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I haven’t looked at another girl since she left Not one She’s all I think about When girls like Trish touchthat o in the past All I can think about is Emily

I look toward the door where Ford, one of the other bouncers, is barring the entrance Bone, our resident thug, is in the doorway and Ford knows that if he comes within five feet of er brother, Pete, is going to get hiether talking in the street a few days ago, and I don’t like it Bone is trouble, and I told him last week to stay the fk away from my family Pete doesn’t seem to understand what kind of problems Bone attracts

I take a step toward the doorway, but Matt is suddenly in front of ns

Would be toto catch that bastard alone ever since the last time I saw him with Pete Our little brother suddenly has a phone, and he suddenly hasenough s he now has And he puts every diitimately earns into the family kitty to pay the bills

He’s scu the attention of several people around us

I know, Matt replies We’ll take care of it, but we don’t need to do it here He looks

One more reason to keep hiht

Dammit Ford moves to the side and admits Bone when the owner of the club walks over to force the issue He glares at Ford

Ford’s a good friend, and he kno I feel about Bone All things considered, I don’t want to put Ford into Bone’s line of fire, either, so I’h just for that reason

Bone saze follows him across the rooht begins at the front of the bar I claptonight He’s not strong enough for bouncing yet, but he’s here as a wing one is drunk

The big ones always fall the hardest

And they’re a bitch to pick up off the floor

Matt laughs I’ back to nor one He cracks his knuckles and grins at n And you can’t even claiot sick I grin at his his shoulders and smiles unabashedly back at me It makes me so happy to see him like this I watched hiht he wouldn’t pull through He still et some puy if I try He looks down at the crotch ofto rot off from lack of use

I can’t help it if I’m a one-woman man

He claps a hand on my shoulder and squeezes When do you think she’ll be back? I need to thank her

She wouldn’t want any thanks I shrug ht, which is about to escalate into a full-out brawl The little guy is duuy He falls into a wo

Now, Matt says

Now I fking love this part of the job It takes four of us Matt, Ford, another bouncer, and I all jump into the fray and quickly have it under control But the big man is on the floor with his eyes closed He has a s, but I can’t read his lips

I think he’s singing? Matt says, his eyebrows arching in question Girl you h People look over as noise bursts froht et him up

Matt takes one ars His girlfriend, who is pretty unsteady herself, says, "We need a cab"

Matt and I haul hiirlfriend gets in behind him I feel bad for the cab driver ill have to throw his big ass out on the sidewalk

I duston us, and I brush my hand across my hair Suddenly, Matt tenses beside me What? I ask

He smiles, claps ht off Then he points behind s refuse to do their job, and I stand there, not breathing, notBut there she is E atnervous as hell Snow is falling on her hair, and she’s not wearing a coat Surely she can afford a coat Her family is worth billions Her dark-blond hair, so unlike the black hair with the blue stripe she had when I met her, falls down to the middle of her back, and she has it tucked behind her ear She’s not wearing clothes froht now

But the best thing about it is… she’sto her, but she doesn’t speak to him She doesn’t break eye contact with me, and I feel like there’s an invisible tether between the two of us

I look at Matt to tell hiuess on’t have to worry about your dick dying from lack of use after all

I’ll see you later

I doubt it, he says But he’s still grinning that goofy set first dibs

And last dibs And all the dibs in between

He waves to her and signs the word later

She nods, throws hiers, and then starts toward me Her boots leave footprints in the snow, and I force myself to stay still I tuckher

Hi, she signs

I can’t stand it any longer I reach for her so quickly that she startles, but she’s reaching forto feel her heart beating againstmy eyes I tuck my face into her neck and breathe in the scent that is uniquely hers She wraps her arms around my waist, and her hands slide into my back pockets We stand there in the snow like that until I feel dampness on my shirt I tilt her face up to lad you’re home" I use my voice because I don’t want to take my hands off her

"Me, too," she says A lone tear tracks down her cheek I wipe it aith the pad ofher head to kiss ?"

"Always" She smiles God, she can undoin my chest

She nods and draws a cross over her chest "I swear it"

"What about your father?"

She shakes her head "I don’t want to talk about ht now"

"I’ll never survive it if you leave ain" I s the lump in my throat

"Can you coht noon’t get to talk at all because I’ll be all over her "Let’s go get some pie," I say instead