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Motherfucking son of a…
I grab my sketchbook and a pen and stomp out of the room.
"Be right back," I growl over my shoulder.
CHAPTER2
SKYE
His dark mochaeyes hold mine hostage as he promises to make my “first time good,” and my heart jumps in my chest. First time for what?
Swallowing, I wonder if he knows.Of course, he doesn’t know.I mean, it’s not like I have a neon sign over my head that readsvirgin. And the hot shop owner probably doesn’t care about my sexual experience anyway. From the looks of him, he can get any girl he wants.
The dark gray thermal shirt stretched tight across his massive chest shows off all his very impressive muscles. Wow. This man has muscles that have muscles, and his spicy scent is like catnip to my soul. I want to snuggle up against him and absorb his smell through my pores.
I’m so busy trying to control my erratic heart rate, I almost miss the sudden flaring of his nostrils as he stands and grabs a sketchbook. Before my muddled mind is able to figure out what’s happening, he turns and storms across the room.
My eyes automatically drop to his perfect rear end. I can’t stop myself from staring at the faded denim stretched tight across the firm globes. I have to dig my nails into the chair armrest to resist the urge to fan myself as my body temperature shoots through the roof.
I came into Bleaker Street Tattoo on a whim. I’ve been thinking about getting a tattoo for weeks, but my fear of having a little needle run under my skin was holding me back. Then I woke up this morning and decided to throw caution to the wind. I pulled up my big girl panties and marched right in without giving myself a chance to chicken out.
Everything about Bleaker Street Tattoo surprised me. I came in expecting to find a backroom operation with aging bikers giving cheap art. Walking into the modern, tastefully and obviously expensively decorated shop blew my mind. I was so baffled by what I found, I made a total mess of explaining the tattoo I came in for. I could see the steam coming from the first tattoo artist dude’s ears and knew this wasn’t going to work.
I was just about to give up and leave when Slade interrupted. Having the insanely tall, dark-haired, drop-dead gorgeous shop owner step in and take over for his exasperated employee really knocked me for a loop.
I almost melted into a puddle of goo when he placed his hand on the base of my spine to lead me to his workstation. The heat from his palm seared my skin, sending goosebumps breaking out along my spine, and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from groaning out loud.
My two older sisters would have strokes if they had any idea what I’m doing right now. Oh well, what they don’t know won’t hurt them.
I’ve been feeling a little out of sorts lately. Okay, maybe a whole lot out of sorts after my two sisters caught the love bug from the crazy town water.
First, my middle sister, Letty, stole Judge Lex Ashford’s heart. Then Jazzy met Will Riordan, and our new neighbor swept my oldest sister right off her feet.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy my two sisters found great guys, but I’m bummed my Mr. Right seems to be taking his sweet time coming for me.
Everyone in this crazy little town believes the water has special love-drawing powers. The residents even bottle and sell it for its matchmaking ability.
It’s embarrassing to admit, but I’ve been swigging the freaking town water for months, hoping it will do its trick and encourage my soulmate to come looking for me. Crazy, I know, but it is what it is.
I’m pretty sure my new hometown’s madness started rubbing off on me the moment I moved to town with my two sisters.
Two years ago, our grandmother died unexpectedly and left us each a small inheritance. We wanted to honor the woman who stepped in to raise us after our parents decided parenthood wasn’t for them, so we decided to pool our money together to finance a boutique dedicated to curvy women.
We chose Silver Spoon Falls for our new adventure after Jazzy traveled here for a conference. She fell in love with the wealthy, slightly eccentric town and talked us into coming to visit to see for ourselves. The moment I walked around the downtown fountain, I felt a sense of rightness for the first time since Gramma Liz died.
Since Letty has an accounting degree, she takes care of the business side, and Jazzy uses her fashion merchandising background to run the buying side. I had originally planned to only help with staffing while finishing my degree, but my sisters’ new relationships threw a monkey wrench into those plans. I cut back on my class schedule a little and stepped up to help out in the store.
A few minutes later, Slade comes strolling back in and lays a sketch out on the desk next to me. “Is this what you had in mind?”
As I stare down at the beautiful drawing, all my fears come bubbling up to the surface. He somehow managed to draw a perfect representation of the bluish-purple bad guys.
“It’s gorgeous.” I run my finger over the off-white page. It’s easy to see how talented Slade is. The small figures almost jump off the page as I stare at them. Those insistent second thoughts insist on teasing the back of my mind. Maybe getting a spur-of-the-moment tattoo isn’t the best idea.
“Are you having second thoughts, Who?” My eyes shoot up to his.
Did I voice my thoughts out loud? As he stares at me with a raised eyebrow, I realize he must be a mind reader. “Uh…” I choke out past the sudden lump in the back of my throat. “I’m not sure.”
The only thing I know for sure is Slade Stark has some crazy effect on me.
