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“So can I move in with you?”
“Nope.”
“I’ll change your mind.” She grins and takes a sip of her coffee. “I want another chance.”
I look down at my plate and drag the bacon closer. She’s teasing me, joking about, and still not a word about the state she found me in, or the fact I didn’t answer Ash’s, Rafe’s or Erin’s calls and texts.
“I was at my sister’s,” I hear myself say and clench my fingers around the fork. “I visit almost every weekend.”
Why the hell am I telling her this?
“Emma is my only family.” The words spill out without my permission. “She took me in. Looked after me. Now she’s sick, and I can’t help her. I try, but in the end, there’s fucking nothing I can do.”
Dakota pales. “I understand—”
“The hell you do. This is all fucked up. I’m fucked up.” I bang my hand on the table, and the fork smashes into the plate. I get up and stumble away.
“Zane, wait.”
I stagger into my bedroom. It’s dark, the curtains drawn over the small window. The air smells stale.
Dakota stands at the door, a hand on the frame. “What’s wrong?”
Wrong? Nothing’s wrong. If she doesn’t walk away, I’ll throw her on my bed and fuck her senseless. If she does walk away, I’ll trash my room and punch the wall until my fingers break.
Nothing’s wrong.
Everything’s wrong.
I need…something. I need her. Her warmth. Her closeness.
Two strides and I’m in front of her. She takes a step back, but she isn’t fast enough. I press my body to hers, slide my fingers into her hair and inhale her scent.
She gulps. “Zane, I just want...”
“If it’s my ink you want, if this is all a damn game to you, forget it.” She’s here. I’m hard for her, and we’re arguing about the damn tattoo. This is familiar territory, and I relax. “I’m not drawing a dragon on you, and that’s final.”
“I want the dragon, you know that,” she whispers, and her hands slide up my chest. “But this isn’t a game, and it’s not all I’m here for. Give me a chance, Zane. Everyone deserves a chance.”
My thoughts are all screwed up. Is she talking about the tattoo, about being my roommate or something else entirely?
“Dammit, girl.” I tug on her hair, pulling her head back, exposing the pale line of her neck. She’s panting, pressing her body to mine, and it’s driving me crazy. “What am I gonna do with you?”
“Draw something on me,” she breathes. “Anything.”
I shake my head, confused. What is she playing at? She says it’s no game, but this sure feels like one.
Draw on her again. I should tell her no. That I don’t normally draw on people. That I don’t let them come over unannounced and cook me breakfast, screw with my head. That all I wanna do is fuck her.
My dick twitches, agreeing.
But I can’t. Because if we fuck, she’ll know just how messed up I am. She’ll run, and I’ll take any damn excuse to make her stay a little bit longer.
Chapter Six
Dakota
“Another drawing?” Tessa stands at the door of the bedroom, in a tight-fitting black dress and high heels, all dressed up for the party she’s throwing Dylan for his birthday. Her blond hair hangs around her face in soft waves. She’s so pretty I gape at her.
