Tryst Six Venom by Penelope Douglas

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I’ll text Liv. I’ll get away and meet her later. We have all day. Allweekend.I’ll get out of this.But as I pull out of the lot, take a left, and see her form walking in thedownpour, I know I’ve fucked up. I lighten my foot on the pedal, seeing herdrenched already, and wanting to stop so badly. I told her I would be there.But I don’t stop. I pass, leaving her behind in my rearview mirror, closingmy eyes and wanting to cry.I can’t, Liv. I’m sorry.This isn’t a relationship. In the fall, she’ll go to one school and I’ll go toanother. She’ll get over it.
SHE DOESN’T GET over it.I called. I texted. I even DM’d her Twitter. I almost crossed the tracksyesterday, but I didn’t care to have her slam the door in my face in front ofher whole family.I walk through school Monday morning, keeping my eyes peeled butalready knowing she’s not here. She didn’t show up to work out, she wasn’tin the locker room, and if she didn’t want to talk to me all weekend, shedefinitely won’t come back to school like I want her to.My mom had asked about the dress yesterday, finally realizing she hadn’tseen it in the house yet, but I’d forgotten about what Liv did to it. I told herthey had to take it in a little more. I lost weight, I lied.I slide my school jacket off, my arms heavy and my head detached. Thepast two days passed in a fog, and I’m going a little crazy. Even spending allafternoon with Mrs. Gates yesterday hadn’t helped.And holding off Callum is starting to become a problem. I know he’sgetting it somewhere else, and I couldn’t care less. I don’t love him, but whatif that’s not the reason I don’t care. What if I don’t care, because he’s not mytype.What if no guy is my type?I drift my eyes around me, stealing quick glances at the girls and boysloitering in the hall. Seeing his smile. Her eyes. The way he wears hisclothes. Her legs. The way he fills out his shirt. What she looks likeunderneath hers.And I stop, my gaze lingering on Ava Young. What she looks like when
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Penelope DouglasCopyright © 2021 P
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Chapter 24Chapter 25Chapter 26Chapt
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Stream here“All The Things She Sa
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To Abigail
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“Yeah!” they cry out.“Then I
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“We love you, Clay!” some of my
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My mother rushes up to me as the ol
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happy when she’s out to hurt my f
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Kind of amused, but mostly a warnin
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The simple hoop skirt wraps around
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I rub my thumb over the small tatto
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I CLIMB OFF the back of the bike an
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the school. She’s only being nice
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into the trash can as I move ahead,
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smiles down at me, a clipboard in o
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A water bottle falls into the tin g
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I’m yelling at a teacher, but I
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changing audience. Firefights, car
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“If I consider your offer,” I a
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I RUN MY hands down my thighs, the
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can. Being that different from ever
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“I’ll be leaving again tomorrow
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her, my gaze catching the dimple on
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But she rises from her seat without
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that years ago when I first met her
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He bats his eyelashes, and I let ou
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He thinks theater is stupid. He thi
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“The hardest choices were never c
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promising more shitty weather to co
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She can protect her precious little
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my enjoyment as I lower my voice to
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overstock here for rehearsals when
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She stares at me, unblinking, and e
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I look at her through the water in
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“MISS CLAY?” BERNIE calls out.
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on my hand, I fist the underwear ag
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won’t fit like it’s supposed to
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don’t recognize coming into view.
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off you as soon as possible.”I lo
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stomach as I watch her watch me rub
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“What?” she taunts. “I just l
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sit back, shaking my head.But my sm
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My father, I only saw at the end of
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me to Marymount, I didn’t want to
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I thread her hair through my finger
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“Olivia?” I hear the leather se
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“Scared?” she whispers.I almost
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before everything is gone.Clay hesi
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I’m a little scared, but I’m a
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watched Gates stitch a gash from a
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I clutch the arms of the chair for
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dropping it to the floor.I mean, if
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“You wanted it up, so it’s back
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I know, all right? I know. I wasn
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She won’t meet my eyes.“Are you
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are necessary to the success of the
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heard of Biscayne Bay.Bay… Not Sa
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I look back to Iron.“Don’t you
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mumbles, more like she’s arguing
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to the right and assume that’s wh
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I stare at her, the world spinning
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“MACON!” SANTOS CALLS out as if
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move you.”Clay glances to me. A s
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down next to her, pushing her fucki
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“Fine,” I grit out, pushing awa
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himself. Army drives off, Liv next
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air boat, and one with Iron holding
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I slip into the kitchen, Amy lurks
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“What the hell?” someone bellow
Page 141 and 142: time. Ask me.But she just shakes he
Page 143 and 144: I SCROLL THOUGH Liv’s Twitter and
Page 145 and 146: I walk away, looking back at the bo
Page 147 and 148: So, she left. She let me win.She ju
Page 149 and 150: But still, I don’t let her go, gr
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Page 153 and 154: “DID YOU THINK I wasn’t going t
Page 155 and 156: video of the assistant coach and me
Page 157 and 158: happened?I’ll admit, the prospect
Page 159 and 160: on.”Coomer always takes us out to
Page 161 and 162: But Clay just sits, her elbows on h
Page 163 and 164: I YANK MY rubber band out, letting
Page 165 and 166: I almost smile. In her rush to leav
Page 167 and 168: “I didn’t let you win,” she t
Page 169 and 170: I CHEW THE pizza, glancing up at he
Page 171 and 172: My mom had mental problems her whol
Page 173 and 174: But the door falls shut, and Amy an
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Page 179 and 180: between them. Our warmth seeps thro
Page 181 and 182: she gasps, her hands immediately di
Page 183 and 184: WE JERK OUR heads, seeing someone
Page 185 and 186: And without a moment to lose, Liv d
Page 187 and 188: freefalling.I collapse on top of he
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Page 191: looks over his shoulder. “Amy! Ca
Page 195 and 196: amicably.I grab my test and pencil
Page 197 and 198: Like it’s inevitable, because he
Page 199 and 200: as long I shut up about it.Maybe th
Page 201 and 202: The lighthouse rises above us, a co
Page 203 and 204: spilling over the rim of her cup. I
Page 205 and 206: Except for Archie.Old places have a
Page 207 and 208: “A friend.”“Someone you’ve
Page 209 and 210: few short nibbles. “I liked it wh
Page 211 and 212: venom, and sometimes you need poiso
Page 213 and 214: direction as they bump into each ot
Page 215 and 216: Clubhouse…“Fox Hill!” I shout
Page 217 and 218: But no one listens to me.The boys o
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Page 221 and 222: the streetlights off, as well. The
Page 223 and 224: I can’t take my eyes off her, pai
Page 225 and 226: I push my finger a little more, her
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Page 231 and 232: “She was better than I’d dreame
Page 233 and 234: God, please.”I step back into the
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Page 237 and 238: “Right.” I put my practice clot
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Page 241 and 242: She leaves, and I bite my bottom li
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I don’t know if I’m relieved th
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We walk toward the dining room, dow
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bus here, but I’m filled with a s
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“I notice men.” I wave the air,
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minimum to get what she wants but n
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seems to close again, and she sits
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CAN’T WE JUST go park somewhere?
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Turning, she rounds the table and h
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can have problems.”I never though
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never getting away from me, Jaeger,
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I whimper, startled as she pushes u
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“Oh, God,” I moan.She grinds in
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“Don’t apologize, baby.” I ho
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“GOD, I NEED a shower,” Liv whi
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me understands why. And the other p
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appointments for mani-pedis next Fr
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Liv walks to the stationary bike, a
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the bleachers.The drumline beat fil
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gazing at her and seeing myself in
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call, jogging out of the workroom a
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not replying. She’s not even typi
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She gets me going, and while I may
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caressing me through my underwear.I
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I stop. Excuse me? I turn, glaring
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I check my face in my side mirror,
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tell her as I season two oysters.
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sociological, political, and theist
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eyeing my brothers. “Know anythin
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I whip the spoon, the glob slamming
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she peels off my tank top and helps
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God, she’s beautiful.Leaning down
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Wait…“You never did that with a
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“I’m…uh,” Clay stammers, br
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Amy adjusts her bra straps inside h
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Clay, I still wouldn’t have been
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and I lose sight of her, but my bod
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I smile. She must be eating dinner.
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Letters were how old people communi
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“SO, I WAS kind of thinking,” I
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heart.She stands there, her chin tr
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“Have you ever kissed a man?” h
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She hasn’t called. She didn’t a
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“You’re going to leave,” he g
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Oh, shut up.I walk away without say
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“Listen to me,” he says.But I d
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Like Henry.“His brother was makin
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NEW YORK. WHY does the idea of bein
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Does my mom know that’s how I see
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that I’m…”“Well, honey, we
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“YOU’RE NOT ACTUALLY dating Tra
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I hate it. I hate acting like this.
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But then I remember, I blocked her
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on.And then the door at the back op
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“YOU GIRLS LOOK beautiful,” my
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God, shut up. I squeeze my fists, s
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But my dad pulls her back around an
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face falls.“In or out, kid,” Ar
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What do you mean, what? I know what
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that.I’m still not apologizing, t
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value won’t always look like them
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My father steps up behind us and Kr
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starts.“Undo me,” Liv pants, gi
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I BREATHE HARD, sucking my hair int
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can track me, and there are four of
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you.”Milo pulls me back around, s
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“Come on, Milo!” someone shouts
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I glance after Dallas for less than
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“Not here,” I whisper to my bro
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I just laugh, climbing into the cab
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Dammit. I grab it off the floor, kn
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lot of trouble, but of course, he w
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One Month LaterCLAY RUNS PAST me, a
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Her mother’s help to protect the
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confection off the tray and let Cla
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Four Years LaterI’M GONNA BE sick
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He laughs, glancing to Army and the
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“Oh, I need a board, right? I don
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“What are we doing?” I ask.She
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Thank you so much for reading Tryst
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ErikaHE WON’T BE HERE.There’d b
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Trees rose above and all around me
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It was my fault I didn’t love him
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I tucked my hair behind my ear, not
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Other than that one night, he’d i
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smiled, pulling out a heavy steel D
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To the readers—Again, I want to t
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Penelope Douglas is a New York Time
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Tryst Six Venom by Penelope Douglas

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