Page 6 of Falling for 42
I grin, surprised. “That’s true. Maybe somewhere subtle, yeah. I don’t want it to stand out too much, but it’s gotta be in there. Basketball’s been my life, and somehow that number keeps showing up everywhere. Plus, I’ve discovered so much about myself since being at college.”
Kobe chuckles, nodding. “I get that. Some things just stick with you. You can put in all the ink you want, but those little details make it personal.” He returns his gaze to the sketch, and I watch his hand again. It’s a stupid thought, but I wonder what those hands would feel like against me, how they’d move if?—
“You’re quiet,” he says, snapping me back. There’s a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, like he knows exactly where my mind went.
“Just… thinking.” I cover with a shrug, feeling a flush spread across my cheeks. “The way you draw, it’s like you already see the whole thing in your head.”
He tilts his head thoughtfully. “It’s almost like that. I guess with experience, you get a sense of where everything should go, where each line feels right.” He shrugs, glancing at me again, and for a moment, his fingers still.
The sketch is rough, but even now I can see it—branches arching, framing the number in a way that feels hidden and special, like a little secret woven into something familiar. I lean in closer to get a better look, my shoulder brushing his, and the room goes quiet. My pulse quickens as I realize just how close we are. His hand, still holding the pencil, is inches from mine, and I can feel the warmth of him, his calm, steady presence. Hisfingers shift, and I watch as he sets down the pencil and lets his hand fall lightly against mine.
“Like it so far?” His voice is low, almost a murmur, but his gaze is heavy, intent.
I swallow, finding it hard to speak. “Yeah… I really do. You made it… personal.”
For a second, we just look at each other, and all the air seems to get thick and electric. I can feel my pulse in my neck, in my chest, everywhere. I can’t shake the thought of his hands, his calm focus, his surety. His hand tightens around mine, not much, just enough. And then, without really thinking, I close the last bit of distance between us and press my lips to his.
He responds instantly, his lips warm and steady against mine, like he’s been waiting for this. The kiss is soft, lingering, a quiet moment stretched out until I feel him smile slightly against my mouth. When we finally pull back, his hand is still resting on mine, and he looks at me with that same intensity, a spark of something more flickering in his gaze.
“Think we’re onto something here,” he murmurs, and I can’t help but grin, already imagining the piece he’s bringing to life for me—and everything else that might come after.
CHAPTER 5
KOBE
I wasn’tdue at the shop until two, which gave me enough time to meet with my brother for breakfast and drive the two and a half hours back.
Jackson had shrugged off my questions about Malik as we ate bacon and eggs, only giving me a basic “He’s a good guy. You both are” comment. Obviously, what he didn’t say was that he thought we’d like each other. He’s not wrong.
Malik leaving my hotel room last night after a couple more kisses and a more complete sketch was necessary. But my dick hadn’t thanked me, and I’m pretty sure Malik was just as reluctant to leave as I was to see him go.
But the man walking through the door of the shop already eye-fucking me from afar is the absolute reason it was necessary to not go any further than a few kisses with Malik.
Sid is a decent-ish guy, and our hookups since I’ve been stateside have scratched an itch and been mostly fun. But before I can start anything up with Malik, which I want to do, I need to call things off.
Sure, things between me and Sid aren’t exclusive, but for the past month, he’s been pushing for more. Truth is, I should have cooled things between us as soon as he let me know hewas interested in something deeper. It’s my stupid fault for not wanting to hurt the guy’s feelings… or cause drama. The latter seems to wrap around Sid’s very being.
Maggie, our receptionist, warned me from the start that he had a rep for drama, but hell if my dick had cared. He was fun. What we shared was easy. But after meeting Malik and experiencing that welcome fire of attraction on top of spending six hours talking about everything and nothing, I’m listening to my gut. Malik is someone I want to get to know a whole lot better, and ideally intimately.
Straightening my shoulders, I stop cleaning my station after my session with a walk-in. I had all morning on the drive back to think about what to say to him. The partial truth is what I’m going with.
The last thing I want is for him to be a bitch about Malik.
“Hey, handsome.” Sid enters my workspace, eye-fucking me as he does so. He doesn’t lean in for a kiss—something I nipped in the bud the first time he tried. If that makes me sound callous, my bad, but in my defense, Sid’s been pointedly ignoring my brush-offs for the past few weeks.
All of that I think makes me a cowardly fucker.
“Hey, Sid.” My smile is tight. He’s not done anything wrong necessarily, so I don’t want to be a complete dick, but I need to play this right.
“How was the game? Did you catch up with your brother?”
My shoulders sag in defeat. I’m definitely the bitch in this whole situation. “It was good. Jackson’s great, thanks.”
Sid grins, folding his arms across his chest in that casual way he has that always seems anythingbutcasual. Sid’s gym fit, taller than me by a couple inches, with enough ink across his chest and shoulders to tell a whole lot of stories. A few of those tattoos were done by my hand—it’s how we met, in fact, when he’d walked in after work at the sports store a block away, wanting aphoenix spanning his upper arm, bold and impossible to ignore. Like him. His eyes spark with something that looks equal parts interest and mischief, and it’s hard not to feel the pull of that energy.
“So,” Sid starts, arching a brow, “you get off at ten tonight? We could, you know… catch up afterward.” His gaze doesn’t waver, and I already see where this is heading.
I brace myself, clearing my throat. “I’m not sure about tonight, Sid.”
