AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Emma’s staying with three of us,” Jackson said. “And I guess the truth is, we’ve become close.”
Helen gave me a knowing look, and I cringed, not wanting to tell her about my sex life.
“It’s not a big deal, really,” I said, but it wasn’t asmalldeal either. This wasn’t a normal situation, and itdefinitelywasn’t something that had happened to me before.
“Sounds like something you should figure out together,” Helen said, with a knowing tone in her voice and once again, I was left wondering about her husband and what kind of relationship they had.
“Yes, well…” I kept my eye on Jackson, whose ankles were now being inspected by Salt, who left a trail of white hair where he rubbed against them. “This isn’t really the time.” There was so much to do — Helen was going into hospital in a few days, I had to plan the breast cancer event, and even though Nathan hadn’t bothered me for a while, could I really have a proper relationship with the guys knowing he was still out there?
“Why? Because I’m having surgery?” Helen asked, reading my mind.
“Well, yes,” I said. “And…” I glanced at Jackson to see if he wanted me to keep our news about the tattoo day to myself. “We’re a bit busy. You’ve inspired us to hold an event, where we’ll tattoo nipples on breast cancer patients who’ve had mastectomies!”
I’d expected Helen to be ecstatic, so it was a shock when she gave me a puzzled look.
“Tattoos?” she asked, glancing at Jackson’s arms. “But won’t that look tacky?”
“Not at all,” Jackson said, and pulled a piece of fake skin out of his pocket. “We’ve all been practicing. Look at this.”
He passed the skin to Helen and seeing it in daylight, I was shocked again by how realistically the guys were able to make them. Jackson’s art training showed in the level of detail in his work, and from a foot away, it looked like a real nipple.
“You’ve been carrying that thing around with you?” I asked.
Jackson shrugged.
“Gotta see how it looks in different types of light,” he said. “Make sure it’s as real as possible.”
Helen turned it over in her hands, examining the tattoo from every direction.
“This is incredible,” she said. “I don’t have any words.”
“You don’t need any,” I said with a grin. “Come and see us whenever you’ve healed, and we’ll give you two of these.”
Helen held the tattooed skin over her breast and looked at Jackson in amazement.
“Thank you so much,” she said with tears in her eyes. “It’ll be worth every cent.”
“That’s the best part,” Jackson said. “The whole thing will be free.”
“Are you serious?” Helen asked, and I laughed and nodded.
“Completely free,” I said. “You can leave your wallet at home.”
Helen’s hug was as tight as it was unexpected. She wrapped me in her arms and squeezed me so much that I gasped and pulled away. The tears that had hovered on her eyelids spilled down her cheeks, and her whole face lit up with happiness.
“Thank you so much,” she said, and pulled me close again to whisper, “This man’s a keeper!”
36
ADRIAN
The next few days were a blur of endless work. Xavier’s idea to hold the fundraiser was a brilliant one, but it meant a lot more preparation than we were used to.
Emma took the reins, and when her friend came over to help her plan everything, I trailed behind them as they walked to a cafe, my eyes searching the pedestrians for any sign of Nathan.
After a few blocks of seeing no sign of him, my attention began to wander. Specifically, it wandered to Emma’s ass. There was a chill in the air and she was wearing tight blue jeans that curved around her butt and accentuated her curves. The denim was faded down both of her legs, making them look long and thin, and she walked with the same energy I’d seen her bring to the gym.
Get it together, man, I told myself, and pulled my attention away, forcing myself to focus on a crowd of people who were waiting for a bus. To anyone who didn’t know about our situation, I must have looked like a pervert stalking two women.
