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Ghosts From the Past
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Jaded Need You
SicilySicily pressed a cold rag to her face as she leaned over and studied herself in the mirror. Maybe Drake had left her in Chicago because he'd realized after losing his mother that his life was there. D needed him, which was obvious. Maybe having her and the gym wasn't enough?"Let it go. He said he would be back today. Stop unwinding every good thing that's happened between you. The man cares for you and was talking about houses and babies to his dying mom." Sicily moved back and turned in the mirror, comparing herself to Izzy and coming up lacking – severely."I'm off to show a house. You sure you're okay?" Lisa poked her head into the bedroom and lifted her eyebrow at Sicily. "Get that cardigan off. You look great. Stop hiding behind your clothing.""Do you think people can change? Like really stave off their pasts and become entirely new people?" Sicily turned and pressed her butt against the counter."God, I hope so. Otherwise Marc and I are in a world of trouble." Lisa smil
Jaded It's True Love
SicilyHer workout went quickly and Violet stopped by and chatted for a while. The other girl seemed amazed that Sicily had snagged Drake so fast."We met six months ago, so I'm not sure fast is the right word." Sicily stepped off the treadmill and took the rag Violet extended to her."Well, he's like a brother to all of us now, but we all tried for more with him when we first met him. He's just the full package deal, which is hard as hell to find in a small town like this.""I can imagine. I wasn't looking, to be honest. I figured I would focus on my business and eventually the right man would show up. He just arrived early." Sicily smiled and glanced behind her. "I think one of the things I'm going to have to work on is not being jealous that he's around all these fit women all the time.""You're fit, Sicily." Violet leaned against the nearest machine to her. "You're beautiful and so what if you have more curves than you want. Men like curves. It’s something to remind them that you’
Jaded Epilogue to Sicily and Drake's Story
Six Weeks LaterSicily"Do we really need two cups of sugar in this pie? Can't we work on making our recipes a little healthier?" Drake glanced over at Sicily as they worked to wrap up their holiday baking. He had agreed to work the bakery with her from five in the morning to two in the afternoon, and then they would work at the gym together until the evening shift.It was a lot of time around each other, but he couldn't seem to get enough of her. He'd asked her to move in with him, but she wasn't ready for that just yet. After Christmas... that's what she had promised. It was almost Thanksgiving and he was counting down the days."Yes, baby. Stop trying to jack with my recipes. Do you want me to go remove some of the bolts on your exercise machines?" She passed by him and swatted his ass – hard.He groaned and turned to go after her as she yelped and ran for the back of the store. "If you remove a bolt, you could kill someone.""If you don't add the sugar to a pecan pie, you can..."
Jaded Jake and Kari's Christmas Story
Jake"It's freezing out here." Marc pulled his hands to his face as Jake glanced around at him."It's not even that bad, yet." He smirked and glanced over at Drake. "You're quiet today. What's up, man?""I lost my mom a month or so ago." He shrugged and averted his eyes toward the ground.Jake stopped and reached out to grab Drake's shoulder. "What? Your mom died?""Yeah." He shrugged and pulled out of Jake's touch as Marc moved up beside them."You better not be kidding, fucker." Marc crossed his arms over his chest, the playboy a few years younger than the others. "We're supposed to be having a good time, and you're gonna just casually throw out that you-""Hey. Shut it," Jake barked at Marc. Drake wasn't kidding. The sadness that Jake had seen sitting on his friend over the last few weeks had been real. Something was off, but they all figured it was just him and Sicily trying to work through some of their differences, or maybe even some of the shit they'd been through during late O
Jaded Catching Up
Kari"So you excited about going to Texas?" Lisa moved up beside Kari and wrapped her arms around the top of Kari's shoulders."Yes. Very." She reached down and picked up a blank canvas pad as they stood in the small art store in the center of town. "I really want to start doodling again, but I don't want to dream too big, you know?""Dream too big?" Sicily moved up beside them and picked up a pack of colored pencils. "Is there such a thing?"Kari smiled. "This coming from the girl that was terrified to move to Maine and start her bakery. And now it's doing great.""Fear is always a sign of moving in the right direction. If it wasn't a little hard, we would all be doing it." Lisa released her and snatched the pad from Kari's hands. "Let me get this for you. I don't have a gift picked out for you yet.""That's just asinine." Sicily leaned around Kari and gave Lisa a motherly look. "She's right here. At least put it down and we'll come back and get it. Christmas is supposed to be filled
Jaded Like a Family
Jake"Hey." Jake smiled as he walked into the kitchen at Kari's place. She was in a fluffy white sweater and a tight pair of jeans, her dark hair draped down her back. Every cell in his body lit on fire for the beautiful woman who turned and smiled shyly at him."There you are. I was worried that a bear might have gotten you." She turned fully around and slid her hands up his chest before locking them behind his head."Bears? You're crazy woman." He leaned down and brushed his lips by hers as he ran his hands down her back and pressed his fingers into the top of her rear."Crazy about you," she mumbled against his lips before licking at them.He growled and went in for another long kiss. The groans of their friends were irrelevant. There was no way in hell he was hiding just how into her he was. No matter who was around."You sound like a bear. Hot." Lisa walked by them, and Jake pulled back and glanced over his shoulder at the saucy redhead."Speaking of animals. Ask Marc what he did
Jaded Naughty Girl
Jake"All right. The tree is stable." Marc moved back, his hands lifted in the air as everyone else lounged on the couches around him."It's leaning a little to the left," Drake mumbled.Sicily popped him on the chest as she snuggled beside him. "You're going to be leaning a little to the left if you don't watch it.""The girls are getting sweet on Marc." Jake ran his hand down the side of Kari's arm as she curled up around him. "We're just jealous, hm?""Absolutely you guys are." Marc turned and smiled. "And you should be. I'm the baby around here.""Oh brother." Kari moved to the edge of the couch and stood. "I have some of the decorations in the car. I'll grab them and we'll get the tree decorated.""Who's staying here at the house? We haven't finalized anything other than you and Jake leaving tomorrow for New York and then Texas in a few days." Lisa stood up and walked toward the tree, yanking on it to get it to stand up straight.Jake glanced over at Sicily and Drake as they turn
Jaded A Christmas Wish
Kari"I love how beautiful everything is when it's covered in snow." Kari snuggled up in her seat and kept her eyes on the road passing them by outside of her window."It reminds me of the holidays." Jake reached out and rubbed his hand down her arm. "I'm so excited for you to meet my folks. My brothers, not so much, but my mom and dad are really good people. They have a relationship like I hope we have.""How so?" She turned her face toward him, letting herself dive into the dreaminess of their relationship. His dark hair was a little wet from his shower, and he was freshly shaved. She'd never seen a more handsome man in her life, and having him belong to her was a bit overwhelming at times.He smiled over at her and the world seemed right. "They just love each other. A lot. They were junior high sweethearts and it's funny, after all these years, they're still as giggly and playful as they were back then.""How do you know how they were back then?" Kari smiled and lifted his hand to
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