mahogany door cut through the room, making

room stopped talking

yes snapped tow

r shoulders, Ellie was a flawless porcelain figure, co

clicking sharply against the

lumped low

er, Ansel's entir

fast the blue of his

instinct, grabbing hi

ng was so tight his joints

f his bourbon an

is throat, and he star

ignore

n Ansel and walked straigh

, a sick, excited grin on his fac

g further back into his armchair as

ight in front o

ked dow

t: raw panic bleeding through

m's apple b

rain scrambling for a smoo

lie

nterrupt your boys'

ft, sweet, and p

ward, unable to k

g you shouldn't have o

d snapped t

ntly promising violence if

was t

ead and met Bryan'

m a polite nod. "I heard the pitch

ure in the r

ed breathin

had reached into his che

s, waiting for the sc

and tucked a loose stran

ative metaphor,"

r attention b

, "do you think that recommendation letter could get me an intervi

went de

o land on the rug. Jax, who had been leaning against the bar, slowl

s grin

Ellie like sh

th no trust fund, negotiating a job

tared u

ar, calm eyes for a

trembling lip or

absolutel

ng wave of panic crashed over him as h

by a primal need to break h

unged f

thin wrist with

agging her forward unt

right int

not fi

thighs, even lifting her arms to wrap t

face into the s

earlobe, his breath hot an

aying?" he whispered, his voi

er cheek again

your zero-maintenance girl

ds felt like a knife

take another wor

ed his body, and smashed his lips agai