Page 43 of Breaking the Rules

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My stomach flutters.

The air gets warmer. Sharper. More electric.

"No. My brother Chase. He was artsy and I thought he was the coolest dude in the world. Wanted to be exactly like him."

"Now?"

"Chase is a tattoo artist too." Joy fades from his face the second he says his brother's name.

It's not rocket science.

His brother is a tattoo artist.

He's from Los Angeles.

But he's staying here and working at Inked Hearts. Not staying with his brother, working at his shop.

There's a story there too.

But his expression is a brick wall. He doesn't want me to know.

Usually, I turn around when I hit a wall.

I don't try to dig deeper. Unless it's Kaylee, and, even then, I give her space.

But I want to know.

I want to know why Hunter is here.

Why he's shouldering all this baggage.

"Older?" I pick an innocuous question. One that might tempt him to answer.

"Yeah."

"You had two brothers, right?"

He nods. "One older. One younger."

"Both hot?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Well, you're good looking, but your personality is atrocious. I was thinking maybe one of them might be as beautiful inside as out."

"They might. But I'm not gonna introduce you."

"Because they're not the kind of guys I should date?"

"You're too young."

"But one is younger."

"Not that much younger."

"Does it get tiring holding up the patriarchy?"

He flexes his bicep. "How do you think I got these guns?"

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