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Tonight he was pissing me off
Enough
ME: I have to go
I rabbed another beer and wandered toward Marie and the other girls, ere laughing over so about her old , and as the alcohol warmed me from the inside out, I felt optimistic, despite Liam What did he know, anyway?
I fully intended to end the night in Painter’s bed
Or on his bike
Maybe under a tree?
Hell, I didn’t care Not so long as he finally punchedwith a lovely “thank you” for playing And yeah, I know it’s fking ridiculous I still had a V card to punch But Dad wasn’t exactly friendly toward s to do was show thee different bullets could do to the human body
Oh, and then there was that hunting accident Oops
For sowas chatting with Liam, which was pretty pathetic when you considered he lived nearly four hundred miles away
Tonight, I told es
• • •
The men still weren’t back after another half hour, but I didn’t just stand around waiting for Painter Hanging out withthey were attached in souys in the club Sos, for one Her man was in prison, so she was on her own
There weren’t any kids at the Aret crazy fast I could already see a feo for the wild tiaround types, club sluts, sweetbutts Some were strippers from The Line, the club’s titty bar (and yes, that’s what they called it, so don’t bla down They all had one thing in corown up with theround, and in the past few years I’d woken up to findbreakfast
Dad was kind of a slut himself these days
Their group didn’t usually mix with ours and we liked it that way I knew uys—Marie’s man, Horse, for example—could keep it in their pants But others slept around We all saw it I never quite understood why a woured that other people’s relationships weren’t really my business
Noe heard the thunder of bikes pulling up outside and the brothers started co around until his eyes found me His hard face broke into a s with pride The rest of the guys followed hi out as Painter walked in, grinning like crazy
God, he was cute Short, spiky blond hair, sharp cheekbonesHis body was lean but strong, and at six feet tall he had a good five inches onhis cut over his bare chest
Yum
I’d had ht around that chest h it never went past that It’s a matter of respect for my dad, I reminded myself He was the president of the club and Painter knew better than to mess around with me if he wasn’t serious To be fair, prospects didn’t really have the time to be serious about anyone
At least that’s what I’d been telling myself
Prospects were too busy running errands, guarding bikes, and whatever other nasty or degrading jobs the ed now This party was for Painter—he’d earned soot it I had ht take a few hours to get hih I was determined
Tonight was our night
“How goes it, E I crinkled my nose I hated that old nicknaet rid of one once it stuck
“Good,” I said “You got a beer yet? Want rab you one?”
“Sure, sweetheart,” heacross the yard I saw his eye catch on one of the girls “Who’s that? She with your dad, or just here to party?”
He nodded toward a blonde who’d wrapped herself around h school with that bitch In fact, she’d been a fking fresh a sense of inevitability about the situation
“Hell if I know,” Itrack of his whores”
My tone caave me a sharp look
“Sounding a little bitter there, Emmy Lou,” Duck said “You aren’t in the o home This isn’t a family party and Picnic’s free to screhoever he wants Not your job to judge”
I sighed, knowing he was right Dad was definitely free—to the best of e, he hadn’t even had a steady hookup since Mooing to be uptight about sex, I was in the wrong place I looked over to see two blondes with long legs, short shorts, and cutoff tops wrapping theratulatory kisses
Oh hell no
I wasn’t leaving hiht was do or die—he’d be ht end up in Painter’s bed Ithere for sure
“What he does is up to hi one for each of us I brought it back to him and then stood and watched the crowd
Everywhere I looked there were couples
Marie and Horse, Baer and his random skank of the week
“Holy shit,” I burst out, al my beer
“What?” Duck asked
“That’s er,” I muttered “Oh, she is such a cunt She failed me three times in a row just because Dad didn’t call her back after he fked her”
Duck snorted out a laugh
“Good thing you’re all graduated, because Ruger won’t be calling her back, either”
And just like that, er!
“I’ratulate Painter,” I said
“Have at it,” Duck said “But remember—this is his time to cut loose”
“I know,” I replied “Maybe I can help him celebrate”
Duck’s expression clouded
“Eht”
“It’s never the night,” I said, shrugging Then I chugged ood care of ot it covered I’m an adult”
“Yeah, I know,” Duck replied “I guess when I look at you, I still see you with pigtails and a doll”