121
" How will I choose?” she finally muttered.
“Pick something that doesn’t make you look like a slut. That’ll narrow it down,” Bailey said, now frowning at a headless mannequin wearing a tiny wedding dress with a long train. “Oh, and stay away from too much lace. Don’t want to look like someone’s grandma.”
A wide-eyed Farah looked at me as I took her hand. “This is fun. We’re going to look at them all and pick our favorites. Then, you’ll try them on and narrow them down. With so many to choose from, you’re sure to find the perfect dress.”
“I just don’t want to look like I’m trying too hard.”
“You’re an idiot,” Bailey snorted. “Trying too hard to what?”
“Look fancy.”
“You’re wearing a fucking wedding dress. You’re supposed to look fancy. It’s not like you’re ever getting married again. If things don’t work out with Coop, he’ll never let you go. Nope, you’ll be heading for a shallow grave.” While Farah rolled her eyes, I stared at Bailey who shrugged. “Too honest?
“Is that a real question?”
Bailey grinned. “What I meant to say was Farah and Cooper are so fucking perfect for each other that they’ll never get divorced, so she should wear the fanciest damn dress she can find. It’s what I would do if I was once dirt poor and now had money.”
“Great effort, but you lost a little bit of your fake niceness at the end.”
Bailey grinned. “Great effort is still something.”
“Yes, it is,” I said, taking Farah’s hand. “Let’s start narrowing things down. I’ll show you a dress and you decide if it’s too poofy or not poofy enough. We’ll eventually hit the right level of poofy.”
Farah laughed. “I want a good amount of poofy. It’s rare that a girl can be poofy without looking stupid.”
“Maddy will be poofy no matter what she wears,” Bailey said as Maddy entered with Jodi and Sawyer. “I don’t even know how she can get a bridesmaid dress if she’s going to swell up more before the wedding.” Everyone frowned at Bailey who glanced at me then back at Maddy and added, “You’re swelling with the gift of life.”
Maddy laughed. “Was that you being nice?”
“That was me trying, yes. "
― Bijou Hunter , Damaged and the Knight (Damaged, #2)
122
" Bailey sat on the edge of the couch and fed Maddy grapes. The very swollen mommy-to-be initially complained about being fed like a pet. Eventually, she gave in and enjoyed the attention. Not to be outdone, Sawyer turned a fan towards Maddy and was painting her nails. I watched them baby her and wondered about when I would be that big and uncomfortable.
“I’m in no hurry to have a baby,” Tawny said, maybe for the tenth time since arriving. “Not in any hurry at all.”
Farah grinned from where she was cutting carrots into little perfect sticks for dipping. “Coop is obsessed with getting me pregnant. First, his little brother is about to have a baby then his best friend. I swear whenever we’re alone, he’s inside me,” she said then her smile grew. “It’s awesome.”
“Huh,” Tawny muttered. “Judd is in me all the time too and not because he’s trying to plant his flag or lay his seed or whatever.”
“Jealous?” Farah asked and Tawny fake glared at her.
“Sometimes, my sister irritates me too,” I said and they both laughed.
“I’m going to brush the baby’s hair,” Bailey announced to no one in particular. “When she’s old enough, I’m going to put those little barrettes in her hair and make her wear headbands and turn her into a doll. Then when she cries, I’m giving her back to Maddy.”
“Yeah for me,” Maddy whispered with her eyes closed.
“Are you suffering?” Bailey asked. “Like should I do more for you to ease away the horror of how huge you’ve become?”
Opening her eyes a crack, Maddy muttered, “Stop charming me.”
Bailey grinned. “Seriously, you look pretty miserable today.”
“I’ve been having those Braxton Hicks contractions since yesterday.”
“Is that bad?” Sawyer asked, looking up from her meticulous work on Maddy’s toes. “Is it like hemorrhoids?”
When we laughed, Sawyer beamed, even though she likely had no idea what was funny.
“They’re like practice contractions,” Maddy explained. “They don’t hurt much, but they’re uncomfortable.”
Bailey frowned. “How do you know all this stuff?”
“I read a book.”
“Yeah, I did that once. Not a fan.”
“You guys don’t have to hang out here,” Maddy said. “The guys are out having fun and you’re pampering me. You could go to the movies if you want.”
“No,” Bailey said quickly. “I need to be super nice because I had a dream that being nice will lead to a handsome awesome guy who is the fucker. I want that guy. He belongs to me and I’m sick of waiting, so shut up and let me be nice to you.”
“Sure,” Maddy said, sighing. “This is nice, but I’m going to have to pee soon.”
“Do you need me to carry you?” Bailey asked.
“Maybe. Ask me in a few minutes. "
― Bijou Hunter , Damaged and the Cobra (Damaged, #3)
123
" I started to grin until I heard laughing and sensed we were on display.
Glancing at them, I tightened my grip on Judd as if to say, “So what? He’s mine. Suck it.”
Judd though wasn’t interested in their laughter. He glared hard at them and literally growled like a dog.
While I giggled at the sound, the men shut up and moved away.
When Vaughn saw this display, he yelled out, “Whipped is a good look on you, brother.”
“I’m packing, Outlaw. Don’t make me pull it out.”
At the same moment, Judd, Vaughn, and I thought of the same thing and started laughing.
“Yeah, don’t pull it out here, baby,” I said, giggling. “I’m the only one who should be looking at it.”
Judd leaned his head back and sighed. “It’s not my fault, you know. All of the blood left my brain the minute you sat on my lap.”
“Poor bastard,” I whispered in his ear as I nibbled on the lobe. "
― Bijou Hunter , Damaged and the Knight (Damaged, #2)
125
" Stumbling to my feet, I glanced at my mom who still sat at the table. She looked at me then Larry then lowered her gaze and returned to her coupons. The logical choice for me was to run from the house. I was so much smaller than these three battling men and the smart thing was to run. Yet, Larry and his bullshit family were why Raven left. They were always telling me what to do and making me feel like shit. Now, he’d hit me and I wasn’t running.
Grabbing a chair from the table, I swung it at Glenn and hit him at the back of the neck. As he went flying forward, the bastard tripped over Dylan and toppled hard to the ground.
Before I could celebrate, Larry ripped the chair out of my hand then came at me. I backed away and grabbed one of the millions of bear figurines. Throwing it at him, I nailed Larry in the chest with the first one. The second one caught him over the eye, leaving a gash.
As Larry chased me around the room, I grabbed more bears and flung them over my shoulders at him. While most missed, a few made contact and he finally hollered in frustration.
Having recovered from the blow, Glenn tried to block me in. However, Dylan shoved the older man outside then locked the door. Unfortunately for Glenn, Larry’s stupid fluffy dog hated him and proceeded to attack his leg.
“Dylan, this is your last chance,” Larry said, his face red and blood dripping down his face. “Give me that girl or you’re done.”
“Fuck you. I was done the minute you put your fucking hand on her.”
Watching the two men glare at one another, I exchanged the bears in my hands for heavier ones. “I’m leaving,” I said more to Mom than Larry. “If anyone messes with me, I’m cracking their heads open with Picnic Bear. "
― Bijou Hunter , Damaged and the Cobra (Damaged, #3)
126
" Nice hammer,” Harlow said from behind me.
“Hey,” I said, glancing around casually to see if Winnie was with her. “Nice shiner.”
“You should see the other chick,” she muttered. “Can we talk?”
Setting down my hammer, I followed her away from the other guys. Harlow seemed tense and I worried something was wrong with Winnie.
“This is awkward and I feel weird coming here like this,” she said, pushing her blonde hair behind her ears. “Are you dating anyone?”
My breath caught. A fear rose up in my chest at the thought of Harlow wanting to date me. What would that mean for me and Winnie? The look in Harlow’s eyes calmed my terror. I might as well have been a brick wall based on the lack of attraction she showed.
“No.”
“Some girl was hugging you outside a restaurant. Wasn’t that a date?”
Frowning, I scratched at my jaw where I forgot to shave that morning. “That was a girl from high school. She might have been into me, but we went out as friends. I’m not dating anyone.”
“Winnie saw you with that girl and she got really upset. I know she’s not ready to have a boyfriend, but she wants you. Do you want her?”
Playing it cool might be the stud move, but I didn’t want to be a player. I wanted Winnie. Besides, for the second time in twenty four hours, someone close to Winnie wanted to play matchmaker. “Yes.”
Harlow nodded. “She’s messed up. You know that, right?”
“I know she’s fragile, yeah.”
“Winnie has a lot of phobias. Not stupid shit for attention, but real chronic problems that won’t go away because you’re hot. She’s been in therapy for years and gotten stronger, but she’ll never be okay.”
“I understand.”
Harlow bit her lip then nodded again. “Do you want to take her out to dinner tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
Harlow smiled. “You better be chattier than that on the date or else no one will say anything. Winnie likely won’t say anything all night, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to. She just takes a long time to warm up to people.”
I wasn’t sure what Harlow saw on my face, but she grinned. “She really wants to warm up to you, Dylan. Don’t fuck it up, okay?”
“I’ll do my best.”
When Harlow narrowed her eyes, I was pretty sure she might hit me. “I appreciate the way you tried to save us that day. You showed balls and I respect that. With that said, you better be taking this seriously, understand?”
Leaning closer, I stared right into those suspicious eyes. “No one makes me feel like Winnie. If she needs to take it slow, we’ll go slow. If she wants to rush into it, we’ll rush. If she needs me to stand on my fucking head and sing the National Anthem, I’ll do it. So yes, I’m taking this very seriously,” I said, running a hand where short dark stubble took the place of my mohawk. “I told Winnie I would wait and I meant it. What you think is me being passive is just patience.”
“Okay,” Harlow said softly. “You know when I came to Ellsberg, I was pretty messed up. My family was dead and I was in this new place with strangers. Winnie took care of me. She became my sister and best friend. I love her like she’s blood. Nothing personal, but if you hurt her, I’ll have to kill you.”
“Fair enough,” I said, grinning.
“Smile all you want, buddy, but I’ve got moves.”
Harlow faked a punch, but I didn’t flinch. My mind was already focused on tomorrow. I hadn’t talked to Winnie since the day Nick’s dad showed up. I hadn’t seen her close up in weeks. I needed to be close to her even if she couldn’t do more than hide behind her hair all night. "
― Bijou Hunter , Damaged and the Bulldog (Damaged, #6)
130
" Maddy’s going to pop soon,” Cooper said, finishing his beer and getting ready to head out. “Tucker is attached to her. It’s pretty fucking adorable. The guy about wets his pants every time she makes any noise that might be labor pain.”
“You’ll be an uncle soon.”
“I’m already an uncle,” Cooper mumbled, sliding on his jacket. “I just can’t hold the kid yet.”
“You and Farah still planning on trying?”
“No planning. We’re just trying now. She’s off the pill. Whenever it happens, it’ll be cool. Farah worries she’ll suck at being a mom. Can you believe that shit?” Cooper asked as his dark eyes warmed at the thought of his wife. “The way she takes care of Sawyer and me and everyone else and she thinks she’ll be a bad mom. These girls with their shit families get all fucked up in the head and no logic is going to fix it. They just need to face their fears and see how amazing they are when their idiot parents aren’t around to fuck things up.”
“Should I fix things for Lark?”
“I don’t know. If it was me, I’d go smack her stupid brother and father around. I don’t know if that’d be a good idea though. Those fucks aren’t low life drifters like Farah’s parents. That Larry asshole is a respectable member of the community. If you want to smack him around, you’ll need to do it in a more subtle way. Of course, if he ever fucks with you, we can just remind Mister Upstanding how his kind doesn’t run Ellsberg. It’s us dirty biker types who keep his house from burning down or his head from getting cracked open. If it comes down to it, I’ll help you take him down. Pop says behave. I say I’ve got my bud’s back.”
Grinning, I shoved him away from me. “Crap. I’m worried you might hug me next.”
“I was thinking about it,” Cooper said, smiling. “Farah’s turned me all nice and shit. I’m getting manners too. It’s disgusting.”
“Horrifying,” I teased. “Thanks for the offer, but I feel like Lark needs to make a move. If she needs me to, I’ll burn down houses and crack open skulls. Right now, I feel like maybe she needs to find her way back to me. If she does, I’m keeping her and ruining anyone who tries to take her away.”
“Now, there’s the punk ass jerk I became friends with. "
― Bijou Hunter , Damaged and the Cobra (Damaged, #3)
131
" Tucker entered the room and sighed. “Maddy’s a hormonal mess. Can’t wait until she pops the kid out and we’re done with that moody shit.”
“I think chicks are still moody after they pop them out,” Cooper said, studying me. “Judd thinks Tawny can figure out our mole.”
“Is she psychic?”
Glancing at Tucker, I smiled. “You haven’t gotten laid in days. You know you did something wrong, but you don’t know what and Maddy won’t tell you. Instead of just asking, you decided she’s hormonal. Maybe you oughta ask and end the suspense, Tuck?”
Tucker grinned. “Bring her so we can kill the mole and clean this shit up before Pop decides our balls ain’t big enough to take over.”
Cooper sighed. “What about Farah?”
Judd chewed on a piece of bacon and glanced at me. “Tell her Tawny is your assistant. Farah knows her sister can read people. If you don’t find the mole soon, it’s going to affect her too.”
Leaning back against a desk, Cooper crossed his muscular arms and stared at me. “What did you tell her?” he asked Judd, even though his eyes remained on me.
“Nothing.”
“Fuck,” Cooper muttered. “Fine, but if there’s trouble, we get her out of the way.”
Judd rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t planning on using my woman as a shield, boss. I’d let them shoot you before I let anything happen to her.”
Cooper smirked. “I’m glad I never got all stupid and whipped like you are now.”
Laughing so hard at his brother’s bullshit, Tucker both farted and burped. Soon, everyone was laughing. "
― Bijou Hunter , Damaged and the Knight (Damaged, #2)
132
" I don’t even know her.”
“But you want to.”
“She’s beautiful, but that’s the end of it.”
“A lot of girls are beautiful, but Farah is beautiful in a different way,” he said, getting that dreamy look when talking about his girl. “She made me see her and not want to look at any other chick. Farah didn’t have to try either. That’s the thing about you and Lark. You two were breathing in rhythm at the reception dinner and never even said more than hello. Maybe you did at the wedding too, but I was sort of busy staring at my hot wife.”
“Yeah, you were drooling all over the wedding reception. Hell, I saw a few people slip on the fucking dance floor. It was pretty disgusting.”
“Nope. You’re not changing the subject. I’m sick of you hooking up with stupid bitches you don’t want because you’re afraid of getting played like you did by Kristen. Lark isn’t that bitch. She’ll treat you good and you need a chick to swoon over and write poetry for and paint and… Shit, you’re already painting her, aren’t you?”
“Fuck off, Coop.”
“Is she dressed in these paintings?” he asked, wiggling his brows.
“How would I know what she looks like naked?”
“Use your imagination. You know the parts on a chick.”
“You’re an idiot. "
― Bijou Hunter , Damaged and the Cobra (Damaged, #3)
133
" In a booth, Bailey sat next to Vaughn while frowning at her drink. “I need a man!” she declared when she saw me.
Vaughn glanced at her and sighed. “I’ll do you, but no names.”
Bailey didn’t get it, but I laughed while Cooper acted irritated.
Aaron kissed the top of my head then walked over to get us drinks.
“Why can’t I trap a man into a relationship like you bitches?” she asked with complete seriousness.
“Your subtly turns men off,” Vaughn answered when I just smiled. “Bailey, maybe you could try being more obvious in your need to trap a man. Like wear a shirt with lots of exclamation marks.”
“Shut up, fuckhead. You don’t have anyone either.”
“I have plenty of anyones.”
“Whores aren’t attractive.”
Vaughn grinned. “You make it too easy sometimes, B.”
Cooper frowned. “Don’t even think of saying what you’re thinking.”
“What we’re all thinking.”
Bailey frowned at me. “What the fuck are they talking about?”
“It’s one of those things that only makes sense when you have ball toxins.”
Bailey smiled and nodded. “That happens a lot around me. Want to dance?”
“Not really.”
“Because you might puke?”
“Why would she puke?” Vaughn asked, shoving a pretzel in Bailey’s mouth.
Cooper rolled his eyes. “Aaron can’t use a condom properly.”
Returning just in time for his friend’s comment, Aaron sighed dramatically. “I just have powerful sperm.”
“I was on the pill too,” I said, sticking my tongue at Cooper who grinned. “His mighty sperm didn’t care though.”
“You idiots don’t get how the pill works,” Vaughn said before realizing he sounded like a chick about to discuss her period. “Well, congrats, Aaron. You are now officially whipped like a bitch. How does it feel?”
Aaron answered by kissing me like we might fuck right there. "
― Bijou Hunter , Damaged and the Cobra (Damaged, #3)
134
" What?” Judd growled and I had to admit Tawny was right about him sounding like a dog when he did that.
Turning around, I noticed two of Cooper’s club guys standing behind us.
“What’s your deal, O’Keefe?” one guy asked while the other avoided Judd’s hateful gaze.
When no one responded, the big bald guy looked me up and down. “She’s tiny. How does fucking even work?”
Aaron shifted next to me, now looking as hostile as Judd. “Back off, Mac.”
“Just curious. I’ve never fucked a tiny chick.”
“You shouldn’t talk about a man’s girl that way especially when she’s carrying his kid,” Cooper warned, clearly wanting to jump in, but holding back so not to emasculate Aaron.
Farah said guys in the club were testing Cooper lately because they sensed weakness in his leadership. I couldn’t imagine anyone looking at Cooper without fearing his wrath. Even if they didn’t fear Cooper, they ought to fear his enforcers. After all, Judd was glaring at Mac like waiting for any reason to attack.
Sensing a back story to this pissing match, I knew Mac was about to say something nasty even before he opened his mouth.
“I hear chicks get big tits when they’re knocked up. Certainly can’t hurt with this one.”
Why Mac was starting shit didn’t matter. Aaron threw the punch and the bar immediately exploded into violence. Judd was waiting for a reason to attack while Cooper and Vaughn were always up for a fight.
Aaron hit Mac again as the bigger guy stumbled back. I thought of grabbing a chair and helping my man, but Tawny pulled me away.
Soon, we were hiding under a table where Farah crouched with wide eyes. “Aaron needs to stake his claim and protect his woman,” Tawny said, cuddled next to Farah. “If you help him, it’s like you’re cutting off his balls and tossing them in your purse. Immature or not, these guys need to be men or they get insecure. Can’t have that. "
― Bijou Hunter , Damaged and the Cobra (Damaged, #3)
135
" Cooper nodded. “I’d so do this shit, if Farah let me.”
Vaughn made the sound of a snapping whip and the whipped guys frowned at him. He just smiled. “Ah, having control over my balls is so wonderful. You boys should beg your women to let you have them back for the night. Maybe if you promise to do the dishes or wash the floor or some other shit job, they’ll agree.”
“Vaughn,” Cooper said, giving his enforcer a dark glare, “when you meet a girl and lose your mind over her, we’re going to enjoy mocking you. I mean, it’ll be a fucking sport and we’ll trip over each other to be the next one to screw with you.”
“Hell, if I ever lose my mind over a girl, I’ll be too fucking stupid to care what you assholes say. Likely, I’ll have suffered a brain injury or some shit. In that case, you’ll be mocking a disabled man and that’s not cool.”
“He has a point,” Tucker said like he was sensitive now.
“You’re all idiots,” I muttered. “It’s rather frightening how any of you will carry on your defective genetic material into the future generation.”
“Said the guy who got his girlfriend pregnant on accident,” Vaughn said and high fived Tucker. "
― Bijou Hunter , Damaged and the Cobra (Damaged, #3)
136
" Want me hold the bag?” Cooper said from behind me.
Never slowing my punches, I muttered, “Not really.”
Cooper took the bag like I knew he would and held it still. “We should talk.”
“Then talk.”
“You’re into my sister,” he said then continued after I remained quiet, “You were into my girl. You seem to have a thing for my stuff.”
“I’m telling Bailey you said she’s your stuff,” I grunted, punching harder. “I suspect she’ll kick you in the balls.”
“She thinks she’s your second choice.”
“I know, but she’s wrong.”
“You wanted Farah.”
“I liked Farah. She was my second choice. I wanted Bailey.”
Cooper said nothing while I pounded on the bag. Finally, he shoved it back at me. “Why did you fuck with me that day if you didn’t want Farah?”
“Because you’re an asshole and I don’t back down to assholes,” I said, taking a break. I grabbed my bottle of water and downed half of it.
When I looked back at Cooper, he was frowning in a weird way.
“Wait, did you not know you were an asshole? I just assumed someone must have mentioned it before.”
Cooper rolled his dark eyes. “You’re an idiot. I could have killed you that day.”
“So?”
“So you would have died for a chick you didn’t want.”
“No, I would have died standing up to an asshole.”
“I saw you always looking at Farah.”
“She seemed overwhelmed by college. I was looking out for her. She’s hot, but she’s not Bailey.”
Cooper clearly wasn’t convinced. “If you wanted Bailey, why wait so long? I think you’re full of shit.”
“Because you’re an asshole. Guys like you have shit handed to them. Guys like me have to work for what we want.”
“And you want Bailey.”
“She’s mine. I just haven’t sealed the deal yet. If you want to fight for her, fine. I should warn you that I’m stronger than I was last year. It’ll take more to beat me.”
Cooper grinned. “You hurt my sister and I won’t kick your ass, Nick. I’ll feed you to my fucking dogs.”
“Fair enough. Did you want something else? "
― Bijou Hunter , Damaged and the Dragon (Damaged, #5)
137
" Hey, Dylan,” I said, holding my orange ball. “You got rid of the Mohawk.”
Lark and Raven’s stepbrother ran his hand over his bald head and sighed. “Yeah, I’d been thinking about going the business man route for a while. Kept going back and forth about cutting it. A few weeks ago, I got drunk at Lark’s place. The sisters were nice enough to shave my head while I was passed out.”
Nearby, Raven laughed so hard she had trouble distracting Vaughn who was still trying to win the game. Dylan glared at her then shrugged. “Gonna let it grow out and play the average Joe shit.”
“Good luck with that,” I said, glancing at the bathroom and hoping Bailey would appear. When she didn’t, I walked to an open lane and rolled the ball. It took out a single pin which was one more than I expected.
A lane away Raven struggled to win against Vaughn. She bent over one direction. When her ass didn’t do it, she bent forward and adjusted her tits. A distracted Vaughn missed his strike with a single pin remaining. Before I could hear him complain and her celebrate, Cooper and Tucker appeared next to me.
“I liked the way you handled that fucker,” Tucker said, arms crossed tightly. “You always know how to deal with these losers while looking like a Boy Scout. A good skill to have.”
Ignoring them, I rolled the second ball and managed to take out three pins. A new record for me.
“What’s with the silent shit?” Tucker asked.
Sighing, I looked at them and frowned. “I want to be with Bailey. We just started dating, but here I am jumping through hoops for you two. You do this shit with every guy?”
“Most are losers,” Cooper said. “Most never do the second date thing. They bang then hang. If they’re lucky, she never mentions it to us and we don’t kick anyone’s ass. You’re the first boyfriend type she’s had.”
“Our family needs good people,” added Tucker.
Cooper shifted his stance and shook his head at his brother. “He doesn’t want that life. Nick wants to be a teacher.”
“Why?”
“Who cares?” Cooper said. “It’s what he wants. Sounds like a nice safe life for our little sister, don’t you think?”
Tucker’s expression froze and his dopey brain took awhile to put things together. By the time he figured it out, I’d rolled a gutter ball, Bailey returned, and Vaughn declared his wife a cheater.
“It’s only fair!” Raven cried as Vaughn threw her over his shoulder and spun her around. “You’re a better bowler and I want to win. Cheating was the only card I could play.”
“Making me think some fucker was looking at your ass was low, Raven.”
“So is naming our first born son Maverick. You’re just looking for trouble with a name like that.”
Vaughn lowered her to her feet then grinned. “My boys will be nothing but trouble. They’ll own this town and chase pretty girls like Scarlet and Lily.”
“Hey, keep your pervy kid away from my daughter!” Tucker hollered, looking pissed.
Cooper grabbed his brother and they wrestled onto the ground. By the end of pounding each other, they were both laughing. "
― Bijou Hunter , Damaged and the Dragon (Damaged, #5)
138
" Dylan lifted my chin so my lips could meet his. I kissed him hard, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion I’d held tight inside me.
“Good things happen,” I said, crying now. “Sometimes I forget that even when I have a blessing right in front of me.”
Dylan wrapped me tighter in his arms and smiled against my lips. “Me too, but I never lost faith in little Lark. If anyone could kick death in the ass, it would be her.”
I laughed at the thought of Lark versus the Grim Reaper. When my laughter drew the attention of the others, they laughed too, even without knowing why. All the tension faded as our fears turned to celebration.
“Shit, I’m gonna get teary-eyed,” Vaughn announced, looking at his phone.
We all received the same message from Raven with pictures of the babies.
“Which one’s the girl?” Judd asked, squinting at Tawny’s phone.
“The one with the pink hat,” his wife said.
Everyone laughed again.
“You can’t see if they have curly hair,” Cooper muttered. “Man, I hope at least one of them does. I’m never letting Aaron live that shit down.”
More laughter as everyone enjoyed the additional photos Raven sent. "
― Bijou Hunter , Damaged and the Bulldog (Damaged, #6)
139
" This is nice. Two friends being friendly,” he said.
Rolling my eyes, I sipped my drink and ignored his cocky smile.
“How long has it been?” he asked, tapping my sandal with his boot. “The abstaining thing.”
Crossing my arms under my tits, I tightened them and pushed up the girls for him to admire. I always loved teasing boys.
“I bet you’ve banged a girl recently. Like I could probably smell her on you, if I got close enough,” I grumbled, remembering how he smelled like chocolate and I had a sweet tooth. “You’re likely crawling with germs.”
Instead of finding offense, Vaughn watched me in a weird way. His lids lowered as the corners of his mouth lifted. A sly look on his face, Vaughn ran his tongue along his top teeth.
“I have a system,” he said softly. “After I hook up with a random chick, I shower with a big bottle of Purell. One of those economy-sized ones.”
Even smiling, I kicked his foot away from mine. “I’m a bath person myself. Just fill up the tub with really hot water then toss in a cap of bleach plus a few bubbles and I’m set.”
“Gotta have bubbles,” he said in a deep low voice.
“What are you doing?”
Vaughn shook his head, yet his gaze held mine. “Just admiring your beautiful smile.”
Rolling my eyes again, I sighed. “Lame.”
“I know. I really do. I use that line a lot, but it’s true with you. That smile changes your face. Makes you less sex kitten and more angel.”
“I’m no angel.”
“What a relief. I don’t like good girls.”
“I didn’t say I was bad.”
Vaughn sucked at his lower lip and sized me up with those eyes. “You didn’t have to, kitten.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Sugar?” he said, grinning brighter now. “Your sister didn’t like my nickname for her either.”
“Why would you give my sister a nickname?”
“Don’t be jealous. I like giving girls nicknames. Even girls I don’t want to spend time inside.”
“I can’t believe those lines ever work.”
“They don’t. Girls are drawn to my looks, not my personality.”
Snorting, I begged myself to stop smiling. “And you’re proud of this fact?”
“I’m proud of very little, pumpkin.”
“Keep trying. "
― Bijou Hunter , Damaged and the Outlaw (Damaged, #4)
140
" Sitting at his normal table, Judd wasn’t the guy who awaited me when I woke up. Gaze hard and a tight set to his jaw, the man across from me now was an enforcer. Yet, he gave me a grin.
“After my meeting, let’s go nap again.”
“It’s not healthy to nap all the time.”
“I heard napping is good for your skin.”
“We’re not really talking about napping, are we?” I asked, grinning.
“No, angel, we’re not. "
― Bijou Hunter , Damaged and the Knight (Damaged, #2)
