But after years of hard hits, O’Doul is feeling the burn, both physically and mentally. “ Then I add the breadcrumbs and douse it all with olive oil.” He lifted the column of her hair and leaned in again, kissing her neck.He’s a fighter in the rink, but he’s about to learn that playing nice can help you score…Īs team captain and enforcer, Patrick O’Doul puts the bruise in the Brooklyn Bruisers. “These get chopped a bit, and mixed with the tomatoes and garlic,” she explained. Ari opened the tub of olives and began spooning them out onto the cutting board. He cupped her bottom in one hand and kissed her hair. “I just like you, that’s all.” He ran a hand down her elegant back, the lean yoga muscles resisting his touch. “ Do I need a reason?” “No.” Her voice was low. When he brought them over to Ari’s workstation, he lingered behind her, pulling her hair out of the way and kissing her neck. He set down his glass of wine and fetched them out of the refrigerator. “ Where did we put those olives?” she asked. Forget the seven-thousand dollar oven that was preheating for their dinner. Not because he was a sexist pig, but because nobody had ever cooked for him before. He’d never say it out loud, but he loved having her in his kitchen. His ass was parked against the refrigerator, a glass of wine in hand as he watched her cook. Patrick had changed into sweats and a T-shirt. “ You’veĬhopping tomatoes at his counter, singing along with Green Day. But nobody believed Ari was still in danger. Just one Pryzyk had been apprehended under the Manhattan Bridge while trying to dispose of the gun that had killed Vince, and the other one was still on the loose. That guy got away, though.” Unfortunately one of them had. “You would have been okay either way.” She shivered in his arms. “ Shhh.” He hadn’t meant to scare her all over again. I can’t even believe…” He heard her swallow hard, the sentence sticking in her throat. “You don’t have to do anything but keep breathing, okay?” She put her arms around him, too. Wish I could make it up to you.” He wrapped her into a hug and sighed against her shoulder. That wasn’t ever gonna end well.” “ I’m sorry you got dragged into it. He stole it from them for some kind of leverage, I think. I heard the police say the Pryzyk brothers had been hunting for Vince and that gun.

“He might still be alive if I didn’t open that door.” “That was not your fault.

“I should never have let him in,” she said, her voice flat. The hope wasn’t for sex, or even that she’d somehow agree that they should be a couple.

Hard hitter sarina bowen