Bad Boy Ink (Get Ink'd #5) - Ali Lyda Page 0,53

crew. The intensity of the sex from the weekend felt dangerously close to actual intimacy.

That wasn't the kind of thing you bragged about.

Especially when you didn’t know how you felt about intimacy like that.

Setting up my station with a breeze. I felt fucking great. The largest stressor in my life had been Aiden and now he was one of the highlights. In fact, after this tattoo, I hoped he'd be free to spend more time together.

The door chimed and Eryk walked in. Now that I knew why he was hanging out so often, it didn't bother me to see him. He was learning how to fit in with the crew so that when I left—if I left—the transition would be seamless.

My chest constricted at that thought. I wanted the job at the FBI more than anything, but how often did someone find another job with coworkers like mine? How often did work feel more like fun with family than a job for money?

Reagan hadn't just given me a job. He's given me a home and it was going to be difficult to leave it.

Still, change didn't have to be a bad thing. And Eryk was talented enough to uphold Get Ink’d’s reputation.

Because Erykah’s station was right next to mine, it made sense that Eryk came over to us first. He walked right past his sister though, leaning on the chair at my station and giving me an appraising look that hid none of his intentions.

“Looking good today, Bryce,” he offered. “You’re practically glowing. You must have had one helluva weekend.”

He had no idea. Aiden’s body was just like that song, a goddamned wonderland, and I’d spent most of my waking hours exploring it. “It was invigorating, I’ll give you that.”

“Look, I'm just going to put this out there,” Eryk said. “You’re fine as hell. My apartment is just around the block and I'd love to show it to you later. It'll be a short tour that can end in bed, and maybe you can share some of that invigoration with me.”

Now, I appreciated a man who knew what he wanted. This was just the sort of come-on that would have been right up my alley before. After all, all the cards were on the table from the beginning, which meant not muddling through misunderstandings after.

But I felt no desire to hook up with Eryk. I coughed and rubbed the back of my neck, prepared to tell him no.

He must have seen what was coming because he arched an eyebrow and said, “Don't tell me you aren't interested. The guys have filled me in enough about you to know that you're down for a good time and that's all I'm offering, a good time. There doesn't have to be strings or complications, okay?”

What struck me harder than his offer was the idea that the crew had given the impression that I was easy. I knew that they teased me about how flirtatious I was. But I truly thought that they understood that was just a part of my personality and not something serious.

In all the time that I had worked at Get Ink’d, I hadn't hooked up with that many guys. Compared to guys like Dane and Mateo (before they'd met the loves of their lives), my numbers were staggeringly low.

Bryan was glaring daggers at Eryk and I assumed that at some point Aiden filled him in on the connection we’d made over the weekend. Before he could say something that would turn the situation muddier than it already was, I shrugged and offered a placating look.

“I'm flattered as hell, man. To have someone as hot as you come on to me? Definitely stroking the ego. But I feel I need to address what I now see as a clear misconception held by my coworkers. I'm an extrovert. Being around people feeds my energy. But I'm also affected by their moods. So if I'm going to spend a lot of time around people, it’s in my best interest to make sure they feel good and happy. That doesn't mean I have sex with them.”

I took a deep breath, aware that everyone's eyes were on me, feeling as if I had a bird trapped in my chest. Including several clients who had no idea what the fuck was going on. Oh, well, I thought.

“I might be a flirt, but I don't sleep around a lot. That's not how I envisioned my life. Like a lot of people, I'm actually looking for something