Page 6 of Dear Bad Boy Next Door
“I think I may have fractured a few of your ribs.”
He lifts part of his white t-shirt, showing off the muscled contours of his abs. “I think they are fine.”
“They are definitely fine. I can attest to that,” I gasp and clamp my hand over my mouth. “I’m sorry, that was not meant to be said out loud.”
He chuckles and leans towards me to whisper in my ear. “For the record, I like this unrestricted side of you.”
I’m filled with confidence that I’ve rarely ever felt before. I’m so used to keeping to myself, to suddenly be around someone that wants me to say what I’m thinking is amazingly refreshing.
Beck takes my hand and leads me into the shop. The electronic bell greets us as we walk in. We head straight to the front desk. The gorgeous woman working behind the counter has more tattoos than Beck and more piercings than I can count on both hands. She lights up when she sees him, and the immediate sting of jealousy strikes me.
“Beck! Where have you been?” She asks, rounding the counter and opening her arms for a hug.
Beck pulls her in, and it isn’t until they let go and step back do I notice the slight baby bump on her. She rests her hand in a motherly way over her belly as he asks her about the baby. She plucks off a sonogram picture that is taped to the register and shows him.
“It’s a girl,” she says.
“Congrats. Is Trevor freaking out?”
"You know how they say pregnant women go through a nesting phase before the baby is born? Well, Trev's beaten me to that point. He's already painted and put together all the furniture for the nursery.” The woman notices me standing there and looks pointedly at Beck. “Are you going to introduce me to your friend?”
I half expect her tone towards me to be as sharp as the features on her face, but she seems actually interested.
“I’m Lucy.” I reach out my hand to her. “I live across the hall from Beck.”
She looks down at my outstretched hand and then back up at me before taking it. "Nice to meet you. I'm Bette."
“Bette is engaged to my friend Trevor, who is going to work on you today.”
“So, you are the mysterious booking he had me squeeze in.” She turns and yells down the hallway lined with closed doors. "Hey, Babe! Beck's here with his new girlfriend!”
“Be right there!” He calls back.
I'm secretly thrilled when Beck doesn't correct her, but I know it doesn't mean anything more than her misunderstanding of the situation.
BECK
I know that Bette is trying to get a rise out of me by calling Lucy my girlfriend, but little does she know that I’m already finding it easier to think about a possibility of that being the truth.
There's no question that Lucy is gorgeous. I've always thought that even when she'd barely look at me when she spoke. I'd find my day a little brighter when I saw the girl from apartment 4B. I couldn't explain it then, and I can't explain it now, but I feel different when I'm around Lucy. She makes me feel a sense of calm I never felt before.
“Come on back!” Trevor calls out the door.
“Nice to meet you,” Lucy says.
“You too.” Bette smiles at her but then gives me a little wink when Lucy isn’t looking.
We head back to the room and sit down. Trevor is organizing his work station with his back to us when we walk in. He turns around, and the smile on his face falls when he looks at Lucy. I feel suddenly protective of Lucy and really annoyed at my friend for being so rude.
“You didn’t tell me she was a virgin,” he says, and I suddenly realize his concern.
“I’m not," Lucy sputters, looking from him to me. Her cheeks turn a deep pink at her embarrassment.
“Relax,” I chuckle. “He just means that you don’t have any tattoos.”
“I don’t normally work on anyone that hasn’t already had a few pieces done.”
“He had a bad experience with a client that couldn’t handle the pain and bailed on him halfway through and then got pissed at him when it wasn’t finished.”
