Shy Santa: Welcome to Kissing

Springs, Book 5 M.R. Becker & Kissing

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Shy Santa
KISSING SPRINGS
BOOK FIVE
M. R. BECKER
Copyright © 2022 by M. R. Becker

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and
retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Edited by: Louisa Roemer

Proofread by: Michelle Healy
Cover by: M. R. Becker
Created with Vellum
 Contents

1. Addy
2. Bear
3. Bear
4. Bear
5. Addy
6. Bear
7. Bear
8. Addy
9. Bear
10. Addy
11. Addy
12. Bear
13. Bear
14. Bear
15. Addy
16. Bear
17. Addy
18. Bear
19. Addy
20. Bear
21. Bear
22. Addy
23. Bear
24. Addy
Epilogue
Sunshine & Shadows Sneak Peek

Kissing Springs Series

Follow Us To Kissing Springs
Acknowledgments
Also by M. R. Becker
About the Author
CHAPTER 1
 Addy

H unkered down in the corner booth of Hope Diner, my laptop opened, I stared at the screen. The
blank white page mocked me for the last three hours. Writer’s block was kicking my ass today.
Usually sitting in my aunt’s diner, I had a never-ending supply of inspiration that poured onto the
page. Writing stories about the people who stumbled in had been my happy place for years. A way to
escape the doldrums of my life and my mother. She was one of two things. Absent or all up in my
business about what I was doing wrong.
You wouldn’t think a small town like Kissing Springs would have such a plethora of drama, and it
seemed like today you’d be right.
“Want a refresh, Addy?” Aunt Shirley’s nasal twang grated on my nerves today. She lifted the
coffeepot in her hand.
I loved the crap out of her, but I was in a foul mood. My boss at the Law Firm Pickman, Irwin,
and Sutton was a piss-ant with a Napoleon Complex. Chadwick Edward Sutton, the third, was three
years younger than me and thought because he was in Law School and a legacy at the firm, he thought
he knew more than anyone. The little shit kept harassing me. Like I would say yes to a date after
saying no a hundred times before.
But back to my current dilemma.
Why couldn’t I find words of any kind?
I’m on my way to banging my head on the table in the hope to jar something loose, when the bell
over the door jangled, catching my attention.
My focus on the door, I watched a giant grizzly of a man enter, a black beanie pulled low on his
head.
Oh holy night, was he massive. My blasted mind came to a screeching halt with smoking tires and
grinding metal. Mouth agape at the man as Shirley yelled something I didn’t catch at him. He said
nothing, only grunted before shuffling to a nearby table, his back to the wall. His head did this quick
swivel that I’d only ever seen in movies and read about. The quick scan military or law enforcement
types did.
“Best close your mouth, dear. Don’t want to catch flies.” Aunt Shirley chuckled as she poured me
a fresh cup of coffee, a napkin held out to me.
I snapped my mouth closed and tucked my hand in my hoodie sleeve, then ran it over my mouth,
worried I might’ve drooled a little.
When I finally pulled my attention off the guy, I noticed the cutest little girl seated at the table with
him. Her hair was a total mess, but she kept petting the end of her ponytail.
Shirley walked over to the man’s table and handed them menus; her attention on a table of teens
near the front door.
I wasn’t close enough to hear their muttered conversation but watched as both got up and headed
toward the back hall where the bathrooms were.
“Hey Ad’s, what’s shaking?” Maya, my best friend, plopped down at my table.
“Shush,” I waved her quiet as I tracked the guy and little girl.
“Who’s the lumbersnack and kid?” She whispered once they disappeared down the hall.
I turned to her, not sure what to say. “Came in a few minutes ago. Never seen them before.”
“Do you think he’s a kidnapper? Or maybe a serial killer and she’s the bait he uses to lure
unsuspecting women into the dark night to slaughter?” Maya’s eyes lit up at the thought.
That’s my bestie for you; always looking for the next serial killer. She was obsessed, even got
into a program to write letters to prisoners in a few federal penitentiaries. You would think a woman
who worked the police switch boards wouldn’t want to delve into the minds of killers. I tried not to
judge, but I worried about her sanity and safety. What would happen if a pen pal got parole and came
for a visit?
“Maya, not every rough looking guy is out to kill.” I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back
to the hallway.
Maya reached over and snagged a couple of my cold fries and scarfed them down. The woman
was a bottomless pit. When we met in a writing class, I wanted to hate her so badly. She was
everything perfect in the world. While I wasn’t hard on the eyes, if I said so myself, I worked at not
becoming my mother.
“No, seriously, that guy was hot, but scary,” she shoved another couple of fries in her mouth,
chewing as she continued. “I don’t know if I want to jump him or run. But if he was a serial killer, I
wouldn’t mind going out that way.”
“Real classy.” I grabbed a couple of napkins and wiped off the table where bits of decimated fry
landed. Something to note about Maya—she might be beautiful but good gravy, she had horrible table
manners. “How was work?”
“Eh, work. ‘Nother day, ‘nother dollar.” She shrugged, a sparkle in her eyes.
I smirked, knowing she had some great gossip ready to blurt out. “Spill.”
“Well, it seems that…” Her attention caught on the back hall as Grizzly Adams and his sidekick
shuffled back out. “Can I go hug that little girl?”
The girl was tiny compared to him. Her ponytail was all poofy and huge, but she looked so
fragile. My heart ached to rush over and hug her, too.
“So… Are you going to Sadie’s bachelorette party next week?” Maya asked, pulling me from my
thoughts.
“Nope.” I wouldn’t go if someone paid me a million dollars and promised a lifetime publishing
contract that guaranteed me an eternity on the New York Times bestsellers lists.
“Come on, it’s supposed to be great. Everyone will get smashed and they’re hiring strippers.” She
wiggled her eyebrows at me.
My eyes rolled so hard I think I pulled a muscle. “Strippers? Yeah, not gonna happen.”
“Terry was four years ago. And she’s not even marrying the damn douche.” Maya complained. We
had this same argument many times since the news broke about Terry and Sadie were sleeping
together—it wasn’t just a onetime ‘oops, my bad’. “You can’t hold a grudge forever.”
“Wanna bet? I don’t care if she dumped his ass two years ago after he cheated on her, too. It’s the
principle of the thing. Friends don’t sleep with friends’ boyfriends.” I slapped the Formica table.
“She broke the sister code.”
 “And got hers in the end, and a kid ta boot.” Maya crossed her arms over her flat chest. The one
thing mother nature decided was good to do, not give her huge knockers. If she had those, men
wouldn’t give a lick what she said or did.
“Look, go if you want but I. Am. Not. Going.” I poked her arm to punctuate my point.
Maya held up her hands. “Got it. You aren’t going. Even if I begged and offered to be the DD for
the next year every time we go out, you would not be interested.”
“Even if you promised me that man over there would come over here, sweep me off my feet and
give me a HEA and a million orgasms.” A girl could dream right, and if we played this game, I’d go
for broke.
“Well, that is oddly specific.” Maya smiled, her eyes going wide.
“It’s been a long time. Give me a break.” I admitted, rolling my eyes again, knowing I wouldn’t
win with her.
“Maybe that lumbersnack of a man will help you out.” She eyed said man before flagging Aunt
Shirley over to the table.
CHAPTER 2
 Bear

I tThose
was weird sitting here again. Gran and I came to the diner every other week for Hope Burgers.
burgers are still the best I've ever had.
“Do you like your chicken fingers?” I asked as I dug into my burger. Mmm… Perfection.
Ace shrugged her shoulders again.
We needed to find a way to talk. I didn’t mind people being quiet, preferred it, but this kid
weirded me out. I never knew a girl could be so silent. And polite. Not that I knew a thing about kids,
but I remembered all the girls were chatter boxes growing up. Even the women I served with liked to
talk.
One thing I remembered about Ace’s mom, she knew how to be still. Probably why we lasted the
year we were together. We might have made a go of it if she hadn’t been transferred to another base
on the West Coast.
“Ace, come on, I’m trying here. Give me something.” I placed my burger in the red basket it came
in.
Ace focused on picking at the chicken in front of her. “They’re fine.” She finally mumbled,
shrinking in on herself.
Maybe once we’re settled into the house and she was back in school, things would get better.
“I think you’ll like Gran’s house. A rental company’s taken care of it for the last decade. Renting it
out and stuff. Lucky for us, they were between tenants so we could get right in.” I tried a new tactic
when she didn’t look up. “There’s a great tree in the backyard we can build a tree house in.” I always
wanted one as a kid.
“Okay.” She still wouldn’t look at me.
The social worker said to give her time to settle in, but we’d been living together for over a
month now. Ace still wouldn’t talk to me like a normal kid and only wanted to read or color. Didn’t
children want to run around and play outside anymore? I knew kids loved their electronics—enough
of the guys I served with bitched about the amount of screen time their kids had—but the social
worker said Dianna didn’t allow Ace on them. At this point, I would buy her whatever game system,
tablet, or phone she wanted to get her out of the head space she was in.
“Are you looking forward to starting school? The social worker said you were in second grade
and a gifted program.” I rambled on, shoving a fry into my mouth. “Tomorrow we can tour the
elementary school and get you signed up. I have the records from your old school, so it should be
easy, right?”
Not for the first time, it crossed my mind that maybe this was a big mistake. How was I supposed
to raise a kid? I might be good at keeping men alive in the field, but there were rules and protocols
and basically a manual we followed. Kids never came with a manual.
I should know; I asked the social worker for one after I took responsibility for Ace. She laughed
in my face when she realized I wasn’t joking.
“It’s so good to see you again, Teddy. We’ve missed your Gran for the last thirteen years.” Ms.
Shirley said, refilling my coffee cup. “She was always so proud of you. After you enlisted and left for
boot camp, she kept everyone in the loop about how you were doing.”
Gran loved Shirley like a daughter; she’d been a couple years older than Gran’s actual daughter.
But both knew the pain of losing a child too young. I think that was partly why Gran loved Shirley so
much.
“How long you back for?”
“Moved back permanently. Well, as long as I can find a job.” I sighed, balling up my napkin, and
leaned back in my chair. “You don’t know anyone hiring, do you?”
She tilted her head, pursed her lips. “Lots of places hirin’, but not sure anything you would be up
for. Is there something specific you’re looking for?”
“Anything with a paycheck will do for now. Have some savings to tide us over, but we can’t live
the life of luxury forever. Looking for a security gig or something similar but got a degree in history
and graphic arts.” I shrugged; it took forever to get the degrees, but it was something to fall back on if
I couldn’t find a job at a security company.
“Let me think on it.” Shirley patted my shoulder before heading toward the back to grab a couple
of to-go containers for our food.

THE STREETLIGHTS GAVE an ominous feel to Gran’s house. Ace and I stood on the sidewalk at the
wrought-iron gate that surrounded the front half of Gran’s property. I wished I'd been more involved
with the rental company. While the yard looked decent for winter, most of the planter beds Gran spent
hours tending were gone.
The screech of metal echoed down the quiet street when I opened the gate. The hairs on my neck
stood at attention from the sound. I needed to start a list of repairs and other things needing to be done
to bring this beautiful home back to snuff. A sliver of shame crept up my throat over how bad this
place looked.
It didn’t have an abandoned air to it, but the peeling brown and tan paint and overgrown bushes in
front gave this place a sad suburban feel.
“Let’s get inside. We can unpack the air mattresses and bedding for tonight. The moving truck
should be here in a couple of days with our stuff.” I pulled my phone out to open the front door; the
darkness of the porch not invaded by the few streetlamps.
“Okay, Mr. Bear.” Ace looked around, her eyes wide, taking a small step closer and placing a
hand on my hip.
“You can pick your room out. And the next couple weeks we can decorate it how you want. There
used to be a hardware store downtown. We can get paint from there when you decide on the color.” I
held the door as she walked in.
Turning, I flicked the light switch for the front entry. A flash and pop answered. Ace squeaked and
grabbed onto me.
“Damn. Watch the glass.” I tried to skirt the shards on the floor, but the crunch under my boots
shared I wasn’t successful. “There’s another couple of switches around here.”
My hand ran across the wall and felt the button switches near the living room. When the lights
flicked on, the sight was depressing.
Garbage filled the room along with a nasty brown couch with burns, and questionable stains,
plywood on cinder blocks sat next to a broken, striped chair, everything covered in leaves, dust, and
fast-food wrappers. Guess the rental company hadn’t checked the place since summer. I needed to talk
with them and get my money back. These were fucking unacceptable conditions to find Gran’s house
in. My teeth throbbed from grinding them. I’d end up with a tension headache if I didn’t chill.
“Think we might not use this room.”
“Mr. Bear?” Ace asked, clutching her purple backpack to her chest. “It’s okay. This place isn’t so
bad. We can clean it up.”
The desire to punch the brick fireplace surged through my gut. This place was a goddamn disaster,
and my eight-year-old kid was trying to reassure me it wasn’t a shit show. I was getting a gold star
in parenting today.
“You’re right Ace. It’s not bad at all. Nothing a little scrubbing can’t fix. Why don’t you find the
kitchen and pop the food in the fridge while I close the window?” I carefully picked my way through
the room, leaves and garbage mounded to my calf in places.
Ace’s footsteps retreated toward the back of the house. The snick-pop of the button switches
marked her progress as she turned lights on along the way. Thankfully, no more flash-pops of lights
exploding happened.
The window closed; I headed down the hall. A strange, pungent, bitter smell filled my nose the
closer to the kitchen I got.
Ace stood in the doorway stiff, her arm covering her face.
“I don’t think the people liked to clean.” She said when I stopped behind her and surveyed the
chaos of the kitchen. The sink overflowing with dirty dishes while rotten food covered the counters
and what might be a small kitchen table. It wouldn’t surprise me to find mummified rodent corpses at
this point.
“Truth.” I grunted, nudging her aside to see the damage done to the tan colored fridge. “We’ll have
our work cut out for us. Holy Fuck.” I swore under my breath at the stench from the fridge when I
cracked it open and immediately slammed it closed again.
Turning on my heel, I faced Ace. “New plan. Let’s hit the hotel we passed coming into town and
then tomorrow we can come back and clean. We have a few days before our stuff gets here. We just
need to come up with a plan to tackle this mess.”
Ace’s shoulders relaxed at my words; she kept her nose and mouth covered as she nodded at me,
then turned and headed back to the front door.
CHAPTER 3
 Bear

M ymephone chirped in my back pocket as I looked over the clean living room. It didn’t take Ace and
long to clear out the mess. She stuck to picking up leaves, paper, beer and soda cans. Dianna
did a great job of raising her.
I slid it out and looked at the screen to see an email from my friend Benson. He still lived in town
with his high school girlfriend, Claira. Well, I guess I should think of her as his wife since they’d
been married for twelve years.
Hitting the email, the band around my chest eased. He knew a local business in a bit of a bind but
didn’t know if I would be up for it; however, they wanted to meet in person for an interview. It was a
little weird. Benson only gave me an address and instructions to ask for a guy named Dillon.
This was the first lead on any kind of job. Today and tomorrow were going to be spent dealing
with house crap I didn’t plan on, and I still needed to take Ace to the school to get signed up.
“Hey Ace!” I yelled after I sent a reply to Benson, thanking him. “How’s the den coming along?”
“I cleaned the garbage.” She dragged a large black trash bag behind her into the hall. “There were
needles and glass on the floor. I didn’t touch any of it.”
Motherfucker!
I was going to ring the neck of whoever had overseen the property. This shit was beyond fucked
up. Garbage and broken furniture in every room. The bathrooms were a complete mess and—please
god don’t let it be true— needed to be gutted due to mold and mildew.
“Yeah… don’t touch that stuff. I’ll get the broom and dustpan to deal with it.” I rubbed a hand
over my face. “Do you want to head upstairs and work on clearing out the bedroom you picked? It
didn’t look too bad this morning.”
Without a word, she went upstairs. Her work boots we grabbed from Walmart this morning
thudded, sending little puffs of dust into the air with each step.
I checked my watch to see it was almost eleven. We needed to stop and grab some food soon, but
first, the den and Ace’s room so she had some place clean to be. I could bed down in the living room
till we got the house sorted, but she needed her own space and the stability of that.

“THE DINER OKAY AGAIN FOR LUNCH?” Buckled in the car, I turned and asked Ace. “We can hit the
kitchen after lunch and then get some groceries afterward.” And swing into the appliance store to buy
a fridge as well. I wouldn’t risk opening and cleaning the hazardous waste box in the kitchen.
 “Yes, sir.” Ace said from the backseat. Her face turned to the window, watching the houses pass
by as she fidgeted with her ponytail.
“Do you know what you want to eat? Maybe we can get some shakes?” I pushed, attempting to get
her to open up.
“No, sir.”
“Do you like milkshakes? My favorite’s peppermint and I love strawberry in the summer, but the
diner makes killer peppermint shakes with candy cane chunks in the winter.” I rambled on, god I
didn’t know when the last time I carried so much of a conversation, talking this much exhausted me.
Her only response was a nod of her head, her attention on the passing landscape. I ground my
teeth, frustrated with how to draw Ace out of her shell.
I parked in the small lot behind the diner and turned to face her. I didn’t want to have it out here,
but I couldn’t take it anymore.
“Hold up, Ace.” She paused with her hand on the door, ready to open it up. “Hop up here. We
need to talk.”
Her shoulders curved in at my request.
“Yes, sir.” She said, slowly climbing into the front seat.
When she settled, I took a deep breath. Gran, help me know what to say.
“Alice-Grace, this won’t be the last time we brief, but I need you to be blunt with me. This is an
adjustment not just for you, but for me as well.” I lifted her chin to see her eyes, so much like mine.
“Tell me what you need and what you’re thinking. Your mama, she did a great job teaching you how to
respect adults and how to be the best little girl I’ve ever met.” She perked up at that. “But you have to
be a kid at times. I don’t expect you to be perfect. I do expect you to be you. You were a surprise to
me; I never planned on kids, and that’s probably part of why Dianna never told me about you. Now
that I know about you, and getting to know you, we need to be a team. Being a team means we talk
things out. I take care of you, and you help take care of me.”
I paused for a moment to let it sink in.
“Now, being a team means that your opinion is valued and taken into consideration. We won’t
always get along and sometimes I’ll be the heavy; that’s what being an adult is. So, I need you to talk
to me, tell me what you’re thinking and needing. As much as I would love to be, I’m not a mind
reader.”
Ace tried to hide a smile, so I knew I was getting somewhere.
“So, is eating at the diner for lunch okay with you? And would you like a milkshake? If so, what
kind?”
She looked at her lap for a moment before turning a small smile on me. “The diner is nice. I like it
inside. I like caramel shakes, but any flavor except coffee is good too. Mommy hated the smell of
coffee, so do I.”
That was a start, at least. “Well then, let’s go grab some food so we can get back to the house and
finish cleaning it up.” We hopped out of the car and headed inside.
I could already taste the burger and shake that awaited me. We sat and Shirley left a couple of
menus for us to look over.
“Can I have a burger too?” Ace asked hesitantly after a few minutes.
“Yeah, you can. Do you know what flavor shake you want?”
Shirley barreled over at that moment to take our order.
Yesterday, I didn’t get a good look around the diner or town when we got here, but there’s a ton of
differences that caught my eye now.
 While the diner was the same, the signs of wear and tear shone when I looked closer. Shirley and
Gerald took excellent care of the place, but as with life, time affected everything. The booths no
longer gleamed bright red with a high gloss. The cracked black-and-white checkered tiles, dingy with
age.
“You guys need anything else?” Shirley asked after she dropped our food on the table.
“Do you know any sitters? I need someone to watch Ace for a couple of hours tomorrow so I can
go to a job interview.”
“Bring her here. She can eat and her and I will get to know each other.” Shirley tucked the serving
tray under her arm, her eyes on Ace. A frown tugged at her mouth. “Bear, can you help me with
something in back real quick?”
“Yeah, sure.” I nodded, standing from the booth. “You good Ace? Shirley and I’ll just be a
moment.”
“Yes, sir.” Ace said, taking a bite of fry.
I followed Shirley back to the kitchen; as soon as the swinging door closed, she turned abruptly to
me.
She set the tray down on the counter. “Okay, I normally wouldn’t butt in, but when was the last
time that girl had her hair washed and brushed?”
Taken aback by the question, I blinked a few times. “She showered last night.”
Shirley dropped her head into her hands and groaned. “Did you help her wash her hair and then
brush it after?”
“Ummm… no, she’s too old for that.” My ears warmed, and I squirmed. Logically, I knew Ace
was my kid and that she needed help with her mess of hair, but I couldn’t get past the weirdness of
seeing her naked. I would kill any man who tried to see her without clothes on.
“Oh, honey. That poor girl, she needs major help with her hair.” Shirley looked out the small
window in the door toward Ace. “She has your hair, its thick and beautiful and a total mess of knots.”
I rubbed the back of my neck, not sure what to do.
“Okay, here’s what we’re gonna do. Tonight, I’m gonna cut out for a couple hours before the
dinner rush. My extra girls can handle the early crowd on a Monday.” She pulled out her cell from the
pocket of her apron and started typing. “I’m gonna send you some videos of hair tutorials to watch
with her. I know you both are busy putting that house to rights, but this is more important with her
starting school soon.”
She looked at me expectantly. I nodded, out of my depths here.
“I’ll bring some products for her, since I’m guessing you don’t have any. We’ll get her all
straightened out and I’ll show you how to brush out what I’m assuming are beautiful curls.” She
patted my arm as my phone chimed in my back pocket. “She’s fine to hang out tomorrow anytime with
me while you go to that interview.”
“Thanks. I honestly don’t know what the hell I’m doing here.” I shook my head; completely lost
for the first time since Gran found me all those years ago. “I wish Gran were here; she’d help me. I
never expected to have a family.”
“Hon, you’re still in shock over the whole situation. Between getting out of the Marines and being
a single parent to an eight-year-old girl, I’m not surprised you’re barely treading water.” She looked
out the little window again before turning back to me. “Now get out there and talk to that little girl.
Get to know your daughter.”
CHAPTER 4
 Bear

I stood out front of the old theater in town. It used to show dollar movies back when I was a kid.
Built in the late 1800s, it had been a sad sight last I saw.
When I pulled up to the theater, I almost didn’t recognize it. Whoever Dillon Montgomery was, he
must have spent a pretty penny bringing the old building up to code.
After dropping Ace off at the diner, I headed straight here. It wasn’t much past noon, but I felt a
steady beat pumping through the walls.
Heading around to the side entrance Benson told me about, I knocked but there was no answer, so
I pulled on the door. The low thumping base that’d been a slight rumble outside blasted over me. I
cringed at the assault on my ears as I stepped inside, and the door slammed closed behind me.
I grabbed the arm of a lady who rushed past, her head buried in a clipboard.
“EEKK!” she squeaked, grabbing her chest covered in a tight black tank top. “DAVE!” she
screamed when she looked at me.
Probably should have trimmed my beard and taken more time cleaning up before coming out. At
least my shirt was clean, and my jeans didn’t have holes in them. I pulled my knit cap off my head.
“Sorry ma’am. Didn’t mean to scare you, but I’m looking for Dillon Montgomery.”
“What’s wrong April?” A man walked over. He was almost as big as me. A black shirt with
security written in yellow across the front stretched across his chest.
“The Dude’s looking for Dillon. Sorry, I screamed, but he scared me coming out of the shadows.”
The lady, April—I think that’s her name—said as she inched closer to the security guy.
The large man crossed his arms over his chest, assessing me. Figuring he was the fastest way to
get to Montgomery, I held out my hand and introduced myself. “Bear Alexander. I was told to ask for
Mr. Montgomery; that someone would know where to find him.”
Not saying a word, he turned and headed down a hall to the right, where the lady had come from.
Nodding my head at the woman, I followed the guy up some stairs to the back of house area. We
passed a few people, mostly guys and a few women, in costumes and in various stages of dressed.
I mentally shrugged and focused on the interview ahead. The idea of selling myself was not
something I was comfortable with. The thought of answering random questions about myself gave me
hives. Who cares what my favorite color or day of the week is? As for the question of why they
should hire me? Well, because I am here and need a job.
The list of interview questions I found online overwhelmed me. Where do I see myself in five
years? Fuck, at this point I didn’t know where I would be next week, other than trying to find a job in
this town or in one of the larger cities nearby.
And don’t get me started about the one asking if I had a personal mission statement. Whoever
decided they needed a mission statement to live life needed their head examined.
At the top of the stairs, the security guy opened a door and cocked an eyebrow at me.
I stepped through to see that I was on the back side of the stage and a group of partially dressed
men danced to an intense beat blaring through the sound system. A short guy with a long stick yelled at
the front of the stage, pacing as he watched the dancers shaking what their daddy gave them.
Benson better have a good explanation of what exactly he got me into. There’s no way in fucking
hell I was getting greased up and shaking my ass on stage. They’d have to close the show and file for
bankruptcy.
Security man tapped my shoulder and walked down the stairs at the side of the stage and to the
back of the theater. “Boss man’s the black sweats.” He tilted his head toward the two men at the back
in a heated discussion.
I headed down the stairs and up the slight incline to the back bar area. The dude in red sweats
threw up his hands, spun on his heel and stormed off. Muttering to himself.
“Please tell me the agency sent you?” Mr. Montgomery said when I stopped in front of him.
“Nope. Benson sent me. Name’s Bear.” I discreetly wiped my palm on my jeans before I held it
out.
The man looked at my hand for a moment before grabbing hold. “Dillon Montgomery. Benson said
a friend of his needed a job fast. You’re not in trouble or just got out of jail, right?”
He eyed me up and down like I was a piece of meat. The urge to cover myself grew. Wonder if
this is how chicks felt when men eyed them?
“No sir, discharged from the Marines a couple months ago after a change in family
circumstances.”
“Knocked a woman up and she demanded you play family? Come on.” He walked toward the
lobby doors.
How do you explain a child dropped in your lap that you never knew about? “Not exactly.”
He snorted. “Had my fair share of trouble with baby mamas. Got me a brilliant woman now.”
We walked up a couple sets of stairs to the third floor of the building before he led me into a set
of offices.
“Benson never said what the job was.” I hedged, not sure what I was walking into.
Mr. Montgomery opened a door and dug around a few boxes inside. “That’s Benny for you. I have
a few openings right now. And I just had another damn spot-on stage open up. So right now, I’m down
two dancers and a bartender.”
“I’ll take the bar Mr. Montgomery, never slung drinks, but I’m a quick study.” I jumped on the
opportunity to not shake my ass and make a fool of myself.
Back stiff, he turned to me. “Mr. Montgomery is my father. Call me Dillon.” He shoved a handful
of fabric at me. “Two sizes of shorts and two sizes of collars, I think will fit you.”
“Uhhh… What am I supposed to do with this?” Horrified, I held up a tiny pair of red, hot pants
with white fir lining.
“You can change in the bathroom.” Dillon pointed at a door on the other side of the office. “I
won’t subject you to the staff locker room yet. Deloris is on her way up to get you fitted properly.”
He had to be kidding me. “Please tell me this is just some elaborate hoax Benson thought up.”
Dillon blinked at me. “Hurry up, Deloris gets pissy if she’s kept waiting. I pulled her in because
she’s the most levelheaded of the bunch.” The man sat at his desk and turned on the computer.
Growling under my breath, I headed toward the door he pointed to. The things I did to make sure
my daughter has a roof over her head.
 Shit, I have a daughter I needed to worry about. The thought struck me harder than it ever had
before.
Yeah, we’ve been together for a month, but it wasn’t until this moment things really sunk in.
Shirley coming over last night to help with Ace’s hair was eye opening. I never knew women
went to such lengths with their hair. And when I saw how much it hurt Ace’s head when Shirley had to
brush out the tangles, it killed me. And the nasty dirty looks both shot me when I suggested cutting it.
I’m still surprised to be alive.
Ace’s mom and I never lived together in the year we dated. We started talking about looking at
getting a place together, but then she got transferred, and we ended things. Neither of us willing to
give up our careers to support the other.
Someone knocked on the door as I stared at my reflection in the mirror over the sink.
Taking a deep breath, I walked over and opened the door and stepped out.
“Ooooweee sugar, aren’t you a fine one! Dillon said you were good looking, but you are one fine
piece of ass.” A rotund, short, gray-haired woman said, her accent thick.
“Del, let the poor man be. I told him you were the least scary of the bunch.” Dillon said, not
taking his eyes off his computer. I bet the fucker was trying not to laugh at the ridiculousness that
squeezed my junk tight.
“Those shorts are a bit too tight, and they need a bit of length added. Too bad you are going to be
behind the bar.” The older woman clucked her tongue.
Relief washed through me at knowing she wasn’t fitting me for the stage. Sadly, my modesty and
personal space were short-lived. A hot flush covered my body as she got up close and personal with
my lower half. “Dillon, what’s the policy for staff and chest hair?”
My head snapped up, a glare on my face.
“Everyone needs to be shaved or waxed. The health department rules say that hair has to be
covered when possible.” Dillon said before he looked up at me. “Shit.”
“Fuck that shit.” Ready to bolt like Usain from the room, I stepped back a growl working up my
throat at the excited gleam in the woman’s eyes.
CHAPTER 5
 Addy

“I brought treats!” Maya shouted, walking into my house. “Get your ass down here!”
Grabbing my clutch off the dresser, I headed downstairs. Maya made herself at home at the
dinette table; an assortment of little drink bottles and a couple of snack plates filled with food sat
there.
“Everything looks amazing.” I snagged a handful of grapes and popped them in my mouth.
“Girl, you look killer.” Maya eyed me up and down.
The little black dress I picked out wasn’t anything special. Nope, just a simple chiffon capped
sleeved dress that hit at my knee. No, what made it special was the shoes.
I saved for a year to get these red-soled beauties. The crystals at the peep-toe and on the slender
ankle strap gave just enough bling to this outfit to take it from sweet and cute to fuck me now.
Probably didn’t hurt the heel was a stiletto and could kill a man. But damn, what it did to my legs and
ass.
“Thanks. If I’m going to be around that hoe, then I’m going to play the part.” I had my make-up
done and everything, but my hair finished. I wielded a make-up brush like a pro. But when it came to
hair, I was more braid or messy bun type. “Grab my curling iron. You need to be quick getting the
curls in, so we are only fashionably late and not insultingly late.”
“Gotcha.” Maya tested the curling iron and started brushing through my mess of hair. “I brought
some gourmet gummy bears. They are hella expensive, so try one first.” She handed me a gummy from
a bag in her purse.
“Did you get a new dress?” I asked as I popped the gummy, not seeing how it was anything
special.
“Nope, made this beauty myself. Couldn’t find a good cut off the rack.”
We lapsed into silence while Maya worked her magic on my dull hair, and we munched on
snacks. By the time she was done, I had sleek curly black hair that defied gravity. Maya even attached
in a few sparkly hair clips.
“I don’t know how you do that so fast. Every time I try to use the dang curling iron, I burn myself
and look like I stuck my finger in an electrical socket.”
“Yeah, ya really do.” She laughed as she sat in my seat so I could do her make-up.
“Now, are we going sweet innocence or flagrant whore tonight?” I asked, picking up my shadow
brush.
“Let’s go ‘dirty little innocent’.” She smirked.
“Oh! I like that.”
MAYA BROKE AWAY to find Sadie and let her know we’d arrived. I, however, bee-lined for the bar at
the back of the theater.
The building was impressive. I don’t know what the inside looked like before the Revue opened
up, but they must have taken pains to keep the old-world charm that was here. I could see rich
families showing in droves dressed to the nines to be seen at "The Theater”—yes, it has to be
capitalized and spoken in that British snobbish air—getting their culture on and all that. The place
reminded me a little of the theater from Phantom of the Opera. Well, if it was a tenth the size and built
in an old southern mountain town. But the opulence was still there, just on a lesser scale.
I plopped my metallic dusty-rose colored clutch on the bar and sat on a stool. A few staff huddled
around the far end. A tall woman broke away and came down to my side when she caught sight of me.
“What can I get for you?” She asked, an order pad in hand.
“I’ll take two shots of whiskey and an order of nachos.”
She grabbed a couple of shot glasses, the bottle of whiskey, and poured. “I’ll get the order into the
kitchen. Want something else to drink as well?” she eyed me skeptically.
“I’ll have a beer to go with the nachos, but for now I’ll get a Pina Colada. Do you guys use
pineapple to garnish?”
“Yep,” she said as she entered my order into the computer at the back of the bar. “Do you have a
table yet?”
“This lovely expanse of wood is going to be my home for the duration of the evening.” My bitter,
brittle smile said to fuck off if she had any comments about that.
“Got it. I’ll have our newbie keep you stocked up.” She smirked before making my beautiful
frozen happiness.
I swear to you; I’m not a lush, but for tonight I planned to play the part with expertise.
With only minimum flinching as it burned down my throat, I downed the shots.
Taking in the theater, I spotted Maya by the right side of the stage, talking with a couple of women
I didn’t recognize.
“Addy, I’m so happy you came!” a high-pitched voice squealed behind me.
I turned to see Sadie in a white, clingy tube dress. She grabbed me in a tight hug I desperately
wanted out of.
Once she let me go, I plastered on a fake smile and raised my voice’s pitch to meet hers. “Yep,
came with Maya.”
With a hold on my arms, she looked me over. “You look great. Maya didn’t tell me if you would
make it, but that’s okay. I can fit you in at a table. We reserved half the hall for the party.” She gushed.
“Daddy got us the Top package this place offered.”
What was I supposed to say to my former best friend? I hope you found happiness. All I wanted to
do was slap her away from me.
Was I still bitter at walking in on her fucking Terry? Yes. Yes, I was.
The worst part was that he’d been balls deep in her ass. The thing he’d been begging me to do for
months ,and I refused.
“That’s great.” My fake smile still on my face. “And no worries. I’m good over here. They
promised me my very own bartender for the evening.”
“Oh, okay. Well, just… let them know everything is part of our package.” She stammered as her
smile faltered.
A small part of me felt bad. Sadie had always been a great friend. Well, until Terry. And I knew
she was always desperate for approval, and I couldn’t hold Terry against her forever. She did me a
solid by showing what a colossal prig he was.
“Thanks for the invite. I’m sorry, I’m not more in the party spirit. Been a rough week at work.”
Way to go me, offer that olive branch.
“I’m glad you came. Maybe after the show we could sit down and talk? It’s been forever and I’ve
missed my best friend.” She looked so hopeful.
I didn’t have it in me to crush her hopes and dreams of being friends again. Not because of her,
but I was tired of the whole situation. “Yeah, sure, after the show, maybe we could talk.”
She hugged me once again before heading toward the tables to the right of the stage.
When I turned back to the bar, I about fell off my stool. A pair of hazel eyes locked on mine with
the intensity of a million burning suns.
“Hi.” I chirped.
He nodded his head at me. “Hello.”
“Are you going to be mine for the night?”
Shit, did that come out of my mouth? I was such a flippin’ moron.
His lips quirked behind his thick beard, a sparkle in his eyes. There was definitely a sparkle. I
didn’t care that he was a burly man who could break me in half. He could still sparkle.
“Boss said I was to keep an eye on you.” He smirked. “So, I guess that means I’m yours for the
night.”
Definitely got some clench and tingle in my lady bits. Yep. I am going to enjoy tonight.

I POPPED another gummy bear in my mouth as the house lights flickered before dimming. These little
bears were great. Most of the time I was a chocolate lover, but I really was feeling these gummies.
It was weird that Maya liked gourmet gummies and had a couple bags in her purse, but hey who
was I to cast aspersions on someone’s choice of sugar addiction?
The thumping base started low, giving me more yummy tingles as the stage lights flashed and the
music started. I turned my head to watch the second half of the show.
A few men ran on stage together and did a group number. The lights glistened off their tanned skin.
Wonder if they used make-up on their bodies or their faces? Those lights could wash out even the
darkest skin tone. And how could they be so flexible? I tilted my head, trying to parse out how they
didn’t pull a groin muscle. Even doing yoga, I wasn’t that flexible.
“Need a refill?” A deep voice soothed over my skin, interrupting my contemplation of the
shimmery dancers. God, I could sink into his smooth, rich voice.
“Mmmm… Got anything smooth and rich?” I asked, my eyes roaming Bear’s chest. And did he
look like one. I about laughed when we did the whole introduction thing earlier.
“Bourbon? Whiskey? Or something else?” The sexy man winked; goosebumps rose over my skin
as my nipples hardened.
How about you? I thought, leaning my head on my hand. Geez, I needed to get laid so bad. Maybe
that was why I couldn’t think of anything good to write.
“As far as I know, I’m not on the menu, but maybe we can arrange something.” Bear leaned into
the bar separating us.
His words filtered through my brain. “Shit, did I say that out loud?”
“Yep,” he grinned, his white teeth standing out against his dark beard. “Not that I minded.” His
eyes scanned me up and down. Well, as much as he could, since the bar blocked the bottom half of his
viewing pleasure.
A small part of my brain screamed to abort and run home, but a larger part of my brain screamed
to grab him and kiss him. Maybe take him home and ride him like a rodeo pony.
“While I wouldn’t mind being your horse. It might get me fired if you climbed over the bar to kiss
me.” His rich voice teased
“I think I need to stop drinking.” My stomach grumbled. “Maybe if I eat more food, the alcohol
flowing in my blood will be absorbed, so I don’t make bad decisions tonight.”
He straitened and grabbed an order pad and pencil. “What ya want to eat to help you sober up?”
I giggled at his seriousness. “Got any pretzels with caramel or cheese sauce?” Those always
worked when Maya and I imbibed in the past. “Oh, and maybe a bacon cheeseburger with BBQ sauce
and pickles. Do you have waffle fries too?” Man, I was starving. “Do you have pie?”
This hot guy was going to think I was a freak. I already hoovered through an enormous plate of
nachos and half a bag of gummy bears. Hopefully, he didn’t know about the bears in my bag. I didn’t
see a sign that said no outside food, but most theaters frowned upon that sort of thing.
He wrote out the order and walked to the computer and sent it to the kitchen. A couple of women
who wandered up to the bar caught him, but his eyes kept coming back to me.
I probably skeeved him out, watching him like a creeper. Which was a funny word because I’m
not creeping around. Only watching him like a zoo exhibit.
A yummy sexy zoo exhibit I want to climb over the fence and play with.
CHAPTER 6
 Bear

I kept my eyes on the chick Lexi tasked me with babysitting. She was funny, but she seemed off. Not
that I knew her.
“Hey Lexi, there’s something wrong with the lady at the end of the bar. I cut her off an hour ago
when the second half of the show started, but she seems more drunk now. Even after she downed a
crap load of food.”
My boss glanced over her shoulder to see the chick giving me fuck-me eyes while trying to suck a
straw into her mouth.
“She probably got wasted before coming in. She’s part of the big bachelorette party that’s gonna
close us out upstairs.”
Huh, I hadn’t seen anyone approach her all night once the show started. “Are you sure?”
Lexi nodded, filling a couple of beers. “Yeah, the bride made a point to tell me the lady was part
of the group and anything she wanted was on her.”
“Should I get the bride to take care of her friend?” I really didn’t want to get into girl drama.
“No, just call a cab and pour her into it.” She loaded the beers on the tray and passed it to a
waitress—I still needed to learn everyone’s name.
Shrugging, I made my way back down to the woman. She was hot. I don’t think someone had ever
propositioned me as many times as she had, and in such funny ways. When she said she wanted to hop
the bar, kiss me, then ride me like a pony, I had to fight getting hard. These damn black slacks
wouldn’t hide anything. But I guess that was the point. I’m thankful Dillon was fucking with me over
those red hot-pants he made me put on, and my actual uniform covered more skin.
“What did your friend and you talk about?” Addy asked, eyeing Lexi, looking like she sucked on a
lemon.
A niggle wormed its way through my mind; something wasn’t right with the chick. “Just asked if I
could cut out a bit early to take you home.” I smiled, hoping it appeared flirty. I‘d never been the
smooth talker, or well, much of a talker, and being flirty, sexy and suave didn’t come naturally.
“OOOOh, that sounds like a wonderful idea.”
At first, I was all for it—let’s face it, having a kid in the house put more of a damper on my sex
life than all my years in the military. But now, I was more worried about her than anything.
“Once the show’s over, I’ll clock out and get you home.” Please don’t let Dillon fire my ass for
leaving before cleaning up the lower bar.
Addy pulled out her phone and started typing away on it.
When she looked back up, a huge smile spread over her face. Man, she had the most beautiful blue
eyes I’d ever seen. As cliche as it sounded, there was something beyond the bright blue color in them.
It was like I was surrounded by a crystal-clear day in the middle of nowhere. Not exactly lost, but
where I needed to be. Why I felt that way, I had no clue. It’s the first time I ever felt this strange sense
of connection to anyone.
Movement to the right caught my attention. A tall, slender woman walked toward us. Her eyes
darting between me and Addy.
“What can I get you?” I asked when she sat on the stool next to Addy.
“Name, number, and a naked photo?” She smirked, her eyes traveling over my body.
I knew working here I’d be treated like meat. Fairs, fair I guess; if guys can ogle women with no
shame, then they should be allowed to do the same.
“Maya!” the little spit fire slapped her friend’s arm.
Laughing, Maya leaned over to her friend and whispered loud enough so I could hear, “Think he
would go for a three-some?”
Yep, not going there at all. I turned on my heel and beat a retreat to the other side of the bar near
Lexi. I helped her fill a couple of orders while I watched Addy and her friend chat and laugh.
Fifteen minutes later, the final number’s last notes played through the air as the women near the
stage clapped and yelled. I leaned against the back counter, not super close to Addy and her friend.
“Mountain man, you gonna be at the after party?” The friend leaned over her neon pink margarita
slushy, dark red painted lips sucking on the straw.
“Not tonight.” I smirked.
“That’s a bummer. Do you dance too? Or just sling drinks and look hot?”
“Maya, seriously.” Addy smacked her friend on the arm again. “Leave the poor man alone.” A
flush worked up from the top of her chest to the base of her neck.
“What? You said you would be his Ho Ho Hoe if he let you. Which I totally agree with. If you
don’t take him home, I will.” The friend whisper shrieked.
I turned my back to hide my grin at the friend. The server should have cut her off as well. That girl
was toasted with how she blurted everything.
Once I had myself under control; I faced them again. “I think we need to call you a cab as well.”
“Nope, staying for the after party. Hoping to convince a dancer to take me home and ravish my
body, while I do naughty stuff to his.” She slurred a bit.
“Seriously Maya, you need to get a filter.” Addy giggled; her eyes wide. “And I think Bear’s right.
You need a cab and bed. No lovely man meat for you.”
“Nooooo, I want man salami. No Oscar Mayer weenies for me! I want something thick and
spicy.” Maya turned her attention to me. “Which guy is straight-ish and a good lay?”
“Don’t know the dancers; tonight’s my first night.” I wiped down the bar area as the theater
emptied. The house lights up but dimmed.
She snapped her fingers at me. “Find me some dick, then you can take Addy home since a three-
some if off the table with you. I wouldn’t mind a couple dicks for my own three-some.” She wiggled
her eyebrows at me.
Jesus, this woman was nuts. My eyes widen as I looked toward Addy. She looked pissed, her
eyes squinted, a red flush now in her cheeks.
Addy grabbed her friend’s raised arm and bit out. “Damn it, Maya. Shut the hell up already.” She
turned toward me. “I hate to ask, but can you drive us home?”
“You’re no fun.” Maya pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. “You’re not my mom.”
Nodding my head, I walked down the bar. “Lexi, I’m gonna take them home. I’ll come back in the
morning and clean up.”
 “Dude, that’s not how this works.” Lexi’s eyes narrowed, her fists on her hips. “You don’t take
women you meet here home and fuck them. This isn’t a sleazy bar.”
My focus shifted back toward Addy and her friend, who were back to giggling at something. “The
two of them are plastered. I put them in a cab; I won’t be able to sleep tonight.”
When Maya fell to the floor with a thud, I face Lexi again. “If you have to can me, then fine. But
what would your boss say if I let them out of here in their state?”

THE DRIVE TO drop her friend off wasn’t terrible. The girls giggled like hyenas in the back of my SUV.
I had the forethought to snag the booster seat and toss it over the back before anyone saw it.
They didn’t need to know I had a kid. Not that I was ashamed. But who wants to have a one-night
stand with a parent? Now that I was a parent—God I never thought I would say or think those words
—I worried having a kid might turn a bed partner off.
“Bye! I love you girl!” Maya shouted from her porch. I hoped her neighbors slept like the dead.
“And get you some of that yummy mountain sausage!”
Annnnd, I’m done.
Addy shut her door and buckled her seatbelt. “I’m so sorry about her. Maya, normally, isn’t that
bad.” She tilted her head then burst out in peals of laughter. “Actually, yes she is.” She added with a
snort.
I shifted the car into drive and headed home. “Where’s your place?” I asked, my hands tight on the
wheel. She seemed to be clearer headed.
“Just off of main street.” She fiddled with her purse. “But we could go back to your place.”
“Don’t think that’s a good idea.”
She huffed, arms crossed over her chest, “Why the hell not? You’re hot, I’m horny and need to get
laid.”
“I don’t fuck drunk chicks.” I grit out. Hating to have this conversation.
“It’s a good thing I’m not drunk then.” She snapped back, flinging her arms wide.
“High then.” I rolled my eyes.
“I don’t do drugs either.” She smacked my arm. “I work at a law firm. They have a strict drug
policy.”
The last twenty minutes in the car with her and Maya; she didn’t act or look off. Maybe she had
sobered up.
“Look, I don’t want to go home.” She sighed. “We don’t have to do anything, but I want to at least
keep Maya off my back. She might be plastered, but she’ll remember everything. And pester the hell
out of me for all the nasty details.” Addy rubbed a hand over her face. “If I sleep at your place, then I
can tell her that. She doesn’t always nag me for details if I cop to sleeping with a guy. And I won’t be
lying if I say I slept at your place, as in actually slept there. Not have sex. But we don’t have to tell
her that little detail.” She rambled on, her eyes going big and pleading.
I’m quiet for a bit, trying to think as we headed back toward Kissing Springs. Does it make me a
douche weasel to still want to bang her? I mean, she’s hot, willing, and best of all, kinda funny, plus
the bonus of her not looking for a relationship. Even if she had been drunk, she made a perfect one-
night stand.
“Fine, you can come back to my place.” Please don’t let me regret this. “Let’s get back and maybe
get something not intoxicating in you.”
“Damn, there goes seeing your cock.” She giggled, then clamped a hand over her mouth like she
didn’t mean to say that out loud. “Ignore that.”
She really was kinda cute. “Will do.” I smiled as I watched her out of the corner of my eye. She
pulled out a few pieces of candy and popped them into her mouth.
CHAPTER 7
 Bear

W ehouse.
pulled into my driveway in relaxed silence. I looked over at Addy, who sat stiffly eyeing the

“You live in a gingerbread house?” Her eyes bulge out of her head when I climbed out of the car.
“Are you a witch?”
Forcing myself not to burst out laughing at the serious look in her eyes, I shook my head. “Don’t
think guys can be witches.”
“Warlock then? Or would it be a wizard? No, they wouldn’t live in cute little houses painted all
sorts of colors. Or at least it should be painted all sorts of colors.” She stood looking at the house, her
head tilted and biting her lip. “Why isn’t it painted all sorts of colors?”
I headed to her side of the car and gently nudged her into moving. While I haven’t met my
neighbors, I didn’t think they’d like a show tonight. “Let’s get inside.”
She busted out in giggles but moved to the front porch. At the top of the stairs, she squealed at an
octave to call dogs. “You have a porch swing?”
Shaking my head, I grab her hand and usher her through the front door. I didn’t bother turning on
the entry hall lights and led her to the kitchen. “The house is a little rough. I’ve been trying to fix it up
since I got into town.” I looked around at the boxes and power tools strewn all over the place. “Watch
your step. Don’t want you tripping over cords.”
“Why, Mr. Bear, you are a complete gentleman worrying about the fair maiden’s safety.” She
giggled again. “I think I will use you for a story. You have the dreamiest eyes.”
I flipped on the kitchen lights and headed to the fridge. “Want something to drink?”
“Nope, but I’m very, very hungry…” She purred in my ear, scaring the bejesus out of me. I hadn’t
realized she was that close. “What can you feed me? I am partial to sausages.”
“Umm… I don’t think I have any.” Shit. “Uh… Addy, are you feeling okay?”
She stood there, her eyes half open and pulling off her jacket and dropping it to the ground. “I’m
sooo hot.” She muttered.
I grabbed her hands before she pulled her skirt over her head. Why did I have to be a responsible
guy?
A purple and green bag covered in glitter sat on the kitchen island, staring at me in judgment.
Right, Ace. I had to be the good guy because karma could be a real bitch. The girl already lost her
mother. She didn’t need a man in her life who screwed anything with a pulse.
My head fell to Addy’s shoulder as I breathed deep. The scent of lavender and vanilla assaulted
my will.
“Uh. Bear, what are you doing?” Addy asked, her body stiff.
 “Give me a moment.” I forced my dick to stand down so I wouldn’t scare this woman who
intrigued me.
We stood like that in the kitchen for what felt like forever but was closer to two minutes. Yes, I
counted it down in my head as I held her hands firm in mine.
When I lifted my head, her eyes looked a little hazy. “Why don’t I make us some ziti?”
Her eyes lit up. “I love Italian.” She twisted, breaking my hold on her hands. “What can I do to
help? The cheese and carbs… wait, Maya told me not to talk about liking food with guys.” Addy spun
around, her eyes big and watery. “Do guys really not like girls who talk about food or eat food?”
Wow, she was all over the place. “I like food and prefer a woman who eats and has a good
relationship with it.”
The smile that earned me, fuuuck.
I turned back to the new slate colored fridge and pulled out the shredded cheese bags I kept on
hand. Then set about boiling water and grabbing a jar of sauce. “It’s nothing fancy. And Gran used to
make it with homemade sauce, which I don’t have any of, so a jar will have to do.”
“Do you have garlic bread?” She asked behind me.
“Yep, it’s frozen, though. But not bad. Want to grab a box from the freezer?” I turned the oven on
as I attempted to focus on cooking and not going over and kissing the hell out of Addy.
Thirty minutes later, I handed her a plate of Ziti with garlic bread on the side. “Let’s eat in the
living room.” I nodded toward the front of the house.
“So… how did you end up working at the revue?” Addy stared at me; her fork held mid-air.
I chewed and swallowed the bite I’d just taken. “Needed a job fast when I got into town. My
friend knew the owner of the show. He got me the job till I could find something more stable and in an
area I’m better suited for.”
She tilted her head, something working behind her eyes. “So, it’s a stepping-stone job?”
“Basically.” I grabbed the bottle of water off the coffee table and took a drink. A little
uncomfortable with her gaze, not used to someone staring at me so hard.
She blinked a couple times before taking a bite of her Ziti. “This is good.” Her eyes went big
again, as she quickly chewed and took another bite, her focus on demolishing the plate of food.
“Might want to breathe before you choke on the food.” I chuckled at her enthusiasm.
“Breathing is overrated. Can you become my personal chef? I will provide a skimpy uniform and
apron, and ingredients.” She eyed me in the t-shirt and gray sweats I’d changed into after I got the
noodles on to boil.
Shaking my head, I said, “The beginning and end of my cooking skills are: mac n cheese, grilled
cheese, and anything cooked over an open fire.”
“That’s okay. I love and could live off those items.” She shoveled another bite into her mouth and
moaned.
Damn it, that was not helping the situation; my cock twitched as she dragged the fork out of her
mouth. I swear to God, this woman was fucking with me. She had to know what she was doing. We’d
agreed in the car, no sex.
“If you stare any harder, you might break something."
“Sorry.” I turned back to my food and tried to focus on eating.
We ate in silence, a movie played on the TV that couldn’t hold my focus. My eyes kept darting
back to her every time she took a bite. My dick got harder and harder every time she pulled the fork
slowly out of her mouth, her red lips pursed. Visions of my shaft in place of that damn fork sent
shivers down my spine.
 Giving up on eating, I set my food on the coffee table.
“Not hungry?”
“Food’s not holding my focus.” I said, leaning back on the couch.
She set her empty plate next to mine and drank from her water bottle. “Do you think they’ll end up
together?”
I didn’t know what she was talking about; I was too focused on watching her. “Huh?”
“Lilly and Mathew. Do you think they will end up together? Or just be bang buddies?”
I turned my attention back to the screen to see a couple making out. Yep… this was a super bad
idea. Way too many ideas running through my head.
Her hand landed on my thigh, snapping my head in her direction. “No idea.” God, having a kid
really killed my game. I felt like a bumbling teen again, about to get his first look at a pair of tits.
“I’m not into the movie. And I don’t think you are either.” Addy leaned toward me, her hand on
my thigh slowly slid up to my hard dick.
I held still, hoping she wouldn’t stop. My erection kicked beneath my sweats. Not daring to look
down, I knew they had to be tented at this point.
“So… what’s something else we can do? I’m super not tired.” She licked her lips.
“I have a few ideas.” My hand grazed over her shoulder and into her thick hair to cup her face.
Fuck it.
I leaned into her, my lips crushing hers in a blistering kiss. All the pent-up lust and sexual
frustration spilled out of me as our tongues tangled. A groan escaped me as her hand ran over my hard
cock and slipped under the waistband of my pants to grab me full on. The heat of her hand a warm
silk as she stroked me up and down.
A tingle in my balls had me grabbing her wrist before I embarrassed myself. I wouldn’t have this
end before it began.
Pulling away, I stood and helped her to her feet. Taking her mouth in a brief kiss, I said, “Let’s
take this upstairs.”

WE STUMBLED into my room at the top of the stairs, and I kicked the door closed, taking her mouth
again. I couldn’t get enough of the sweet spicy taste of her. The flavors of tomato, basil, and garlic
mixed with sugary fruit flavors of the candy she’d eaten earlier.
Moonlight filtered through the windows, just enough light to make our way to the bed, without
breaking a body part. Falling to the bed, our lips locked again as my hands wrapped around to the
back of the dress, looking for the zipper.
“Let me.” Addy pulled away and stood, reaching behind her for the zipper. “Fuck, this was
supposed to be sexier and smoother.” She grunted and spun in a circle.
After a moment, she turned her back to me. “Will you?” she asked over her shoulder, as a frown
morphed into a sexy grin.
“Yes, ma’am.” I stood and grasped the tiny delicate zipper and dragged it down, my finger softly
caressing down her spine. A shiver worked over her as her head fell back to my chest.
My hands slipped around her waist under the material. One hand traveled up and the other down.
The lace of her bra and panties was my reward.
Her arms lifted to pull my head back to her lips. I diverted and kissed down her neck from ear to
shoulder.
“Yes…” she hissed, granting me better access.
My fingers traced the underside of her breasts. I needed to speed this up, or I was going to
embarrass myself.
“No…” a moan escaped her as I pulled my hands from under her dress.
Addy turned to me and stepped back, shrugging the dress from her shoulders. It slipped down her
body, slowly revealing a light purple lace set. She lifted her arms behind and unhooked her bra,
letting the material fall to the ground.
I licked my lips at the exposed creamy flesh, with rosy pert nipples. The need to get her on the
bed with my mouth on her breasts beat hard through me.
“Nope.” She held up her hand when I reached for her.
Um… What? We’re stopping? My brain frizzed and my cock wept at the idea of not getting to
experience her.
“You have too many clothes on.” She grabbed my shirt and tried to pull it over my head.
Oh, thank god we weren’t stopping. Grinning, I lifted my arms for her. She huffed out a cute,
frustrated breath when she got to my shoulders and couldn’t lift any higher.
“Will you bend down, you bloody tree?” Addy gave up and smacked my stomach when I laughed.
“Well, you’re friggin’ tall and built. How tall are you?”
“Last med exam, they clocked me at 6’5.” I chuckled as her eyes widened. I grabbed my shirt and
pulled it the rest of the way off.
“Definitely tree territory.” She laughed as I grabbed her and tossed her on the bed and kissed my
way up her torso. “Your beard tickles.”
“Mmmm, you taste amazing.” I murmured against her neck. “I bet you taste better other places as
well.” Slowly, I nibbled and licked my way down her chest.
CHAPTER 8
 Addy

H oly Freaking Lord!

This man’s mouth was amazing. His lips caressed my neck as he kissed and sucked his way
down and between my breasts. That soft beard rubbed over my skin, sensitizing it.
When he reached the valley between my tits, he paused. One hand skimmed flat over my peaked
nipple, and the tips of his fingers feathered lightly around it, sending little shocks straight to my
center. Cupping first one, then the other in his hands, he leaned down and flicked the nipple with his
tongue, while the other kneaded the other breast.
Tingles and zings washed over my body as he nibbled, sucked, and pinched my nipples. A moan
escaped my lips when he popped my tit out of his mouth, only to kiss his way to the other side and
give that needy little bitch attention as well. My hands fisted in his hair as he alternated between the
two breasts.
My hips shifted restlessly at the lack of attention as desire pooled between my legs. I wondered if
I could come just from him sucking and playing with my boobs. My panties, well let’s just say they
were toast. No amount of washing would get them clean again. They were completely soaked. And
the wet bulge that rubbed against my thigh told me he was just as desperate as me.
“Bear…” I groaned, not sure what I needed or wanted at this point.
He chuckled against my breast, looking up at me. “It’s okay… I’ll make it all better.”
Releasing my breasts, he kissed his way down my belly until he hit the top of my lace thong. A
devilish grin tugged at his mouth when he slid a finger beneath the elastic by my thigh.
“Baby, you are so wet for me.” His voice dropped an octave as he snagged the top of my panties
between his teeth and dragged them down. The scrape if the lace and beard set off another round of
shivers, making my muscles clench all over. He lifted both my legs and yanked the scrap of lace off
and tossed it over his shoulder before he spread me out like a feast.
Can I take a moment and say thank god for a man who seemed to enjoy going down on a lady?
They were rare. Most guys wanted blow jobs but skimped out of licking us back.
Bear alternated kisses and nibbles up my thighs. My hand shot out to grasp his hair, drawing him
closer. “Stop fucking around.” I growled.
He hummed against my skin, continuing his slow, torturous path up. By the time he got to the
junction of my thigh, I was a sopping, pulsing mess.
Rough, callused fingers traced around my pussy. “Mmm, you're so tasty.” His voice rumbled
against my sensitive flesh, sending little sparks skittering through my insides.
“Oh, God.” I gasped at the feel of his tongue running up my core. My hips bucked, looking for
more.
 Bear placed a firm hand on my pelvis, holding me still. He slipped a finger into my soaked pussy,
hooking it and hitting that little special spot no man’s ever found on me. His thumb caressing my clit at
the same time.
I wouldn’t last with those talented fingers. “Don’t stop.” I gasped, working hard to keep my hips
still so he wouldn’t move from the perfect spot. My hands clutched the sheets while my toes tried to
curl.
His finger slowly slid out while his thumb worked circles around my swollen nub. Zings of
pleasure spiked through me, tensing my stomach as that beautiful cliff beckoned me.
“Wasn’t planning on it.” He moved his thumb and replaced it with his mouth. Sucking and nibbling
on that little button, sending me higher.
My breath hitched and caught when my back arched off the bed, a deep groan spilling from my
lips as I crested that peak and came on his hand. His finger worked me through the epic orgasm while
his tongue lapped up my release.
When I relaxed back on the bed, my heart settled down. “Wow…” I panted. “That was amazing.”
“And just the beginning.” He chuckled as he grabbed his pants, I hoped looking for a condom.
“Shit, be right back.” He muttered and jogged out of the room.
I sank into the bed all warm, tingly, and relaxed. Life was looking up for sure. That beautiful and a
little scary man knew what he was doing, and I already had one fabulous orgasm I didn’t have to give
myself and looking at one more, minimum. Bear seemed like an over achiever and if he had me
coming so fast, I couldn’t imagine what it would be like when he slid his cock in me.
A sigh passed my lips as I pulled the sheet up and my eyes drifted closed. Just gonna enjoy the
boneless feel Bear already gave me.
CHAPTER 9
 Bear

M otherI tossed
fucker.
my pants on the floor and muttered, “I’ll be right back.” I thought I had a condom in
my wallet, but I must have thrown it away. One last look over my shoulder, I hesitated, the thought of
going bare inside her and claiming that woman rode me hard. But I wouldn’t risk anything. This was a
one-night stand. Nothing else. We both knew that.
I rushed to the hall bath and searched the deep drawer for the box I tossed in there once the
moving truck got here. My hand hit the corner, and I grabbed the box and yanked it out. The damn
thing spilled foil packets all over.
“Shit.” I grabbed a couple and left the rest on the floor and in the drawer. Figuring I’d deal with
them after.
Spinning on my heal I beat feet back to my room. Only to find Addy curled up naked in bed,
passed out. My pillow clutched to her chest.
Damn. My dick pulsed in my boxers, weeping at not getting relief. A deep throbbing ache settled
in my balls as I stared at Addy, passed out naked on her stomach, the sheet barely covering her
beautiful ass.
Quietly, I shuffled back to the bathroom, cleaned up the condoms, then walked through the house
to turn out the lights. I might not get action tonight, but maybe in the morning we could bang before
Ms. Shirley dropped Ace off.
After locking down the house, I climbed into bed. Addy shifted in her sleep and pinned me down
on my back, her arms and legs snaked around me. My dick was pissed at me about the lack of
attention. Yeah, I could have whacked off in the bathroom, but that felt wrong with a beautiful, willing
body waiting in my bed. It was going to be a long fucking night of blue balls.
I sighed, wrapping an arm around Addy. I relaxed into bed as the long ass day caught up with me.
CHAPTER 10
 Addy

D amn, my head hurt. A groan escaped my lips. It’s been a couple months since Maya and I went out
and drank our livers to death. The overwhelming urge to pee hit hard, throbbing, and not in a
good way. I needed to get up, or I’d be lying in a puddle.
I froze as a large arm tightened around me. Shit, did I get so wasted I brought a man home?
Slowly, I peeled my eyes open before slamming them shut against the early morning light, which
pierced my brain with a million tiny knives. Turning my head, I caught the time on the clock that sat on
the nightstand.
Wow, it was seven thirty. It was too damn early after a night out. Maybe if I was careful, I could
slip out of bed without waking the man beside me.
Tensing my muscles, I inched my way out from under the guy’s tattooed arm—yummy, that arm
was a work of art—and rolled until I fell to the floor. Why wasn’t my rug under me?
On my hands and knees, I lifted my head and took the room in. To my utter horror, I didn’t
recognize anything. Where the hell was I?
Quiet as possible, I blindly grabbed clothes from the floor before easing out of the bedroom and
down the stairs, pausing on the landing halfway down to pull on a black t-shirt that fell to my knees.
Where my panties and dress were, I didn’t know. But a shirt that fit me like a dress would have to do
for my walk of shame. Hopefully, my purse was downstairs and not locked away in a serial killer’s
lair.
I swear I wasn’t the type to get blackout drunk and go home with a rando. Maya should have
known who I went home with and where I went. She wouldn’t have let me leave without her
approval. There would be a hint of last night on the text string with her. Because, at this point, it was
a big black throbbing hole in my mind.
At the base of the stairs, I’m confronted with chaos. The front door was to my right and directly in
front of me was a living room full of broken furniture and broke down boxes piled haphazardly. I
hesitated, then head down the hall to the back of the old house, hoping to find the kitchen and get some
water in me. My mouth felt like a fluffy animal died in there.
After passing a couple of doorways, I found the kitchen at the back. And good lord, it was an
eyesore. Garish lime green cabinets mixed with burnt sienna colored counter tops while bright yellow
floral wallpaper peeled off the walls. Whoever decorated needed an eye test. A new fridge,
dishwasher and stove finished out the small space. An island with a couple of chairs sat in the
middle, covered in the detritus of the guy’s life.
A bright purple backpack sat next to my purse. Rushing over, I grabbed my bag and dug out my
phone. The pack of gummies fell out and sat next to the backpack. It was weird, but I guess a guy
could like purple glittery crap. I hated glitter. It was worse than getting an STD. You could never get
rid of it. My mom had loved anything sparkly. A violent shiver tore through me at the memories of my
childhood filled with glitter, unicorns, and garish pink.
The sound of car doors slamming caught my attention when I opened up the text string with Maya.
There were only three new texts from her. Mostly eggplant emojis and water droplets. Tension eased
from my shoulders. She must have approved of the guy, if that’s what she sent me.
The door to the backyard jiggled before it opened. “Quiet hun, don’t want to wake your dad.” A
familiar voice hissed.
Fuck, I knew that voice.
A little girl with beautiful curly auburn hair held back with glittery cat ears ran in and snagged the
backpack from the counter.
Frozen in my seat, my mouth dropped open when Aunt Shirley walked in. Oh, fuck me…
“Addy?” she jerked to a stop inside the door. “What are you doing here? I thought you had plans
with Maya last night?”
“Um… I uh…” Shit. What do I say? And who was the girl? How did Aunt Shirley know her? “We
had the bachelorette party last night.”
A smirk on her lips, she closed the door behind her. “Alice-Grace. This is my niece, Addy.”
Shirley waved her hand from the girl to me. “Guess she met your dad last night.”
“You know Mr. Bear?” The little girl asked, eyeing me skeptically.
“Uh… Yes?” I stammered.
The little girl climbed up on the stool next to me. Her enormous hazel eyes observed me. I lifted
my hand in a lame wave. Kids, in general, didn’t freak me out, but I’d never been around any with a
hangover.
“Want some gummies?” I asked, pointing at the bag that was half full Maya had given me.
“The fuck!” A loud booming voice demanded behind me. A large, tattooed hand darted out and
snagged the plastic bag. “Why are you giving my kid pot gummies?”
The little girl shrank in her seat at his anger. I was right there with her. Every muscle in me froze,
and I didn’t know what to say. My brain stalled out, like when you’re trying to load a page and the
internet freezes with the spinning thingy going round and round.
“Now it makes sense why you were so off last night. You were fucking high.” The terrifying man
grounded out; sparks flashed in his eyes.
“What the hell are you talking about? Those are gourmet gummies my friend gave me last night. I.
Don’t. Do. Drugs!” I snapped when the loading swirl finally stopped spinning and my brain
functioned again. “First, they’d fire me in a heartbeat if I tested positive for any drugs. And second, I
would never do drugs for personal reasons.” I stood up and poked the man in his chest. Damn, he
towered over me.
“No babe, these are pot gummies.” He crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at me.
Steeling my spine, I wouldn’t let this jerk push me around. “Fine, I’ll call my friend and she’ll tell
you you’re wrong.”
I pulled up Maya’s number and hit dial. After a few rings, it went to voice mail. I hit redial, and
she finally answered. “Hello?” a rough voice answered.
“Maya, girl, those gummies you gave me. Where did you get them?” I demanded, sending my own
glare at the sexy hunk of a jerk in front of me.
When she didn’t answer right away, I looked down at the phone to make sure we hadn’t been
disconnected. “Maya…” I snarled, dread filling me at her silence.
 “So okay, the bag I gave you came from my trip to Colorado. But they aren’t spiked. The shop had
two varieties of gummies. Some with pot and some that were for people to use as pranks. I knew you
would freak out if I gave you actual pot. Even though girl. It did you wonders last night. I slipped you
one before we left your house. You were so tense I thought you’d snap at the party. But the bag you
were eating was just plain old gummies in the shape of dicks.” She rushed through all this, and I
looked closer at the bag of gummies in the man’s hand.
Yep, those were dick shaped for sure. My stomach twisted in knots when I looked up at Bear.
“Okay, thanks Maya. I’ll call you later.” I hung up the phone. My cheeks had to be tomato red with
how hot they felt.
A throat cleared behind me, catching my attention. “Well, I guess Alice-Grace and I will head
back to my place. We’ll see you later, Bear. And Addy, I’ll see you tonight for dinner. Your mom is
supposed to face chat tonight.”
I held it together and glared at Bear. He didn’t take his grumpy eyes off me when Shirley and the
girl headed out the door. Bear and Alice-Grace must have been the family she had been texting me
about the last few days.
“Look, I’m sorry you thought I’d give a kid drugs.” I crossed my arms to mirror him. The man
wouldn’t intimidate me.
Bear glares for a moment more, then rubbed a hand over the top of his head. “If you grab your
stuff. I’ll take you home.”
“Don’t bother. I can walk.” I huffed out, grabbing my purse and spun on my heel, heading to the
front of the house. My shoes had to be near there. If not, I’d get Aunt Shirley to find them for me.
Sounds of muttering followed me out of the kitchen. “Stop. Addy, don’t be a bitch. I’ve got crap to
get done this morning. I can drop you off at your car or your place.”
My blood pressure spiked as I turned back around to see Bear at the kitchen entrance, his fists
propped on his hips. “I am not a bitch. So, get fucked, you condescending prick.”
“I didn’t call you a bitch. I said don’t be one.” He stomped down the hall toward me.
A little fissure of fear shivered across my skin at the dark look on his face in fear. But the rest of
me wanted to pant, yes Daddy, come take me.
Gah!!! I needed my head examined.
I was just as bad as Maya and her serial killer fetish. “It’s the same damn thing.”
“No, it’s not.” He stopped a foot from me and scanned from the top of my head to my feet. “Think
your shoes are in the back den.” He smirked. “Let me take you home so you don’t break your ankle in
those death traps.”
My hand flew to my chest as a gasp popped out. “I will have you know they are not death traps.
They are beautiful, expensive shoes that make my legs and ass look great.”
“True, they do great things for your ass, but they’re still death traps.” His eyes twinkled with
amusement.
Was the man flirting with me? This was why I didn’t do morning after’s, or one-night stands.
“Fine, take me home.” I gave in, realizing I didn’t want to walk however many blocks to my place
in my favorite heels, let alone barefoot.
“Let me change real quick and we can get going.” Bear stepped around me toward the stairs but
paused next to me.
His voice dropped low as he leaned in. “Unless you want to finish what we started last night?”
Glaring at him, I turned up my nose and strutted back to the room he said my shoes were in.
“Nope. I’m good.”
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
 Kun tämä harkitsematon ja äkkipäinen menettely tov. Tarjuksen
taholta ei ollut herättämättä kiusallista huomiota koko
iltamayleisössä, jonka joukossa oli porvareitakin, kiiruhti muutamia
luotettavia kommunisteja paikalle, tarkoituksella hillitä tov. Tarjusta,
joka nyt oli alkanut potkia aitan ovea hajalle.

Samalla mainittu ovi kuitenkin aukeni, ja sysättyään syrjään toveri

Tarjuksen juoksi tov. Kuusinen nopeasti ulos aitasta ja katosi saunan
taakse sekä sieltä metsään, jättäen pihalle keräytyneen
runsaslukuisen yleisön ihmettelemään.

Toveritar Hilta Kukkasjärven tultua sitten aitasta ja Mikko Tarjuksen

ryhdyttyä vaatimaan häneltä selityksiä, käski Hilta Kukkasjärvi hänen
painua hornan kattilaan ja pää pystyssä ilmoitti ympärilläseisoville
internaateille kihlautuneensa toveri Kuusisen kanssa sekä tulevansa
senkautta komissarin rouvaksi Pietariin.

Tämä tieto, joka mursi tov. Mikko Tarjuksen sydämen, niin että hän
yritti potkaista Hilta Kukkasjärveä, täytti Pöllölän kommuunin
internaalien ja johtohenkilöiden mielet ylpeydensekaisella ilolla, mikä
puhkesi lämpimiksi onnentoivotuksiksi, ja sanoma kihlauksesta levisi
kulovalkean kaltaisella nopeudella kommunistisuusta toiseen.

Toveri Lötjösen lausuessa juuri mielipiteenään, että tämä oli oikein

lojaali onnenpotkaus ei ainoastaan Hilta Kukkasjarvelle, vaan
myöskin koko Pöllölän kommuunille, ilmestyi pihalle poliisi Pekka
Suova, joka ryhtyi kyselemään, oliko täällä nähty erästä
tuntematonta pienenpuolista, vähän ristiveristä miestä, jonka Pekka
Suova oli kuullut tulleen tännepäin.

Pöllölän kommunistien luodessa toisiinsa merkitseviä silmäyksiä

vastasi Simo Turtiainen, ettei täällä ole ketään semmoista miestä
näkynyt, ja kysyi mikä kulkuri sen sitten pitäisi olla.

Tähän vastasi Pekka Suova, että se on eräs työväen piireissä

liikkuva petkuttaja Teppo Issakainen, joka esiintyy milloin minäkin, ja
on varastanut rahoja Tiirikkalan ja Totkulan työväenyhdistyksiltä,
esiintyen viime aikoina herkkäuskoisia pässinpäitä petkuttaessaan
joskus toveri Kuusisenkin nimellä.

Tämän johdosta kehoitti poliisi Suova läsnäolijoita antamaan

hänelle heti tiedon, jos petkuttajan sattuisivat näkemään, minkä
jälkeen poliisi lausui Pöllölän kommunisteille hyvästit, sulkeutuen
heidän suosioonsa ja ilmoittaen lähtevänsä yöksi kalaan
Pöllölänjärvelle.

Kun Pöllölän kommunistit olivat jonkun aikaa raapineet päätään ja

katselleet toisiinsa epätietoisina, kuultiin Reeta Sinkkosen äkkiä
siunaavan tavalliseen porvarilliseen tapaan, läiskäyttävän käsiään
yhteen ja hyppäävän aittaan, mistä hän kuitenkin seuraavassa
hetkessä hyppäsi takaisin ja kiljasi:

— Siinä on teille katkesmusta! Pöytälaatikossa olleet

ravintolarahat ovat menneet sen tiensä!

Tällöin puhkesivat Pöllölän kommunistiset solut kirouksiin, jotka

tyynenä kesä-iltana kuuluivat, niinkuin myöhemmin saatiin tietää,
Hevukkalan kesantopellolle asti, ja aikoivat lähteä ajamaan takaa
petturia ja varasta, mutta luopuivat sentään tästä aikeesta, kun tov.
Aatami Lötjönen huomautti:

— Kyllä se on ottanut niin lojaalin vauhdin, ettette sitä enää

tavoita.
 Tämän jälkeen jatkui iltaman suoritus enemmittä häiriöittä, ja vasta
kolmatta käydessä aamulla, porvarillisten rapamahojen nukkuessa
sikeimmässä unessaan, läksivät Pöllölän internaalit ja kommunistiset
solut itsekukin tyytyväisenä kulkemaan kotiansa kohti.
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