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I frowned "Oh, you uy by the bathroo, and I thought back to his co eaten up in places like Mulvaney’s "Oh That’s right Nice girls like me should stay home"

"I didn’t say that"

We stopped atirls off froirls" He had no idea I ht look naïve and innocent, but my scars ran deep It took a lot to spookirl and not one of the sexpots tripping through the bar every night, but--"

His voice cut in s "I didn’t say that, either"

"You’re thinking it"

"You’re right You’re nothing like the other girls I see every night"

"Oh, that’s nice," I ers closed around the hard steel ofit open, I looked up, ready to tell him off, but then I lost myself in those pale blue eyes until I wasn’t sure what I was o hot and weak all at once

"And that’s not a bad thing Trust me"

Suddenly my knees felt all trembly, and I knew I needed to sit down

"Thanks for the walk" I started to duck inside the car, but his voice stopped , Pepper"

It was the first time I’d heard my name on his lips

I nodded dumbly, the open door at ht hed, the sound loose and dark, curling through ht so" His well-carved lips quirked "You’re just a kid"

"I am not a kid," I protested I haven’t been a kid since I spentbouys on the other side of the door "How old are you?" I shot back

"Twenty-three"

"You’re not that ued "I’ me off His half srowl of frustration "Don’t do that"

"What?"

"Condescend to h "Uh-oh Ivocabulary now"

How did this guy get girls to make out with him? He was a colossal jerk I could blauys were jerks Hunter wasn’t

"Prick," I o back to serving beer and stale peanuts?"

His hand closed around my arm and pulled me back around I looked down at his hand on my arm and then up to his face

"Hey," he said flatly, all hint of a sone My pulse skittered at e to press a hand there and steady the wild thrum of my blood I wouldn’t reveal his effect on hed except there was no levity in his expression His pale blue eyes fastened onan ih my sleeve

Then those eyes dropped toto kiss me

This was it The moment of my second--scratch that Third kiss Unsolicited or not, I had to count last night This one was the one I had been waiting for though The one where I would learn to actually kiss Frouy--a man--who kne to do it properly

He inched toward me My heart erupted like a druht of what I was about to do fled There was no thinking No calculated logic Just pure sensation