She stares at me before bursting into laughter. “She can’t be broken.”
“She’s never met me. Not the real me, anyway,” I tell her, touching my chest, knowing my abilities and how easily I’ve charmed members of the opposite sex.
“This is going to be the most entertaining thing to watch,” Gigi replies.
“Mello!” Lily yells from the front of the shop. “Come here.”
Gigi’s eyebrows rise, and her smile gets even bigger. “And so it begins.”
I tip my head back, staring up at the ceiling, and say another prayer.
“What the fuck are you praying about again?”
“That she’s ugly as sin or has bad breath. Something that’s going to make this the easiest month of my life.”
Gigi chuckles, shaking her head. “You’re shit out of luck, buddy.”
“Fuck,” I hiss, moving away from my station and heading toward Lily and the mystery woman. “I hate you all.”
I give her a middle finger over my shoulder, not bothering to look back at her because she’s loving this shit as much as Lily.
The girl’s back is to me as I step into the customer waiting area, so all I see is long brown hair, long thin legs, and nothing in particular that makes her so freaking special.
But then she turns around.
“Mello, you two have already met, but just in case you forgot, this is…”
The world slows down the moment our eyes collide.
“Arlo?” I whisper, feeling like someone gut punched me.
“Hey, Mello,” Arlo says, her voice sweet and seductive. She lifts one hand, brushing her long dark hair over one shoulder in the sexiest way. “It’s great to see you again.”
Her voice wraps around me, making it hard to breathe.
This isn’t good.
Not good at all.
Get your shit together, man.
She’s only a woman. An extremely hot woman, but still a woman. One I am never going to sleep with. I am an experiment to her and my cousin. A pet project…nothing more.
“It’s been a while. I didn’t know you became friends with my cousin.”
“We’ve been hanging out.”
“We’ve all been hanging out,” Lily adds. “We go out every few weeks for ‘book club.’”
“No one told me that,” I whisper.
“You were on a need-to-know basis, and you didn’t need to know. It’s not like you were going to come to book club,” Lily says.
“I may have,” I lie, but I stare at Arlo, soaking in her beautiful eyes and dark hair. She’s just as stunning as she was the last time I saw her.
“Lily said you were the best tattoo artist at the shop, and since she wanted me to work with you on the other thing, I figured I’d get a tattoo in the process.”
“Ah, right. The other thing. I’m going to warn you now. I love a good challenge.”
“Me too.” Her smile morphs into a smirk. “But this is more of a learning opportunity than a challenge. I’m not here to push your boundaries.”
“Push or cross any boundaries you want, sweetheart. I’m yours for a month.”
“It’s going to be fun,” she says, and I have no doubt it will be. “I needed a project and a little excitement, and when Lily told me about your issue, I thought I could help. You saved me twice, and now it’s my turn to return the favor.”
“I have no issues,” I tell Arlo, but I’m staring at my cousin when I speak. “Not wanting to settle down is not a disease or a weakness. It’s a lifestyle choice and not something that needs to be fixed.”
“Sure, Carmello. I’m not here to fix you. I’m just a keen observer. But today, it’s all about my tattoo consult and laying the groundwork for the next month.”
My eyes finally wander, taking her all in, and goddamn, do I love every bit of her. “Where do you want to get the tattoo?” I ask, going back into business mode.
She runs her hand down under her breast to the top of her hip over her ribs. “Right here.”
Naturally, she wants it on a part of her body where I have to navigate around her breasts and tons of exposed skin. Of course, she couldn’t pick the top of her foot or her wrist to keep shit easy and basic.
“What do you want…a flower?” I ask, knowing she totally looks like she’d have something beautiful and delicate like a flower.
“A dragon,” she says softly.
I blink. “A dragon?” I ask, thinking I heard her wrong.