Page 98 of My Mistake To Make

‘Nope,’ I say as she holds a short, tight, little black dress up against her body and looks in the mirror. She laughs as thoughI’m not having a fucking heart attack over here and puts the dress in her bag.

‘Stop it,’ she says, crawling onto the bed and up my body, straddling my lap. My hands come to her hips, and I take a deep breath.

‘I hate that guys are going to be looking at you.’

She shakes her head and rolls her eyes. ‘Men don’t look at me. Only you, for some unknown reason.’

I grab her and roll us, coming to rest on top of her.

‘Cara, I look because you’re the sexiest, most beautiful woman in the world.’ She flushes pink and squirms under me. ‘Men do look at you. I see them look, and I have to fight to keep my caveman under control. The thought of you in a club, surrounded by men hoping to hook up is fuckin’ killin’ me, baby.’ I groan, trying not to be a possessive prick and failing.

‘I’m not an option for those men. I’m not available.’ Her words and soft tone start to soothe me. ‘Now, lift off me so I can finish packing and kick you out before your sisters get here.’ She grins, and with a groan, I roll off her and watch as she goes back to looking at dresses. ‘It’s a shame none of them know about us, would have been nice to have a night out with you,’ she says, holding up a little red dress, and as I watch her, my dick, my heart, and my brain, start to work together… that would be nice.

My Brother And My Best Friend

Doug

‘Ey, look what thecat dragged in.’

Leo looks up from the tattoo he’s working on as I walk into his shop. I give him a chin lift and walk over to get a look at the piece, saying hey to the customer and openly admiring the Elvis portrait on his chest. My best friend is one talented fucker.

‘Take a seat, brother.’ Leo nods to the empty station, and I sit on the stool, putting my helmet down on the tattoo chair and taking off my jacket. ‘I’ve got about an hour left here.’

I glance around the shop. There’s a guy getting a nose piercing at the back. Shelby, the body piercer, glances up and says hey before pushing the needle in. Other than that, the shop’s quiet.

‘Where is everyone?’ I ask Leo, and he glances up too.

‘Gus and Fi are on vacation.’

‘Together?’

‘Oh yeah, didn’t I tell you? They’remadlyin love.’ He rolls his eyes, but I see the smile. August was the first apprentice Leo had, and he’s a fantastic artist. Fiona moved up here from Savannah a couple of years ago, and Leo is training her up the way he did with Gus.

‘You’re soft, letting them take the same time off.’ I can’t help but grin, messing with him.

‘What can I say? I love love.’

The guy under him laughs, and I can’t help but do the same.

‘What brings you all the way up here without an appointment?’

‘I was wondering what you were doing tonight.’ He waits for me to say more. ‘Thought maybe we could hit a club.’

He stops what he’s doing, straightening to look at me.

‘You, in a club, without it being a special occasion? What the fuck?’

I shrug. ‘Thought it would be fun.’

‘It would be fun. Now tell me the real reason.’

Jesus, I’ve known him too long. I should have invited Nick instead.

‘The girls are hitting Red Brick tonight, and what can I say? I’m being an overprotective brother.’

Bree told me that, even though I was refusing to elaborate on my comment the other night, she thought I’d like to know which club and bars they were going to. Leo laughs loudly and turns to face me fully.

‘Your sisters don’t need protecting, and you know it. Try again.’

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