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“How’s Miles?” she asks him. “I think he and Aida are soulmates. All they do is nap and cuddle and eat.” “You better be getting up with him in the night,” Imogen says warningly. “Don’t leave it all to Aida.”
“Don’t come back,” he grunts as he cracks the door for us once more. Cal turns and fixes him with a cold stare. “Don’t give me a reason to.”
Raylan’s blue eyes are blazing, and he looks completely different from his usual cheerful self. He’s all wolf now, teeth bared and jaw rigid. He grabs me by my ponytail and kisses me again, even harder.
I squeeze his throat a little harder, lifting his feet up off the kitchen tile.
“Oh, so you think Raylan’s hot?” I say innocently. To my surprise, Nero grins. “Yeah. Real dreamy.”
“It’s more than that,” Nero says. ”There’s the parts that are the same and the parts that fill up the holes in each other. You don’t know what’s missing inside of you until you find it in someone else.”
coat and holds it so I can slip my arms into the sleeves. Then he opens the door for me.
“I’m shit at this,” I warn him. “That’s because you’re holding the knife wrong.” He comes around behind me and puts his hands over mine. His hand is slightly rough and very warm.
“Who taught you to cook?” I ask him. “Everybody. My grandpa, grandma, mom, dad, people I’ve met on my travels . . . it’s the universal language. Everyone likes food that tastes good. You can bond with anybody over a good meal.”
I can’t help tapping my fingers against the car door, nodding along to the song. Raylan looks over at me, thick black eyebrow cocked. He reaches over and twists the knob to turn up the
I can’t help smiling. I sing along for a couple bars, not caring that I’m shit at carrying a tune. Raylan laughs and turns the music up more. He doesn’t know the lyrics, but he does the “Wa-ooo” accompaniment like he’s my backup
At first she’s trying to eat her ribs tidily, using her knife and fork, but soon she realizes that’s impossible. She sees the rest of us—especially my brother—attacking the ribs like wild animals, and she eventually picks one up with both hands and takes a big bite.
“Put her on Penny or Clover,” my mom says in a warning tone. She’s naming two of our sweetest and most gentle horses. “Of course.”
He drops his jeans. Then, keeping his brilliant blue eyes fixed on mine, he hooks his thumbs in his boxer shorts and pulls those down, too.
Raylan gives me his hand to help me down.
“Yeah, but I can’t dance, so what’s the point,” Shelby pouts. “I’ll swing you around.” Grady grins, slinging a heavy arm around her shoulders. “Might make the baby come faster.” “That’s true,” Shelby says, perking up a little.
LMFOAOAOAJLDD
“I don’t really know how to—” I start, but he’s already pulling me into his arms, one hand on my waist and the other clasping my right
“She doesn’t like him that way?” Raylan looks over at me, dark eyebrow cocked. “Women don’t always know what they like.” I feel the color rising in my face. “That’s pretty sexist.” Raylan shrugs. “Okay. People don’t know what they like.” He grins. “Especially women.”
Raylan comes barreling through the doorway, half-carrying and half-dragging Bo along. Grady is right behind him. Together they frog-march their sister back to the truck.
But both are grinning.
I don’t understand her. But goddamn do I want to.
From defense to offense mode. That’s fine—I’d rather fight than beat my head against a brick wall.
“I don’t want to trap you. I want to unleash you. I want to set you free. I want to show you what you really are
I move my thumb and replace it with my tongue. I slide my tongue across her bottom lip and her top and then the space in between. When she opens her mouth a little more, I thrust my tongue inside, tasting her. I grab her thick red hair, wrapping it around my hand like a rope, and I pull her face into mine, penetrating her mouth with my tongue. This is no chaste kiss—this is me taking her mouth. Violating it. Filling her up.
I grab her by the throat and growl in her ear, “Shut the fuck up. You promised to do what I say.”
I pick up a pair of shears off the workbench, their blades gleaming in the light. I open and close them once so Riona can hear the vicious snapping sound. She shivers, trying to look behind her. I place the blade against the tender skin of her hip, slipping it under the waistband of the thong, cutting her panties off in one sharp snap.
But curiosity and arousal keep her silent. I say, “Just so we’re clear, this is what punishment feels like.” I swing the crop through the air, whipping her smartly on the ass. Riona yelps, trying to pull away, but she’s tied tightly down over the bench.
The next morning, I wake up to Raylan’s tongue between my thighs. He’s down under the blankets, gently licking and lapping at my clit.
I’ve got both cheeks as full as a chipmunk and I’m still shoveling in more.
Celia can’t help laughing. “At least we’re having a good influence on you.” “Yesh,” I mumble, mouth full and belly happy. Raylan laughs too, loving that he’s managed to sway me over to the joys of breakfast if nothing else. His laugh is loud and mischievous, the kind that pulls everyone else into mirth. The boys start giggling, and soon Shelby and Grady are, too. I like this family so much.
He scoops one of the clean, fluffy chicks out of its glass box and places it in my hands. I’m amazed how light it is and how soft. I can feel its heartbeat against my thumb, ten times faster than my own. The chick nuzzles down in my palm, enjoying the warmth.
We’re talking almost fifty million dollars . . .
“I know they do. You can’t have a best friend that you’re attracted to. That’s what being in love is. It’s wanting to fuck your best friend.” Riona laughs. “That’s all love is?” “That’s what it should be.”
Out of nowhere, Raylan hits him from the side. He barrels toward us from the direction of the house, tackling the Djinn sideways, taking him out at the knees so they roll over and over on the crushed stone. “Run, Riona!” Raylan shouts.
Her body reminds me of a violin—perfectly shaped, perfectly balanced. I want to play her like an instrument. I want to tease the most outrageous sounds out of her.
I do plan to take back the cowboy boots Raylan bought me at the outlet store. I know I won’t have anywhere to wear them in Chicago, but I feel irrationally attached to them. They’re damned comfortable, if nothing else.
The boys stare at the baby like she’s an alien. “I thought it was gonna be a girl?” Tucker says. “She is a girl,” Shelby tells him. “Then how come her hair’s so short?”
The only time he was stern was if he saw us acting cruel. That he never allowed. I miss him. God, I miss him.
“I’m not blaming her,” he says. “I only wish I spoke her language better.”
“I’m Nessa.” “I know,” I say. “Riona talks about you a lot.” “She does?” Nessa eyes are bright with pleasure. “Yeah,” I say. “A lot more than Callum. She barely likes him at all.” Nessa laughs. Her laugh is higher than Riona’s, but the cadence is the same.
Nessa sees the murderous expression on my face. Far from frightening her, it seems to please her.
“I could say the same to you,” she says, arching one perfectly shaped eyebrow. “I know what Long Shot means.” “Yeah? Well you were the longest shot I ever took. What do you think? Did I make it?” She tries to hold back her smile, but can’t. “I don’t know how you did it, but you hit the bullseye.”
“Don’t crush the patient! You know I wasn’t even supposed to let you stay the night.”
Raylan grabs my arm and pulls me close so my body is pressed right up against his broad chest. His stubble scratches my cheek as he leans over to whisper in my ear: “Don’t you think you’re safe just ‘cause we’re in Chicago, darlin.’ I can find a riding crop if I need to.”
Still, I look up into those bright blue eyes with my haughtiest expression. “I’m not going to make it so easy for you next time.” “Easy or rough . . . I’ll take what I want,” Raylan growls.
“Don’t crash the car either.” “I would never!” Nessa sniffs. “My driving has vastly improved-- I’ve only gotten two tickets so far this year.”
He grins as we pull up, excited to show me what he looks like in an actual tux. He should be pleased with himself—he looks damn good. Even better than I expected. The smoke gray jacket is perfectly fitted, and his beard and hair look blacker than ever by contrast. His blue eyes have taken on a steel-colored cast under the gray autumn sky. He takes my arm, looking me up and down with obvious appreciation. “Goddamn, woman…just when I think you couldn’t impress me any more than you already have, you step out of that car and blow my fucking mind.” “You clean up pretty nicely yourself,” I smile.
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Callum. I can see little Miles peeking over Callum’s shoulder. He’s been pacified with a soother stuffed in his mouth, but his gray eyes still look furious, and his dark hair sticks up in all directions.
seat. She came to visit me in the hospital every day even though I told her it wasn’t necessary. She brought me clothes, toiletries, books and magazines, Brazil nuts, dried fruit, and chocolate. She brought treats for Raylan, too, until there was barely room for anyone to sit down anymore.
“Say, ‘Please, Daddy.’” She scowls at me, and I could laugh out loud at the pleasure of teasing her. I knew she’d hate that.
