Page 14 of Rookie Mistake

My leg falls from his shoulder, combat-boot-clad foot sliding to the floor as he rises to his feet. His eyes darken as they wash over my body sagging against the boxes. “You’re so goddamn pretty, Zara.” Reaching for me, he drags his fingers down the center of my chest, where the ink stains my skin. “The prettiest thing I’ve ever seen in my goddamn life.”

Teeth dragging over my bottom lip, I stare up at him as he lifts his hand and sweeps his thumb along the corners of my lip before placing his palm flat along the wall behind me.

His mouth lowers, so close to mine that I think he might kiss me again, but he doesn’t.

He just hovers there, breathing me in and staring into my fucking soul with his dark, amber eyes.

“The bar’s closing, and I know I should probably take you home, but I’m really not fucking ready for this night to be over, Trouble.”

“Who says it has to?” I whisper, lifting my hands to his sides, where my fingers fist in the fabric of his wrinkled dress shirt, tugging him closer to me. “The night is still young, and we make the rules, Loverboy.”

“Yeah?”

His dark brow lifts with the corner of his lip, a playful grin transforming his handsome face.

Every time he’s offered that effortless grin tonight, a flurry of something foreign tugs low in my belly, and I want to chase that feeling, no matter where it leads.

And that’s why this guy is dangerous.

Because chasing something fun, something temporary, is all that I’m after, but guys like Davis… they make you feel like there’s more to be had under the surface, underneath all the pretty and shiny feelings that give you butterflies and make your heart race in your chest.

Nodding, I roll my lips together, contemplating my next words since they’re as crazy as anything we’ve done tonight. “I know a place… if you’re up for it.”

“Would probably be up for anything if you were involved.”

My head falls back against the wall as a giggle tumbles out of me. “You sure about that?”

Without hesitation, he nods. “Fuck yeah. Take me wherever you want, Trouble.”

“Wonderland Tattoo?”Davis questions as he shuts the door to the Uber, dragging his gaze from the eccentrically painted studio over to me.

I smirk, popping a brow. “Still up foranything?”

His head shakes when he laughs, the long dark strands of his hair falling in his face, and my fingers itch to reach out and tangle through them.

“How about something to remember the best date of your life?” I add before he can answer.

I fully expect him to call my bluff. To end the night right here.

Not to grab my hand and thread those long, strong fingers through mine, tugging me against him until I can feel every hard, sharp ridge of his body.

Nor do I expect him to look down at me with those deep-amber, golden-flecked eyes, a boyish smirk on his lips, and shrug. “Fuck it, why not?”

“Really?” I ask, my tone full of surprise that makes his smirk spread into a smile.

“What? You didn’t think I would?”

Well… no. Actually.

I thought he’d draw the line on this kind of spontaneity, but once again, he’s surprised me, just the way he has all night.

I’m realizing how much Davis matches my energy. He’s fun and full of life. He’s reckless in the best kind of way. He doesn’t back down, even when it seems crazy. He doesn’t care about the outside noise and is perfectly content doing whatever makes him happy, and it’s rare to find someone comfortable enough with themselves to enjoy that. It’s so fucking hot.

When I walked into the Kappa house for the auction, I never would have guessed the night would end up how it has.

He’s not at all something I expected.

Shrugging, I take a few slow steps backward toward the building, pulling him along with me, gaze trained on him. The parking lot is dark, with only a few low-lit streetlights scattered along the pavement. “Not really. I mean, you’re a tattoo virgin. Are you sure you want to give it up here tonight, with me? Seems like a pretty big commitment for a first date.”

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