Free Lush by Lauren Dane Page B

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    Lauren Dane
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    And he had the juice to make it happen. Damien bet tables
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    opened up for Adrian on short notice all the time.
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    The doorman grabbed them two cabs and they headed over.
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    Mary ended up between him and his brothers in their cab.
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    “So, Mary, we hear you’re amazing in the kitchen.” Paddy
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    gave her a Hurley grin and she grinned back.
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    “I do okay in the kitchen, I’m told.” She paused and then
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    snorted. “That’s bull crap. Yes, I am amazing in the kitchen.”
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    Paddy laughed and Damien squeezed the hand he was
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    holding.
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    “I like to cook so I’m lucky I’m good at it and that I can make
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    a living from it.”
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    Vaughan nodded. “I hear that.”
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    “What were you all up to today?”
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    “We went out to the Hamptons to look at a house for my
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    parents. Running a ranch is a huge job and my dad loves it. But
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    he and my mom need some time away from it. We can run it
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    while he’s on vacation. But they’d never go if we didn’t do this.”
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    “Well, by ‘we can run it,’ what Damien really means is that
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    Ezra, our oldest brother, can run it and tell us what to do and
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    we’ll do it. We can shovel and lift things and put out fencing
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    and that sort of thing. But Ez, well, he’s the brains at the ranch.
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    He’ll take over from our dad when it’s time.”
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    “What do you all, um, produce? Ranch?”
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    “Pears, alfalfa and hay. The hay is new. My brother thought
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    it would be good to diversify and when we bought some extra
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    acreage fi ve years ago, he started then.”
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    “I love pears. What kind?”
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    “Anjou.”
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    Lush
    Her eyes lit and he really, really liked it. “I have a recipe for
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    pear and gorgonzola soup that I make with red Anjous. So good.”
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    Their mother would adore her.
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    “Ah, here we are.”
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    He got out fi rst, helping her from the back, sliding an arm
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    around her shoulders as she leaned into him.
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    Paddy raised a brow at him but a hint of a smile lived on his
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    mouth.
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    Cal’s gaze moved over them and Damien read the concern
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    on her brother’s features. But his girlfriend tipped his chin in
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    her direction and kissed him quickly.
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    They were met and led to a table in a lovely private room.
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    “Damn, remind me to travel with you more often.” Vaughan
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    tipped his water glass in Adrian’s direction.
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    “I think Mary should order for us.” Jules looked over the
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    menu in their direction.
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    “You do just fi ne without me, Juliet.” Mary blushed and he
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    pulled one of her curls straight only to have it spring back into
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    place quickly.
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    “You’re blushing, Curly.”
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    Paddy snorted. “Leave the woman be, Damien. Will you at
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    least tell me what you think would be best right now? You can
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    give me several recommendations maybe?”
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    “If we all get different things we can share. That’s always
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    my favorite way to do this. Though I don’t usually share dessert.
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    Just so you know in advance. I cannot be relied upon to share
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    sweet things. Ask Jules.”
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    “That’s a good idea. How about we do a selection of the fi rst
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    and second courses? Does that work?”
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    Lauren Dane
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    They ordered, and wine was brought out along with some-
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    thing nonalcoholic for Miles.
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    Damien couldn’t seem to stop touching her. Which interested
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    him. Damien wasn’t one for PDA like that. But she smelled really
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    damned good. Her voice seemed to burrow under his skin. It
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    made him truly happy to be there with