to her about a time when she was in high school and some kid asked her out. They greeted him at the front door and scared and Frankie was pissed. Deacon tells her that even then knew that he loved her but wasn’t ready for her, that he hadn’t earned the right for her to love him back yet.

What were your thoughts on Chapter Six?
Did you want to punch Cristiano?
Did you swoon at Deacon’s memory about loving her since high school?

Chapter Five

Deacon arrives in Chicago after a two hour flight and rushes to the hospital, desperate to get to Frankie. As soon as he sees her lying in the hospital bed, his knees buckle. He tries to get up to go in to her room but Reggie and the nurse block him, so he sinks back to the floor watching and waiting. Time passes before he realized Indie has crawled in to his lap and when he feels someone touching him, he turns to see if it was Mav because he had questions. His voice trembles when he sees Mav covered in blood and asks him if it’s Frankie’s, which Mav didn’t realize he was covered in it. While Reggie takes him to clean up, Deacon and Indie head in to the waiting room. Just before the doctor shows up, they find out from Indie that Frankie was planning to leave Andrew. After first mistaking the reason for Deacon’s injuries, the doctor relaxes once he realized who he is. He says some of Frankie’s injuries are defensive wounds, which tells them she was fighting back. But they won’t know anything regarding the extent of her brain injuries until she wakes up. Their Dads arrive and Guy is frantic to see Frankie. Deacon explains what the doctor told them and Guy breaks down crying. Detective Adams and Flores show up to question them about what happened and are skeptical about why Frankie would call Deacon instead of the cops. Guy tells them it’s because Deacon has been protecting and saving her since she was a little girl. The nurse finally tells them they can see Frankie and Indie and Deacon go first. The tears flow when they see her. While they are seeing Frankie, Andrew’s parents show up and Mav comes to tell him. He goes out and tells them, with some argument, that they are not welcome there and that they need to leave. The next day, Deacon is waiting for the doctor to finish examining Frankie when Reggie calls to tell him that the FBI is all over the place asking questions and going through the computer. Deacon tells him to bring Frankie’s stuff to his place and not mention it to Frankie at all, all the while wondering what Andrew had been caught up in.

What were your thoughts on Chapter Five?
Were you able to get through the chapter without crying? (I didn’t any of the times I read it! LOL)
What did you think about the doctor mistakenly thinking Deacon had something to do with Frankie’s attack? Do you think he was justified considering he didn’t know who Deacon was at first, or do you think he shouldn’t have jumped to that conclusion right away?

Chapter Four

Two months after the party, Deacon is on the road for fights. He hasn’t talked to Frankie at all since the night of her birthday. He comes back to the hotel room in St. Louis with a bottle of vodka and a redhead who he’s brought back to give him that BJ from the prologue. After some heated words with Sonny, Deacon settles in with his vodka and the redhead. When his phone starts ringing with Frankie’s ring tone, he ends up kicking the redhead out just before answering the call that ends up terrifying him to the depths of his soul. At first he hears nothing on the line and starts yelling for Frankie to answer him. Sonny and Reggie rush back to the room after Deacon opens the door to look for them and they hear him yelling. Then all he hears is Frankie’s hard breaths and wheezing gasps and then the words Help, Deac, Hurt and Andrew. Nothing else. Reggie calls the cops while Sonny calls Mav, who is already back in Chicago. Mav shows up just before the cops and finds Frankie bleeding on the floor, barely breathing. When the medics show up, Deacon and the guys are boarding the flight and Deacon loses it on the phone with Mav and the tears he’s been fighting come. As the chapter ends with Frankie on the way to the hospital and Deacon on his way to the hospital we hear the chilling words “She’s crashing!”

What were your thoughts on Chapter Four?
Can you imagine how Mav felt showing up and finding Frankie like that?
Were you as torn up as Deacon and his brothers were? Did you cry right along with them?