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"What an awfulto talk to Curtis about the quality of staff he e a huff of fury, she raying roots, round face, quick temper, the owner of the coffee shop was as sweet as her pastries However, if the newspaper revealed Linda had visited a BDSM club before being kidnapped, Betty’s sweetness e

Odd, wasn’t it? As a slave, she’d thought rescue would end all her problehtened her shoulders It was a nightht? She just had to hang in there I’ I a the curb in Linda’s cul-de-sac and ended up parking several houses down As he walked down the sidewalk, he saw the red and yellow balloons dotting the yard next door Children were laughing, yelling, whooping Sounded like sohtened as he reiven a party for Nicole

An hour before the party, Nancy had gone to town to fetch the cake After des Oxycodone She’d returned her than a kite, foulmouthed and out of control He’d had to ask another child’s mother to supervise as he kept his wife out of the roo and cursing Had to call the parents to pick up their children early A major clusterfuck

Nicole had refused any more parties So each birthday, he’d taken her and her buddies to a children’s pizza place or a skating rink or a water park They’d never told Nancy

Had to wonder if Nicole would have found it easier to have a consistently abusiveat intervals, but viciously destructive the rest of the time? Why the hell couldn’t he have made her life easier?

When he reached Linda’s, he spotted nehite blotches on the house He scowled The asshole had ain Because Sa everyone down

As he tapped on the door, he felt his hten Would she still be pissed off? Or worse, hurt?

The door opened "Sam!" Happiness lit her eyes Then her expression turned flat "Go away" She started to close the door

Hell He stuck his foot in the door "I’lared

Stubborn woh for his shoulders Far enough that he could bracket her face with his hands and compel her to actually see him Her eyes looked haunted His chest squeezed "Linda, I’o"

Despite his reirl Is that hypocrisy what you taught your children?"

His insult struck home, but she didn’t retreat "So I’m a bad example I didn’t teach theh to oddamned fuck toy!" He pulled in a breath Stow it, Davies "You are undoubtedly the strongest woman I know"

Surprise weakened her posture

"Don’t you want to hear e of the door and closed her eyes A second passed Another

The sound of her shuddering breath shook him If she started to cry, she would break his heart

Finally, she looked at hiht Come on in"

AS SAM WALKED past her, the chill winter air slipped in the door after hied to change herto say to hi between theathered her into a war "Even if you don’t want to"--he snorted--"be my fuck toy, can we be friends?"

Friends? Why did his work shirts have to smell like sunshine? She rested her cheek on the orn fabric, thinking of all the times he’d held her Talked to her He’d helped her scrape her house Had cooked her breakfast Demanded an old Clint Eastwood uitar with her and then for her as she wove a new basket Soht past her defenses Yes, friends "I’m sorry I was rude"

He rubbed his chin on the top of her head "I like knowing you can fight back"

Me too And et aith only an apology "Are you going to explain?"