Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 61100 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61100 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
“I want to do the same for you,” she explains.
“Not here.” I bring her hands up to my lips and press kisses onto her knuckles, one at a time. When I release them, she leans into my chest, resting her head there, sliding her hands around my sides, melding herself to my body.
I enjoyed this spot when I was here before, but having Rose with me takes it to another level. It has me thinking of all of the other places I’d like to take her and things I’d like to do with her—camping in the mountains, a bonfire on the beach, exploring little out of the way towns, and going wherever the day takes us.
I didn’t realize I’d been missing companionship, but apparently that’s the case.
We sit joined together for quite a while, until I realize the air’s grown cooler and Rose might be cold on the ride back. “Are you ready to go?” I rub my hand down her back in long strokes.
“I guess so, though I’m so comfortable I could almost fall asleep.”
That’s another thing that would be enjoyable, sleeping with Rose in my arms.
After giving her another kiss, I help her put her helmet on, and we head back to the island. At the shop, I offer her something to drink, but she declines.
“I’d better get home,” she says. “I had a wonderful time. Thank you.”
“I’ll take you for a ride anytime you want.” I pull her back into my arms and give her a kiss intended to let her know how much I enjoyed her company.
As she kisses me back, I’m tempted to tug her into the shop and have my way with her, but I hold back, and when she looks at me, there’s something in her eyes that makes me glad I do.
She’s so appealing, more so than any woman I’ve met in a long time, but it wouldn’t be fair of me to get involved with her when I have plans to leave.
There’s a vulnerability to her that needs to be cherished and protected. The last thing I want to do is break her heart, or even bruise it.
The ironic thing is that I want to go out west for the big skies and bright sun, but Rose herself is like the sun, lighting up our lives with her smile every time she’s around.
19
ROSE
Fifteen minutes after I get home and past Patrick and his questions, my phone buzzes with a text.
“Did you make it home okay?”
“We live on a small island,” I tease in my reply. “What do you think will happen to me between your shop and my house?”
“Just checking. There are a lot of bad people out there.”
“There are more good people than bad,” I type, something I strongly believe, though I understand how people can forget to see things this way.
“Maybe so,” Mace responds. “Have a good night, Rose.”
“You too. Goodnight.”
When I’m about to climb into bed, I get another alert. It’s Christian this time. “Want to go to dinner with me on your next night off?” he asks.
“Just you?”
“Just me.”
“Sure,” I reply, wondering why the men are inviting me out separately when I had so much fun with them together. But I’m not going to question it. It’s all good, honestly.
It was nice getting to know Mace better tonight, and I probably wouldn’t have been able to talk with him as much if the other men were around.
The next day, I’m anticipating their coffee order, but it doesn’t come. Instead, Hutch sends a text, saying that they’re busy with clients now, and asking if I can stop by after work. He asks me to call him to let him know, and I have to smile at the generational difference. I almost never phone anyone.
Of course, maybe he doesn’t like texting because his fingers are so big, and now here I am thinking about the size of his hands and what those hands can do to me.
When I’m able to take a break, I step outside to make the call so I won’t be overheard. The line rings a few times, and just when I think it’s about to go to voicemail, Hutch’s voice comes on. “Hello, beautiful.”
“Hi, handsome.” I imagine him grinning, and the thought makes my silly smile grow wider.
“Sorry we didn’t put in a coffee order today. All of us were in the middle of big projects, and we couldn’t spare the time.”
“It’s okay,” I say, as I wonder if he has any idea how disappointing it is for me not to see them. I’m becoming as dependent on getting my daily fix of handsome tattoo artists as most of our customers are on their morning jolt of caffeine.
“Can you stop by when you get off work?”
I lean against the side of the building, wishing I could hang up my apron right now and head straight to Brothers in Ink just to sit there and watch them work. “I can, but I have a shift at Club Red tonight,” I tell him. “I need to eat dinner between the two jobs.”