Page 36 of Devilish Ink

“I just… I don’t date people I don’t know. And I don’t know you,” I finished lamely.

He nodded and a determined look came over his eyes. “Yet.”

“What?”

“You don’t know me…yet.”

“I don’t want to give you false hope.”

“I can be a very,verypatient man. And…” he smirked, “there’s a lot more of my body to tattoo.”

I froze, my mind chewing over his words. Was he suggesting that he’d get the rest of his body tattooed in order to get to know me?

“You’ll be waiting forever,” I warned.

“I think you’d be worth it.”

My stomach twisted at the seriousness of his words, the promise in his eyes.

Like last time, he held out the cash. His fingers brushed mine, causing a riot of heat to travel up my arm.

I pulled my hand back quicker this time.

We walked side by side to the door again, my eyes quicker to meet his, longer to pull away. He was already wearing me down.

“I’ve done hard labour my whole life, you know,” Lee said, pausing at the front door.

I stared up at him, frozen as he leaned in.

“A couple bricks,” he whispered in my ear. “They’d be nothing for me to carry.”

Lee kissed my cheek and slipped out the door.

I sagged against it as it closed behind him.

Could it be that easy? Just unloading my burden? Sharing it with him?

My stomach tightened when I remembered the man across the street. The man who was hunting me.

No, as soon as Rian was out of rehab I was gone.

I couldn’t stay in Dublin. Not ever.

Not even for Lee.

LIAM

She was not Rian’s girlfriend.

She was hisbest friend.

Thank fuck.

Rian might still hate me for pursuing her. But it was too late. I was obsessed.

There was just some other reason, something I didn’t know yet, that was keeping Ry from saying yes to me. I didn’t buy her excuse of not knowing me.

She had shared herself with me, marked her biggest hope on my back.

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