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We fell asleep wrapped around one another, spent and satiated Her hair was stuck to my chest and her taste was all in ht on top of me was kind of like the anchor that I had tattooed on rounded, reminded me she was

I JERKED AWAKE AND SWORE in aggravation when Saleut as she scraure out what she was doing, but then I heard Poppy frantically knocking on the bedrooroaned and reached for the jeans I had left on the side of the bed the night before Salem had commandeered my shirt, so I was only half dressed as Iroom to see what all the commotion was about

I told Jimbo to hush and fetched him a tennis ball to distract him as Poppy shrieked incoherently at Salem I was about to whistle and tell everyone to chill the fk out when the buzzer fro went off on the wall unit It buzzed and buzzed like so on it It was only four o’clock in the hbor

"What in the hell is going on?" I scrubbed irls

Salem looked at me over her shoulder, her dark eyes worried and fathomless Even with her tawny complexion I could tell she was pale

"Poppy thinks it’s Oliver, her husband"

I frowned and crossed ain and I looked at it balefully "How on earth would he even kno to find you?"

Poppy was shaking her head back and forth and crying big fat tears "I don’t know Ohto kill me"

I felt my eyebrows dip low over my nose as I made my way to the intercoet in and keeps leaning on the same button" I hit the response key and barked, "Move it, dude Not one is letting you in It’s four in the , don’t make me call the cops"

There was no response, but as soon as I let up off the call button it started buzzing again Sale ed and said, "Fine, I’er off the buzzer Whoever it is" Poppy started crying harder and Saleuy is unpredictable and unhinged I don’t want you to get hurt Maybe we should just call the police"

The buzzer started trilling once again and Jirowled at it low in his throat I reached down to scratch hiuy doesn’t get to harass irls and maybe he needs to pick on someone his own size"

Poppy hiccuped "He’s insane, Rowdy He nearly beat ree to have kids with hi hurt because of ave both of them a lopsided sood at taking care of you, remember?"

They both called my name as Jimbo darted past me and bolted to the end of the hallhere the security door was located I grabbed his collar just in case and pulled the first door open and made my way to the second where the interco in front of the console pressing the button with Sale up on it

He was pretty unre He was shorter thannondescript khakis and an untucked polo shirt His hair looked like it had been raked through with aggravated hands, and when his dark eyes landed onout of them

"Hey, man Knock it off I don’t knoho you are but you have the wrong aparted at ressive, so it uy stepped away from the console and looked me up and down Granted I looked like I has just been loved hard and woken up grumpy, which I had, but I still towered over hi the apprehension that crossed his puckered face His gaze landed somewhere on the pirate ship inked on my chest and he asked me with a sneer, "Who in the hell are you?"

I was so taken aback all I could do was blink The dog barked a loud, high-pitched yelp and the guy gave hiuy on the outside of the security door doesn’t get to ask the questions Like I said, get lost or I’e flooded into his face "My wife is in there and I’ht This guy wasanywhere near her I saw your handiwork last tiain"

"She belongs to uy’s crotch "People are not property Poppy is a sweet girl who deserves better than an assle that uses her as a punching bag and a dad that looks the other hile it’s happening Go back to Texas and forget about her"

He took a step closer to er when he poked me in the bare chest with it