Page 7 of The Storms Between Us
six
Holy.Fucking. Shit.
That is the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on. How have I not seen her in pictures before? I've lived and worked side by side with Everett for the last four years. Surely he's shown me a picture of them together, right? But I know there's no way I've seen her before. I would never forget those rich green eyes. The way they burned my skin as she scanned over my face and arms, inspecting every inch of my tattoos like she was entranced by them. No one has ever looked at me that way.
I know I've never had a problem with women. Before he was a piece of shit, my dad was actually a pretty good-looking guy and I take after him the most. At 6' 4", women see me coming from a long way off and have no problem embarrassing themselves to try impressing me. But I have no interest in women like that. I could find a piece of ass anywhere. I'm just not enticed by blatant and fake flattery.
Ember doesn't strike me as the overtly sexual type. She's a stunner, albeit a short one, with a slim build but curvy in all the right places. The way she tripped over her words after I caught her checking me out tells me she's not usually so obvious in her attraction. But damn, that smile. Pure fucking sunshine. Even if it was an uncomfortable one, it stirred something in my chest that felt totally foreign to me. All I want now is to see that smile over and over again.
No. I have to stop this train of thoughts before it gets derailed. She's Everett's sister. He already explained to me that her last relationship was with some frat dickhead who basically made her swear off men for most of her college life. She's here to get on her feet and I won't interfere with that.
Wiping the extra blood and ink off of my client's back, I stand back to look at the work I've done. This is badass and she handled it like a champ.
"Mind if I take a picture for the wall?" I ask her.
"Go right ahead. You can take an extra one to remember me by if you want to," she purrs in her most seductive voice. Yeah, not gonna happen.
"Sorry, sweetness, I don't mess around with clients. But keep me in mind if you decide you need more work done. I'd be happy to oblige." I let her down easy and watch her face fall as I do. It's always been a rule of mine not to mix business with pleasure. You don't fuck where you eat and I'm not about to start now.
I walk her to the front desk to cash out and hand her a card with aftercare instructions. "Let me know if you have any problems with healing. Hopefully, you've got somebody who can help you out with keeping it clean."
"Well, you're welcome to help me out anytime." She says, placing her hand on my arm and batting her eyelashes like I'm really gonna fall for that shit. This chick is laying it on thick.
My eyes immediately dart to Ember sitting on the couch behind her and I see she's watching this encounter intently over the top of her phone. She looks almost irritated by the woman's forward approach, which brings a smirk to my lips.
"No thanks, have a good night." I tell the woman as I pull my arm out of her reach.
She shrugs, picking up her bag, and walks out the door. I watch Ember's eyes follow her through the window until she disappears down the street. If I was a betting man, I'd say that was a look of jealousy gracing her beautiful face, but why?
The waiting room has cleared out by now and it's just her and me in the empty space. She avoids looking my direction at all costs and it's actually kinda cute.
"So, you're the other half of the Blake puzzle, huh?" I ask, breaking the silence.
"Huh? Oh! Yeah. That's me. Twin B." She scoffs lightheartedly. "I've heard Everett talk about you before. You guys served together before all of this, right?" She asks, leaning forward in her seat intently.
"Yeah, we spent a few nights snuggled in the sandbox together. Your brother is a dumbass, but a great one. I'm glad to know him," I tell her.
She smiles softly at my response. "Yeah, he has that effect on most people. Magnetic personality and all." She says, waving her hand through the air. "He got the personality and the good looks. I got everything else," she says jokingly.
I stare back at her intensely. Does she really not know she's a knockout? "If anybody got the looks there, it definitely wasn't him." I tell her and I think I hear a gasp. I lock eyes with her from across the room and I can tell she's surprised by my words. She really doesn't know how gorgeous she is. I wouldn't mind showing her exactly what I see in her. If only she wasn't Everett's sister. I can see the blush staining her cheeks from here and I love the way it looks on her. Knowing I'm the one who put it there does something to me I can't quite explain. I flex my hands behind the desk so she can't see the way she's affecting me.
"How long do you think he's gonna be?" She asks, her voice sounding sleepier by the second. She yawns, stretching her arms over her head and rolling her neck. Watching the slow motions of her body has my dick growing thicker in my jeans. I adjust myself to ease some discomfort and step around the desk.
"You're welcome to head over to the house whenever you want to. I'm not sure how much he's got left, but it could be a few more hours." I tell her, reaching under the desk for the spare set of keys Everett had made for her. "Do you know how to get there?"
She's looking at me wide-eyed, but silent. I don't think I said anything to cause this reaction. Maybe she's irritated with her brother for taking so long? Who knows with women.
"You said 'the house', not his house. Do you live there too?" She asks, looking shocked. I huff out a breath and look up to the ceiling, exasperated by Everett's lack of details.
"Yeah, I do. I'm guessing Ev didn't share that with you by the look on your face." She immediately schools her features, her face suddenly void of emotion. "Is that gonna be a problem?" I snap a little more aggressively than I intend to. I must be getting tired, too.
"No! Of course not. I mean, it's your house too. I'm just grateful for the hospitality." She says looking worried "Oh, god! He made sure this was okay with you, right?! He's notorious for acting without thinking. I can't imagine he would just spring a whole person on you, but you really never know with my brother. I'm so sorry if he didn't. I'm sure I could find a hotel or something if I need to." She's practically panting with anxiety and I don't think she realizes she's gotten up and made her way across the room to stand right next to me.
Looking down at her, I grab her shoulders softly to steady her breathing, and a bolt of electricity shoots through my arms at the touch. She lets out a small gasp and I know she felt it too. Quickly removing my hands and holding them up in surrender, I take a step back.
"Calm down, sunshine. He made sure he told me everything before he even offered you the room. It's fine by me." Did I really just call her sunshine? Am I fucking fourteen? I can't help it though. The light surrounding her is blinding, but she seems oblivious to it. I try my best to soften my tone and be reassuring. "I can see why he calls you Sparky," I laugh, and the blush stains her cheeks and chest again. God, that's a sight to behold.
She runs her palms down her thighs nervously. "Well, I have the address that he gave me, so I'm sure I could find my way. I'll just grab the keys from him and head out," she says shyly, looking anywhere but my face.
