Summer Love_ A Steamy Small Town Romance Anthology - Piper Rayne Page 0,6

a yelp.

I think she’s nervous. Or maybe horny.

I swear when I look down sometimes, the way she’s looking up at me makes me think there’s desire in her eyes, but I’m obviously delusional.

It takes a huge effort to keep my gaze on where I’m working and not the hand holding her breast. Reagan doesn’t have overly large tits but they’re the perfect size for her body. If I leaned in a bit, my tongue could slide over her nipple like she used to like. As though she can read my mind I swear she presses her thighs together and her breathing picks up.

I clear my throat and lose myself in the buzzing of the needle, forcing myself to concentrate. I want her to think of me every time she looks at this tattoo. Maybe that’s selfish because I know this is about her mom but it’s how I feel all the same.

She winces when I get to a particularly sensitive spot by her ribcage.

“Need a break?” I ask.

“Do you mind? Maybe just a minute or two?”

“Sure. You’re doing good for a first-timer.” I slide my stool back to give her room.

“Thanks.” Her body loses some of the tension.

I decide to use the opportunity to catch up with her, see if she’ll open up to me at all. “How are you doing since your mom passed?”

Her hazel eyes meet my gaze. “Not bad. Trying to move on with my life—slowly. If I’m honest, in some ways it was a relief.” Her eyes flare wide for a second like she can’t believe she said that out loud. “I know that sounds terrible, but she was suffering for so long, and watching her decline over the years was torture.” Tears well in her eyes. “So when she was finally at peace it was sad, but yeah… a relief.” She sighs. “Please don’t judge me.”

I take her small right hand, squeezing it in mine. “No judgment, honey. Never from me.”

She inhales a shuddering breath. “I haven’t told anyone that. You always were too easy to talk to. End up knowing all my secrets.” Then she gives me a sad smile and it makes me yearn for the kind of smiles she used to give me. Open and wide and full of joy.

“Good thing I don’t talk much then. Your secrets are safe with me.”

She lets a chuckle loose. Then a small laugh. And a minute later she’s full belly laughing.

“What’s so funny?” I set the needle down.

She shakes her head side to side, and it takes her a moment to compose herself. “Here I am, years after we stopped… you know. And I’m half naked holding my breast in my hand telling you things I haven’t told anyone. It’s not exactly how I thought my night would go.”

“That makes two of us.” We’re both quiet for a beat. “You good to go now?”

“I’m good.”

I pick my tattoo gun back up and lean over her to start with some blending of the colors and I feel her watching me. Though I resist as long as I can, I let my gaze wander from my work, pulling the needle up from her skin, and meeting her gaze.

Damn it, the temptation to lean down and kiss her is so great that without even meaning to, I feel myself leaning into her. Her tongue darts out and licks her bottom lip, her eyelids growing heavy. I inch forward a bit more, holding my breath. She lifts her head a bit too and then—

The bell above the door chimes and Brooklyn walks in.

I pull back and whip my head in her direction.

“Hey guys, how’s it going?” There’s a slight grin on her face.

Reagan takes longer to recover, clearing her throat before looking at her friend. “Hey, come sit over here,” she rushes out, I think in an effort to water down some of the intimacy that’d begun to form between us.

I finish her tattoo, the three of us talking, but Brooklyn doing the heavy lifting in the conversation and I say goodbye and let Reagan walk out the door at the end of it all. But not because I have no plans on pursuing her. This just isn’t the time or place, but I’ll get a plan together.

I’m tired of letting her push me away. Time I fight for her.

Chapter Five

Reagan

Sunday morning I’m lounging around my house, not doing much of anything except being lazy. It’s been a long week, what with the anniversary of my mom’s death. That,