Page 118 of All Twerk, No Play

“People describe it as a hot cat scratch,” Rafael said.

“I’ve had plenty of those,” she said, casually tracing Prudence’s marks. Wait, what was she …

I wiggled, squinting at the design that caught her attention. Oh. Fuck. Yes!

“Holy crap, it’s gorgeous,” Stacy murmured, her hand hovering over the skin. Drumming on it hadn’t been the most comfortable choice, but it had been worth it. “Who designed this?”

“Kate Martino,” Tori answered, pointing over to a cornhole game, where Mallory and Grace faced off against Kate and Paul. We excused ourselves from the band and meandered closer. Mallory held out a beanbag to me, I took an easy shot right into the board at Kate’s feet.

“Traitor,” Kate teased.

“Can’t help being a winner,” I retorted, flexing. “Just showing off your work.”

She tossed her beanbag, missing by a mile, then came over to inspect my back. “God, Rafael’s a genius with linework, this is going to look amazing in full color.”

“Four years on her BFA, and this is how she uses it,” Paul muttered. When a shadow flickered over Kate’s face, I pretended not to hear him.

“Honored to be your canvas,” I winked, then excitedly reached for Victoria’s hand. “Show them yours.” She lifted her arm to reveal the inside of her wrist, where the three-inch king cobra was coiled and ready to strike.

“You got a tattoo?” Alex cried from the nearby oversized Jenga tower he was playing with Ruby.

“I know, I can’t believe I did it,” she said, running her thumb over it affectionately.

“I can,” I grazed my lips over her wrist. “My badassCobrecita.”

While Rafael worked, I FaceTimed with my mom and sisters—Tori had invited them but they couldn’t get off work—then handed over a rare special edition ofThe Twelveseason 5 with extra director commentary. I couldn’t imagine how much she spent on eBay for it, I thought only people who worked on the show got this one. I watched on her laptop, laying on my stomach and trying not to wince while Rafael inked my back … leading to the third surprise.

When the session was over, she asked for a minute in the private room. Immediately, I pulled her close to thank her for the incredible tattoo, and her body melted into mine, our tongues sparring. Those three words tickled my throat—her tattoo design of the nickname I gave her had to mean she felt something for me, right?

I pressed her into the tattoo chair and kissed her deeply. She arched into my touch before breaking the kiss. “I’ve got a story about that DVD.”

“Don’t care aboutThe Twelveright now, baby,” I murmured into the skin of her neck as my hands dropped to her ass. God, I loved this woman.

“But I need to explain before Alex’s brother Nick calls.”

Ugh, there goes my hard-on. I released her ass, running my hands through my hair, my shoulder and back aching.

I sighed, not sure why I’d care about this random guy. “Ok, tell me about the infamous Nick Clarke.”

“Remember how I told you our last firm offered Alex a partnership? He was going to manage their new Entertainment Division. The offer was contingent on Nick, who is—” Her phone buzzed with a FaceTime request. “Well, I’ll just let him tell you.”

She handed me the phone, which I took cautiously and swiped …

Only to see the familiar face I’d watched all day playing Apollo onThe Twelve.

“Cruz, I presume?” Dominic Martin asked, his voice tinged with mischief. “Happy birthday.”

On the screen, I saw my mouth drop open. “You’re—”

“Dominic Henry Clarke. My family calls me Nick, but there was already a Nick Clarke in SAG, so I became Dominic Martin.” When I still couldn’t speak, he chuckled. “Looks like Victoria pulled off the surprise. I thought for sure my loud-mouthed sister would give it away.”

As Kate reached for the beanbag, Victoria told Mallory and Alex, “Introduced Cruz to your brother today.”

As they exchanged a playful look, I noticed the family resemblance—especially those matching sky blue eyes. But where Dominic’s radiated calm confidence, Mallory’s eyes were playful and Alex’s were arrogant.

Mallory grinned at Victoria, “Please tell me Cruz freaked out.”

“Only a little bit,” Tori said proudly. I’d been faking it, though. Inside I’d been totally freaking out and let him take the lead on the conversation while I processed.

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