Page 31 of Devilish Ink

Mason winked. “Post-performance snack, if you know what I mean.”

Everyone knew what Mason meant. All the time. He didn’t exactly do subtle.

“Right,” I said.

I was across the room grabbing my coat from the hooks when the little bell at the front door rang.

I forced myself not to turn around. It’s not like it’d behimor anything.

“Conor is free right now,” I heard Aurnia say. “He—”

“Actually, I came for Ryleigh.”

My coat slipped from my fingers at his voice.

By the time I’d fumbled it back onto the hook, he was there.Within a foot of me. His shadow like a warm blanket I wanted to curl up in.

I failed, spectacularly, to keep the excitement from my face as I gazed up into Lee’s eyes.

I saw the same light in his eyes. The same expectation. The same hope.

And it fed mine.

I was so fucking screwed.

“You came back,” I said, and it came out all breathy.

I suddenly became hyper aware of Aurnia and Conor in the room. Aurnia with her chin atop her broom, girlish fantasies already weaving themselves in her little head. Conor sizing up Lee, assessing threat levels, judging douchebagerie.

I hardly knew Conor, but I was a friend of Rian’s, so as far as he was considered, I was family. All he was missing was a shotgun laid across his lap.

Lee must have sensed we had an audience as well, because he cleared his throat awkwardly before continuing.

He kept his voice low. “Um, maybe I should have called to see if you were available first.”

“You want another tattoo?” I asked, surprised.

Lee’s eyes darted from under his baseball cap toward the corner where Conor sat scowling at him.

For a second he looked as if he were about to dash out of the tattoo parlour. To admit this was all a big fucking mistake and leave as fast as he came.

“Um, Conor,” Aurnia said suddenly. “I forgot. We need to do inventory.”

She earned a gruff, incomprehensible response in reply.

But whatever it was Conor said, Aurnia was having none of it. It was rather funny, watching her tiny fingers tug at his tree limb of a forearm.

But he sighed and went easily after she gave him a prolonged look.

Oh, to have that power.

Lee ducked his head as they passed.

Aurnia gave me a wink and I smiled weakly.

Was I that fucking obvious? Had Lee made me that transparent?

Then they were gone.

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