“Just don’t get all possessive and weird on me. I’m not your property.”
“How about freaky?” He leaned over her, taking her down on her back, both of them laughing as he smothered her with kisses. “Can I get freaky on you, blondie?”
She squirmed beneath him, grasping at his back as he kissed her neck. She felt something slippery beneath her fingers and said, “What is that?”
“I was getting a new tat from Tank when you texted.”
“Can I see it?”
His grin turned wolfish. “Do I get to inspect your body for tats?”
She laughed softly, realizing she’d never enjoyed a man’s company in or out of bed as much as she enjoyed Justin’s. “I can assure you that I have no tattoos.” She pushed playfully at his chest and said, “Let me see your new one.”
They sat up, and she covered her breasts, looking for her coconut bra. Justin reached for his shirt. “Here, sweets. Wear my shirt.”
“Thank you,” she said as he helped her put it on. The fabric held his scent, and as the soft cotton settled against her skin, she felt even closer to him—and a little awkward. “Does this feel weird to you?”
“You asked me that after we kissed last night, and my answer is the same. Not even a little.” His brows knitted. “Is it weird for you?”
“To be nearly naked in front of you and wearing your shirt after you just did all those dirty things to me? Yeah, a little. I like it, but it’s new. I have butterflies again, and I got all tingly just from putting on your shirt. I’m not a butterfly, tingly person.”
“I hope with me you’ll feel, and do, a lot of things you’re not used to. I’m sure we both will, because what we have is different from anything we’ve experienced in the past. It’s okay to feel all those things, Chloe. They don’t make you a weaker person, so enjoy it. Don’t overthink it.”
Once again, his sensibility calmed her.
“And you look damn hot in my shirt.”
She crossed her arms over her belly and said, “Good, because I’m going to sleep in it tonight.”
“Don’t get me thinking about you lying in your bed or I’ll end up carrying your hot little ass in there.”
She spotted her panties by their feet and pulled them on, trying not to think about Justin in her bed, and said, “We are not going there. Let me see that new ink of yours.”
“Sure, right after you tell me about this.” He touched her anklet. “I noticed you wore it to Gavin and Harper’s wedding, and last night at the beach.”
“I can’t believe you noticed that.” And she loved that he did. “Serena gave it to me right before I started college. It’s my spirit animal.”
“A dragonfly?”
“Mm-hm. When we were young, we’d take walks down by a creek near our house and there were always dragonflies flying around us. And not just one or two. We would see like eight or ten. So I looked them up online and found out they symbolized change, hope, and adaptability. They say when you see a dragonfly, it’s time to make a change.” She touched the anklet and said, “I wear it on special occasions, like the wedding, and tonight with the girls, or when I need strength to make a change, like when I started college or a new job.” She didn’t say why she’d worn it last night. Now was not the time to talk about something so dark.
“That’s fascinating. And you’ve had the same one all these years?”
“Yes. Now flip over and show me that new ink, biker boy. I’m on a voyage of discoveries tonight.”
“And what have you discovered so far?”
“That you are a very dirty talker.”
“You liked it, pretty girl, and don’t try to deny it.”
“Hush. You’ll embarrass me,” she said, nudging him onto his stomach.
He crossed his arms under his head and said, “Tank didn’t have much time to work on it before you texted, and you’ve seen my other tats.”
“I know, but I’ve never really looked at them.” They’d been to the beach with their friends many times, but when Justin was shirtless, his ink was the last thing on her mind.
What she’d felt on his back was a clear film, like Saran wrap, secured in place with tape over the new tattoo. She couldn’t tell what the tattoo was, but there was an outline of wings and something that looked like clouds behind them. Her gaze drifted away