Page 77 of Forbidden Harmony

Chapter Eighteen

“Preacher, yo, dude, are you even listeningto me?” Nolan leaned against the counter.

“You talk so fucking much, I’d go insane ifI listened to everything that fell out of your goddamn mouth,” Preachergrowled.

Nolan laughed. “Hey, I got shit to say,okay? Anyway, I said the new guy is doing good.”

Preacher glanced over at the tattoo stationwhere Nix was setting up for his next client. The client, a dweeby tourist who,Preacher had no doubt, was probably an accountant or an engineer, was sitting onthe couch, his knee jiggling and his fingers tapping out a nervous beat on his thighas he stared at the screen of his phone.

“Don’t you think?”

“He hasn’t been here that long,” Preachersaid.

“Yeah, I know, but he’s already booked solidwith walk-in’s this week,” Nolan said. “And a couple of the locals havemeetings with him next week to talk about tattoos. You did good hiring him,man. I approve.”

“Since when did I start caring what you thoughtor approved of?” Preacher said.

Nolan laughed again before clapping him onthe back. “Christ, you’re being a little bitch today. What crawled into your Wheatiesand died?”

“Fuck off, Nolan.” Preacher made a show oflooking at the appointment schedule on the laptop, hoping Nolan would take thehint and leave.

“I’m just saying, you start being even moreof a grumpy little bear than you usually are, and your clients are gonna abandonship to new guy.”

Preacher cut him a look and Nolan grinnedand held his hands up before backing away. “I went too far. I realize thatnow. I’m gonna mop the floor before you rip out my tongue and tack it to myforehead.”

The dweeby tourist was staring at them, hisfingers paused in their beat against his thigh, his entire body as stiff andalert as a deer smelling a predator.

“Just kidding,” Nolan said to him. “Preacherwouldn’t do that.”

The man relaxed a fraction and Nolangrinned at him. “He’d tack it to the wall.’

As Nolan walked away and Nix waved the clientover to his station, Preacher stared moodily out the window of the tattooshop. It was just after two and the sidewalk was packed with tourists. Hewatched them scurry past, his mood getting worse with every passing minute.

Nolan was right, he was being a littlebitch today. He shouldn’t have been. The tattoo he’d just finished had beenone of his best and his client had been almost delirious with happiness. Theextra hundred he’d tipped Preacher should have been enough to drive away Preacher’sbad mood.

It wasn’t.

He rubbed at the back of his neck. He hadthe beginning of a tension headache and he was starving. He needed to grab abite to eat before his next client came in. Instead, he leaned against thecounter and continued to stare at the tourists.

He knew exactly why he was in a bad mood evenif he refused to admit it.

Addison was hanging out with the assholegamer this afternoon and despite what Lucas had said, Preacher couldn’t get theidea out of his head that maybe Addison and him would hook up. Lucas had the clean-cutlook that women liked, he probably didn’t have a single fucking tattoo, and he probablymade an ass load of money with that video game shit he did.

Don’t forget he hasn’t spent four yearsin prison.

The muscle under Preacher’s left eye twitched,and he gritted his teeth. No, he probably fucking hadn’t. Which is why he wasmuch more suitable for Addison than Preacher was. If the little schoolteacherever found out he was an ex-con, she’d drop him so fast, his fucking head wouldspin.

Drop you? You’re not dating, idiot.You’re fucking, that’s it. And it’s only for a month, remember?

Of course he fucking remembered. He wasthere when she proposed the deal, wasn’t he?

Yeah, well, she also said once a week,but that didn’t stop you from driving over there last night. Three days in a row,you’ve fucked her now.

He rubbed the back of his neck again. He’dthought about eating Addison’s sweet pussy all day yesterday and not a workoutat the gym or a hike at the Falls had helped his restless energy. He’d pacedhis apartment last night until just after eight thinking of nothing but buryinghis face in Addie’s pussy, before finally giving in and driving to her place.

It was a good job he had too. She’d been aboutto use a vibrator for God’s sake. A goddamn vibrator. When he had a perfectlygood cock she could use.

Maybe she’s not as into you as you think.She didn’t even try and do that post-sex cuddling shit that women want, didshe?

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