Page 45 of Why Not Us?

I don’t notice my hand is moving until I’m already touching her, tucking her curls behind her ear so I can see the warmth in her green eyes. They drift closed as she moves toward my touch. Instead of letting her go like I should, my fingers thread into her hair, tilting her face up.

“Burgers are ready,” Taylor calls from outside.

I snatch my hand back and Adalie takes a step away, her eyes flying open and her breathing a little ragged. Then she turns as the first of my guests come in to get their plates.

I step away from the counter, giving people room, but I’m watching as Adalie escapes outside. She glances over her shoulder at me, and I wonder if she’s just as disappointed as I am that we were interrupted.

Chapter 15

Adalie

After the barbecue, I didn’t see or speak to Nate again until I returned to his house for my next lesson with Dani. She is so fun to hang out with that while I was there, I could almost ignore Nate’s presence. Until after dinner, when Dani retreated upstairs to call her mom, and I sat in the kitchen beside him at the island while Taylor did the dishes.

His body heat reached out to me, urging me to lean into him, turn to face him, maybe finish the moment that almost ended in a kiss at the barbecue. But I didn’t, reminding myself that I’m not there to start a relationship with him and it would be insanely complicated if we tried.

They came to the last paint night before wedding season as well, taking their usual spots at the head of the row. Dani was my top student again while Nate was the worst. It’s possible he messes up partly so Dani can help him fix it, but I’m really not sure.

The following Monday, I meet Nate after work at Ink & Steel, the tattoo parlour where Sam works. He rides into the parking lot on his Harley, stopping next to three other motorcycles.

I watch him from beside my car, the memory of riding on the back of that bike filling me, making me want to tell him to forget the appointment, let’s just go riding instead. But then he’s off, striding toward me, removing his helmet.

“Hey,” I say.

“Hey. You ready for this?”

“No.” I slide my hands down the front of my dress. “Yes. It’s just a consultation. It’ll be fine.”

He chuckles and leads me to the door with a hand on the small of my back.

“That’s a different leather jacket from the one you wore at the hockey game,” I say.

“Yes. This one is my riding jacket. It’s reinforced with plates.” He knocks a knuckle against one of his shoulders. “The other one was my dad’s. Mom gave it to me after he died. She gave Taylor one, too. I think he had like five.”

Nate pulls open the front door and I walk into a large reception area that’s completely black and chrome. The decor leans toward motorcycles and horror creatures. We step up to a glass counter. Inside, a variety of piercings are displayed for sale. We’ve just come to a stop when a woman comes out from a back room. Her hair is short, spiked, and bright pink. One ear has piercings from the top all the way along the edge. The other has a single dragon wrapped around the outer part of her ear. Her nose is pierced and so is her lip. From what I can see, she has a single, very large dragon tattoo curling up along her right arm.

“Hey, Nate,” she says.

“Hey, Syn. Good to see you.”

“You getting some more ink?”

“Not today. This is Adalie. She’s here to see Sam.”

Syn grins and turns to a computer. “Here it is. She’s just finishing a break. I’ll take you back. Zach and Dad went out for a bit, otherwise I’d let them know you’re here.”

She motions for us to follow her around the counter and Nate puts his hand on my back again. His hand on me gives me the confidence to keep walking.

“No problem. I saw Zach the other day.”

“How’s Taylor doing?” Syn asks.

“He’s fine,” Nate says. “Though I think what you really want to know is if he’s still happy with his tattoo.” He turns to me. “Syn is the piercer here, but she’s apprenticing to be a tattoo artist. She gave Taylor a free tattoo a few weeks ago, and heisstill happy with it.”

Syn breathes out a sigh and smiles, glancing at me. “He’s the first person I tattooed who isn’t related to me. Anyway, here’s Sam’s desk. I’ll go let her know you’re here.”

She goes into the back again and Nate turns to me with a smile. “How are you doing?”

“I’m fine,” I say, though it comes out a little higher than I’d intended.

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