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have asked for better if he d staged this fiasco himself. It kind of made up
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for the embarrassment of being shown to be less than adequate in front
of his current lady.
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A Handyman s Best Tool
Beth-Ann squirmed and pulled on his hair when he nuzzled at her
breasts. Are you all right? As the tip of his tongue teased the pebble-
hard point, she gasped and pushed him away.
Riley Osborne, you re incorrigible. Half choked and you can still find
the right place to land. She grinned at him and smoothed her thumb
across his mouth to blot up the small bead of blood that shone bright
crimson where he d bitten his lip.
That s why you love me, isn t it? he joked in a croaky voice.
That s one of the reasons I love you, she responded, caught by the
glitter of his brown eyes.
Her heartbeat faltered as she realized she d admitted her love for him,
and in front of witnesses. She just prayed he d think it was one of those
throwaway lines everyone used on occasion. Because if he didn t, she d
just handed him the means by which he could control her.
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By sheer force of will, she kept the smile on her face. Are you really
okay? She stood and tugged at his arm, helped him to stand, then
brushed off his rear end. Riley cleared his throat and rearranged his
shirt, minus a few buttons, so he looked reasonably tidy again.
I am now, but who s your muscle? He nodded toward the bouncer
who still stood at the open front door.
That s Maxwell, from across the road. She planted her hands on her
hips and faced Maxwell. Her lips twitched at the scowl on his face. Make
nice, Maxwell. Now come and meet Riley. He s the man I told you about,
the one who came to see about filling my hole for me.
She spun around in surprise when Riley snorted, and back again
when Maxwell coughed as if he d choked on something. The two men
slapped each other on the back and burst into laughter. She heard the
slightly higher pitch of her other visitor as he, too, started to chuckle.
Men.
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Alexis Fleming
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After a moment, it registered how she d phrased it. She grinned. She
was at it again. Okay, enough already with the play on words, guys. And
Graham, she raised her voice over the continued hilarity, you d better
not let that sauce burn.
Maxwell slammed the front door shut and extended his hand to Riley.
Sorry about that, mate. I didn t know Beth-Ann s fella was comin over.
No harm done, but I m going to yell before I hit the driveway next
time. What the hell do you bench press?
Oh, I d say at least one-ninety with one hand.
Beth-Ann held up her hands. Uh-uh, don t get him started on his
muscles or we ll never get dinner ready. She squealed as Maxwell picked
her up in a bear hug, carried her into the kitchen and deposited her on
the bench. He remained by her side, his head pressed to her chest and
one beefy arm about her waist. She glanced at Riley over her shoulder,
frowning as she noted the discontented look on his face.
I thought you d ring, she said as he moved to stand on her other
side.
Riley glared at Maxwell as he hugged Beth-Ann. An avalanche of
jealousy rolled over him. How dare the big lout put his head on her
chest? That was his resting place. God help him, he felt like that sixteen-
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year-old school kid again with a fit of the greens because another jock
dared to look at his girl.
I swapped with Arthur so I could stay the& er, visit. He can do
tonight and I ll fill in for him on his next shift. He cast a confused look
at the second guy as he sidled up and hung himself on Maxwell s other
arm.
Couldn t have been much more than twenty or so. A trifle on the
short side and no muscle to talk about. At least this one didn t have all
the telltale trademarks of a boxer like Maxwell. No danger there.
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A Handyman s Best Tool
Oh, goody, a sleepover. Are we invited?
Ooo-kay. Problem solved. He didn t need to be too brilliant to work
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