Page 18 of Dare To Take

I’m going to regret this.

Elena smiles. “Good, I’ll have him downstairs in ten minutes.”

I turn to face her. “Can we leave the grounds?”

She thinks about it for a moment before she nods. “I’ll allow it.”

“Be ready with bail money for when one of us murders the other.”

Her response is a laugh and nothing more.

When she leaves, I finish getting ready. I fasten the dog collar around my neck, straighten my shoulders, raise my chin, and pull my mental armor in place.

Eli is waiting for me in the main hall when I descend the stairs. Dressed all in black, just as I am. He’s in a hoodie, the padlock he always wears visible on its chain around his neck. He smiles when he sees me, those green eyes lingering on what I’m wearing, and his tongue touching the ring piercing his lip.

“I’m told we’re supposed to spend time together.” There’s nothing in his voice to tell me how he feels about it.

“Do you have your car keys?” I step off the last stair.

Reaching into his pocket, he shows them to me. “You want to go for a drive?”

“I want to get out of this fucking cage for a couple of hours.” I walk past him and open the front door.

Eli comes up behind me and leans in before I can move, brushing his lips over the side of my neck. My body comes to life in response, and my pulse trips over itself. He steps around me before I can react.

I send him a glare. “Fuck you.”

That only makes him smirk. “Maybe later, if you ask me nicely. Now, where do you want to go?”

I gape for a second, and then snap my teeth closed. I flip my hair over my shoulder. “Do you know any good tattoo artists?”

“You want to get a tattoo?”

I shrug. “Why the fuck not?”

Chapter 13

Eli

It’s a good thing I know the way to my favorite tattoo parlor because my gaze keeps leaving the road to track up Arabella’s legs. She pays no attention to me, fiddling with her cell for the entire drive and only looks up when I cut off the engine.

“We’re here.”

“Here being …?” One blonde eyebrow lifts.

“You requested a tattoo parlor. This is the best place around. Do you know what you want?”

“No.”

“Okay, well …” I unclip my seatbelt and open the door. “They have albums of artwork that you can flick through. If you don’t want something custom, then you can get a flash piece.”

“Flash?”

“Designs they’ve already made and are available either to get as they are or to help inspire what you want. Come on. We’ll need to see if they have any walk-in appointments. You might need to come back for an appointment.”

She follows me out of the car and keeps pace beside me as I head down the sidewalk.

“Are they expensive?”

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