Page 64 of Holiday Hire

"Sure." He removes it.

I pull a few pieces of food out and study them, then announce, "It still needs about another hour."

"Okay." He covers it and puts it back on the fire.

I can't help myself, so I quietly ask, "So stallion is your big secret tattoo?"

He puts his hand over his face and groans again.

I laugh.

He recovers and says, "Now that you know mine, you have to tell me what yours say."

"No way," I reply, pretending to zip my lips and throw away the key.

"It's only fair."

I laugh even harder. "Nope. Just because you accidentally showed me yours doesn't mean I'm going to show you mine. Sorry."

"Are you embarrassed by them?"

My face falls. "No. Not at all."

He studies me. "Then why won't you tell me?"

Before I can think about what I'm saying, I blurt out, "Only the lucky ones get to see them. Maybe someday your luck will change."

He pins his heated look on me.

I realize what I said and how it sounds. My cheeks turn as hot as the fire.

"That so?" he asks, giving me a challenging stare.

I open my mouth but then shut it, quickly walking away and putting distance between us. I pretend to check on the kids' bowling game, but I can't stop beating myself up about why I said something so inappropriate to my boss.

And there's another question plaguing me.

Did he look at me how he did because he liked my suggestion, or was that all in my mind?

11

Alexander

Phoebe sits far away from me at dinner, barely looking at me. Whenever I catch her eye, she looks away and starts a new conversation with one of the kids or my siblings.

I can't stop thinking about how to get her to show me her tattoos.

What names did she ink on her body, and why?

Does she think about those guys every day when she's naked and in front of the mirror?

My cock aches, thinking what she'd look like naked.

Jesus. I need to get my head out of the gutter.

We finish eating, and it's turning darker. The kids run around, playing Ghost in the Graveyard. I add more logs to the fire while Phoebe pulls cans of fruit filling, bread, graham crackers, chocolate, and a huge bag of marshmallows out of a canvas tote.

I go to the ATV, grab the roasting sticks and metal pie makers, and set them on the table. "Dinner was good. That was a great idea," I compliment.

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