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Love Slaps
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2024-12-07 05:04:39Two hours earlier…
Scott
“This isn’t right,” Damien says.
I look at him in the rearview mirror. “What’s not right?”
“She stopped in Hastings, but now she’s heading back to the city, as far as I can tell.” He leans back to show me his phone. “I can’t believe they didn’t catch her when she stopped. Technical difficulties. God, these boondock towns…”
“You know Vermillion is a suburb of Hastings, right?” I remark dryly.
“I stand by what I said.” He turns to Tomás. “We need to head toward West St. Paul.”
I grab the oh-shit bar as Tomás makes a one-eighty on two wheels, causing a lot of honking. Then we’re speeding away from Hastings on Highway 55.
“She’s on 494 West. Where on earth is she going?” Damien mutters.
“That’s not the hig
Bab terkait
A Sketch Away From Perfect Questioning McKenzy
TomásDamien gets us into the interview room where two flustered detectives sit in front of a completely shell-shocked McKenzy.“Mr. Blackwood, this is highly unusual,” one of them is enough of an idiota to say.Rafe snorts. Scott shakes his head.I just wait.Damien turns on the detective and strikes like a viper with his words. “And I’m hoping you like early retirement.”“What the hell does that mean?” the detective snaps back. He’s puffed up and stupid. Damien is going to eat him for breakfast.I let the other two watch the show. I’m more concerned about McKenzy. She looks like she’s on the last thread of her last frayed nerve. I go and kneel by her chair. “McKenzy?” I ask softly.Now that I’m able to see under the table, I realize that her hands are cuffed together. Anger rises in me.“Who has the fucking key?” I ask, standing abruptly. “Key?” Rafe asks. “What do you mean, ‘who has the key’?”Scott looks at me, looks at McKenzy, leans down a little so he can see under the table,
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-08A Sketch Away From Perfect Allies and Assholes
RafeTomás promises to rejoin us after we shake the Steve Keller tree. McKenzy really needs to go home, poor thing. Jack Collins is getting the ass kicking of a lifetime once we find him.Norm knocks on Keller’s door while Damien stands patiently behind him. There are some bewildered police officers outside behind us. I suppose they aren’t used to having to put the pressure on one of their own.A second knock finally brings Keller to the door. He looks at the whole lot of us outside, especially at Norm, and frowns. “What?” he demands.Damien’s lips tighten. I understand. I don’t like his tone either.“Mr. Keller?” Damien asks coldly.“Yeah? Who’s asking?” Keller grumps.“Damien Blackwood. I think you’ve been a bit of an asshole, Mr. Keller,” Damien says.Norm finds his balls and talks over Damien. “We just want to know where Harper Ward is, Steve. I’m sure Jack lied to you. He kidnapped one girl and traded her for Miss Ward. He killed an impound attendant. He stole a truck from the im
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-08A Sketch Away From Perfect Shot
HarperRafe and Jack are on the ground. I don’t know where the bullet went. I don’t know if Rafe’s been shot. Neither of them are moving.I drop to my knees next to them. “Rafe? Rafe, honey? Rafe?!” I shake his shoulder.Nothing.I put my hand on his cheek and something warm and sticky coats my palm. “Help!” I scream. “Oh, God, he’s bleeding! Somebody help!”A multitude of boots come trampling through the woods, flashlights shining on us from all directions. Some police stand back with their guns drawn while others rush to Rafe’s side.“It’s just a graze,” one officer says, and I could pass out from relief. “He’ll be okay. Just gotta get him in to see if he has a concussion. He’s a football player though, so I suppose he’s had a few of those.”Someone hits their knees next to me while I’m staring down at Rafe and wra
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-09A Sketch Away From Perfect Up and About
HarperAfter my MRI, the doctors finally let me go see Rafe. I shuffle down to his room in hospital socks and a gown. Tomás has gone to pick up some pizza for us all. Damien is on his phone, leaning on the technicians and whoever else is involved to get my MRI reviewed. Scott stepped out to call someone to check on his animals since he’s been gone so long.I knock lightly on the door to Rafe’s room. When I hear Jen, Rafe’s mother, call “Come in!” I push open the door and go inside.Jen is sitting next to the bed, holding Rafe’s hand. His father, Skip, is leaning against the windowsill with his arms folded. When they look up, neither of them are particularly happy to see me.“Harper,” Jen says in a clipped tone.“Mrs. Maloney,” I reply respectfully. “Mr. Maloney.”Skip eyes me with deep-seated anger.“You could have ended his football career, you know?
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-10A Sketch Away From Perfect Changes
Two weeks later…Harper“WHOOOOOO! GO RAFE, GO!” I scream from the private suite where we are watching Rafe’s game.“Maybe we’re supposed to call him Bullet?” Tomás asks, eating off a plate of catered food next to me.“I figure if you’re sleeping with the man, you get to call him whatever you want,” Damien says dryly. He sips something expensive—scotch, I’m assuming—from a tumbler, but loses all sophistication when Rafe gets sacked. “Roughing the passer!”“They can’t flag the play every time Rafe gets sacked. This isn’t touch football,” Scott chuckles. He’s munching popcorn, more a fan of that snack than the buffet fare.Damien purses his lips. “I wonder how much it would cost…”I reach past Tomás to slap his shoulder. “Don’t even think about it.”
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-11A Sketch Away From Perfect Goodbye is the Loneliest Word
*Harper*Three months. That’s how long it’s been since my life became a balancing act between love, ambition, and enough sexual pleasure to power a reality show. I’m basically the poster child for chaos, except now it comes with a wardrobe upgrade and a much better skincare routine. Unfortunately, it hasn’t come with a bigger closet.These days, I basically have to shove myself into my closet head on just to squeeze through the tight space between the rows. With all the designer dresses Damien’s sent me, I’m having a hard time finding space. McKenzy says I should just get rid of all my old clothes, but it’s not like I’m going to lounge around in our apartment in Dolce and Gabana.“Rich people problems,” she always says with a sigh whenever I complain about the closet space.Of course, I’m still far from rich. But I’m definitely in a better place than I was when this all began. My paintings have sold so well, I’ve been able to put aside rent money for the rest of the year. It’s such
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-13A Sketch Away From Perfect Selfish Solution
*Harper*I wake up to the sound of Rafe singing very off-key to some ‘90s alt-rock song in the kitchen. It takes me a second to remember where I am, why my legs are tangled in a sheet that smells like him, and why my heart already aches before my feet even hit the floor.Today’s the day.I sit up, blinking at the sunlight pouring in through the half-open blinds. Rafe’s room is packed up, a cardboard box labeled TROPHIES + RANDOM SHIT sits by the door, and his dresser drawers hang open, mostly empty. It feels wrong, like the room itself is bracing for the goodbye we’re both pretending isn’t coming.I pull on one of his T-shirts, feeling vulnerable and pathetic, and follow the smell of coffee into the kitchen. Rafe is standing at the stove, shirtless, flipping pancakes like a domestic god who doesn’t know his own biceps should be illegal.“Morning, sleepyhead.” He grins, flashing me that too-charming smile that got me into this mess in the first place.“You’re making pancakes?” I ask,
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-14A Sketch Away From Perfect Dance With Me
*Harper*The afternoon sun pours through the studio windows, spilling delicate golden light across the floor. My latest painting is sitting on the easel, half-finished, all the colors still swirling together, but I’m not satisfied with the result. I dip my brush into my favorite cobalt blue, dragging it over the canvas, blending it into the burnt orange sunset I’m trying to capture.It’s almost there. Almost perfect.I’ve been at this for hours. My back aches, my fingers are speckled with dried paint, and I’ve barely moved since lunchtime. I’m so focused until McKenzy texts me a meme about a disastrous DIY project. At that I laugh, stretching out my stiff shoulders before turning back to the painting.That’s when my phone rings.I consider ignoring it, until I see Tomas’s name flashing across the screen.I bite my lip, warmth spreading through my chest as I answer. “Hola, Profe.”“Hola, preciosa,” Tomas’s smooth, accented voice flows through the line like a slow dance, making my pul
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-15
Bab terbaru
A Sketch Away From Perfect She Has to Chose
*Harper*The studio is packed, with dozens of people filtering in and out, drinking champagne, admiring the work, and talking in hushed tones. McKenzy stands beside me, her eyes wide as she watches a well-dressed couple argue over who gets to buy one of her handmade pieces. Across the room, a small cluster of critics and collectors linger in front of one of my paintings, nodding thoughtfully. I feel like I might burst into a thousand bright, brilliant colors all over one of my canvases. After weeks of planning and stressing, we’re watching our dreams come true in real time.Damien, true to his word, has invited half the city… the important half, at that, the art world elite, the socialites, the people with bottomless bank accounts and a thirst for status are walking around our space, bidding for our work. I exhale, trying to ground myself, but McKenzy grabs my arm, squeezing hard.“Harper,” she whispers, “Michael Fucking Vernon is here.”I blink at her, confused for half a second bef
A Sketch Away From Perfect A Swift Kick to the Nuts
*Harper*I tell myself I’m being dramatic, but even as I try to talk myself down, my hands tremble where they rest on my lap. The air in the private box feels too still, like the whole stadium is holding its breath right along with me.I hate that my brain goes right to Jeff McNaught. I know he’s not supposed to be here. He’s suspended, kicked off the premises, and if he so much as buys a hot dog from a vendor outside the stadium, someone will recognize him.But logic doesn’t help. Maybe it’s just PTSD, but I’d clocked Jeff as a sleaze the second I met him, and he’s done nothing to help that. Our last encounter really left me shaken, and I’m genuinely terrified of facing him again.As long as the door stays closed, I tell myself I’m safe, even though the game has just ended. Thankfully, the 49ers won. I should go down to greet Rafe, but I decide to stay here and wait for Damien so I’m not navigating the stadium on my own.More than anything, I’m pissed at Damien for leaving me when he
A Sketch Away From Perfect Old Anxiety
*Damien*Harper sits across from me on the jet, barefoot, her legs tucked up under her like we’re on her beat-up couch instead of a leather seat that probably cost more than her apartment. She fits in my world about as well as a paint-splattered easel in a corporate boardroom, yet I still find her absolutely irresistible. I love the way she cracks me open, lets in sunlight where there used to be nothing but polished surface and empty space.She catches me staring and grins, her hair a messy halo around her face. “What? Did I spill soy sauce on my shirt again?”“No.” I sip my scotch, savoring the burn, the way it sharpens my focus. “I’m just admiring the view.”She rolls her eyes, but there’s a blush rising to her cheeks, and it kills me how easily I can get under her skin. No one else blushes for me. Not the models, not the debutantes, not the socialites who’d sell their souls to spend a night in my bed. Only her.San Francisco glows under a soft sunset by the time we land, and inste
A Sketch Away From Perfect Future Expectations
*Scott*Harper’s been acting different all afternoon. It’s subtle enough that most people would miss it, but I know her too well. She’s smiling too tightly, laughing with a little too much energy, fidgeting in the way she only does when she’s trying to hide something. I could probably write a field guide to Harper Ward’s anxious ticks, and they’re all fully on display today.We’re hanging the last of her paintings in the studio, lining up each piece she’s created for her gallery showing. Harper’s perched on the step stool, holding a canvas while I measure and mark the wall. She’s so focused now, she’s barely breathing.“All right,” I say, stepping back. “That’s level.”“Great,” she says, but the smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes.I hand her the hammer, and she drives the nail into place with more force than necessary, her knuckles tight around the handle.“Okay, what’s going on?” I ask, leaning my shoulder against the wall. “Because if you hit that nail any harder, we’re gonna end up
A Sketch Away From Perfect Ex-Friends
*Harper*I stare at the dining table, wondering if I’ve overdone it. I’ve definitely overdone it. McKenzy, Melody, and I are the only three having dinner, but I’ve cooked enough for a small army. Roast chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, a side salad, and fresh bread with this fancy herb butter that McKenzy made sit on the table ready to be consumed. I even baked a peach cobbler because I remember Melody liking peaches when we were kids.I know it’s ridiculous since this is just a dinner to discuss baby shower plans, but my anxiety has forced me to create something that feels warm and welcoming, even if this entire situation is about as awkward as it gets. McKenzy peeks over my shoulder as I straighten a fork for the fourth time.“You want to tell me why you’re acting like you’re hosting the damn royal family?” she asks sarcastically.I snort. “Because I have no idea how this is going to go, and if it’s a disaster, at least I can feed her into a food coma,” I tell her honestly, laying
A Sketch Away From Perfect Pampered
*Tomas*I know Harper well enough by now to see when stress is eating her alive, even when she tries to hide it behind that bright, brave smile. Her art show has been consuming every spare second of her time, and on top of that, she still acts like Carmen is going to jump out at her every time we’re out together.That’s why today is all about her.She has no idea what I have planned, and the look of surprise when I show up at her door with a coffee in one hand and a bag of pastries in the other makes me feel like I already won the day.“Buenos días, preciosa.” I kiss her cheek as she opens the door, stepping inside before she can protest. “I’m stealing you for the day.”She blinks at me, still in her robe, hair a messy knot on top of her head. “Stealing me? What do you mean?”“I made an itinerary.” I wave a folded piece of paper in front of her face, then set it on the counter. “You deserve a ‘you day,’ Harper. No painting, no stress. Just you being pampered like the queen you are.”H
A Sketch Away From Perfect Chaos and Beauty Collide
*Harper*I’m practically vibrating with excitement when I burst into the apartment, nearly knocking poor McKenzy off the couch. She’s got paint in her hair, a bowl of popcorn balanced on her lap, and her laptop open to some DIY tutorial. The moment she sees my face, her eyes go wide.“Okay, what’s got you bouncing off the walls like a caffeinated squirrel?” she asks, grinning as she sets her popcorn aside.“We’re doing it!” I practically sing, spinning in a circle. “We’re having our art show. And it’s going to be huge.”McKenzy gasps and leaps off the couch to grab my hands. “Shut up. Are you serious? How did this happen?”“Damien,” I answer, breathless from my impromptu happy dance. “I mentioned it to him, and before I could even finish the sentence, he had this whole plan. He said he’s going to blast it all over social media and call in favors from every art critic, influencer, and high-society snob he knows.”McKenzy’s jaw drops. “Holy shit. You know what this means, right?”“That
A Sketch Away From Perfect Big Ideas
*Harper*McKenzy’s perched on top of a step stool, paintbrush clenched between her teeth, holding two wildly different knobs up to a half-finished dresser. One is sleek brass, the other shaped like a ceramic lemon.“I’m thinking weird fruit motif,” she says around the brush. “Or is that too quirky farm wife?”“Knowing you,” I say, smearing cobalt blue across my latest canvas, “it’s exactly the right amount of quirky farm wife.”She grins and tosses the lemon knob into her tool bag. “Perfect. If Scott hates it, I’ll tell him to take it up with my creative genius.”The studio feels especially bright today, sunlight spilling through the windows, illuminating the organized chaos we’ve turned it into. My corner smells like oil paint and turpentine. McKenzy’s side smells like sawdust and wood stain.McKenzy spins on her stool, eyeing my painting. “That’s new.”“Just started it last night,” I say. “It’s about Melody. Sort of.”She leans closer, frowning slightly. “It’s angry.”“It’s complica
A Sketch Away From Perfect A Sour Melody
*Harper*My third cup of coffee sits half-finished on the table, paint still clinging to the edges of my nails from a morning spent lost in my latest piece. McKenzy’s out running errands, the apartment is quiet, and I’m riding the kind of creative high that only comes when everything just clicks.I’m about to dip my brush into a streak of deep teal when my phone buzzes. I grab it without thinking, expecting McKenzy or Scott or maybe one of the guys.It’s the gallery in Chicago.My stomach flips.“Hello?” I answer, trying not to sound like someone who just inhaled a cinnamon roll while juggling a paintbrush between her teeth.“Harper! It’s Stephanie at the Whitney.” Her voice is bright, almost bubbly. That’s already a good sign.“Hi!” I tuck the phone between my ear and shoulder, scrambling for a notepad in case I need to write anything down.“I hope I’m not interrupting, but I wanted to call personally,” Stephanie says. “We’ve had some really wonderful interest in your work after that
