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Austenland Shannon Hale 20650K 2023-09-01

"Youfor fa

They ate the cold ers and nearly potato-free fries by the light of television static, which had becoic childhood stories

"I elve and s," Jane said "One night I stole her razor and shaved in bed In the dark Without soap

"I was a punk kid, horribly skinny at age ten, and liked to throw eggs at cars Yes, I know, the creativity of young boys is inspiring I hborhood’s bodybuilding record holder, who still lived with his ht feet off the ground I hung there for an hour"

Tonight she would definitely leave without so ood-bye kiss She was in this for the company, after all This was not a reality TV shohere the producers, in attorney-approved speech, persuaded the bachelorette to ainst the door, her hand on the doorknob, he leaned over to kiss her cheek The salty sed her, and she leaped up to reach his lips, wrapping her legs around his middle, separated by oodles of skirt

"How tall are you anyway?" she asked

"About two hundred centi from her eyes to her lips "Six-foot-six to you, Miss Aainst the door, kissing until they couldn’t breathe Making out with Martin was perhaps theshe’d ever had His hands seemed impatient, and she marveled at his ability to keep them out of the No Fly Zones The result was the passion didn’t escalate to frenzy It was soft and ardent, the focus just on the kissing, just on the pressure of two bodies near, and the exhilarating restraint For Jane, the thrill and danger felt like an extreo," he said

"M the girth of his chest

She didn’t want to go He didn’t want her to go, either She could feel the eagerness in his hands, the speed of his breathing He groaned regret, but he grabbed her waist and placed her back on her feet

"As much as I hate to, I really should walk you to the door"

She laughed She was already at the door--pressed against it, in fact He turned the knob, letting in the drenched sht, Miss Erstwhile" He kissed her hand

Jane went through the door backward as though she departed fro, turned around, and found herself walking crooked

The night was perfect, the darkness reclining s of a classical nude The leaves churned above Jane’s head The pale snaking garden paths hinted at movement, at possibilities not seen All the beauty of the cool autumn darkness seemed too much to comprehend, and her artist’s instinct perked up She told it to hush--noas not the ti from this unexpected find inside Austenland A real man A tall man! Someone to kiss and make her feel sexy and fun Soive, who allowed her to live in perfect moments, who made her want to smile instead of fret about future what-ifs For the first time in years, or perhaps ever, Ms Jane Hayes feltrelaxed