J.R. Ward

I ejaculated about ten minutes ago and the stuff was black. So everything is not normal."Silence greeted that happy little announcement. Man, if he had hauled off and sucker-punched V, he would have gotten less of a shocked-out reaction.

If sex were food, Rhage would have been morbidly obese.

There was no reply. So Z glanced over again - just as a tear slide down Phury's cheek."Ah...fuck," Z muttered."Yeah. Pretty much." Another tear rolled out of Phury's eye. "God...damn. I'm leaking.""Okay, brace yourself."Phury scrubbed his face with his palms. "Why?""Because... I think I'm going to try to hug you.

Abruptly, the sea of people parted . . . and then there they were. Bella, with Nalla in her arms, Z standing beside his girls. Beth broke down all over again as the female came forward. God, it was impossible not to remember how Nalla had started this, putting into motion the need that had become undeniable. Bella was tearing up, too, as she stopped. __e just want to say yay!_ At that moment, Nalla reached out to Beth, a gummy smile on her face, pure joy radiating out. No turning that down, nope, not at all. Beth took the little girl out of her mother__ arms and positioned her on her chest, capturing one of the pinwheeling hands and giving kisses, kisses, kisses. __ou ready to be a big . . ._ Beth glanced at Z and then her husband. _. . . a big sister?_ Yes, Beth thought. Because that__ what the Brotherhood and their families were. Close as siblings, tighter than blood because they were chosen. __es, she is,_ Bella said as she wiped under her eyes and looked back at Z. __he is so ready._ __y brother._ Z shoved out his palm, his scarred face in a half smile, his yellow eyes warm. __ongratulations._ Instead of shaking anything, Wrath shoved that ultrasound picture into his Brother__ face. __o you see him? See my son? He__ big, right, Beth?_ She kissed Nalla__ supersoft hair. __es._ __ig and healthy, right?_ Beth laughed some more. __ig and healthy. Absolutely perfect._ __erfect!_ Wrath bellowed. __nd this is a doctor saying it__ mean, she went to medical school._ Even Z started laughing at that point. Beth gave Nalla back to her parents. __nd Dr. Sam told me she__ delivered over fifteen thousand babies over the course of her career__ __ee!_ Wrath yelled. __he knows these things. My son is perfect! Where__ the champagne? Fritz! Get the fucking champagne!

Listen to me ... and I want you to remember this. Your legs are part of you, but not all of you or what you are. So wherever we go after tonight, I need you to know that you are no less for the injury. Even if you are in a chair, you still stand as tall as you ever did. Height is just a vertical number - it doesn't mean shit when it comes to your character or the kind of life you live.

In this state, the club was The Wizard of Oz made obvious: All the magic that went on here night after night, all the buzz and excitement, was really just a combination of electronics, booze, and chemicals, an illusion for the people who walked through the front doors, a fantasy that allowed them to be whatever they weren't in their day-to-day lives.

That's you," Wrath said. You shall be called the Black Dagger warrior Dhestroyer, descended of Wrath son of Wrath.""But you'll always be Butch to us," Rhage cut in. "As well as hard-ass. Smart-ass. Royal pain in the ass. You know, whatever the situation calls for. I think as long as there's an ASS in there, it'll be accurate.""How about bASStard?" Z suggested."Nice. I feel that.

V settled back against the pillows and measured the hard line of her chin."Take off your coat.""Excuse me?""Take it off.""No.""I want it off.""Then I suggest you hold your breath. Won't affect me in the slightest, but at least the suffocation will help pass the time for you.

I_ What are you saying, Zsadist?" she stammered, even though she'd heard every word.He glanced back down at the pencil in his hand and then turned to the table. Flipping the spiral notebook to a new page, he bent way over and labored on top of the paper for quite a while. Then he ripped the sheet free.His hand was shaking as he held it out. "It's messy."Bella took the paper. In a child's uneven block letters there were three words: I LOVE YOUHer lips flattened tight as her eyes stung. The handwriting got wavy and then disappeared._"Maybe you can't read it," he said in a small voice. "I can do it over."_She shook her head. "I can read it just fine. It's_ beautiful.""I don't expect anything back. I mean_ I know that you don't_ feel that for me anymore. But I wanted you to know. It's important that you knew.

What__ next? The size of my cock?_ __ey, even pencils can get the job done____e heard the moaning from your room to prove it.

Yo, cop. We're heading for Screamer's. You wanna come?" Butch looked up at the doorway. Vishous was in the hall with Rhage and Phury behind him. The vampires had expectant looks on their faces, like they honestly wanted to hang with him. Butch found himself grinning like the new kid who didn't have to sit alone at lunch after all.

But that was life: Nobody got a guided tour to their own theme park. You had to hop on the rides as they presented themselves, never knowing whether you would like the one you were in line for...or if the bastard was going to make you throw up your corn dog and your cotton candy all over the place.

Funny thing about glass. When you broke the shit up, it got pissed and bit back.

Wrath: What the hell are you supposed to ask?Rhage: I know! Who do you like the most? It's me right?Come on, you know it is. Come oooooonnnnn-Butch: If its you,, I'll kill myself.V: No, that just means she's blind.Rhage: It has to be me.V: She said she didn't like you at first.Rhage: Ah, but I won her over, which is more than anyone else can say about you, hot stuff.J.R.: I don't like anyone the bestWrath: Right answer.Rhage: She's just sparing all of you feelings. (grins, becoming impossibly handsome) She's so polite.J.R.: Next question?Rhage: Why do you like me the best?

Butch tightened his grip on his cell and wished there were an app that let you reach through a phone and bitch slap someone.

Gimme an S! A T! An O! A C! Followed by a K-H-O-L-M! What's it spell? HEAD FUCK.- Jane

They don't fit you?" V asked his roommate. "Not the point. No offense, but these are wicked Village People." Butch held his heavy arms out and turned in a circle, his bare chest catching the light. "I mean, come on.""They're for fighting, not fashion.""So are kilts, but you don't see me rocking the tartan.""And thank God for that. You're too bowlegged to pull that shit off."Butch assumed a bored expression. "You can bite me.

Ride?" Rhage snorted. "Please. That thing is a sewing machine with an air dam taped to it. My GTO could dust the fucker in fourth gear from a dead stop."When there was an odd sound from behind, John looked back. So did the three Brothers. "What." Xhex bristled and crossed her arms over her chest. "I can laugh, you know. And that's . . . pretty damn funny." Rhage beamed. "I knew I liked you.