Singe (Men of Inked Heatwave #8) - Chelle Bliss Page 0,27

hit it.

Lily: Oh.

Me: Oh?

Gigi: Oh?

Tamara: Oh?

Nick: You all need a life.

Pike: For fuck’s sake.

Me: Is this what married life is like, ’cause you’re all super lame.

Tamara: Yeah, but we all got fucked tonight. Did you?

Me: Again, TMI, asshat.

Mammoth: Who’d you fuck?

Tamara: Shut up, baby. Stop playing games.

Mammoth: Wait until the kids go to sleep. You’re getting it again.

Tamara: You making me a promise?

Me: STOP.

Gigi: Mello’s grouchy.

Nick: Blue balls are setting in.

Rocco: I don’t think he’s gone this long without getting laid in his entire life.

Me: Lies.

Rocco: In the last eleven years, what was your longest dry spell?

I know the answer to his question. It was after Carrie died. She and I were never exclusive, but losing her tore me up. I had a very brief period when I didn’t sleep with anyone because I felt dirty, like I was sullying her memory, and my head was so fucked up, I couldn’t even look at a woman without thinking of her.

Me: You guys can all fuck off.

Gigi: Imagine what he’s going to be like after a month.

Pike: He’ll never last that long.

Rocco: I’ll throw a hundred on that.

Mammoth: Me too.

Gigi: Seriously?

Nick: He can’t last a week.

Rocco: I know my brother as well as I know myself, and the only thing he loves more than pussy is a challenge.

Jo: What the actual fuck? I walk away from my phone for five minutes… I’ll put two hundred on that.

Nick: Bad bet, babe.

Rebel: Horrible bet. He was about to head out the door, and it’s been forty-eight hours.

Me: I was not.

I turn off the water and step away from the shower, cursing at them under my breath.

Lily: I’m off the phone now.

Gigi: I can’t believe how well you can text and talk.

Tamara: She’s like superwoman.

Me: What’d she say?

Rebel: He’s a goner.

Pike: Totally.

Mammoth: Done.

Me: Jesus-fucking-Christ.

Gigi: Better lock that shit down.

Me: We’re not in a relationship.

Gigi: I know. That’s why I said lock it down.

Me: It’s fake, cousin. It’s all part of Lily’s fact-finding, fix-Mello mission.

Tamara: Uh-huh.

Gigi: Feels kinda real. I can hear you panting from here.

Me:

Lily: I’m calling you.

Gigi: Me?

Tamara: Me?

Rebel: Me?

Jo: Me?

Me: I hate you all.

Rocco: Nah, man. You love us, but right now, you’re loving on Arlo the most.

Me: I don’t think it was right for Lily to put her in the middle of all this. I don’t really even know her.

Rocco: But ya want her.

I roll my eyes and my phone goes black, then Lily’s name flashes across the screen.

“Ignore them,” she says as soon as I answer. “They’re stupid.”

“What’d she say?”

“No hello. No how are you. Not even, you’re the best cousin, Lily. Just, what’d she say?”

“Lily,” I warn, my patience wearing thin.

Lily giggles. “Someone’s not chill about this. I see she left an impression on you.”

“I saw her tits. Of course she did.”

“What the hell were you two doing in there with both of your shirts off?”

“She wanted to see my dragon.”

“Carmello.”

“The one on my back, goofball. I showed her, and she asked me to keep my shirt off. I can’t help that she wants to stare at something beautiful. Now, what did she say?”

Lily’s chuckle doesn’t escape me. She’s loving this and does nothing to hide her sheer enjoyment of my misery. “She only had good things to say, cousin.”

“You’re not giving me much, babe.”

“I know.” I can practically hear her smile on the other end of the phone. “She didn’t say much. She said she was going to call you and that time got away from her. She wanted to make sure you were still a go.”

My stomach flutters, and I’m instantly turned into a pubescent teenage girl. “I’m a go. Totally a go.”

“I’m glad she called. I was worried that you’d somehow offended her. Figured if you were a complete douche, she wouldn’t want to move forward.”

“But she wants to, yeah? I may only think with my dick sometimes, but I’m never a douche.”

“I bet there’re some women out there who would disagree,” Lily tells me. “Anyway, she’s going to call. She just wanted some more info on caring for her tattoo. Her skin is tender.”

“As it would be,” I reply, knowing the soreness after having more than a few hours under the gun on my own ribs.

“She’s just been lying low, letting herself heal. But tonight, she’s feeling better and wanted to touch base with you.”

“Lily,” I whisper and swallow.

“Yeah, Mello?”

“I don’t like where this is going,” I admit, collapsing back onto my bed.

“Why?” she asks, sounding all innocent.

“You’re both playing me, and