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Logan’s face was tense, waiting for Colton to crash onto the tiles. IfColton stayed too long, he was going to take years off my husband’s life.“How much cash?” Logan asked, pulling a bottle of wine from theglass-doored cooler in the center of the refrigerator.“Nah, nah. Dad said no handouts from you guys.”“Oh, did you think I was going to offer you money? I was asking abouttime.”“Give me, you know… a month or two. I figured I’d house-sit whileyou’re on your honeymoon.”“Honeymoon’s on hold until next year,” Logan said.I was about to ask Logan which glasses to use, but as the lady of thehouse, I could get whatever I wanted. I pulled down three wine glasses andmade eye contact with Logan, who nodded as he drove the corkscrew.“Cool, cool. I’ll stay out of the way. I’m not trying to witness allyour”—Colton waved his hand from me to Logan—“newlywed shit.”“Not our kink,” Logan replied before yanking the cork with a pop.“Did he just, like, make a joke?” Colton asked me.“You didn’t laugh.”“Still.” He pushed one glass toward Logan. “Fill ‘er up, brah.”Logan stood behind me at my bedroom window, looking at theguesthouse. Colton had all the doors open and the lights on, walking aroundthe pool with the phone to his ear. We’d unloaded his car into the back andtaken my things upstairs.“Well, good thing I kept my studio.”“Good thing.” When he spoke, I felt his breath on the back of my neck.“How long do you think he’ll be around?”In the window’s reflection, Logan shook his head, watching Colton kickoff his shoes and sit at the edge of the pool to splash his feet.“We’re in virgin territory here.” He touched the base of my neck, andthe skin under his fingers came alive with such force, I had to close myeyes. “You’re going to have to wife it up when he’s around.”There was no telling how often that would be, but I’d made a promise,and I was going to keep it. “Slippers and a martini waiting for you when
you get home.”“That doesn’t sound so bad.”“I’m going to be the best wife ever,” I said, turning. “But we’re lockingthat door. The one between our rooms.”“I have all the keys.”“You won’t use them.” I laid my hand on his chest and gently pushedhim away. “Not if I don’t want you to.”He smirked. “I know what you want.” He took my hand off his chestand kissed it, then let go. “I’ll see you in the morning.”Downstairs, Colton laughed.OceanofPDF.com
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CROWNE OF LIESCD REISSOceanofPDF.co
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CONTENTSPart IChapter 1Chapter 2Cha
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OceanofPDF.comPART I
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Dad came in and shut the sliding wo
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“Mind your business, twerp,” By
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Thank God. Thank fucking God.“Tha
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She tapped the edge of her wine gla
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the bride. Boom. You’ll make a hu
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“But it won’t be perfect.” I
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“You look tired.” She lifted he
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“It was. Were you late for work?
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“No, no.” Tap tap on the keyboa
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4L O G A N“I think we should win,
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“No drug arrests.”“Right.”
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The white wall had a single, seven-
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5E L L ALeaving Logan in the workin
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“Why?”“Sugar?” I called.“
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“Right. So, where do we start on
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“Imagine if you married me.” He
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“That’s not enough?”“No. It
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6L O G A NOne minute, I had her. Th
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“You’re saying you have a histo
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“Dad.”He looked at his watch be
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I waited for my father to congratul
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I put down the container. My Blind
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“Fine,” I said, pacing the leng
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Jean-Claude came out of the closet
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Logan sat in the chair across from
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“Haven’t tested it without a co
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She jerked her mouth away, but I he
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“I’m not spending the next five
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Was I?I wasn’t made of stone. I w
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1 0E L L AI was married.Not just ma
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Non. Again. Non. Again. Non. Again.
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With the speed of a criminal unencu
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—I’m sending Loranda to getyou.
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She was not to smile at Caleb Hawki
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We walked up to the rooftop togethe
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She held out her right hand and the
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1 2E L L AMy quickened heartbeat st
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“Eyes on the prize.” He spun me
Page 84 and 85: I gasped. “No feelings. It means
Page 86 and 87: “Here.” Reaching toward my pant
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Page 90 and 91: The bathroom door opened, and Ella
Page 92 and 93: “That thumb taste good?” she as
Page 94 and 95: I took my wife’s hand and pulled
Page 96 and 97: 1 4E L L AIn the suite’s living r
Page 98 and 99: “Good morning.” He hit the ente
Page 100 and 101: in the fence from my window, so I g
Page 102 and 103: When I felt him get under the cover
Page 104 and 105: me, the harder I sucked. If I wasn
Page 106 and 107: They existed as a soreness where I
Page 108 and 109: “Olivia says she knows your new w
Page 110 and 111: “Don’t you dare,” she objecte
Page 112 and 113: “How long will it take?”“As l
Page 114 and 115: 1 6E L L AAs I changed into jeans a
Page 116 and 117: “Nah,” he said. “I’ve done
Page 118 and 119: Colton pointed his fork at each of
Page 120 and 121: “I’ll cream you after lunch,”
Page 122 and 123: to journals under a pen name. I did
Page 124 and 125: outstretched for his wife as if she
Page 126 and 127: about who ran Crowne. He was concer
Page 128 and 129: One year, separate rooms. Functiona
Page 130 and 131: commercial space, so I’m not allo
Page 132 and 133: As if I was being honest with mysel
Page 136 and 137: PART IISIX MONTHS LATEROceanofPDF.c
Page 138 and 139: outside our marriage, I could barel
Page 140 and 141: that time of day added a level of c
Page 142 and 143: I checked the stock ticker.Maybe it
Page 144 and 145: Malibu was a wreck of traffic at lu
Page 146 and 147: without the sex. She asked for noth
Page 148 and 149: “I can’t be the only one mainta
Page 150 and 151: 2 1E L L A“Talk to me,” Logan h
Page 152 and 153: “But… I thought the Collective
Page 154 and 155: Alone with the Big Blank, I pried o
Page 156 and 157: “I want you to want to go. If you
Page 158 and 159: Or I was imagining it.It was possib
Page 160 and 161: He hadn’t shaved before we went o
Page 162 and 163: how to get there, but he looked com
Page 164 and 165: I pressed the tape to alert the dri
Page 166 and 167: He opened his lips to answer. To ag
Page 168 and 169: “Yes, what?”“Touch me.”He p
Page 170 and 171: “Fuck me. Please.”“Are you be
Page 172 and 173: 2 4L O G A NWhen our sticky bodies
Page 174 and 175: I didn’t want to hurt her, but I
Page 176 and 177: “No, you’re not.”“Wanna try
Page 178 and 179: A dress form in my size sat in the
Page 180 and 181: The door closed behind me as he cal
Page 182 and 183: “So,” Logan said, staring at me
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2 6L O G A NElla and I had things t
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“Sure.” She put in two more pie
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shredded and fringed with the loose
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2 7E L L AShredding my father’s d
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the night. They took down streetlig
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“I thought you were being modest.
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“Of course you did,” she called
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say I was a little disappointed wit
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“Can I stay here?”“Of course.
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“Sorry, yes. I know, Ella.”“D
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2 8L O G A N—I’m going home—N
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I hoped she’d tell me more so I c
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“That was the reason you got into
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With a knowing smile, she swung the
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“You’re in luck.” I craned my
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want that?”“Do it. Take me.”I
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“Say something!” I cried.“Com
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refrigerator. Then Colton had come
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“You mean, a little different? Or
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The anniversary party wasn’t a te
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“I have no idea,” Ella said.“
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wrong of me to work so hard to not
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look my family in the face. Nothing
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where the soil is rich. And sometim
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I didn’t want to be this way, and
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Shit.I had the desire to reach out
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3 3E L L ALogan and I were on oppos
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grabbed a glass Liddy had filled.
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I lifted my glass and picked up a l
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“No, but it’s what we both need
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“I’m leaving too.”He looked a
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My father hadn’t cleared the mias
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I looked at my watch. My meeting wi
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“Can you meet him in the middle?
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“Me neither,” his lawyer grumbl
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“I’m trouble, you know.” I gr
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into the elevator with her arms wid
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E P I L O G U E T W OE L L AFrogtow
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“Yes,” Logan said, taking my ha
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“Let’s talk about Dante,” Col
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Or maybe you’re curious about Byr
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A L S O F R E E I N K I N D L E U N
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A C K N O W L E D G M E N T SBefore
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