Tryst Six Venom by Penelope Douglas

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“There’s no point, Krisjen,” I say. “We’re both graduating, leaving town—”“None of that matters!” she growls. “Just be here now!”I’ve stopped breathing, Krisjen’s anger startling me.“There’s no tomorrow,” she goes on. “What are you worried about? Justbe here today!”A tear spills down my face, feeling like I’m being scolded by a mom Ididn’t really have.I don’t want to be hurt.Maybe I love her. Maybe she’ll break me again or I’ll break her, ormaybe we’ll leave each other in August.Maybe we’ll never see each other again.But maybe she’s worth a few more months.A few weeks.One more day.I look over at Macon who watches me in silence, and I don’t know what Isee in his eyes, but I understand it.This could be it.I drop my gaze to the box in her arms, knowing that dress will be a littlesmall for me, not to mention my brothers will peel with laughter at metrussed up like Cinderella, but…She didn’t bring the tux back. Does that mean Clay’s wearing it?She pats the bag hanging around her neck. “I’ve got makeup, hair stuff…Let’s do this.”I can’t help but smile a little. I wonder how many times Clay’s tried tocall or text the past couple of days. Will she want me there?Oh, fuck it. Fuck it all. There is no tomorrow.Krisjen heads past me, toward the stairs but stops and eyes Aracely.“Aracely, right?” she asks. “It’s going to take two of us to get her boobs intothis dress. I’d appreciate the help.”I laugh under my breath at Ara’s pissed-off expression at a Saint orderingher around. Normally, I’d take her side over one of St. Carmen’s, but Krisjenhas the mettle to hang over on this side of the tracks.I head up the stairs, both of them follow behind me.“So, uh…Army…” Krisjen starts.But I cut her off. “No.”“What?”
What do you mean, what? I know what she wants. “I said no,” I stateagain.Army needs a woman badly, but I’m doing this as much for her as forhim. He’ll just turn the poor girl into a babysitter he sleeps with.She groans as we dip into my room. “Fine.”
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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
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time. Ask me.But she just shakes he
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I SCROLL THOUGH Liv’s Twitter and
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I walk away, looking back at the bo
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So, she left. She let me win.She ju
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But still, I don’t let her go, gr
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needing to run to get rid of the ur
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“DID YOU THINK I wasn’t going t
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video of the assistant coach and me
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happened?I’ll admit, the prospect
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on.”Coomer always takes us out to
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But Clay just sits, her elbows on h
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I YANK MY rubber band out, letting
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I almost smile. In her rush to leav
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“I didn’t let you win,” she t
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I CHEW THE pizza, glancing up at he
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My mom had mental problems her whol
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But the door falls shut, and Amy an
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why hide anything else as if that w
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panties, shivering when I feel the
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between them. Our warmth seeps thro
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she gasps, her hands immediately di
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WE JERK OUR heads, seeing someone
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And without a moment to lose, Liv d
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freefalling.I collapse on top of he
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orders.A shiver runs through me, an
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looks over his shoulder. “Amy! Ca
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SHE DOESN’T GET over it.I called.
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amicably.I grab my test and pencil
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Like it’s inevitable, because he
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as long I shut up about it.Maybe th
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The lighthouse rises above us, a co
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spilling over the rim of her cup. I
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Except for Archie.Old places have a
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“A friend.”“Someone you’ve
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few short nibbles. “I liked it wh
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venom, and sometimes you need poiso
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direction as they bump into each ot
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Clubhouse…“Fox Hill!” I shout
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But no one listens to me.The boys o
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of yours and your friends. This is
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the streetlights off, as well. The
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I can’t take my eyes off her, pai
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I push my finger a little more, her
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breathing hard as she loses her min
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in love. Jesus.”Clay stays silent
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“She was better than I’d dreame
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God, please.”I step back into the
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you weren’t happy. To support peo
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“Right.” I put my practice clot
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and from everyone except her who ti
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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
Page 305 and 306: Wait…“You never did that with a
Page 307 and 308: “I’m…uh,” Clay stammers, br
Page 309 and 310: Amy adjusts her bra straps inside h
Page 311 and 312: Clay, I still wouldn’t have been
Page 313 and 314: and I lose sight of her, but my bod
Page 315 and 316: I smile. She must be eating dinner.
Page 317 and 318: Letters were how old people communi
Page 319 and 320: “SO, I WAS kind of thinking,” I
Page 321 and 322: heart.She stands there, her chin tr
Page 323 and 324: “Have you ever kissed a man?” h
Page 325 and 326: She hasn’t called. She didn’t a
Page 327 and 328: “You’re going to leave,” he g
Page 329 and 330: Oh, shut up.I walk away without say
Page 331 and 332: “Listen to me,” he says.But I d
Page 333 and 334: Like Henry.“His brother was makin
Page 335 and 336: NEW YORK. WHY does the idea of bein
Page 337 and 338: Does my mom know that’s how I see
Page 339 and 340: that I’m…”“Well, honey, we
Page 341 and 342: “YOU’RE NOT ACTUALLY dating Tra
Page 343 and 344: I hate it. I hate acting like this.
Page 345 and 346: But then I remember, I blocked her
Page 347 and 348: on.And then the door at the back op
Page 349 and 350: “YOU GIRLS LOOK beautiful,” my
Page 351 and 352: God, shut up. I squeeze my fists, s
Page 353 and 354: But my dad pulls her back around an
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Page 359 and 360: that.I’m still not apologizing, t
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Page 363 and 364: My father steps up behind us and Kr
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Page 367 and 368: I BREATHE HARD, sucking my hair int
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Page 373 and 374: “Come on, Milo!” someone shouts
Page 375 and 376: I glance after Dallas for less than
Page 377 and 378: “Not here,” I whisper to my bro
Page 379 and 380: I just laugh, climbing into the cab
Page 381 and 382: Dammit. I grab it off the floor, kn
Page 383 and 384: lot of trouble, but of course, he w
Page 385 and 386: One Month LaterCLAY RUNS PAST me, a
Page 387 and 388: Her mother’s help to protect the
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Page 391 and 392: Four Years LaterI’M GONNA BE sick
Page 393 and 394: He laughs, glancing to Army and the
Page 395 and 396: “Oh, I need a board, right? I don
Page 397 and 398: “What are we doing?” I ask.She
Page 399 and 400: Thank you so much for reading Tryst
Page 401 and 402: ErikaHE WON’T BE HERE.There’d b
Page 403 and 404: Trees rose above and all around me
Page 405 and 406: 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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