#The Ghost of Owen Grady

[lets-steal-an-archive]

TJ MIKELOGAN's HALLOWEEN 2024 EVENT

DAY 14: Horror tropes - Creepy Children

Image: Danny and the Grady Twins, "The Shining" (1980)

Read the scripts:

Regan, "The Exorcist" (1973)

Damien, "The Omen" (1976)

Michael Myers, "Halloween" (1978)

Isaac, "Children of the Corn" (1984)

Cole, "The Sixth Sense" (1999)

Samara, "The Ring" (2002)

Peter Sweeney, Supernatural 1x03 - Dead in the Water (Production Draft)

Missy Bender, Supernatural 1x15 - The Benders (casting sides for Deputy Kathleen Hudak and Pa Bender)

Maggie Thompson, Supernatural 2x11 - Playthings (Production Draft)

Acheri Demon, Supernatural 2x21 - All Hell Breaks Loose: Part One (Blue Collated)

Changelings, Supernatural 3x02 - The Kids Are Alright (casting sides for Ben Braeden)

Lilith, Supernatural 3x12 - Jus in Bello (3rd Writer's Draft)

Ghost Girls, Supernatural 4x02 - Are You There, God? It's Me, Dean Winchester (Production Draft)

Ghost Children, Supernatural 5x09 - The Real Ghostbusters (Production Draft)

Owen Mills, Supernatural 5x15 - Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (Network Draft)

[crimsonv1]

Request List <33

What you can and can't request\\.

(May Change)

Movies/Etc.

---------

Senseless

Tim LaFlour

Scream

Billy Loomis

Stu Macher

Sidney Prescott

Randy

Tatum Riley

God's Of Egypt

Horus

The Amazing Spiderman

Peter Parker

Avengers

Peter Parker (Tom)

Tony Stark

Dr. Strange

Starlord

Quicksilver (X-Men)

Jurassic World

Owen Grady

Cowboy Bebop

Spike Spiegel

Faye Valentine

Demon Slayer

Giyuu Tomioka

Tanjiro Kamado

Zenitsu Agatsuma

Rengoku Kyojuro

Akaza

Inosuke Hasibira

Uzui Tengen

Sanemi

>>>>Other Characters/People

Albert Aretz (Flamingo

CoryxKenshin

Gaege Gibson (Juicy

Eduardo (EddieVR

Kurt Kunkle (Spree

Walter 'Keys' McKeys (Free Guy

Steve Harrington (Stranger Things

Charley Brewster //original ver. (FORGOT..💀

Dennis Rafkin (13 ghosts)

Shaggy

Brock Hudson (She's all That)

<<<<Actors

Matthew Lillard

Joe Keery

Andrew Garfield

added

Hobart Brown (Hobie

Miles Morales

Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone's or spiderverse

Pavitr (spiderverse

Dennis Nash (99 homes)

Roderick Heffley

Prompts}

Will

Nsfw/Smut

Platonic

LGBTQ (I'm bi😍😍😍🤭🤭

K1nks

Possible Kidnapping (No r4p3/ sa ...😾

Will NOT

Scat (No. 😧

•P1ss k!n. (No 😞😞

R4p3 (NO 😨..

SA 😨

[satashiiwrites]

Writing Goals 2024

So…. 2023 was a year. I almost hit my finished fic goals but added a few more. I think I was net negative? Anyways.

Goal for 2024 is to complete at least ten fics, one of which needs to be the >100k monsters I have that need to have their endings published.

Total words posted in 2024: 301,153 words (updated 10.11.2024)

Finished fics:

Arrival in Andromeda, 188k, Mass Effect Andromeda

Foolish, 8k, 911 Buddie ABO fic. Part two of An Endless Knotting

Breaking Up In Furniture Mart. Buddie. Couch theory fix it.

It Happened Overnight (A Maddie Finds Out Story) one-shot, plot bunny attack.

Separation Anxiety, part three of An Endless Knotting

Choices and Regrets, 109k. Buddie Dark Matter Fusion.

Breathe, Buddie. Coda to 8x06. One-shot, plot bunny attack.

Chasing My Ghosts Away (If Only For tonight). Lincoln Lawyer one shot. Pwp. Plot bunny attack.

January:

total words posted in January: 73,128 words

Choices and Regrets

Chapter 4 (9,635 words) posted 04.01.2024

Chapter 5 (7,931 words) posted 09.01.2024

Chapter 6 (6,240 words) posted 18.01.2024

Chapter 7 (6,107 words) posted 25.01.2024

Scintillation, Chapter 4 (9,085 words) posted 13.01.2024

Family, Familia, ‘Ohana

Chapter 12 Operation Rescue (13,739 words) posted 07.01.2024

Arrival in Andromeda

Chapter 16 (10,296 words) posted 20.01.2024

Home Found

Chapter 8 (3,178 words) posted 09.01.2024

Chapter 9 (3406 words) posted 14.01.2024

Chapter 10 (3,511 words) posted 28.01.2024

February:

Total words posted in February: 40,159 words

Choices and Regrets

Chapter 8 (6,689 words) posted 04.02.2024

Chapter 9 (5,879 words) posted 17.02.2024

Arrival in Andromeda,

Chapter 17 (11,996 words) posted 28.02.2024

Chapter 18 (10,447 words) posted 03.03.2024

EAD project(s)

The Fragility of Memory (1,803 words) posted 15.02.2024

An All Time High (1,342 words) posted 15.02.2024

Magic and Wolves Among the Stars (397 words) posted 15.02.2024

The Mask of the Charlatan (1,606 words) posted 15.02.2024

March:

Total words posted in March: 20,316 words

Family, Familia, ‘Ohana

Chapter 13 (1,656 words)

Foolish (follow up to What Are the Odds?)

Chapter 1 (1,784 words) posted 09.03.2024

Chapter 2 (2,048 words) posted 24.03.2024

Chapter 3 (3,188 words) posted 30.03.2024

Home Found

Chapter 11 (4,944 words) posted 06.03.2024

Chapter 12 (0 words)

Choices and Regrets

Chapter 10 (3,495 words) posted 17.03.2024

Chapter 11 (203 words)

Marriage of (IN)convenience—Big Moxie 2024 Q1

Chapter 1: He Said Yes! (1,538 words) posted 05.03.2024

Chapter 2: Save the Date (1,563 words) posted 22.03.2024

Breaking Up in Furniture Mart

Chapter 1 (1,756 words) posted 16.03.2024

April/May:

Total words posted in April/May: 43,787 words

Family, Familia, ‘Ohana

Chapter 13 (22,709 words) posted 06.05.2024

Chapter 14 (1,573 words)

Choices and Regrets

Chapter 11 (5,439 words) posted 31.05.2024

Home Found

Chapter 12 (5,487 words) posted 25.05.2024

Breaking Up in Furniture Mart

Chapter 2 (3,742 words) posted 06.04.2024

Chapter 3 (4,763 words) posted 07.04.2024

It Happened Overnight (A Maddie Finds Out Story) (1,647 words)—complete 27.05.2024

June

Total words posted in June: 7,969 words

Family, Familia, ‘Ohana

Chapter 14 (16,331 words)

Epilogue (1,065 words)

Choices and Regrets

Chapter 12 (7,969 words) posted 09.06.2024

Chapter 13 (734 words)

July

Total words posted in July: 43,399 words

Family, Familia, ‘Ohana, chapter 14 (20,088 words)

Welcome to the Jungle (a 911 Jumanji AU)

Chapter one (4,531 words) posted 21.07.2024

Chapter two (164 words)

Scratching an Itch, a crack fic crossover between Jurassic World and the Meg. (Owen Grady/Jonas Taylor) (1,676 words)

Home Found, chapter 13 (3,934 words) posted 17.07.2024

Separation Anxiety (sequel to Foolish), Chapter 1 (3,089 words) posted 26.07.2024

From Scorched Earth, a Phoenix Rises, Buddie Sentinel/guide AU as of end of season 7. A Rough Trade Project

Chapter One (1,177 words)

Chapter two (1,837 words)

Chapter three (1,716 words)

Chapter four (1,311 words)

Chapter five (2,125 words)

Chapter six (1,665 words)

Chapter seven (1,926 words)

August

Total words posted in August: 27,646 words

Choices and Regrets

Chapter 13-Ground Zero part 1 (6,596 words) posted 03.08.2024

Chapter 14-Ground Zero part 2 (5,049 words) posted 12.08.2024

Chapter 15-Ground Zero part 3 (8,845 words) posted 20.08.2024

Family Familia ‘Ohana, Chapter 15/Epilogue (1,065 words)

Separation anxiety

Chapter 2 (3,889 words) posted 24.08.2024

Home Found Chapter 14 (3,267 words) posted 26.08.2024

September

Total words posted in September: 18,953 words

Choices and Regrets, Chapter 16-Aftershocks (Epilogue) (8,415 words)—posted 14.09.2024–complete

Separation Anxiety, Chapter 3 (3,775 words) posted 06.09.2024–complete.

Alley with a View, Chapter 2 (811 words)

Welcome to the Jungle, Chapter 2. (4,292 words)—posted 29.09.2024

Family, Familia, ‘Ohana Chapter 15/epilogue

Home Found, Chapter 15 (2,471 words)-posted18.09.2024

October

Total words posted in October: 15,803

From Scorched Earth a Phoenix Rises

Chapter 3 (2,964 words) posted 05.10.2024

Chapter 4 (2,781 words) posted 13.10.2024

Chapter 5 (2,962 words) posted 19.10.2024

Foothold in Andromeda

Chapter 1

Home Found, Chapter 16 (5,518 words) posted 29.10.2024

Jersey Boys (NaNoWriMo 2024 project), Chapter 1 (1,578 words) posted 27.10.2024

November

Words posted in November: 9,993

Family, Familia, ‘Ohana Chapter 15/epilogue (1,445 words)

Welcome to the Jungle, Chapter 3

Jersey Boys (NaNoWriMo 2024 project)

Chapter 2 (2,968 words) posted 10.11.2024

From Scorched Earth a Phoenix Rises

Chapter 6 (2,709 words) posted 02.11.2024

Chapter 7 (2,591 words) posted 08.11.2024

Chapter 8

Home Found, chapter 17

Breathe—one shot. (1,725 words). Complete 08.11.2024

Chasing My Ghosts Away (If Only For Tonight)—one shot (5,065 words). Complete 24.11.2024

All WIPs by fandom

Mass Effect/Mass Effect Andromeda

An Andromeda Tale

Reinventing Scott

What Happens in Vegas

To Follow

The Marks We Leave on One Another

Your Guide to Andromeda

If I See You In My Dreams

Recurrence

Shipwrecked

Death, Rebirth and the Jackal

911 Verse

Christmas for Cowboys

Alley With A View

A New Versión of Forplay

Family, Familia, ‘Ohana

The First Spectre

An All Time High

Choices and Regrets—completed 14.09.2024

Breaking Up In Furniture Mart—completed 07.04.2024

Foolish—completed 30.03.2024

Separation Anxiety—completed 06.09.2024

Welcome to the Jungle

Mele Kalikimaka

Untitled Bobby FFO pov

Chicago Fire

Happy Little Accidents of Fate (part of An Endless Knotting)

Teen Wolf

To Catch a Fallen Star

Untitled Connie the Librarian fic (Firefighter!Derek verse)

Mayans MC

The Outlaw and the Cartel Boss

Moon Knight/Suits

Cousin Harvey

Hawaii 5-0

Mana’olana

A Marriage of (IN)Convenience (Big Moxie Q1 failed to finish on time 😑)

MCU

Scintillation

Foundation

Reunion

[foxtrotnash]

Welcome to my blog

Here, you will be able to do the following:

Requests bots from the list below

or

Requests bots of your own wild dreams

You are allowed to request from the following characters listed below:

Call of Duty

Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley

Johnny ‘Soap’ McTavish

Kyle ‘Gaz’ Garrick

John ‘Price’

Gary ‘Roach’ Sanderson

‘König’

Kim ‘Horangi’ Hong-ji

Phillip Graves

Vladimir Makarov

This includes:

Task Force 141 Team altogether

KorTac Team altogether

Avengers

Steve Rogers - Captain America

Tony Stark - Ironman

Natasha Romanoff - Black Widow

Clint Barton - Hawkeye

Thor Odinson - Thor

Bruce Banner - Hulk

This includes:

Peter Parker - Spider-Man

Michelle Jones-Watson - MJ

Ned Leeds - Guy in the chair

Avengers Team altogether

Transformers

Optimus Prime - Autobot

Bumblebee - Autobot

Ratchet - Autobot

Ironhide - Autobot

Mirage - Autobot

Arcee - Autobot

Dino - Autobot

Drift - Autobot

Hotrod - Autobot

Megatron - Decepticon

Soundwave - Decepticon

Shockwave - Decepticon

Starscream - Decepticon

Optimus Primal - Maximal

Airazor - Maximal

Sam Witwicky - Human

Mikaela Banes - Human

Cade Yeager - Human

This includes:

Autobots altogether

Decepticons altogether

Maximals altogether

User can either role play as a:

Autobot

Decepticon

Maximal

Human

Jurassic World

Owen Grady - Animal behaviorist

Claire Dearing - Operations Manager

Maisie Lockwood

Zach Mitchell

Gray Mitchell

Simon Masrani - Owner of Jurassic World

User can either role play as a:

Dinosaur

Human

More request options will open in the future.

Preferably Do Not:

Spam - you’ll be blocked

Request on any other post except for the welcome blog - your requests will either be ignored or not seen

Have an empty account when following - I’d prefer it if I knew you were real and not some N$FW account

⚠️Warning⚠️

Bots and/or posts can contain sensitive content or curse words. If you don’t feel comfortable with this, please don’t stick around.

[mcalhenwrites]

Distractions as I wait for places to open and get Alvin to the vet... Okay, so I have so many shitty parents and parental figures in my works, but I also have good ones! Also, many of my characters with shitty parents become pretty good ones! The bad: Wayne (The Dragons' Cosmos) Vivian and Graham (Seasons) William (Rascal) Simone (Geckos, Automata) Owen and Theresa (Brackish) Muriel (Before our Ghosts) Grady and Caelen (The Will of the Whispering) Frank (The Dragons' Cosmos) Humphrey and Marcy (Stargazers' Hill) Fenton (Pleasure Seekers series) is on thin fucking ice Duncan (Geckos, Automata) is redeemable but worthy of scorn The good: Edith Anne (Rascal) Opal and John (Rascal) Mildred and Lester (The Will of the Whispering) Mortimer (Geckos, Automata) Ewan (The Hostile Credence) Minnie and Stefan (Serrated Petals) Glynn, Irene, Grant (Stargazers' Hill) Humphrey (not the SGH one, his grandson) and Majorie (Rascal) Adanya and Ari (TEACUP) Mirza and Hana I do not have names for Lucinda's parents (good) or Andy's father (bad) (both are from Planetary Boundaries)... Actually, PB has tons of unnamed parents, even one kid's pretty nice absentee mom and dad, but Mark and Brooklyn (uncle on mom's side, aunt on dad's side) juggle taking care of him bc his prarents are too busy going to other planets to do "missionary work" aka MLM for bogus herbal remedies/exercise "cures" (they try to sell a lifestyle as a cure-all). But so many of my characters end up being fantastic parents. Some are spoilers tho ;) Also shout out to my characters who choose not to have kids for any number of reasons! (Seth, Bertrand, Ruth, Sevan, Isadora, Niven, Chester, etc.)

[influencermagazineuk]

Taylor Swift Leads Nominations at 2023 Kids' Choice Awards - Complete List of Recognitions Unveiled

Taylor Swift Dominates Music Nominations at 2023 Kids' Choice Awards with Five Nods - Including Two for Favorite Song and One for Her Feline, Olivia Benson Swift Mandatory Credit: Photo by Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock (10481442fs) Taylor Swift 47th Annual American Music Awards, Show, Microsoft Theater, Los Angeles, USA - 24 Nov 2019 Music Favorite Song - “About Damn Time”- Lizzo - “Anti-Hero”- Taylor Swift - “As It Was”- Harry Styles - “Bejeweled”- Taylor Swift - “Break My Soul” – Beyoncé - “First Class”- Jack Harlow - “I Ain’t Worried”- OneRepublic - “Lift Me Up”- Rihanna Favorite Album - Dawn FM– The Weeknd - GOD DID – DJ Khaled - Harry’s House– Harry Styles - Midnights (3 am Edition)- Taylor Swift - Renaissance– Beyoncé - Special – Lizzo Favorite Female Artist - Adele - Beyoncé - Billie Eilish - Cardi B - Lady Gaga - Lizzo - Rihanna - Taylor Swift Favorite Male Artist - Bad Bunny - Drake - Ed Sheeran - Harry Styles - Justin Bieber - Kendrick Lamar - Post Malone - The Weeknd Favorite Music Group - 5 Seconds of Summer - Black Eyed Peas - BLACKPINK - BTS - Imagine Dragons - OneRepublic - Panic! At the Disco - Paramore Favorite Music Collaboration - “Bam Bam”- Camila Cabello featuring Ed Sheeran - “Don’t You Worry” – Black Eyed Peas, David Guetta, Shakira - “I Like You (A Happier Song)”- Post Malone, featuring Doja Cat - “Numb”- Marshmello, featuring Khalid - “Stay With Me”- Calvin Harris, featuring Justin Timberlake, Halsey, Pharrell - “Sweetest Pie”- Megan Thee Stallion, Dua Lipa Favorite Breakout Artist - Devon Cole - Dove Cameron - GAYLE - Joji - Lauren Spencer-Smith - Nicky Youre Favorite Global Music Star - Bad Bunny (Latin America) - BLACKPINK (Asia) - Harry Styles (UK) - Rosalía (Europe) - Taylor Swift (North America) - Tones and I (Australia) - Wizkid (Africa) Favorite Social Music Star - Bella Poarch - Dixie D’Amelio - JoJo Siwa - Oliver Tree - Stephen Sanchez - That Girl Lay Lay Film Favorite Movie - Avatar: The Way of Water - Black Adam - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Hocus Pocus 2 - Jurassic World Dominion - Monster High The Movie - Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - Top Gun: Maverick Favorite Movie Actor - Chris Hemsworth (Thor, Thor: Love and Thunder) - Chris Pratt (Owen Grady, Jurassic World: Dominion) - Dwayne Johnson (Black Adam/Teth-Adam, Black Adam) - Jim Carrey (Dr. Robotnik, Sonic the Hedgehog 2) - Ryan Reynolds (Big Adam, The Adam Project) - Tom Cruise (Capt. Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell, Top Gun: Maverick) Favorite Movie Actress - Elizabeth Olsen (Wanda Maximoff/The Scarlet Witch, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) - Letitia Wright (Shuri, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) - Lupita Nyong’o (Nakia, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) - Millie Bobby Brown (Enola Holmes, Enola Holmes 2) - Natalie Portman (Jane Foster/The Mighty Thor, Thor: Love and Thunder) - Sarah Jessica Parker (Sarah Sanderson, Hocus Pocus 2) Favorite Animated Movie - DC League of Super-Pets - Hotel Transylvania: Transformania - Lightyear - Minions: The Rise of Gru - The Bad Guys - Turning Red Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie (Male) - Andy Samberg (Dale, Chip N’ Dale: Rescue Rangers) - Andy Samberg (Jonathan, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania) - Chris Evans (Buzz Lightyear, Lightyear) - Dwayne Johnson (Krypto, DC League of Super-Pets) - Kevin Hart (Ace, DC League of Super-Pets) - Steve Carell (Gru, Minions: The Rise of Gru) Favorite Voice From an Animated Movie (Female) - Awkwafina (Tarantula, The Bad Guys) - Keke Palmer (Izzy Hawthorne, Lightyear) - Salma Hayek (Kitty Softpaws, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish) - Sandra Oh (Ming, Turning Red) - Selena Gomez (Mavis, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania) - Taraji P. Henson (Belle Bottom, Minions: The Rise of Gru) Television Favorite Kids TV Show - Are You Afraid of the Dark?: Ghost Island - High School Musical: The Musical: The Series - Ms. Marvel - Raven’s Home - That Girl Lay Lay - The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder - The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers - The Really Loud House Favorite Family TV Show - Cobra Kai - iCarly - Obi-Wan Kenobi - She-Hulk: Attorney at Law - Stranger Things - Wednesday - Young Rock - Young Sheldon Favorite Reality Show - America’s Funniest Home Videos - America’s Got Talent - American Ninja Warrior - Floor Is Lava - MasterChef Junior - The Masked Singer Favorite Animated Show - Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous - Rugrats - SpongeBob SquarePants - Teen Titans Go! - The Loud House - The Smurfs Favorite Female TV Star (Kids) - Audrey Grace Marshall (Vivian Turner, The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder) - Imogen Cohen (Zina, The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder) - Olivia Rodrigo (Nini, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series) - Raven-Symoné (Raven Baxter, Raven’s Home) - Sofia Wylie (Gina, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series) - That Girl Lay Lay (Lay Lay, That Girl Lay Lay) Favorite Male TV Star (Kids) - Brady Noon (Evan Morrow, The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers) - Israel Johnson (Noah Lambert, Bunk’d) - Joshua Bassett (Ricky, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series) - Tyler Wladis (Roy, The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder) - Wolfgang Schaeffer (Lincoln Loud, The Really Loud House) - Young Dylan (Young Dylan, Tyler Perry’s Young Dylan) Favorite Female TV Star (Family) - Hilary Duff (Sophie, How I Met Your Father) - Jenna Ortega (Wednesday Addams, Wednesday) - Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven, Stranger Things) - Miranda Cosgrove (Carly Shay, iCarly) - Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield, Stranger Things) - Tracee Ellis Ross (Bow Johnson, Black-ish) Favorite Male TV Star (Family) - Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair, Stranger Things) - Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan-Kenobi) - Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler, Stranger Things) - Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson, Stranger Things) - Jerry Trainor (Spencer Shay, iCarly) - Ralph Macchio (Daniel LaRusso, Cobra Kai) Other Categories Favorite Male Creator - Austin Creed - MrBeast - Ninja - Ryan’s World - SeanDoesMagic - Unspeakable Favorite Female Creator - Addison Rae - Charli D’Amelio - Dixie D’Amelio - Gracie’s Corner - Kids Diana Show - Miranda Sings Favorite Social Media Family - FGTeeV - Ninja Kidz TV - Ohana Adventure Family - The Bucket List Family - The Royalty Family - The Williams Family Favorite Female Sports Star - Candace Parker - Chloe Kim - Naomi Osaka - Serena Williams - Simone Biles - Venus Williams Favorite Male Sports Star - LeBron James - Lionel Messi - Patrick Mahomes - Shaun White - Stephen Curry - Tom Brady Favorite Celebrity Pet - Dodger Evans - Gino Chopra Jonas - Noon Coleman - Olivia Benson Swift - Piggy Lou Bieber - Toulouse Grande Favorite Book - Cat Kid Comic Club Book Series - Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book Series - Five Nights at Freddy’s Book Series - Harry Potter Book Series - The Adventures of Captain Underpants Books Series - The Bad Guys Book Series Favorite Video Game - Adopt Me! - Brookhaven - Just Dance 2023 - Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope - Minecraft - Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Read the full article

[nicklloydnow]

Man by Fortunio Matania

“Barcley Owens notes that in All the Pretty Horses, after humans have turned their backs on him, "John Grady will return to his love of horses, as they prove more reliable and less complicated than other dreams. His love for horses marks him as a traditional cowboy hero, in love with the cowboy's wandering, rustic life ... [and] horses represent his hope for a meaningful life ... the life of his grandfather who pioneered Comanche country" (72-3). Owens' overly romantic assessment of Cole's romantic notions is partially correct, for in scene after scene, Cole is left disappointed by human beings, but horses, most often in travel, and in work and in battle, support him. Additionally, from the onset of the text, McCarthy secures Cole to the Comanche Indian past, and thus, posits the horse in the slot of warrior, for the Comanche were history's greatest warrior horsemen, and their horses, too, were warriors. Further, the text is a lament on the passing of the horse's status as warrior, for as the Comanche have been annihilated and relocated by the late nineteenth century, by the mid-twentieth century, the horse-riding cowboy is exceedingly rare, even in Texas. Cole is a man out of time, and his romantic idealism promotes the past and his love of horses over men. As such, McCarthy frames the text with scenes that evoke the Indian past and present, scenes that include Cole and his warrior equine, Redbo.

In the first scene that invokes the Comanche past and calls to the reader's attention the role of the horse as warrior, Cole and Redbo ride the soon-to-be-sold Grady ranch, and Cole seeks out an old Comanche travel route:

At the hour he'd always choose when the shadows were long and the ancient road was shaped before him in the rose and canted light like a dream of the past where the painted ponies and the riders of that lost nation came down out of the north with their faces chalked and their long hair plaited and each armed for war which was their life and the women and children and women with children at their breasts all of them pledged in blood and redeemable in blood only. When the wind was in the north you could hear them, the horses and the breath of the horses and the horses' hooves that were shod in rawhide and the rattle of lances and the constant drag of the travois poles in the sand like the passing of some enormous serpent and the young boys naked on wild horses jaunty as circus riders and hazing wild horses before them and the dogs trotting with their tongues aloll and footslaves following half naked and sorely burdened and above all the low chant of their traveling song which the riders sang as they rode, nation and ghost of nation passing in a soft chorale across that mineral waste to darkness bearing lost to all history and all remembrance like a grail the sum of their secular and transitory and violent lives [5].

This dreamy two-sentence passage serves a number of rhetorical purposes. First, the passage is a lament on an ancient nation of people whe way of life is now extinct, the Comanche. For as the Anglo settled Texas and land was parceled off, the Comanche were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of settlers and the U. S. Cavalry and were unable to stop tl onslaught of civilization upon their ancient lands. Analogously, in autumn of 1949, the cowboy way of life is also becoming extinct. With reference to Cole, as his mother is going to sell the Grady homestead his specific cowboy life is coming to a close. Notice as well, the Comanche are riding south, and as Cole is conjoined in this passage with the Indians and the Indian past, their ghostly visitation is an invitation and a foreshadowing of Cole's imminent journey south into Mexico—to Cole, unchartered, uncivilized warrior territory. Of course, the Comanche men are armed and ready for war, "which was their life." For these people are a warrior race, and all debts are redeemable "in blood only." Moreover, even the women and breast-suckling infants are "pledged in blood." As such, one can safely assume the whole of the Comanche nation exists in a unified and constant state of war, and from birth, the Comanche children are trained and taught the manners of battle and the skills of war. The presence of footslaves indicates the Comanche determinism to conquer and kill or capture all whom they encounter. And of course, as members of the Comanche nation, the horses of the warriors are themselves warriors.

M. Oldfield Howey indicates that in times prior to the onslaught of the Anglo, when horses were plenty, "the Comanches, in Texas [would] kill and bury the horses of their dead comrades, so that the dead may ride them to the Happy Hunting-grounds ... [and] the manes and tails of the horses of the tribe are cut off as a testimony of grief" (201). This death ritual indicates that a warrior and a warrior horse should be together in death as well as in life, and the McCarthy passage also shows a particular warrior kinship between horse and man, for the warriors are chalked and painted for war, as are the ponies. This duality of war decoration unites the warrior human with the warrior equine, and the bond is one that will exist in the afterlife. A Comanche warrior and his warrior pony will live and wage war, in life and in death, and the Indian warrior is spiritually shackled to his warrior horse. Clearly, McCarthy is arguing the horse as a warrior animal, a warrior whose time is passing and soon to be past. And clearly, McCarthy is hitching Cole and Redbo to the Comanche and his warrior pony; as Cole's father states, "We're like the Comanches was two hundred years ago. We don't know what's goin to show up here come daylight" (25-6). That is, the times are changing, and we are unable to stop the onslaught of change, just as the Comanche were unable to stop the onslaught of Anglo driven change. Conjoining Cole and Redbo to the Comanche past, and their extinct way of life, is an attempt to show that the warrior equine—whose role now is cattle horse in Texas—will soon be absolutely extinct in the United States, regardless of the animal's deterministic abilities. But before extinction, the warrior horse and his rider travel to old Mexico, where a warrior equine is a handy partner in a cowboy's survival. As such, Redbo proves himself a warrior under fire, and further, one of McCarthy's characters specifically articulates the horse's position as warrior animal.

One of the defining characteristics of a warrior is that a captured warrior is worth the life risk of rescuing, and on more than one occasion in the text, a captured horse, or horses, are rescued—or re-stolen—by Cole and his compatriots Lacey Rawlins and Jimmy Blevins. In the first example, Blevins loses his fine bay horse in a lightning storm, and Cole, Rawlins and Blevins, at much risk, rescue the captured warrior, who is being held in the Mexican pueblo of Encantada. Prior to the rescue, Redbo anticipates the battle, "John Grady leaned forward and spoke to the horse and put his hand on the horse's shoulder. The horse had begun to step nervously and it was not a nervous horse" (82). The horse, as a warrior and no longer a cow horse, can sense that battle is about to be waged, and he is right, for Blevins re-steals his horse, and the three boy warriors and their three warrior horses must make a hasty retreat from the town:

Rawlins pulled his horse around and the horse stamped and trotted and he whacked it across the rump with the barrel of the gun ... and Blevins in his underwear atop the big bay horse... exploded into the road ... and there were three pistol shots from somewhere in the dark ... [and] before they reached the turn at the top of the hill there were three more shots from the road behind them (83).

The horses three have passed their first trial by fire, but the boys are the ones who will eventually pay for this battle—Blevins with his life and Rawlins and Cole with their blood and innocence. But at this point in the text, all three warrior horses are united in their first successful battle and their courage under fire, and the author has shown that in Mexico, the horse remains a warrior.” - Wallis R. Sanborn III, ‘Animals in the Fiction of Cormac McCarthy’ (2006) [p. 123 - 126]

[jxrm]

book log - 2023 (continued)

the good lie by a.r. torre

something wilder by christina lauren

pineapple street by jenny jackson

drinking games by sarah levy

the housemaid by frieda mcfadden

full disclosure by camryn garrett

the dream job by kiersten modglin

never lie by frieda mcfadden

the silent woman by minka kent

hidden pictures by jason rekulak

girl in trouble by stacy claftin

the waitress by nina manning

xoxo by axie oh

yellowface by r.f. kuang

unmissing by minka kent

the rise by shari king

take me home tonight by morgan matson

the best lies by sarah lyu

arsenic and adobo by mia p. manansala

our missing hearts by celeste ng

the locked door by frieda mcfadden

where the crawdads sing by delia owens

the couple at table six by daniel hurst

survive the night by riley sager

the wife upstairs by freida mcfadden

one of us is dead by jeneva rose

five little indians by michelle good

the push by ashley audrain

i’ll stop the world by lauren thoman

silver nitrate by silvia moreno-garcia

romantic comedy by curtis sittenfield

the maidens by alex michaelides

every last secret by a.r. torre

the headmaster’s list by melissa de la cruz

last summer at the golden hotel by elyssa friedland

the collective by alison gaylin

one true loves by taylor jenkins reid

the trade off by sandie jones

my summer darlings by may cobb

the last housewife by ashley winstead

good rich people by eliza jane brazier

the club by ellery lloyd

phantom limb by lucinda berry

the night shift by alex finlay

layoverland by gabby noone

the writing retreat by julia bartz

never never by colleen hoover

reckless by cecily von ziegesar

the family game by catherine steadman

just say yes by maxine morrey

a pho love story by loan le

the birthday girl by melissa de la cruz

local woman missing by mary kubica

the last to vanish by megan miranda

yolk’s on me by d.t. henderson

the housemaid’s secret by frieda mcfadden

happy people are annoying by josh peck

the fraud squad by kyla zhao

wrong place wrong time by gillian mcallister

the grayson legacy by boris bacic

remarkably bright creatures by shelby van pelt

the couple in the cabin by daniel hurst

yerba buena by nina lacour

the ex by frieda mcfadden

notorious by cecilyn von ziegesar

layla by colleen hoover

the inmate by frieda mcfadden

last night at the telegraph club by malinda lo

the friend zone by abby jimenez

how to american by jimmy o. yang

lunar love by lauren kung jessen

the it girl by crackly von ziegesar

what lies in the woods by kate alice marshall

queen of thieves by beezy march

weather girl by rachel lynn solomon

the perfect marriage by jeneva rose

my sister, the serial killer by tonkin braithwaithe

things we never got over by lucy score

like me by hayley phelan

do not disturb by frieda mcfadden

for the love of friends by sara goodman confino

reckless girls by rachel hawkins

ghost 19 by simone st. james

the winter people by jennifer mcmahon

please join us by catherine mckenzie

under the whispering door by t.j. klune

the bookstore sisters by alice hoffman

lessons in chemistry by bonnie garmus

the new year’s party by daniel hurst

the house in the cerulean sea by t.j. klune

trixie and katya’s guide to womanhood by trixie mattel

i kissed shara wheeler by casey mcquiston

horrorstor by grady hendrix

yours truly by abby jimenez

happy place by emily henry

the soulmate by sally hepworth

i have some questions for you by rebecca makkai

what happened the ruthy ramirez by claire jimenez

mad honey by jodi picoult

really good, actually by monica heisey

the ballad of songbirds and snakes by suzanne collins

the lightning thief by rick riordan

harry potter and the philosophers stone by j.k. rowling

the sea of monsters by rick riordan

the titan’s curse by rick riordan

harry potter and the chamber of secrets by j.k. rowling

the battle of the labyrinth by rick riordan

harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban by j.k. rowling

the last olympian by rick riordan

the lost hero by rick riordan

harry potter and the goblet of fire by j.k. rowling

the son of neptune by rick riordan

the mark of athena by rick riordan

harry potter and the order of the phoenix by j.k. rowling

harry potter and the half blood prince by j.k. rowling

harry potter and the deathly hallows by j.k. rowling

harry potter and the cursed child by john tiffany

[thegalaxyonherlips]

Finally, finally got to 50 books this year! Very happy with myself🎉🎉🎉

50 Books this year:

Narrative of the Life of Friedrick Douglass by Friedrick Douglass

Severance by Ling Ma

The Body by Stephen King

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Lore Olympus Vol.1 by Rachel Smythe

Are You There God? it's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

The Green Mile by Stephen King

Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig

Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

The Call of Cthulhu by H P Lovecraft

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Juniper and Thorn by Ava Reid

The Silver Eyes Graphic Novel by Scott Cawthon

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

Hood Feminism: Notes From the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall

Heaven by Mieko Kawakami

Macbeth by Shakespeare

The Boys Omnibus Vol. 1 by Dunbier, Ennis, Snejbjerg and Robertson

Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix

The Problems of Philosophy by Betrand Russell

The Vampyre by John William Polidori

The Communist Manifesto by Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx

Danse Macabre by Stephen King

Supernatural Horror in Literature by H P Lovecraft

Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill

Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt

You Will Get Through This Night by Daniel Howell

20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

Rivers of London Vol. 1: Body Work by Ben Aaronovitch

The Twisted Ones by Scott Cawthon

11.22.63 by Stephen King

The Fourth Closet by Scott Cawthon

Pet Semetary by Stephen King

To Drink Coffee With a Ghost by Amanda Lovelace

Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

Fetch by Scott Cawthon

Chavs: Demonisation of the Working Class by Owen Jones

Mister Magic by Kiersten White

Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda

What Moves the Dead by T Kingfisher

Reform or Revolution by Rosa Luxemburg

Smashed by Junji Ito

[fearsomeandwretchedandwrong]

Looking back at my book hauls from last August to see what I've read, what I haven't, what I've kept, and what I've unhauled since then.

Read and kept:

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Maldovsky

My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

The Return by Rachel Harrison

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix

Read and unhauled:

These Fleeting Shadows by Kate Alice Marshall

When We Were Magic by Sarah Gailey

Lock the Doors by Vincent Ralph

Unread but still own:

The Society for Soulless Girls by Laura Steven

Husband Material by Alexis Hall

Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado

Small Angels by Lauren Owen

The Change by Kirsten Miller

The Drowning Summer by Christine Lynn Herman

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

Unread and unhauled:

The Last True Poets of the Sea by Julia Drake

The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

[televinita]

What I Watched in 2022 (TV)

I was going to fill out a survey about my TV-watching habits, but then I realized...I have a seive-like brain (now more than ever, considering that I watch things almost exclusively on streaming services and have little to no idea what is even currently airing on television), and my time would be better served just organizing the list I more-or-less kept track of throughout the year and trying to make some sense of it.

En...joy?

Current Scripted Shows (2021-22 and/or ‘22-23 season):

Abbott Elementary

Alaska Daily

Blood & Treasure

Ghosts (US version)

Pretty Smart

Severance

Sweet Magnolias

United States of Al

(I’ve got literally 4 ships across all of these shows, plus Densi on the side from NCIS: LA even though I’m not watching it. god. no wonder I feel so parched and/or go so off the rails when I stumble into a good romantic movie these days. or even just a movie with a solid romance in it.)

Current Reality/Game Shows:

The Amazing Race: Season 33 & 34 (but also: on Hulu I binged 23, 25-29, and a rewatch of 31)

Beyond the Edge

The Chase

The Floor is Lava

Jeopardy: the College Tournament of Champions & however much has aired so far of the Celebrity Tournament of Champions

Survivor

The Weakest Link (w/ Jane Lynch)

(WHY AM I THIS ADDICTED TO REALITY AND GAME SHOWS. How old am I. what year is it.)

Older Shows:

Alone (History channel): season 8/Chilko Lake

Bedlam (something British... SkyTV?): season 1

The Chair (Netflix miniseries)

The Circle (Netflix): season 1 & 2

Deadwater Fell (Acorn)

Enlisted (FOX)

The Exes (TV Land)

Fuller House: 1x01-06 (then I got too overwhelmed with joy and needed to save it)

Hit the Floor (VH1): season 1 & 2

Keep Breathing (Netflix miniseries)

Maid (Netflix)

Mythic Quest (AppleTV): 1x02, 1x08-2x04 w/ husband

Ultimate Beastmaster: season 3

Valor (CW)

Rewatches:

Blood and Treasure: season 1

Revolution: 2x13-22

The Office: 8x07-24

Siberia

Ally McBeal: Josh Groban's 2 episodes (which I forgot to post about, dangit)

Community (I lost count because I’m jumping around the series and rarely see more than 2 or 3 in chronological order, but I’ve definitely seen at least 50 of them for the umpteenth time)

Random rewatch episodes in syndication/Netflix:

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team

Sabrina the Teenage Witch (just 2, but so fun that night)

Wheel of Fortune

King of Queens

Seinfeld

Bonus: One or Two Episode Wonders

(with 1 or 2 exceptions, there was nothing wrong with these shows, I just was like "wow this is good!" and then was too overwhelmed or unable to return)

American Housewife: 1x01-02 (still saved for when I need a comfort-food sitcom)

The Big Leap: 1x01 (I definitely MEANT and WANTED to continue, I was just never Ready)

Camp Snowflake: 1x01 (this one I bailed on purpose; it was awful.)

The I-Land: 1x01 (why does this look so good yet move so slowly and boringly)

The Last Cowboy: 1x01-02 (caught on TV; wish I could have watched more! a reality show about reining horses and their riders? DUDE. unfortunately I could only find this on live TV)

Mr. Mayor: 1x01-02 (Holly Hunter was truly That Repellent huh)

NCIS: LA: 13x08 (oh, wow, I meant to watch at least a couple more highlight eps...but really, I am now a shippy-gifsets-only kind of girl)

Redneck Island: 3x02-03; 1x02-09 (bless you late night syndication and insomnia lmao)

The Terminal List: 1x01 (I really did mean to continue, but then Matt Barr knocked Chris Pratt Owen Grady off the top of Handsome Mountain so now we're waiting until I am back in the groove of finding this man attractive under the right circumstances)

Conclusions:

Favorite show of the year is hands-down bar-none Blood & Treasure, but Abbot Elementary is a close second. The best reality show this year is definitely The Amazing Race. And among the older shows, Maid is fantastic and very much worth your time/my leading favorite among them.

Best comfort-food sitcoms: Ghosts, United States of Al, Family Reunion, Enlisted and The Exes are all a warm delight.

Also, doesn’t qualify as a comfort-food one but Mythic Quest is surprisingly entertaining, for someone who’s never played a MMORPG in her life and whose last video game attempts were done on a PS2. I just hate the language (and Ian).

And all of the rewatches, obviously, sheer perfection. *chef’s kiss*

[thebigmick284]

Malta Chaos- Jurassic World Dominion Trailer #2

[the-burning-tiger]

It’s possible I may have been looking into a Zanewinder style road trip and got a bit carried away but imagine....

Starting and ending here

And then going on this little jaunt with your batshit crazy marine friends

[dearinglovebot]

things I think the dearing-grady’s did during their 4 years staying lowkey

- establish weekly movie night. literally what else are you going to do if you’re trying to stay lowkey?? claire made franklin make her the best vpn for maximum security but more importantly maximum streaming options

- yearly snowman making competition. like it gets crazy when the snow fall comes. they’re fighting over stick arms. maisie once ate 10 carrots just to stop either of her parents getting one. none of them have slept in two days because of sabotage threats. they’re all determined to win. karen judges via facetime. there are no winners in war

- claire and maisie became arts and crafts aficionados. like pinterest wishes it had what they have. there is a bird house out back that looks better than most human houses. claire did the patches on maisie’s jacket. they make each other matching bracelet sets. maisie crocheted a mini blue and owen cried

- got maisie a good camera and suffered through her photography phase. literally could not go anywhere without a photo being taken. claire has a pavlovian smile reflex to clicks now

- bought an air mattress and a tent and “camped” in the front yard. owen insisted it wasn’t really camping if there was a mattress but claire has LIMITS! sleeping bag instead of blankets is one thing but she is not laying down on that dirt willingly. maisie insisted she get to tell ghost stories with her flashlight like in the movies and they were all gruesomely detailed to the point of concern. karen confirmed after that no it’s not a trauma thing. kids are just like that.

[poeticandvaguelysweet]

Prompt: #255 - Halloween (explicit)

THIS IS SET PRE-JURASSIC WORLD AND DOES NOT CONTAIN DOMINION SPOILERS FOR ANY LOVES WHO HAVE NOT SEEN IT YET

I first wrote and published this fic in November 2018. Someone left me a rather lengthy review complaining about how bad it was and how disappointed they are (not constructive criticism) on my birthday when I was already having a shit time. It got to me so badly I deleted this fic. I was thinking about it recently, and after having two conversations about it with two different people I have decided to repost it. It’s been lightly edited, but for the most part remains the same. 

Summary: Owen and Claire fuck after a halloween party.

AO3

HALLOWEEN

Halloween, 2014

Isla Nublar

Parties, especially staff parties, were not Claire’s thing. She felt awkward, lingering in a room full of staffers she barely spoke to. Zara’s smile was bright, grinning at Claire like she knew her secret. ‘I'm so glad you decided to come!’ Zara half yelled over the music, her elbow tapping Claire’s hip. ‘You look ravishing.’ She winked again making Claire wonder if she had revealed her intentions to Zara without realising. Her assistant leaned in again, this time letting her finger slip between the bands that scattered down the side of her skirt. She pulled it tight, letting the fabric go as it snapped back into place with a satisfying sound against Claire’s skin. ‘I'm going to go get us some drinks, do you have a preference?’ She asked, stepping away with a small laugh as she marvelled at her boss wearing something so unexpected.

Zara disappeared into the decorations, cobwebs and plastic spiders hanging from doorways and sconces. Someone had plugged in a smoke machine, setting off an eerie atmosphere and thick air. She couldn’t see the walls anymore, just faint outlines of spooky decorations and the faint knowledge that tombstones scattered the space here and there.

The Monster Mash played at an obnoxiously loud level as employees dressed in varying costumes moved to the music, drinks in hand and conversation on their lips. She didn’t pay them much mind beyond a quiet smile, happy to see the tension from the command room slip away and the high pressures of a popular theme park disappear into a quiet night. Claire didn’t know them well, but she knew they deserved this. Time off to celebrate amongst themselves without the pressures of their jobs. 

Her eyes washed over them, peering through the manufactured fog, looking for one face and body in particular. She wasn't sure if he would be there, but free booze always seemed to be a lure for Owen Grady. Claire wondered briefly if she poured herself a glass of tequila if it would be enough to summon him. Like the smell of his favourite liquor would be enough to drag his nose through the room until he was standing at her feet, wondering why on Earth she was holding something she once denied. Surely, just to prove her wrong he would appear, telling her the drink wasn’t approved by her diet with a smirk and a self-satisfied chuckle. She hoped he would, so she could roll her eyes and feel the familiar warmth slide down her spine. He was a jerk. But he did it for her. 

‘Please tell me you just had this lying around.’ Like he felt his ears burning or sensed her tequila thoughts, Owen appeared. His hand ghosted over her hip, too scared to touch her fully as his fingers made contact with her skin in the gaps of her skirt. His voice was low, warning and weak. Claire knew all she would have to do is nod and he would be jelly at her feet, his hands all over her as he pulled her body into his. 

It felt so easy with Owen. Easier than it had ever had been, easier than all the times she wanted it to work and the relationships she tried to salvage. But he made it feel so good and so effortless, even when she wanted to hate every second of it.  Even when she tried. The man had talent even she couldn’t dissuade and now she was yearning for it, missing him like another limb. She hated herself, if only a little, for being drawn into the spiders’ web but she also knew Owen was harmless and had the highest of senses that he was into her enough to want to do it again. 

Claire tried to pretend she didn’t feel a shock of electricity at his touch, her heart pounding instantly as her mind wandered to delicious thoughts. The scratch of his voice made her recall when it had been pressed directly beside her ear, his breath ghosting past the cartilage and setting her on fire. 

‘Sorry?’ Claire asked, playing stupid to his words as she looked him up and down. He wasn’t wearing a costume. Still dressed in jeans and the leather vest she always saw him wearing at the paddock he wreaked of dirt and something specifically Owen. It was nice to know he didn’t scrub up for parties as well as dates.

He nodded at her attire, Claire suddenly feeling self-conscious about her choice. ‘I’m just trying to figure out whether this is something that’s always lived in your wardrobe or if you bought it for tonight.’ She watched his eyes as he watched her, smoothing up and down the lines of her body in a way that made her skin hot. Usually, Claire would be repulsed, annoyed at the blatant cockiness of the man. But, Owen … she wanted this from him. She realised, a little too late, that she was likely setting women back twenty years in choosing to dress specifically to be ogled by a man. Claire was hoping the payoff would be worth it. 

Her hands smoothed over her hips, sliding across the fabric in the front of her skirt.  

The skirt was knee length, a leatherette and held together by individual elastic straps down each side. They were a few inches apart, leaving pale skin to the mercy of eager eyes.  She wore a laced corset underneath it, more skin on show as she covered herself with a neat blazer, leaving the rest to temptation. 

‘It’s new.’ She offered, trying for a seductive smile and a heavy bat of her lashes. 

‘What are you supposed to be anyway? Sexy corporate kitty?’ Claire felt heat climb across her cheeks and slither its way down her neck. She had forgotten about the headband with cat ears she bought and the whiskers she drew on herself with a kohl pencil, trying to keep up the pretence that she had a costume and wasn’t just wearing lingerie. Sexy rolled from his tongue, dancing in her ears and setting her skin on fire. 

He wasn’t hesitant, but confident, choosing his words wisely as Claire swore she caught a gleam in his eye. ‘And what are you supposed to be. Yourself?’ 

Owen shrugged, ‘Thought Raptor Trainer would be a good costume’. She rolled her eyes, unable to help herself against his cocky grin. He thought he was so clever. Owen was interesting, easy to peg and easy to concur but he was interesting to Claire. Different from others certainly didn’t give up and even though he crossed the boundary line on a few small occasions, for the most part, he knew it was there. Above it all, he never seemed to give up on her, no matter how many times she tried to push him away. ‘I honestly didn’t think you would go for this kind of dress-up at all.’ 

He was stuck on it, fascinated, his eyes sliding down her body once again, hands twitching at his sides. He wanted to touch. Claire had him hook, line and sinker. ‘Well, I saw it and thought it would look good against your bike.’ She saw him swallow hard, fingers curling into fists as he held himself back, trying not to launch at her. It was faint, but she heard the rumble of a growl in the back of his throat, fading itself out with the chatter and the music around them. 

Her body had been humming since she got dressed that afternoon, knowing full well that if things went to plan she would have a lot to be excited about. That hum had built to a slow burn, tingling under the surface that now, at his reaction, lit itself alight and started to rush across her body. 

‘You, ah, want to go outside and see if your theory was correct?’ He asked, nervous as he gestured towards the door somewhere in the fog. Claire liked surprising him, he was always breathless and thrown off when she said the unexpected. To think that she could keep a man on his toes, thrilled her. Not once did he show he was intimidated by it. Owen always recovered quickly, showing her a flash of confusion before that smirk grew across his cheeks and he challenged her right back. 

She barely managed a nod before he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the throng of people. He stopped at the make-shift bar, asking her if she wanted anything and not moving until she shook her head. Claire wasn’t there to drink.

His bike was sitting outside, away from the other vehicles. There was no streetlight, only the silver wash from the full moon, shining off the metal of his bike’s engine. She felt her heart pick up a beat as her feet carried her across the footpath, Owen by her side making idle conversation. 

‘Didn't expect to see you at a party like this.’ It wasn’t organised by the higher-ups. One of the herbivore trainers was huge on Halloween and couldn't stand that nothing was being done for employees. There was plenty for park guests but nothing they would want to go to in their downtime. So, Pete or Mike or whatever his name was, set this up. Owen was surprised Claire even knew about it. 

‘I’m full of surprises.’ Nonchalant, she shrugged, stepping ahead of him as her shoes hit gravel without pause. His bike was cool under her fingertips, the leather soft and well worn as she grazed her touch up and down the seat before it rose over the cold metal of the handlebars. 

Owen was quiet behind her, admiring her ass no doubt as she leaned over the machine in her admiration of it. Motorcycles were something that had thrilled her, once upon a time, the danger of them felt more real than that of living on an island full of dinosaurs and the fact that Owen insisted upon having his here, with him, drew her in quicker than a flame called to a moth. 

Her fingers danced, gentle as they pasted the plaque branding, ‘Triumph’ pressed proudly in silver decorating the fuel tank. 'You want to hop on?' Owen’s voice was strong behind her, deeper than she had heard it since the last time their bodies touched. She turned, ever so slowly, unsure if the blood rushing south was making her dizzy enough to fall over. Her smile was shy but challenging as she bent, fingers finding the hem of her skirt. Claire could swear she heard Owen swallow, Adam's apple bobbing in his throat as his feet scratched across the gravel.

‘God, Claire, you don’t have to straddle it.’ His hand appeared at her thigh, fingers warm against her wrist as he tried to stop her. The wounded, if not startled look she threw him was enough to make him retreat. His hand was still on her wrist, but his touch was no longer meant to discourage her. 

She stepped back with the audacity to look wounded before her features softened into a small smirk. ‘So, just like this then?’ Claire asked, straightening as her skirt remained crumpled, pulled halfway up her thighs. She looked dishevelled, not unlike herself, as Claire took a step back towards the bike, waiting until she felt the coolness of it against her back. She hummed, leaning herself against the machine as Owen stood watch. 

‘Yeah,’ He sighed, breathless, unable to fill his lungs with the cool air that surrounded them. She was a sight and a half, stretched out in front of his bike, her hands propped up behind her. Her blazer was pulled tight over her chest, one button holding it in place, straining for release as her skirt sat just as snug, promising him so much more. ‘Almost perfect.’ He found his feet, boots kicking the gravel as he stepped forward. ‘You been drinking?’ He asked, not unfamiliar to a drunk Claire, a little looser than the corporate woman he saw from day to day. This wasn’t her. She shook her head, holding his gaze in the moonlight. ‘Good.’ The answer was rough as his hand raised, reaching for her. His fingers found the button of her blazer, flicking it in a fluid motion to set the fabric free. It breezed down her sides, revealing the corset Claire wore, black lace, sheer in places. Owen’s breathing grew deeper, eyes closing for a split second as she stood there, ignited by the moonlight. ‘Much better,’ he muttered, stepping closer, his large hands found her waist. 

It was Claire’s turn to feel breathless, lost in his warm touch as her body shivered. She wanted to ask, a question poised on her lips. Instead, their eyes did the talking, dancing their dance as green met green. She had told him she didn’t want a second date, that she didn’t see the two of them as compatible. That, given enough time, he would get sick of her. She needed him now, more than she needed air and the feeling had been bothering her for weeks. 

‘Just once?’ He asked, reading her mind, and falling prey to her plan. He had to be the one to cave. Maybe, if only for a minute, Claire wanted to hold the power over him. For once, she wanted to be the cocky one self-assured by her wiles and his want for her. Just for a minute, Claire wanted to feel how Owen had felt when she had hissed at him before pressing up on her toes and giving in to a needy kiss. 

She nodded and it was all he needed. Before they knew it, Owen’s mouth was on hers, soft lips and warm stubble against her silk cheeks. Claire opened to him easily, her walls crashing down before they touched as she revelled in the feeling of his arm sliding around her back to pull her body flush with his. She didn’t mean to whimper, but the sound released itself from her throat before she even felt the need. He had pulled it from her so effortlessly, one hand on the small of her back while the other slid up into her hair. His large thumb was stroking at her neck and behind her ear, hitting the base of her headband with every upward stroke. It fell from her head within seconds, toppling down the back of her skull where Owen finally freed it and tossed it into the night. 

Claire wanted to be consumed by him, standing in heels in the gravel, pushing up onto her toes, her hands gripping onto his shirt, his vest, the bare skin of his neck and finding strands of his hair, here and there, everywhere all at once and not at all. She needed purchase, felt that maybe she could stand on the seat of his bike and tower over him like a goddess. She wanted to be with him, near him, one with his heart beating in his chest. She had always wondered what it would feel like to be so deep in desire that the only need that throbbed within her was to crawl into the cracks of another body and bury herself inside of them. She wondered if he felt like that when their clothes were gone when he had the chance to push the core of himself into her warmth. Did he feel whole? Did it shroud him in a blissful feeling or only partly? Could she do that for someone and could she feel loved in the same way?

She stopped her hands on his cheeks, lips pulling away from his as Owen chased her mouth. This wasn’t love, Claire needed to remind herself. Gulping in deep breaths she let the chill of the night wash over her. This was lust, pure and raw but nothing more than that.

‘You alright?’ He asked, breathless and panting. There was a heavy hand on her hip, long thick fingers having slid themselves inside her skirt, sitting against her bare flesh and burning there. Her nod was easy as she filled it with a reassuring smile. She was drawn away for a second, worried by her thoughts before she pushed back into him, meeting his lust with hers and challenging the strength of the man’s worship.

Impatient hands found the zip on her skirt, leaving fat fingers to pull on the tag. She was almost ready to shimmy out of it when laughter met her ears and Owen’s body tensed around hers. She couldn’t move. Only stood still as the sound of people past them. ‘They didn’t see us.’ He offered, redoing the zip as his hands slid around to the front of her waist. ‘But, do you … ah, do you think we should take this elsewhere?’ Even in the light of night, she could see the warmth on his cheeks and arousal in his eyes. 

‘Is your bike safe?’ She asked, partly stepping away from it as she assessed his vehicle. ‘I’ve never ridden one before.’ Her statement was almost an insinuation. Even though her car was in the lot with everyone else's nearby, Claire was choosing this. 

‘Mostly.’ He answered with a shrug. Sometimes it stuttered, faltering at high speeds and promising to send him flying. Hell, it was a motorcycle. It wasn’t all that safe. She could see his hesitancy, wasn’t sure if he wanted her on it. Didn’t know if he could keep her safe. ‘My bungalow isn’t far from here.’ And yet, they could just as easily walk to her apartment. ‘I’ll go slow.’ He told her with a wink, his hand lingering on her hip as he moved for the bike. ‘You want me to teach you?’ He asked, more so he could get her to ride in front of him. Owen knew too, that Claire was a curious creature and if a learning opportunity showed itself, she would be more than happy to take it. 

He dropped to his knees when she nodded, kneeling in the dirt as his hands found the backs of her thighs. She had tried to push her skirt up earlier, ready to climb onto his bike and Owen stopped her. Now, he was sure the action was necessary as his hands found the fabric and slid it further up her thighs. 

‘You’re not wearing underwear, are you?’ He asked, the question lingering on his mind. 

Looking down at him with her teeth on her lip, Claire shook her head. Owen’s groan was animalistic, his forehead falling to her skin. She could feel him concentrating on deep breaths as his hands gripped tightly to her skin. ‘Fuck,’ drifted from his lips quietly, mouth grazing against her thigh before he kissed the skin there, just below the fabric of her skirt. ‘Are you trying to kill me?’

She grinned, ‘Maybe’. 

Just like that, he was on his feet again, patting the seat of his gunmetal Triumph Scrambler and telling her to hop on. 

His bike was broad and thrilling beneath her thighs but was nothing compared to the feeling of Owen behind her. His chest was strong, solid as he wrapped himself around her, holding her to him tightly as his arms reached for the handlebars. The machine roared to life, eliciting a short gasp from Claire in her surprise. She had been too focused on him, the man around her, rather than the thing they were on. Owen chuckled in her ear, the sound deep and vibrating with the bike as it send shivers down her spine. It pooled in her gut, building with white-hot arousal as she lost herself in the feeling of his cheek against hers. 

‘Hold on tight.’ His words were punctuated with the squeeze of his arms against her sides. The engine roared, rumbling beneath their bodies as Claire felt a shift in Owen behind her.

It was with unspeakable ease that Owen navigated them though barely used service roads. He was the only thing down that way of the island. Claire was sure that one day the park would extend to his little alcove and encroach on his space, eventually pushing Owen out and into apartment living. She wondered if he would still be there by then or if the choice between his job and his solitude would be what it took to make him quit. 

She had to give him kudos for the location. It was peaceful out there. Still. In the distance she could hear the calls and chatter of ancient beasts, happily settling down for their quiet lives away from entertaining. The first time she was out there the serenity and raw purity of it reminded Claire of her early days on the island before it was finished when the waterfalls and jungles were left to that of bright-minded interns. Now, they were overcrowded and tainted by the footprint of tourists. But, Owen’s bungalow and the land it sat on seemed to have that untouched feel. It was just him out there, his bike, and the fish in the lake. He lived around the dinosaurs, able to hear them but never see them like they were a closely guarded secret that hovered over his life. She lived for the magic of it and wondered if she had known this could have been a choice, would she have asked for a house of her own in a secluded part of the park? He might just let her share it, if she asked nicely, setting out a plot of land across from his bungalow where she could build a more liveable abode. But then, it would mean Owen Grady was her neighbour and Claire wasn’t sure how close she wanted him. Then again … in situations like this night, it would have been handy having him only a few steps away. 

‘You alright?’ Owen asked, his body peeling away from hers until he was standing in the grass by the bike, concerned eyes watching her. Smudged on his cheeks was the faint hint of her drawn-on whiskers, his nose marked too. She hadn’t noticed it before they left, her mind a little dazed from their kisses, but now she saw it as clear as day. Claire grinned, feeling every inch of the fond and joyous emotion that filled her as she leant in to kiss him once again. 

She had missed him, even in their short ride. Her lips had almost forgotten the warm pressure of his and the impatient push of his tongue. This was it, they were alone now, left to the vacancy of his island home where they could do and be as they please without disturbance. Claire didn’t miss a beat. With her arms around his neck, she lifted her leg, sliding it past the fuel tank as she drew her body closer to his. Owen stopped her before her foot joined the other, her heel clicking against the tank as his hand touched the skin of her knee. ‘I just gotta …’ He mumbled against her lips, breaking their kiss as he dropped to his knees. His lips peppered kisses up her legs, jumping from one to the next as his hand held her knee still bent above the body of his bike. 

It was her easy laughter that caused him to smile, grinning as he climbed up her legs with fat kisses until he met the twitching skin of her upper thighs. Her giggles faded into an easy moan when Owen closed his mouth over her sex. 

Fingers scratched the leather of the bike seat, Claire desperate for something to hold onto as her body teetered on the edge. It felt like the world was moving around her in slow motion as Owen dragged his tongue across the sensitive flesh of her labia, setting Claire into a world of impatient agony as the fire within her kept sparking but failed to ignite. It wasn’t because she wasn’t thrilled with what he was doing, but because he was moving to torture her rather than pleasure, stroking but not quite hitting the spot that would send her into oblivion. 

Owen shifted, moving his weight on his knees so he could reach his hands up her back, holding her steady as Claire leaned into the touch, trapped in her position as her hips cantered against his face. She moaned sound long and low stretching out into the silent night air around them without a single worry of being overheard. 

He had freed her, sexual liberation wracking her body as Claire threw her head back, leaving her neck bare to the skies and filling the stars with her impatient cries. She felt brave, lifting a hand from its indent on his bike seat to bury it in Owen’s hair. Her nails scratched, trying to convey in movement what her throat wouldn’t let out. He was grinning, sly as a fox between her thighs with a chuckle on her skin that made her fingers dig deeper. Owen pulled it from her, beckoning each cry with a flick of his tongue, the hand still holding her thigh, rubbing soothing lines against her skin as she grew louder and less restrained. 

Owen didn’t let up until she had doubled over, hands clinging to his back as she lay bowed over his head. She was panting in his ear, leg shaking in his hand as her fingers twitched against his back pulling on the shirt he wore before briefly releasing it. It took Claire several minutes to catch her breath and find her strength before her hands pushed against Owen’s shoulders to right herself. He was grinning when she met his eyes, looking up at her like she held the world in the palm of her hands.

‘There’s my kitten,’ he grinned, voice rough as he pushed himself up into a stand. Claire had thought, back at the party, that Owen had discarded her cat-eared headband. But, when he placed it back on her head, pushing her bangs back with it she realised that assumption had been wrong. 

Claire wanted to roll her eyes and tell him she wasn’t his. She couldn’t bring herself to do it. She liked being his in situations like this. Claire felt treasured, adored, respected even. She wasn’t sure she wanted to be his full-time. But for brief moments, she enjoyed what could come from being in Owen’s inner rings. 

He kissed her, distracting Claire from her thoughts as she tasted herself on his needy tongue. 

‘Inside. Now.’ She growled against his lips, pushing against him a little as she found the strength to challenge him. The sound he made in response was a mournful whimper. She felt it settle against her bones as his hands held her hips tightly. If Owen had his way with it, he would have fucked her against his bike to fulfil some playboy wet dream. For now, she was happy to deny him. ‘It’s cold,’ She whined back, shivering for emphasis as she nipped at his bottom lip.

The rest was a blur. Moving from the bike to Owen’s bungalow, shedding their clothes and landing in his bed. She could remember him faltering with the clasps and ties, the inconvenience stalling them for a minute until he figured it out. His frustrated grunts puffed against her neck, sending goosebumps down her spine as she sat patiently waiting to be undressed. 

If anything, Owen was overqualified in making up for the lost time. His touch was hot, heavy, and knew exactly where to pinch, flick and soothe. He was everywhere all at once, overwhelming her senses now that she didn’t have to worry about falling off his bike. Her skin was bare and sensitive to him, his calloused hands, his coarse hair. He was bigger than she was dizzyingly so as he hovered above her. 

‘You ready?’ He asked like his fingers weren’t currently sitting sticky on the outside of her thigh. She could feel him, just there, hovering, hesitating, waiting for Claire to make the call. ‘I remember it wasn’t a comfy fit last time.’ There was concern in his eye but mirth on his lips. The bastard was happy with himself that he was almost too much for her. She gave him a small nod, affirmation but chose to not entertain his last comment. His ego was being stroked enough with her presence.

She gave him a small nod as she rolled her eyes and forced a scoff in response to his last comment. ‘You’re too much.’ 

‘I mean, you didn’t exactly complain last time. And, here you are, in my bed again. I’d say, Claire Dearing, I’m exactly what you want.’ He kissed her cheek, the gesture fond and familial more than any of the others had been. ‘You like that too-full feeling, don’t you?’ He punctuated with a sharp thrust forward, one hand holding her hip down as the other guided himself inside of her. She grunted, eyes rolling again, this time in a mix between pleasure and pain as Owen withdrew. A second grunt game with his next thrust, twisting into a moan as he slid deeper, stretching her inner walls in a way that had her coming back for more. 

He wasn’t wrong. She was an addict for it, driven for the next opportunity as her body longed in between each experience. They had only had sex once and yet she was sniffing him out, luring him into it just so she could see if that slight discomfort would return for a few seconds more. And oh, how it did. 

Claire couldn’t feel anything beyond the throb of the man pushing in and out of her centre. His erection was hot and showing no signs of relenting as she rolled her hips against his, adjusting to the feeling. Owen lived for every pant and moan that escaped her lips with each inward thrust. The sigh she released when he pulled out of her fully, body relaxing for a split second before he pushed forward again, pulling another grunt from her throat. He groaned, sound gritty and dry as he succumbed to the warmth of her body. 

Owen knew he needed to savour it. That the first time was sheer luck and, this had to be an impossible daydream. It was Halloween after all, maybe some island witch had put a spell on him and he would wake up naked, alone and feeling all too empty. Claire Dearing wasn’t the kind of woman who lingered in the presence of men. She struck once, like lightning, shining white-hot energy into his life for a flash before she was gone. A second go-round? This was rare enough. He had mapped every freckle on the inside of her legs, from the small patch on her stomach up to the ones that speckled her chest. She was without imperfections, perfect from head to toe in silk-like skin that smelt like a dream. Maybe it was a dream, she responded to every touch, every push, every twitch and every graze of his hand. Her body sighed, moaned, whimpered and cried. She arched into him, pushed back or rocked her hips in time. Surely, he was dreaming all that? He couldn’t be that good for her. Not the elusive Dearing. Not the woman he wanted to bag but knew he never could. 

Distracted, Claire managed to overpower him. Owen’s back hit the mattress before he realised what had happened. She was grinning above him, happy as a fat cat as her lips tugged on his bottom one, teeth not letting him go. Owen growled, hands squeezing at her thighs. He didn’t like having his power taken away, not as she set the pace above him. But, this was Claire, stretched out, sitting in his lap, nothing but smooth skin from the plains of her stomach to the curve of her breasts. This he liked, this he could live with if it was Claire taking him out for a ride. 

Her hand was cautious on his chest, fingers barely touching as she rocked her hips against his. She was trying to hold herself up, to keep herself steady as she set a torturously slow pace. He wanted to overthrow her, regain control and show her how it was done but there was a concentration set on Claire’s brow that stopped him. 

She was close, unbearably so. Claire’s eyes were pinched shut and her bottom lip was held between her teeth, slightly gnawing on it as she moved her weight towards the hand on his chest. Her hips moved over his, rolling and moving in figure-eights as he tried his best not to buck into her and throw the woman off. She was mesmerising. Not that she wasn’t already. Owen had been infatuated with her for years, but this felt like a special viewing. Like he was privy to a side of Claire not many had the privilege to see. He watched her, feeling lucky that he had the chance, head surrounded by his pillows as the moonlight snuck in through the blinds to illuminate her hair. 

Men in the navy spoke about sirens, beautiful women who lured them into the sea. Owen wasn’t sure they existed, along with any mythology but he was sure Claire had it in her. A sirens song, beckoning him to the depths of nothingness on false promises of forever with her. She was a goddess, full of power and strength. A woman unlike any other. 

His hands were soft on her hips, thumbs rubbing easily lines against her skin until one drifted, broke away at the sound of her frustrated sigh. Something just wasn’t hitting the spot she needed, Claire grinding against him relentlessly, searching for the release they were both expecting to receive. His hand slid past her belly, flat palm to her skin as he felt the muscles beneath it twitch at his touch. Still, she didn’t sense what he was doing until his thumb rolled over her clit. 

‘Fuck,’ she swore into the dark of his bedroom, the word and feeling overtaking her. Owen did it again, slower, purposely driven. She hissed, body leaning into his touch. He felt something inside her clamp down, the warmth of her body gripping onto his. The sensation alone nearly sent Owen over the edge, his arousal suddenly returning to him like it had been living behind a veil for the last few minutes.  

Owen echoed her sentiment, overcome with his need as his body honed into every inch of hers. His thumb rolled once again, flicking at the sensitive bundle of nerves on the return to its resting place. She jumped, body caught off guard by the electricity he sent sparking through her nervous system. She rocked forward, chasing the sensation as her cries stung together in a needy, desperate sound. She was right on the edge, rocking herself harder and faster as a brave hand found his wrist and pushed it down her belly. She wanted his hand right where her desire was pooling, sure his touch could set off the release she was looking for. 

He was never one to deny the primal urges of a sexual partner. If that’s what she wanted, it was what she got. Most of the time those urges are never wrong. Owen’s hand was steady, broad as his fingers slid past her slick skin, feeling where their bodies met for a brief moment before he drew his touch back to the epicentre of her lust. He could hear it, the end of oblivion mounting her cries as Claire’s back straightened and her neck laid bare to the cool air. 

She fell from the heavens, shuddering as she persisted in keeping herself upright. Owen was nothing but a spectator. He brought her to that ledge and tugged her over it. What he would give to continue to be a bystander to this glorious oblivion, her moan echoing in his ears as Owen swore he heard his name whispered on her lips. He was high on it, head spinning as she twitched, hips rolling slowly, trying to chase the ends of her orgasm, prolonging it for as long as she could. 

The patter of rain on his roof startled him but not as much as Claire’s sweet breathless chuckle. The sound radiated from her as her body returned from its high, slowly crumbling into a neat, vanilla-scented pile on his chest. The rain carried on. 

‘Can I stay here tonight?’ She asked quietly, hips shifting with his erection still straining inside of her. Owen hadn’t thought about how she would get home or where exactly her car was parked. All he knew was that he drove her here. Maybe she had planned to walk and the rain had now ruined that idea. Nevertheless, she was asking if she could stay here at his bungalow with him. 

His hand snaked down her bare back, counting her ribs as he tried to distract himself. ‘Yeah,’ he cleared his throat, a lump forming around his words. ‘You can stay. Whenever you want, always, hell, you don’t even need to ask.’ Owen couldn’t shut his mouth, words flying here and there, his body useless to catch them. Claire smiled at him, her head propped up by her hands as she leaned on his chest. Her kitten whiskers were still in place and the smudge on her nose stubbornly remained. It made her smile all the sweeter as her green eyes shone just for him. 

‘Good.’ Claire hummed, moving to press her lips to his as she sat up once again. Owen was mournful of the loss of her body against his and then deeper again when he felt her pull away from him. She wasn’t gone long. Her fingers picked up an immediate trail just below his belly button, nails dragging south. 

He flinched when her lips met the base of his cock, sliding around his flesh as her nails dug into his thigh. He wanted to tell her that she didn’t have to, that he didn’t expect it. But, one-touch and he was an addict, drawn to the velvet of her lips and silk of her tongue. His head fell back, eyes closing when he felt her take him into her mouth, lips sliding down his shaft as Owen felt the tip of his erection touch the back of her throat. It was all sensation after that, he couldn’t speak, could only roll his eyes into the back of his head and gasp for air. It was like their roles had reversed. It was now Claire with the impatient touch and the greedy kiss. Each move was calculated, her hand twisting, applying pressure to the base of his cock as her tongue worked on teasing the sensitive tip. He felt her everywhere, his skin on fire with her touch, never wanting it to end but desperate to kiss her again.

Claire was goal orientated. Nothing was getting between her and Owen’s orgasm, even when he pulled at her arms with needy little sounds. She only shook her head or stopped to level him with a menacing glare. He was weak for it, trying again just to catch the stern glare of her gaze so he could link it back to all the times she had looked at him in that way outside of a sexual setting. He was going to find himself with an erection every time he stopped listening in a project meeting from now on until the end of time. 

It was the thought of Claire glaring at him in one of her tight business skirts, not unlike the one she wore tonight, that finally pushed him over the edge. He got that. Corporate woman putting him in his place, making him weak at the knees, letting him fuck her. That Claire handed herself over to him willingly that night. The setting would have been all the sweeter if it had been in her office, but beggars couldn’t be choosers and Owen was just as happy with his bungalow. Not to mention his bike. 

She grinned at him like the cat who got the canary, his ejaculate dripping down her chin. Owen still wasn’t sure who was smiling down on him as he reached for her, taking her face in his hands and she crawled back up his body until they were chin to chin. ‘Sorry,’ Claire apologised. ‘I really wanted to do that.’ 

He had no complaints. Maybe he had one. She would eventually get up from his bed and never return. He wondered briefly if it was too late to make an offering to whichever spirits were currently haunting their island. 

Owen didn’t want to force Claire to stay but he certainly wanted to see her return of her own accord. Then again, he had seemingly learned enough about her to maybe woo her once again.