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I rolled irls do, and she reached for my hand

"Always take a compliment, Caroline Always take it for the way it was intended You girls are always so quick to that others say Simply say thank you and move on" She smiled in that quiet and ay she had

"Thanks" I shetti sauce and turning my face so she couldn’t see irls pick theh You make sure you always remember, you’re exactly the way you’re supposed to be Exactly And anyone who says otherwise, well, poppycock" She giggled, her voice lowering a bit at that last word, the closest she would ever co Grandma had a list of bad words and really bad words, and poppycock ca the latter

The next day at school I reat, and her ansas to run her hands through it with disgust

"Are you kidding? I barely even had tih it did look fantastic

Later on after gy in the locker rooloss "That’s pretty What’s the name of that color?" I asked as she pursed her lips in the mirror

"Apple Tartlet, but it looks terrible on me God, I have no tan left over froht Girls really didn’t take coonna lie and say after that day Ilipstick again But I did ood before the bad and really look at myself in a more clear way Objectively Kindly And as e, I became more and more aware of features I could look at positively instead of negatively I never thought of eous, but I did clean up well

And so now, as I stared into thefor me, I took the time to take a little inventory

The dishwater-blond hair? Not so olden, a little wavy and curly fro in all week The pale skin? Nicely browned up and, dare I say, a little glowy? I winked at htly pouty lower lip, just full enough to trapfrohs? Well, not so bird-like any to look pretty spectacular wrapping around Si them around

And so, as I sh all ht ahead We’d raced back to the house, practically disrobed each other in the entryway, and after begging a few o out and clai who? I wanted this man Wanted him for my own, and did not, would not, share hireement with LC Especially since she’d crawled up Backbone and slapped Brain right in the ste her in that special way only she could that we needed this We deserved this, and ere ready Nerves, well, they continued to circle in ht? Itime, and a little bit of nerves was nor all week? Maybe

Kind of

A little

Sis slow, atout loud, he was only human

I was adaht into the land of cuddle and coo I turned in the ht see ht was a seductive way, flipped off the light, took one more deep breath, and opened the door

The bedroo frohtstands, bathing the roolow The ere open, as well as the door to the little balcony overlooking the sea, and I could hear the waves crashing, romance-novel style And there he stood: hair tousled, body strong, eyes blazing

I watched as he took aze downacross his face as he appraised htie Girl," he sighed, holding out his hand And when I stalled for just the tiniest second, Backbone picked up ave it to him

We stood in the darkened rooers I could feel the rough texture of his thumb as he traced circles on the inside of my hand, the saan to fall under his spell Our eyes full of each other, he took a deep breath

"It’s crihtie As he spunoff the acco ruffled panties A low noise sounded in his throat, and if I wasn’t raspinginto his chest He placed a tiny kiss below ue

"So there are so with his nose, his hands brushing up under rab a handful of backside, catching et distracted on ue and dragging it up the side of my neck

"It’s kind of hard to focus with your distraction pokinghih so that ainst him, his hard places perfectly content to ainstmy collarbone with his trademarked baby kisses

"Here’s what you need to know One, you’re a up to the s "Two, you’re aly sexy," he breathed