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RUTHLESS CREATURES
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CONTENTSPrefacePlaylist1. Nat2. Nat
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This is a work of fiction. Names, c
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For Jay, my poison of choice.
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P L A Y L I S T“Desperado” Rhia
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Chris isn’t a bad guy. He’s not
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David and I rescued him when he was
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Today marks five years since David
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I take my sweet time using the toil
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I’m shocked. This is unprecedente
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walk into a room without automatica
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2N A T“Earth to Natalie. Come in,
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I wonder what she’d do if I dumpe
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thousand feet above sea level isn
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“Because I’m awesome, obviously
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me up on Steelhead, so I thought I
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3K A G EIt shouldn’t make a diffe
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I run my tongue over my furry teeth
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“Breakfast it is.”After I’ve
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I mean, if I can handle this, I can
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palpitating.When the front door sla
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5N A T“Itold you he was a widower
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“Him who? Reschedule what?”“I
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I make a show of polishing off my s
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Whoa. That was my stomach dropping.
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He murmurs to himself, “She’s f
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Not angry, exactly, but more like u
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He’s breaking out the manners, I
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the set of Sons of Anarchy, and und
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My mouth opens. For several moments
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life, not even my fiancé.”He wai
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I settle on, “I’m not the girl
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“Oh, come on! You would not!”
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“I just feel like…I don’t kno
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I lose the battle with trying to ho
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run a hand over my hair, and try to
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But it must’ve been only a day or
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An extra set of house keys is there
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He glances bashfully at the ground
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“I have one just like it. Same si
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“Tomorrow night, then. Tuesday ni
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“So I thought about what you said
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He doesn’t turn around. He simply
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The voice on the other end of the l
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1 0
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Getting through class Monday is she
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She holds my ID up against her comp
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The interior of the box is simple.
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were toast.”It’s true. He was a
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“Your Honor, I present to the cou
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N A TAmonth goes by. Then another.
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When I only stand there staring at
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The ghost of a smile lifts the corn
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He’s thrown his wool overcoat ont
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He murmurs, “I want everything yo
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heartbeat in every part of my body,
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N A TTover the line.he next day, I
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“What?” she demands. I can almo
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Aaand here comes the heat in my che
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In his pause, I feel his surprise.
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“We’ve been over this. We’re
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“Don’t worry,” he says in a h
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N A TWHa!hen Kage knocks on my door
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out of my head, and I’ve tried. H
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I say, “Okay. Let’s say I accep
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Then he breaks away suddenly and st
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I whisper, “So either don’t tel
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1 4
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Upon laying eyes on Kage, every one
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“Here. Boston. Chicago. New York.
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The table falls into silence when t
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He murmurs, “We’d be pleased to
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He pushes me against the wall. His
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When my orgasm hits, I lose myself.
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K A G EWhorror.“What was that?”
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No—not cowers. Her legs are curle
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If we’re lucky, they won’t see
- Page 156 and 157: N A TKage is silent as he drives. H
- Page 158 and 159: “In a nutshell…yes.”Now I’m
- Page 160 and 161: His voice gravelly, he says, “It
- Page 162 and 163: He knows what I’m asking.Knows th
- Page 164 and 165: He pulls his brows together. “Of
- Page 166 and 167: N A TIalready knew Kage was intense
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- Page 170 and 171: The moment when I finally give myse
- Page 172 and 173: Into my hair, he whispers, “I hav
- Page 174 and 175: I kiss him softly on the lips. “Y
- Page 176 and 177: N A TWe talk for a while, then Kage
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- Page 180 and 181: His voice has dropped an octave and
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- Page 184 and 185: So of course I have to keeping roll
- Page 186 and 187: That’s the last thing I remember
- Page 188 and 189: N A TWhen I open the door, I find t
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- Page 194 and 195: “Jesus, Nat. That guy? Are you ki
- Page 196 and 197: “We landed in Rome. Now we’re o
- Page 198 and 199: Then I click over to Kage.
- Page 200 and 201: N A T“K“Good morning. I left yo
- Page 202 and 203: “Mine, of course.”He sounds so
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- Page 214 and 215: I say firmly, “This is private pr
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- Page 218 and 219: He winds his arms around my back, p
- Page 220 and 221: I give up with a grateful sigh and
- Page 222 and 223: My voice comes out in the barest of
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- Page 226 and 227: I giggle a little when I picture my
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- Page 230 and 231: I think for a moment. “Where were
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- Page 234 and 235: “Was that planned?”“No.”I s
- Page 236 and 237: I cover my mouth with both my hands
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- Page 240 and 241: Too addictive. I’m too far under
- Page 242 and 243: N A TAfter the shower, I pour Kage
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- Page 246 and 247: He squeezes my butt when he says,
- Page 248 and 249: That makes me snort. “Not even cl
- Page 250 and 251: “I know you’re not giving me sh
- Page 252 and 253: His voice breaks. “Not even for l
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“Not that.”His voice is serious
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“I mean when I told you my life w
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Still advancing slowly, he says sof
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2 7
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This one, apparently.He’s an evil
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The skin on his cock is the softest
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My entire central nervous system is
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Kage breathes, “Fuck, baby. You l
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2 8
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threads a hand into my hair and gri
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“Color?”Panting, I whisper, “
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“Hush now. No more sound unless I
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I arch, gasping, out of my mind wit
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He makes me feel safe. Safe and pro
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N A TA We don’t talk about it, bu
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Kage comes back and this sour littl
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surfaces.“What about you? Are you
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didn’t go over well. By the time
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“Oh, I know. I also know your mat
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3 0
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She stares at me like I’ve just s
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I look at the ceiling and heave a s
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Silence.When I glance up at her, Sl
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Of all the times Kage has probably
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K A G EWhen the text comes through,
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He wants to know what to do with th
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warehouse, headed back to their fam
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“Yeah. She broke it off with Stav
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I can’t.Because for the first tim
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N A TAfter that night, three days g
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Because I’m hearing the ringing o
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His lids drift lower. He licks his
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He swallows and tightens his arms a
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could get you killed.”His laugh i
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N A TII lie in the dark in Kage’s
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I close my eyes. A lone tears slips
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I say, “Green. Do it.”A gentle
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He winds an arm around my waist, wr
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K A G EWhen the view outside the be
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I want to sink my teeth into every
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“What you said to make Chris go a
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3 5
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It’s a Saturday. I’m up early,
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The footsteps in the snow. The nigh
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He exhales a short, disappointed br
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deafening. I scream, purely on inst
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N A TKage drops the shotgun and fli
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When he stays silent, I prompt, “
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K A G EA My father told me that. He
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She takes it from me silently. She
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“When were you going to start ask
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As she points the gun an inch from
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When I return an hour later, her ho
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N A TThe instant the door closes be
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Catherine Zeta-Jones played the par
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I pack a bag, call my parents, and
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N A TThe Villa Camilla Hotel in Pan
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I try to make my smile look as sane
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I also can’t wait to set it on fi
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4 0
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Nobody threatens my baby.
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N A TWhen I come to, I’m lying on
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“Okay, that covers the first few
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He murmurs, “I never wanted to hu
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for me? Not knowing what had happen
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“I don’t understand.”I try to
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4 2
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years ago or you are. My money’s
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Behind him, an attractive brunette
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4 3
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It’s obvious she can tell by the
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I’ll leave her alone all she want
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but he does care about gaining adva
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“Max is dead.”She blinks. I nod
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4 4
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in a bit of a state.”“A state?
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She’s unimpressed. “Puh. He’s
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“To bed.”I don’t bother fight
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pulling it out and stroking it from
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N A TOver the next week, what seems
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He chuckles. “Yes. That one’s t
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“Answer the damn question.”“
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“Headstrong? You’ve been readin
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E P I L O G U E
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Shaking my head, I snort. “There
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Oh boy. This doesn’t look good.I
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A C K N O W L E D G M E N T SWhew!
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A B O U T T H E A U T H O RJ.T. Gei
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STANDALONE NOVELSPerfect Strangers(