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He glanced down at me, but his expression gave nothing away. “You'll see.”
I really didn't care where we were going, because being with him was treat enough. We reached our destination: an art supply shop with a largeGrand Openingsign in the window.
“I saw this the other day when I came into town for parts. I thought you'd get a kick out of it.”
Art supply stores for me were like shoe stores for other women, I adored them. I didn't need to buy anything, but I loved looking around. Warmth burned through me because he had thought of me when he saw the store.
“Do you like éclairs?”
His random question took me by surprise and I answered almost without thought, “Yeah.”
“After you've looked your fill, there's a bakery down the street that makes killer ones.” He flashed those gorgeous eyes at me and winked. “We can share one.”
I actually felt a little piece of my heart being lost to him in that moment, “That sounds perfect.”
***
Standing outside the Wright's home on Friday, I waited for Bastian who would be arriving any minute for our date. Poppy had wanted to dress me, again. I never understood the big deal about clothes, but I had to admit that I understood it now. Not just the clothes, but how it made me feel to get all dressed up, especially seeing the look of appreciation in Bastian’s eyes every time Poppy had her way with me. Yeah, I totally got it now. Tonight I dressed in black, but the wide-leg trousers and fitted sweater were still a far cry from my baggy getups.
Bastian pulled up and climbed off his bike “You look beautiful. Are you ready?” He called.
To spend the evening with him? Absolutely.
***
Reservoir catered to the under-21 crowd of nightclub fans. Several times a month they had shows that featured the local talent. I'd always wanted to come, but I never had anyone interested in coming with me because the music was more industrial, and my friends favored pop. I was thrilled to be there. Especially with Bastian.
Bastian didn't let go of my hand as we made our way through the club. I suspected because the place was packed and he feared I'd get swept away in the crowd.
We found a spot along the wall, away from the mosh pit and stage diving. He pulled me back against him and I loved feeling the hard muscles of his chest against my back and having his strong arms around me. I didn't need to see his face to know what he was thinking because his body practically hummed with it. He wanted me and since the feeling was entirely mutual, I settled deeper into his embrace and tilted my head in invitation. I closed my eyes and savored the sensation that shot down my arms as he brushed kisses down my neck, lingering on the spot—just at the curve of my neck—that brought me chills.
His arms tightened around me before he turned me to him so his mouth could cover mine in a kiss that was slightly wild. My body crushed against his, my hands seeking the warm, bare skin of his back. His kiss made me lightheaded, his mouth pulling from mine way sooner than I wanted. A protest got stuck in my throat when I felt his lips on my collarbone. His tongue darted out and licked my heated skin. I'm pretty sure I moaned in response. He lifted his head and threaded his fingers through my hair.
“You are so beautiful.” He whispered.
I wanted him to kiss me again, and almost said as much, but Bastian's attention shifted to something just behind me. “My friends are here.”
Friends, what are friends? I was barely able to hold onto a thought. How the hell was I supposed to communicate intelligibly with people? At that moment the best I was going to manage was Me, Lark. Lark like Bastian. Lark like kissing Bastian a lot.
Bastian moved from me and approached three guys, the same ones I had seen at Alfonso's. I watched as they shook hands in greeting.
“Guys, this is Lark. Lark, Kale, Caden and Duncan.”
They clearly recognized me, because they were giving me the smile: the one shared among guys, the exact meaning of which was unknown to the female of the species.
I attempted to read their thoughts to learn the answer for all of womankind, but was distracted from that when Caden said, “Nice to meet you, officially. Glad you could come out tonight.”
“Glad to be here.”
For the next two hours it was like I had entered another world. It took only a few minutes for me to get comfortable with Bastian's friends before they dragged me to the mosh pit. I overheated in my sweater, but the sweat, the screaming, the bodies—many of whom were of the guy variety, had removed their shirts—pressed up against each other—it was awesome.
Bastian and I were at our table getting some water when he reached for the back of his sweater and pulled it forward over his head. The sight of his bare chest almost had me choking on my water. The perfect example of male beauty from his pecs to his washboard abs met my gaze, but it was the tattoo of the sapphire-colored dragon with ruby-red eyes, which rested right in the middle of his chest, that held my attention. Before I consciously knew what I was doing, I walked around him to see the body of the dragon wrapping around his side, and the tail travelling down the valley of his spine, getting lost under the waistband of his jeans. My hand reached out on its own as I trailed my fingers over his chest, down his six pack, and around his side to continue the slow journey over the rope of muscle that framed his spine and down that deep groove. How did he get a body like this?
A shudder worked through him in response to my touch. His expression was not one I recognized, but the same couldn't be said of my body's reaction to it, since I experienced it every time I was in his presence: my blood started to burn.
My voice might have cracked due to raging lust when I asked, “The dragon is awesome. Is that the last of your tattoos?”
He didn't answer me at first, just watched me with a seriously sexy expression on his face. He reached for my hand and placed it on his bare chest. “I like you touching me.”
