Page 14 of Show Me How
“Not typically, but tonight isn’t a typical night for me.”
“I’d be shocked if runaway brides are constantly flocking to this place.”
“You never know with Cherry Peak,” he retorts.
“You’re here often, then?”
“A few times a month. The drive is a pain in the ass if you want to have a night out. I’ll only stay if Bryce lets me crash at her place.”
The prick at my side is hot and sharp. “She’s someone special to you?”
“Yeah, you could say that,” he replies casually.
Nodding, I glance down at our hands. The letters on his knuckles still make me want to laugh. I imagine it takes confidence to tattoo your name on your body, but to do it somewhere so obvious? The letters spelling SHADE are thick, bold, and downright impossible to miss unless his hands are tucked away.
“Do you forget your name sometimes?” I tease, cocking my head.
He chuckles deeply and taps his fingers to the back of my hand. “Nah, but you’ll remember me once you’re gone, won’t you?”
“I don’t think that would have anything to do with your finger tattoos.”
“I hope you’re right. I’d like you to remember me, Millie.”
I bite down on my lip, a restless sensation continuing to flutter in my stomach. “And what about you?”
“What about me?” he asks, a knowing smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
My cheeks have been pink for so long I’ve forgotten what they feel like when they’re not warm.
“Will you remember me?”
His fingers slip beneath mine, the soft touch growing firmer. I swallow, our eyes holding.
“I’ll remember you, and this night, Millie.”
What if I chose to say screw it to the plans that have been made for me and stay?
I could hide out in the town he mentioned for a few weeks. I’d grab my bearings and try to figure out what I’m going to do next without the pressure of my mother’s disappointment or my father’s anger with me for leaving the way I did.
But, if I did stay, there’s no telling that Shade would even care. Despite the fun I’ve had tonight, we’re strangers, and I’m not naïve enough to believe this man cares much about more than one night with someone.
I’m not the woman for a man like that.
“What are you thinking about?” he asks, voice low and calm.
Blinking, I try to shake my feelings off. “I think I need to sleep.”
“Yeah, I bet you do. Want to leave?”
“If you don’t mind.”
He frowns, already standing beside me. I try not to think too much about the fact that he hasn’t let go of my hand.
“It’s okay to be tired. You’ve had one hell of a fucking day, princess.”
“You can stop calling me that any minute now.”
His wink is answer enough. The bartender slides a receipt across the bar to Shade, and he snags it before I can.
