Page 43 of Feverburn

As I walked up the stairs, the sound of buzzing mixed with laughter filled the loft. I knocked hesitantly, only to hear her cheerfully say,“Come in!”

I swung the door open, hating my decision. Dane was shirtless,lyingon her loveseat. Rosie sat on a short stool, leaning over his pec muscle. She wore black gloves and gripped a tattoo gun. A small table flanked her with various ink cartridges and an iPad propped up facing her, along with lamps aimed at Dane’s chest.

“What the fuck?”I breathed out. Rosie turned off the tattoo gun with an annoyed look.“What sketchy shit is this?”I asked.

She wiped Dane’s chest, revealing the crispest tattoo I’d ever seen in person like she slapped a damn photo on his skin. It was a black and gray hyper-realistic portrait of his dad, who had passed away. Instant regret flooded me.

Dane shot me aviciouslook, nostrils flared,“Hey dude, you can just fucking leave, you know?”

Rosie rested both gloved hands on hisbarechest.“Did you need something?”

“You have a package.”I flopped the padded envelope on her pub table.“Isn’t this a health code violation or some shit? Pretty sure Dane will give you Hep C.”

He started to get up, but she pushed his chest down whileglaringat me.“That’s prettyrichcoming from a guy who lets his husky loose in his hardware store and serves coffee from a crusty Keurig.”

Dane chuckled and caressed her arm, signaling for her to keep tattooing. She glanced down at him with a smile and started the gun back up, then flashed me a loaded look, lifting one of her delicately arched eyebrows.

As I turned to leave, her voice pierced over the buzz of the tattoo gun.“Oh, and Carson,”I turned back to look at her,“you can leave my packages on the steps. I will find them. No need to come up here and bother me.”

Dane chuckled while she sweetly stroked his chest with a clean paper towel, torturing me. I pulled the door shut, seeing red. I walked down to my office and picked up a carpentry pencil to do something with my hands. Flashes of her hands on him strobed in my mind as I snapped the pencil in half. Kizzy shoved his snout against my side, urging me to take him for a walk.

I couldn’t believe Dane was in my store.

Even worse, in my girl’s loft.

Anyone but Dane. Anyone.

Chapter Nineteen

“Good morning, Viviane! I brought you a drink.”

I wanted dirt on Carson. I needed to dish it back if he would keep taunting me with complimentary coffee and fake crystals. Tattooing Dane was the first shot, but I was hungry for more ammo. Asking Kaylee or any of my new friends would blow my cover, so my mom’s wisdom about finding a gossipy granny was mybestoption.

“Well, hell, you’re such a sweetheart!”She shuffled to the edge of her desk with open arms. I leaned in for a hug, needing somelove. She pulled back with ahappygasp.“You’re wearing mugwort.”Her eyes crinkled with a playful smile.

“I am.”I leaned in closer.“What else?”

She hugged me again, letting out a sweet, motherly hum of happiness.“Dragon’sblood, frankincense, and something sweet…”

“Myrrh.”

“Ah! Frankincense and myrrh! A classic!”

“Those wise men were onto something. I figured if it’s good enough for baby Jesus, it’s good enough for this witch,” I shrugged, enjoying Viv’s little laugh. “I’m so impressed you could pick up all the scents.”

“You don’t make it to my age without learning some sketchy shit, that’s for sure!”She clasped her hands,“Oh, you girls moving in next door has been such a breath of fresh air! I hope you’re here with some news about Carson.”

I scanned the empty bookshop, worried someone could hear us.

She patted my arm, finishing a sip of her drink. “Oh, we’re all alone, dear. I have one regular in the basement, but he’s hard of hearing.”

I let out a relieved sigh. “Good. I don’t dare ask anyone but you. No one knows we had a thing. I just wasn’t ready to date yet. Then he pulled away. He’s always mumbling that he’s the wrong guy for me. I don’t get it.”

Her navy eyebrows shifted around her forehead as she tried to keep up. “Do you know about Whitney?”

“Yes,” I whispered. “Did she really play both of them?”

Viviane leaned in, “Carson came in here a few times with her. She was a cute little thing.”She twirled a tendril of my hair.“He has greattastein women.”

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