Page 26 of Stuck with my Boss Daddies

I smirked. “Ooh, seems like there’s drama behind all of that.”

She shot me a look, one corner of her mouth twitching like she wanted to smile but wouldn’t let herself. “You think you’re so clever.”

“Oh, sugar.” I tsked, stepping just a little closer, so close she’d have to make a conscious effort not to brush against me. “I don’t think. Iknow.”

She rolled her eyes. “Keep dreaming, Reid.”

Reid.

Yep, she was challenging me right back.

I freaking loved that.

“Already do.” I let my voice drop lower, watching the way her fingers tightened on the towel she was holding.

Yeah. She wasn’t as unaffected as she wanted to be.

Before I could push further, her gaze flicked to my arm. “What’s the deal with those?”

I followed her eyes down to my sleeve of ink.

Her fingers, delicate and deceptively steady, reached out to skim the intricate lines tracing from my wrist to my elbow.

Electric. That’s what it felt like.

Her touch was light, barely there, but it sent a charge straight through me.

“These?” I smirked, flexing slightly, just to see if she’d notice. “Just a collection of bad decisions and good whiskey.”

She snorted. “Right.”

I turned my arm, letting her see more of the designs—old school traditional pieces blended with personal touches.

“Fine. Some of them mean something. The compass? Got it after my first solo trip out of the country. The wolf? That one’s for my mother—her favorite animal.”

Her fingers traced a small inked feather near my wrist.

I swallowed hard, fighting the urge to flip my hand and tangle my fingers with hers.

“And this one?” she asked, quieter now.

I hesitated. “That’s for my childhood sweetheart. Before she left town.”

She looked up then, those sharp eyes of hers seeing way more than I wanted her to. “I see.”

I shrugged, flashing a grin that didn’t quite reach my eyes. “Like I said… bad decisions, good whiskey.”

She tilted her head, considering me. “You always deflect with jokes?”

“Only when I’m cornered,” I admitted, shooting her a wink. “And when a beautiful woman is touching me. Hard to think straight under those circumstances.”

She laughed, shaking her head. “You’re impossible.”

“Impossible to resist? I get that a lot.”

She rolled her eyes but didn’t move away. “What about this one?”

She pointed to a small tattoo near the inside of my elbow, a barely noticeable tiny script in looping cursive.

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