LITMIR.BIZ

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      “I don’t really know. I had really particular parents growing up and if I had come home with a tattoo or any kind of extreme piercing they would have grounded me until graduation, so I never even thought about it.”

      “How old are you now?”

      “I just turned twenty.”

      “You still live at home?”

      “Nope.”

      “Then shouldn’t you be allowed to do whatever you want with your body without fear of their reaction?”

      I sighed and swiveled my chair back and forth. “Yeah. I’ve actually been thinking about getting a little something done.”

      “A tattoo? You know Rule would give you something beautiful, especially since he’s the one who would have to look at it all the time.”

      We shared a laugh that had the guys in the shop looking at us curiously.

      “No, I was thinking about getting my nipples pierced.” I wasn’t normally so open but I figured since she did it for a living it was kind of like talking to a doctor about a health problem. Her unusual-colored eyes widened and she gave me a huge grin.

      “That’s superhot.”

      I shrugged and continued to twirl my hair. “I like the way it looks and like you said, I’m familiar with your work so I know it can be awesome. I just don’t know that I’m ready for something so extreme.”

      “They take a bit to heal but when they do it’s amazing. If you decide to go through with it let me know and I’ll do it for you for free, I’ll just charge you for the jewelry.”

      “Well, Rule’s birthday is next month so if I do it, it’ll be before then.”

      She clapped her hands together and giggled like a little girl. She was kind of crazy but I think I liked her. I had always had such a hard time making friends and just being at ease around new people, so it was a testament to all the positive ways Rule was influencing me that I could talk with this wacky girl with no reservations or inhibitions.

      “Oh, a sexy surprise, I just love that idea. Like I said, just let me know and we can work something out. I like seeing my boys happy and doing right by a good girl.”

      “Thanks, I think.”

      We chatted easily for another hour because whatever Rule was working on was taking longer than he thought. I watched her process out the clients who were finished getting their designs done and watched her help a few people come in who had questions and were interested in setting up consultations. She chased off another girl who came in looking for Rowdy, and by the time Rule walked up to the counter with his freshly bandaged canvas, I felt like I had made a new friend. She was sarcastic and witty as hell but her insights into the way my guy’s head worked were clear and coming from a different perspective than I had ever heard before.

      Rule’s client looked like he was barely old enough to drive but he was sporting some major artwork and had his entire upper arm wrapped up and shiny with ink and salve. I didn’t miss the appreciative look he gave me as he was walking out and apparently neither did Rule. He flicked the kid in the back of the head and told him that if he wanted his sleeve finished he better keep his eyes to himself. He told me to give him just ten more minutes so he could clean up his station and then we could go. I watched him walk away and noticed that the female client Nash was working on and the young girl that the artist they called Mase was working on both did the same thing. Cora was right, it was just some kind of magnetic pull he had over the opposite sex, and as long as I was with him I was just going to have to learn to deal with it.

      He moved quickly and came back to collect me in no time at all. He handed Cora a bank bag and hollered out good-bye to no one in particular and pulled me out with him into the now frigid evening air. I shivered involuntarily and huddled into his side while he adjusted the hood of his sweatshirt over his still mostly naked head and shoved his arms through the sleeves of a black mechanic-style work coat that had the tattoo shop’s logo and name embroidered in a bright design on the back.

      “Do you want to order something for delivery or go somewhere?” He rubbed his hands together roughly and then pushed them under the fall of my hair to clasp the back of my neck. They felt like blocks of ice so I shivered even harder until he pulled me to his chest and tucked my head under his chin.

      “Delivery so I don’t have to move my car.”

      “Cool, what are you in the mood for? I’ll call on the way home.”

      “Anything, really. I’m just hungry.”

      “Pizza?”

      “Sure, but no green peppers or mushrooms on my half.”

      I hooked an arm through his and tried to keep up with his long strides as we made our way to the Victorian. My phone vibrated in my pocket and I frowned as I saw it was once again my father. I was sure whatever story my mother had spun about my last visit had him all riled up, but I just didn’t have the patience to get a lecture on morality and suitable romantic partners from a guy whose new wife was only a few years older than me. I sent the call to voice mail and let go of Rule to sidestep a particularly dangerous and icy patch on the sidewalk.

      He scowled at me and snatched my hand back up. He tugged me around so that I was pressed up against his front while he walked forward and guided me backward. “I wouldn’t let you fall.”

      I reached up to put my hands on his shoulders and gazed up into his eyes, which were just as frosty as the snow coating the ground all around us. “No?”

      “No. You don’t trust me?”

      “Most of the time I do.”

      “Why not all the time?” We stopped in front of the Victorian and I moved my hands from his shoulders to the back of his neck, which made his hood fall off.

      “Because I’ve never trusted anyone all the time. It’s the people I care about the most who always seem to do the most damage.”

      “I’m not going to be one of those people, Shaw.” If only he knew how bad it had hurt my heart each time I had to see him with one of his conquests he wouldn’t be saying that. I forced a small smile and brushed my fingers over the soft black hair starting to grow on his head.

      “I hope not.”

      He just shook his head and hauled me into the apartment because it was way too cold to keep messing around outside. He shrugged out of his coat and hoodie while motioning for me to hand my stuff over. “Nash has a date tonight so he won’t be home until later, if at all.” He disappeared down the hall to drop the armful in his room and came back talking on the phone with the pizza place. I took down a couple plates and handed him a beer while looking in a futile attempt to see if the boys had anything in the fridge to make a salad with. I needed to get some normal food in this place if I was going to keep spending time here or I was going to end up the size of a baby hippo.

      “I think he’s probably done with having me around in the man-zone. I know Ayden mentioned that she almost got an eyeful while you were over this morning. They’re undoubtedly sick of us.”

      He laughed and took a chug out of the beer bottle. “I didn’t mean to surprise Ayden this morning. I thought she was gone. I didn’t know she just went running.”

      “Yeah, she goes every morning and it’s not like she was complaining; in fact she complimented the view.”

      He snorted. “Nash doesn’t mind having you here. He likes that you actually cook and that we don’t have to get delivery or bring stuff home every single night. Plus, you smell good and always pick up the random stuff we leave lying around. If having you here got on his nerves he would say something to me and more than likely to you as well. He has no problem letting Rome know when he has overstayed his welcome.”

      I leaned back against the counter and twisted the cap off a bottle of water. “So, Cora was telling me all about your

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