Page 30 of Three Little Words

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“Good way to get a girl to worry.”

“Nothing’s wrong,” I said. “I promise.”

She rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay. Whatever you say, Benny.”

I smiled.

I reached out, brushing my fingers over the nearest line of the tattoo.

Her head jerked up. She looked at me with wide eyes.

Then she nodded.

There was still something between us—a spark. Even if it was just physical, it was there, and I wanted to see what happened.

I lifted the edge of her skirt, peering at the tattoo.

Another floral piece—a string of magnolias that trailed up her thigh toward her hip.

I wanted to trace the whole piece with my fingers, my tongue.

Bryn watched me as I continued to follow the lines with my fingers.

“Benny, c’mon,” she whined.

I knew what that sound meant.

I knew all of her tells.

“What?” I smiled innocently. “I’m just checking out the new work you’ve gotten done. This looks good. Who did it?”

“One of the girls at my shop. Elle. She’s good.”

“Did you do the sketch?”

“Yeah.”

Of course she’d done it. I would have recognized Bryn’s work anywhere.

I looked at that damn lotus every day. I’d seen hundreds of her sketches. I’d thought about letting her put one on me, even if flowers weren’t normally a masculine tattoo.

I’d just wanted some of her work. I wanted to carry a piece of her with me everywhere.

I wondered, if I’d done it, whether I’d be like one of those stupid college kids, asking for a cover-up a few months down the road. Just to make the stinging memory go away.

But I didn’t want to think about that shit now, not when I had my fingers on Bryn’s skin.

She took a shaky breath, her eyes closing as I worked my hand up higher, following what I could see of the lines.

“Benny.”

She was breathless now.

I watched as she rocked in the chair, just slightly.

She still acted exactly the same when she wanted me.

“God damn, Bryn,” I said.

She opened her eyes, looking up at me through her lashes.

That look only made me want her more. It always had.

I sighed. “I fucking missed this.”

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