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“Oh?” He looks up from his book, giving me his full attention.
“Well, we will have to talk to your brother about it, but picture this,” I say. My hands are animated, waving through the air as I explain my idea. “The shop can host a ‘Tattoos for a Cause’event and the artists can donate their time, the shop can cover materials, and all the money paid for the tattoos can go toward the charity.”
Derek looks at me, eyes wide and full of surprise. “That’s a fucking great idea, Willette.”
My chest puffs up a little at his praise. “You think so?”
“Absolutely,” he says. “I think we could make it a weekend long event, and maybe Hawk can invite some guest artists in to help with the workload.”
We start discussing the event and setup in depth—giving it a proper name, discussing limiting the tattoo ideas to a certain size to maximize donations, and even when we’ll do it.
“Later, if you want to go to my brother’s place, we can. I’ll leave it up to you, but we could talk to him about all this while we’re there,” he suggests.
“I think that’s a good idea, especially if Avery and Hanson will be there, too,” I say. “Hot showers and food would also be good.” I giggle.
“True,” he says.
The silence fills the room again as I take the throw blanket off the back of the couch and spread it over my legs, and we turn back to our reading. As much as I want to stay here in this little cave alone with Derek, my tolerance for cold is low. At this moment, it’s cold tolerance versus lustful desires. If we stay, we can touch and feel and kiss. If we go, I will be warm.Decisions, decisions.
I get to a steamy scene in the romance novel I’m reading and have second thoughts about my choice of book today. Pangs of desire prick low in my belly as the scenes in the novel and my imagination begin to overlap, placing Derek front and center.
The more I think about it, the more going over to Hawk’s is probably, at the very least, the safer idea. Safer in many ways.
I FEEL LIKE THAT
DEREK
It took me a full hour to dig the car out, then clear enough snow from behind it to reverse out of the parking space. But now that that’s over, we should be able to make it to my brother’s place.I think.
Of course, Willette offered to help, but I refused to let her. Hell, we didn’t have one shovel let alone two. I had to take the biggest bowl we could find in her kitchen and use it like a fucking ice cream scooper. There was no sense in both of us freezing to death and looking like idiots. Besides, I know she hates the cold.
We bundle up, packing small overnight bags to take with us before strapping ourselves into the car for the most horrifying car ride either of us have probably ever experienced.I have a Benz, not a four-wheel drive truck, okay?Sure, it’s expensive, but it sure as shit isn’t built for mounds of snow and slick roads.
Luckily, the shop isn’t far. If our toes wouldn’t have fallen off, I might’ve suggested walking. Nevertheless, we make it to the parking lot and exit quickly, heading straight for the stairs leading up to his loft.
“Holy fuck,” she says. “Let’s never do that again.”
“Agreed,” I say, rounding the car and wrapping an arm around her. I press my lips to hers through a smile and then grab our bags from the back.
My brother’s done a decent job shoveling and salting around his building, thank fuck.
Willette knocks but before anyone can answer, I push the door open. My brother and I don’t knock. It’s just a thing between us. Besides, I know no one will be naked inside.
But as soon as I think it, I push the door open to see Avery with his pants down in the middle of the room while people crowd around him, staring at what seems to be his crotch.
“What in the male strip club did we just walk into?” Willette asks the group.
Hawk, Hanson, and Drew all peer up from where their attention has been like it’s a completely normal scene.
“Oh hey, guys,” Avery says. “Come take a look at my latest tattoo.”
We join the crowd, again like this is a totally normal daily occurrence, and inspect Avery’s new thigh tattoo. A bloody, glowing jack-o’-lantern looks back up at us.
“Wow,” I say. “Nice work.”
The whole group nods in agreement, then Avery pulls his pants back up.
“Glad you two could make it,” Hawk says, changing the topic from Avery’s peep show to us.
