Page 16 of Ink & Desire

“Shit.”

“What?” She turns her concerned gaze on me. “What’s wrong?”

I drop my head into my hands and let out a groan. I can’t believe I did this. Why had it taken me until nowto remember? I’d been so caught up in what I was going to do next that I completely forgot the most important piece of the puzzle.

“Seriously, A,” Cass says. “What’s going on?”

I raise my head enough to look at her. “The portfolio. Guess where I left it?”

Her eyes go wide. “Elemental Ink?”

I nod. “Yep.”

“Shit.”

“Yep.”

“I guess we’re making a trip to Elemental Ink today,” she says. “What time do they open?”

“You want to go with me?”

She rolls her eyes.

“Seriously, A? Did you think I was going to let you go alone?”

“I guess I wasn’t thinking.”

“Clearly,” she says with a sigh. “I call the shower first because I’m going to need a lot longer to get my shit together today.”

I just smile. “I love you.”

She waves me away with a dismissive hand as she stands. “Yeah, yeah. I’ve told you already. You’re not my type.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “Too short?”

She turns and starts walking toward the hallway. “Too straight!” she calls out.

I shake my head, still smiling. “If anyone could turn me, it’d be you.”

She doesn’t even pause her steps. “I wouldn’t want to ruin this beautiful friendship by making you fall in love with me.”

“Too late!” I call, laughing as she closes the bathroom door, shutting me out.

The truth is, Cass and I have never been anything more than platonic besties. Despite all our joking, she wasn’t wrong when she’d called me too straight. I don’t have a ton of experience with sex, and what little I do have has strictly been with men. I can appreciate a beautiful woman, but I’ve never been sexually attracted to one.

Even when my best friend came out to me as bisexual, it never occurred to me to think about something sexual with her. Which is too bad, honestly. It would be convenient to want someone I already love and respect. Unfortunately for me, I’m attracted to men. A fact that Cass and I have lamented several times over the past five years. Cass, because it would have softened the blow when, or if, she ever came out to her family. For me, because I’d stop getting invested in losers who only disappoint me. But you can’t choose your sexuality any more than you can choose who you fall in love with. So, I’m doomed to a life of disappointment.

Unbidden, the memory of Corbin’s words from last night flashes through my mind.

If I wanted you, I’d have you. And you’d thank me afterward.

A shiver runs through me at the images those words produce. I’ve had plenty of guys talk a big game whenit comes to sex. Some of them, I even let try to prove it. Very few had even come close to making good on their bragging. Something tells me Corbin isn’t like those other guys. He hadn’t said it to brag. He’d said it almost as a threat. A challenge. As if he were daring me to try. And god help me, I’d wanted to. Not that it matters. I don’t want anything to do with him. I just want to get my portfolio back and move on with my life. I’ve got more important things to worry about than a sexy man with a dirty mouth.

Chapter 10

Corbin

Saturdays are usually the busiest days at the shop. I love Saturdays, for that reason. It’s the one day of the week where I don’t take consultation appointments. I spend the entire day with clients, bringing their visions to life on their skin. It’s never boring and, in astrange way, it feels rewarding. I know there are still some people who look down on people with tattoos and think being a tattoo artist isn’t a real career. I think people who think that way are narrow-minded idiots. Being allowed to permanently alter someone’s body is a privilege that I don’t take lightly. I love what I do. I love being able to help someone express themselves in the way they want. Anyone who looks down on that can kiss my ass.