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“Normally you would have to book in advance to get a slot, but somebody chickened out,” he said, grinning. His black wife beater showed off his intricate tats.
“It’s our lucky night,” Nic said blandly.
“It must be my lucky earrings,” Lexie said, touching one of them, then realized what he had just said. “You’re getting one, too?” Lexie was starting to feel really relaxed by the cranberry vodka, now her official favorite drink. She was lounging on a mechanical chair, the one with fancy hydraulics. Around the walls were samples of artwork you could choose from.
“Sure. Why not?” he shrugged casually.
“Mind you, it can’t be anything too complicated or original. For that, I need days to draw out the design from your concept before we can execute it.”
“No,” Lexie started to shake her head and stopped, feeling a bit lightheaded in a pleasant way. “I want something simple. Just something to remember this night.”
Vinny ambled off to prepare his materials. “Be back in a jiffy.”
“What is Nic short for?”
“Nicolas.” Each syllable was drawn out, melodious. “What is Lexie short for?” he riposted quickly.
“Just Lexie.”
“Are we still playing this game?”
“What game?”
“The 20/20 questions. Twenty questions from me and twenty non-answers from you.”
Her face fell. It’s not that she wanted to hide her identity from Nic. Sooner or later he was bound to find out. She’d rather it be later. “Not now.”
She heard him sigh in frustration as he dropped on an identical chair across her. She was saved by Vinny, who came back with an assistant.
“This is Mike.” He gestured to the young looking man who appeared to be barely out of high school. At the doubt in Nic’s eyes, he said: “He’s a genius. Trained him myself.” He addressed Mike. “You take care of him,” he said, pointing to Nic, then he turned to Lexie. “And I’ll take care of this sweetheart.”
“Naturally,” was Nic’s sardonic reply.
Lexie saw the warning glance Nic shot Vinny.
“Where do you want it, honey?”
“Here, please.” Lexie shrugged off Nic’s coat, revealing her delectable body, and gestured to her shoulder blade. He really hoped the tat artist’s hands remained where they ought to. He wasn’t looking for another fight.
“Is your name Nick spelled as in N-i-c-k?” She craned her neck to look past Vinny’s bulk. It was blocking her view. She almost dropped her drink when she saw Nic pulling off his shirt, revealing tanned, well-defined chest and arms. His jeans were riding a bit low on his hips, framing flat washboard abs. Oh, mio Dio! She took another sip of her drink to fortify herself against the lust−inducing display. Would anyone notice if she discreetly rubbed the cold, moist vodka bottle against her neck to cool her off?
“N-i-c.” Mike was wiping some antiseptic on one of his biceps. He cocked an eyebrow at her question.
Vinny made her lie prone on the chair, which had magically straightened out like a bed. Nic was across her, just a few feet away. She turned her head towards him, her hands pillowing her cheek. “I have to make sure Vinny gets the spelling right.”
“The spelling?” His head shot up and electric blue eyes pinned her with lightning intensity as he quickly understood the import of her words. So this is what smoldering looks like, Lexie thought with a hint of hysteria. She was unable to look away from Nic. Her whole body felt hot and heavy, so much so that the first prick of the needle didn’t bother her too much. Her nipples were poking into the cushion of the chair. She started to feel overheated and moist down under.
“Don’t move,” Vinny admonished when she squeezed her legs tighter. Oh, God, I am so going to get it later. Oddly, the thought didn’t send her into a panic. She was filled with breathless anticipation. She had closed her eyes to block out Nic’s gorgeousness from burning her retina but when she opened them, he was raking his blue eyes all over her body in a way that made her boneless. He stroked his lip with his forefinger, and Lexie bit on hers to stop from moaning.
