Free Between Darkness and Daylight by Gracie C. Mckeever Page A

and legs and a blue cloudburst of paint flew out around them.
    Zane held her against his chest, taking her full weight as they landed amidst a pile of overturned pans and slid in the pool of spilled paint. She sat up, dazed as she straddled him, pussy muscles clenching and unclenching as if preparing to accept the sizable erection she felt pushing against her ass.
    "Are you okay?" They chorused and simultaneously laughed.
    Nova was breathless, still laughing and trying to get her bearings when Ransom and Yo-Yo piled on like NFL players sneak-attacking their coach after a championship win. Ransom emptied a paint can over Nova's head, and Yo-Yo put the finishing touches on their living work of art with several hundred masterful tail-wags aimed at the fallen pair.
    "Why you…" She tackled Ran to the floor and tickled him mercilessly, then flung her head and spread the wealth, spraying blue paint across the boy's face. Ransom giggled until he keeled over, holding his stomach.

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    Then he got this weird look of embarrassment on his face and leaped to his feet, dashing down the hall to the bathroom with Yo-Yo dogging his tracks.
    Confused, Nova bit her lip as a door slammed in the distance. "Was it something I said or did he need a bathroom break?"
    "Sorta."
    "Sorta bathroom break?"
    "He probably just needed to wet his whistle after all our tussling.
    Don’t worry about him. He’ll be fine.”

    * * * *

    Zane chuckled, hoping he was convincing, sympathizing with his nephew. He was in the same exact state of arousal as Ransom and only hoped he was better able to hide it as he stood and stuck out a hand to help Nova up.
    But instead of pulling herself to her feet, she jerked him forward. He slipped and slid in the paint for several seconds, looking like a cartoon character fighting gravity, before he finally gave in and crashed to the floor beside her. "Now that wasn't very nice."
    "You call that double-team sneak attack you and your nephew pulled on me nice?"
    "I didn't hurt you did I?"
    He looked worried and Nova rushed to reassure him.
    "I'm fit as a fiddle."
    "Wish I could say the same."
    "You did fall pretty hard. Both times."
    "Mmm-hmm."
    "Heard your elbows and shoulder blades when they hit."
    He winced, his joints aching. He knew he was going to feel this tomorrow. Right now, he felt like he had taken a line drive in the crotch where Nova's hipbone had dug into him as they landed.
    Suddenly, she burst out laughing again, a full-force gusher of amusement, and Zane moved to sit up.
    "You think this is so funny, Ms. Foxx?"

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    Gracie C. McKeever
    "I-I'm sorry. Y-your face!" She pulled in a deep breath and released another guffaw, holding her sides and just having a good old time. "You should have seen your face when you went down… whoops!"
    "Oh that's real funny." Zane flipped her beneath him and Nova yelped in surprise when he held her arms above her head and straddled her. He leaned in to wipe some of the paint off her face with the hem of his shirt before wiping his own face.
    Christ, his life was filled with too many uncertainties, too many demands on his time and his emotions, to add getting involved with a woman. Was he ready to bring another woman into his life and risk losing her? Risk an unknown psycho taking her away from him?
    Then there were the many mysteries surrounding the woman herself.
    He didn't totally trust Nova’s motives. He didn't trust her. Not yet.
    Zane was making excuses and he knew it. He also knew what Sinny would say about his doubts. It was her favorite motto: "Those afraid of getting hurt should work in a pillow factory."
    The hell with it … He leaned close and murmured, "You're cute when you blush, you know that?"
    "I don't blush."
    "Yes you do."
    "I do no—"
    He smothered her protest, covering her mouth with his in a torrid kiss, aggressively thrusting, then darting his tongue in and out, mimicking the way he longed to move his cock inside her. Her