Page 116 of Show Me How
“It crossed a line,” I whisper.
“We’ve crossed every goddamn line there is. I’m not focusing on them right now. I’ll do that later. After you finish the tattoo. And spray it with alcohol before I get an infection and die.”
I jerk back, feeling his still-hard length rubbing inside of me again. “Will that happen?”
“Just clean it before getting back to work,” he says, gentling his voice as he runs fingers through my hair.
“Like this?”
Looking down at where we’re still connected, I try not to break out in a bright red blush. The longer we stay like this, the more intimate it feels, and I’m not sure if that’s something he’s okay with.
The way his pupils dilate when I ask the question, though . . .
“Yeah, like this. Just a few more minutes.”
I press my lips together—not because I want to argue, but because I don’t want him to know just how okay I am with staying connected.
Keeping my mouth shut, I lean over to the cart and then put another pair of gloves on before following his directions. Doing that feels like the only way I’ll manage to get through the rest of this tattoo without making a mistake that could cost me everything.
34
SHADE
“What was your favourite trope?”Millie asks the room.
Standing in front of six women, she confidentially holds her list of questions in her hands and demands everyone’s attention. The meeting has gone slow for me, but I could have left at any time. I didn’t read the book they’re all here to discuss, yet I’m still sitting on a beanbag chair Shelly brought with her, just so I don’t miss seeing this side of Millie.
It’s clear from the way she holds herself up there that this is comfortable for her. Speaking in front of this crowd—regardless of its small size—she keeps her chin up and shoulders back, her voice strong. The soft-spoken, blushing woman who I know from our quiet moments is the opposite of this one. And I know why that is and where it stems from without needing it explained to me.
This is what she’s used to. Back home, she’s always this person. The one with impenetrable armour and a smile that could send a grown man tripping over his feet. It’s how she was raised. And before she came here, this is the only version of herself anyone saw.
It’s unfair for the world to miss the other side of her when I know how beautiful it is.
“I liked that she fell first, but he fell harder,” Maggie announces to the room. “That’s how it should be. Give me a simp any day.”
Shelly barks a laugh while Millie just stares at both of the older women with wide eyes.
Maggie’s silver hair isn’t tied back today, and she’s not wearing her diner apron, which almost had me choking on my tongue when I saw her get here earlier. I still don’t know how the girls convinced her to leave the diner long enough to join the meeting, but it made Millie happy, so I didn’t bother asking questions.
“That’s exactly what he was,” Lacey howls, pointing at Millie. “What was it you said to me? That she could have made him drop to his knees and bark, and he would have?”
My brows shoot up to my hairline as I stare at Millie, her hands hiding her face now. Lacey laughs like a goddamn hyena, loving pulling this reaction from her. I chuckle lightly, crossing my arms over my chest.
“That’s good, actually! Maybe that should be a trope,” Shelly states, snapping her fingers and pointing at Millie.
The other women in the room laugh in agreement, bringing up the idea of choosing a book for next month based around that entirely. It’s odd, sitting here and listening to this conversation, knowing that next month isn’t even guaranteed with Millie.
The thought is enough to sour my stomach, turning my smile into a deep scowl.
“It was a late-night thought!” Millie defends herself, dropping her hands.
Shelly simply shakes her head. “Don’t take it back now. It’s a hit. What do you think, Shade?”
Everyone turns to me expectantly. A pair of curious, soft blue eyes are the ones I fixate on.
“What do I think about what?”
“About a man who is so down bad for his girl that he’d drop to his knees and bark like a dog if she asked him to,” Lacey says, slightly exasperated.
