Rule (Marked Men #1)(68)

“No. You don’t trust me?”

“Most of the time I do.”

“Why not all the time?” We stopped at the front of the Victorian and I moved my hands from his shoulders to the back of his neck which made his hood fall off.

“Because I’ve never trusted anyone all the time. It’s the people I care about the most that always seem to do the most damage.”

“I’m not going to be one of those people Shaw.” If only he knew how bad it had hurt my heart each time I had to see him with one of his conquests he wouldn’t be saying that. I forced a small smile and brushed my fingers over the soft black hair starting to grow on his head.

“I hope not.”

He just shook his head and hauled me inside because it was way too cold to keep messing around outside. He shrugged out of his coat and hoodie while motioning for me to hand my stuff over. “Nash has a date tonight so he won’t be home until later if at all.” He disappeared down the hall to drop his armful in his room and came back on the phone with the pizza place. I took down a couple plates and handed him a beer while looking in a futile attempt to see if the boys had anything in the fridge to make a salad with. I needed to get some normal food in this place if I was going to keep spending time here or I was going to end up the size of a baby hippo.

“I think he’s probably done with having me around in the man-zone. I know Ayden mentioned that she almost got an eyeful while you were over this morning. They’re undoubtedly sick of us.”

He laughed and took a chug out of the beer bottle. “I didn’t mean to surprise Ayden this morning but I thought she was gone. I didn’t know she just went running.”

“Yeah she goes every morning and it’s not like she was complaining in fact she complimented the view.”

He snorted. “Nash doesn’t mind having you here he likes that you actually cook and that we don’t have to get delivery or bring stuff home every single night. Plus you smell good and always pick up the random stuff we leave laying around. If having you here got on his nerves he would say something to me and more than likely to you as well. He has no problem letting Rome know when he has over stayed his welcome.”

I leaned back against the counter and twisted the cap off a bottle of water. “So Cora was telling me all about your ink bunnies or tattoo trollops as she calls them. I had no idea just how far your appeal reached. Girls got work that they aren’t going to love in ten years just to spend time with you. That’s pretty crazy.”

“Cora has a big mouth and exaggerates but getting tattooed is pretty intimate no matter who the client is. When they leave they’re leaving with something you put on their skin forever. They trust you to capture their vision and execute it perfectly so sometimes that means you have to invest in them as a person to some degree. Some girl’s especially younger ones get really wrapped up in the process and turn it into more than it is. I have my fair share of clients that have little crushes on me, that come back for work not because I’m awesome but because they want to spend time in the setting but it’s my job so I keep it professional. I’m not going to lie I’ve hooked up with a client or two but never after work or never while I was in the process of doing a piece. Sex and work don’t belong in the same place.”

I sucked back some of the water and mulled that over for a minute. “Does it bother you that I don’t look like the typical girls you find attractive?”

“What in the hell are you talking about?”

I hopped up on the counter and let my legs dangle. I tapped the tip of my nails on the tiled surface and cocked my head to the side while I studied him closely. “I don’t have tattoos or piercings. I don’t have sex hair or wear clothes that are impossible to breathe in, I’m just you know, a normal girl and I’ve seen enough, been around enough of your morning after’s to know that I’m not what you typically gravitate towards and I just wonder if when you look at me you wonder if I could look better if I looked different. Looked more like you and your crew.”

He put the beer down on the dining room table and locked eyes with me while he stalked towards me. Before that would have made me nervous and panicky but now it made me get all warm and breathless. He didn’t stop until he was pressed right up against me, between my legs with our hips aligned in a perfect position to make me forget my own name.

“When I look at you I don’t see anything but you and Shaw, you are perfect. I don’t care what color your hair is, if you’re pale or tan, if you have makeup on or just woke up all I care about is that when I look at you, you always look back and see me. You’re beautiful inside and out and if you wanted to tattoo all that pretty white skin from head to toe I would be honored to put it there for you but if not I’ll take you all smooth and milky white any chance I get.”

It was heart wrenchingly romantic. It was the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever said to me and I was about to go all weepy female on him and blubber out how wonderful everything he said was and how much he meant to me, well either that or I was going to yank his clothes off and have at him right there in the kitchen. I was waffling between the two reactions when the doorbell rang and shattered the mood. He pushed away from me and went to collect dinner. I took a minute to get my composure back. The boy was potent all right and I planned to enjoy every single minute that it was directed at me.