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"Not ht red shorts and strategically slashed Six-Ninths screened T-shirt

Her bright hair had been pulled up and teased, and her lips were painted to match her shorts

She looked hot and ready to party, and I felt vindicated inchoice of ultra-short black leather pleated skirt, fitted white ribbed tank top, and cherry red sixteen-eye Doc Martens

Gideon, who’d had his back to us while talking to Angus, turned to face us, and I found myself as dumbstruck now as I’d been when I first saw hi black jeans and a plain black T-shirt with heavy black boots and so sexy, I wanted to juerous as he was in a suit, he was even er and every bit as eous

"Holy shit, tellot your own

That one’s e thrill to say so

Mine to claim, to touch, to kiss

And later on, to fuck to exhaustion

Oh yeah

She laughed when I rocked onto ht

I’ll settle for an introduction"

I did the honors, then waited for her to hop into the limo first

I was about to climb in after her when I felt Gideon’s hand slide up beneath ainstbehind you when you bend over, angel, or I’ll be spanking this pretty ass"

Turning ainst his

"My period’s over"

He growled, his fingertips biting into the flesh of my hip

"Why didn’t you tell ratification, ace," I told hi a phrase he’d once tor at his curse when I dropped onto the bench seat beside Shawna

Angus slid behind the wheel and we headed out, breaking into a bottle of Arnac on the way

By the time we pulled up to Tableau One, a hot new fusion bistro that had a healthy line out front and energeticout onto the street, the coaze on the nearly indecent heiddy

Shawna slid forward on the seat and stared wide-eyed through the tinted s

"Doug tried to get us in here before he left, but the waiting list is two

You can walk up, but the wait can be hours and there’s no guarantee you’ll be seated"

The lius helped her out, thenala and not a rock concert

We were escorted inside so quickly, with the , that I looked at Gideon and hed, reconciled to the inevitable

"Is your friend going to estured with an easy nod of his chin

"He’s already here"

I followed his gaze to an attractive entle as the focal point in a photo op with two pretty wo a smartphone camera, then waved at Gideon and excused himself

"Oh my God"

Shawna bounced on her feet

"That’s Arnoldo Ricci! He owns this place

And he’s got a show on the Food Network!" Gideon releasedritual of close irlfriend, Eva Trarabbed it, pulled ht on thewith hu to Shawna and lifting her hand to his lips

"Shawna, this will be your escort, Arnoldo Ricci, if helook

"Arnoldo, Shawna Ellison"

She practically glowed

"My boyfriend’s a huge fan of yours

I ana recipe once and it was

To

Die

For"

"Gideon told me your man is in Sicily now"

Arnoldo’s voice was flavored with a delicious accent

"I hope you can aze darted to Gideon, knowing daiven hilanced down at me with a look of mock innocence and an almost imperceptible smirk