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Yet he had been of sound enough mind to stop and toss her to the floor Now that was far ht She’d craved hi, yet he had reain

"So what’s he doing here?" Noelle asked, merely curious

"He demanded I patch him up, and then decided he needed a nap" Was her resent?

"So you kissed him? ‘Cause, baby, your lips are red and swollen"

Ava’s cheeks heated Probably to the saue" Nohy had she adue? Did he bite it? He did, didn’t he? Show me, show ether, as if she were preparing to pray "Please Show h, I swear"

"Fine" Once Noelle started begging, she didn’t stop until she got what she wanted Ava stuck out her tongue

Noelle laughed "Oh, my God You have puncture wounds"

The heat in her cheeks spread to her neck, her collarbone "You said you wouldn’t laugh, Tremain"

"I lied You know I’m a liar, so you can’t hold me responsible And he clearly likes to nibble God, you’re so lucky! And to think, I gave hioods myself" She shook her head in disbelief "I’m usually not such a dumbass"

Ava had never been jealous of Noelle before Had never wanted to hide a iven her so much over the years, she would have happily handed over her probably-traumatized liver if her friend asked But just then, she wanted to wash all thoughts of McKell from Noelle’s mind She wanted to place a blanket over the vaain Except her

All this jealousy, because of one kiss the va with her As she’d already decided, she wasn’t going to let hiain Or drink her blood After all, the reason she had de frolanced at her like he was thirsty, she ed while he had kissed her

This way, he wouldn’t make a play for her vein Which meant she would be able to keep her desires and hormones under control She hoped

"So … your kiss was so hot, he wasn’t afraid you’d phone AIR and have them swoop in for a pickup while he napped?" Noelle asked "Good going, Sans I’h she wasn’t sure she could take credit He si they could throw his way

Except … he trusted her to keep her end of their bargain So, yeah, Noelle was kind of right In a way, he believed in her Baffling Why would he believe in her? She’d stabbed him, for God’s sake

"Want me to kick him out?" Noelle asked

Ava fell into the chair across froed as McKell, but she liked the thought of him here Especially in her bed Later, after she kicked him out herself, she could lie down and pretend to sleep, wrapped in his lingering heat

"Gonna say anything to Mia?"

"Not yet" She explained her deal with McKell, her vaness to speak with Mia, and Noelle grinned the entire time

"Ava Sans Are you in love? Because I have never--"

"No!" she screeched She gulped and lowered her voice "No, I’m not in love" She liked to think she was open to the possibly of one day falling in love, but she couldn’t even spend an entire night with a guy She always ran at the first sign of con

She’d never found anyone worth the, well, work that always came with coupledom Work that would ultimately lead to failure

Someone alalked away That’s just how people were Kids left their parents, husbands left their wives, and wives left their husbands Boyfriends and girlfriends realized they weren’t right for each other, saw someone prettier, sluttier, smarter, wealthier--pick your poison--and cut their losses No one stayed together until the bitter end And ould want to? Bitter ends sucked So why not get what you needed while the getting was good, and then say good-bye before a single bad uy before, either," Noelle said, dragging her frouy" Wait What? "I uy, he’s just--"

"Nope No take-backs You think he’s special" Noelle’s grin widened "And let’s be honest Only a girl in love would say that a guy like McKell is as pure and warm as the sun outside"

"Will you shut up? I never said anything about the sun And why are you here, anyway?"

Noelle allowed the subject change without co for beers in a little while, and I wanted you to go withto ask" She stood and pointed to an overstuffed bag beside Ava’s chair "Second reason I brought you ot McKell, after all Oh, and please reht on the starch And do yourself a favor and look everything over before you head to Suds and Bubbles I hid a prezzie for you in between the costu Ava alone

With the laundry And the vaain By her best friend, no less "He ca," she called, knowing Noelle was long gone

"Still talking," McKell shouted fro me," she shouted back

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