best ones.
I casually reach for her hand, clasping my warm palm against the softness of her pink glove. My fingers wrap around her tiny hand and I realize how petite she is. How will she handle my unorthodox sexual tastes? My eyes flick over and notice her nervously chewing on her bottom lip. I squeeze her hand and she glances at me. Our eyes lock. “Relax, Lana. We’re just two friends enjoying each other's company.” She nods, looking forward. I give her hand another squeeze. “For now.”
I purchase hot chocolate for both of us; hers with a mountain of whipped cream, mine with mini marshmallows scattered across top of the steaming surface. She declined the piece of apple pie I tried to get for her.
We settle into a booth near the back of the cafe.
“Tell me about your life in Seattle.” I study her.
As my words register, her eyes show a flicker of panic. It’s gone in a second, so brief, I wonder if I’ve imagined it.
“There’s not much to tell.” She blows on her hot chocolate before taking the first sip. When she lowers the mug, there’s whipped cream just above her upper lip and I fight the urge to lean forward and lick it off.
I shake my head. “I don’t believe that. I find you fascinating, and I’m a great judge of character.” I sip on my hot chocolate and gaze at her over the top of the mug. “Who’s Christopher?” I ask moving in for the kill. I’m sick of wondering. I need to know what I’m dealing with so I can adjust my plan if need be.
She places her mug down on the table with a clatter, closing her eyes for a moment. I can tell she was thrown off by my question.
“He’s my ex-boyfriend.” Her eyes open, darting away from me, staring off into the distance.
“Were you together for long?” I hold my breath waiting for her to answer. I want her to say no. I want this guy to be an insignificant part of her past.
She chews on her lower lip. “We were together for two years and engaged to be married.”
Fuck. It’s worse than I thought. She was in love with this guy, probably still is.
“Why did you break up?” I ask, cupping the warm mug in my hand.
Her gaze meets mine and I can see so much pain reflected there. I want to do whatever I can to take it all away.
“He left me. I wasn’t enough to keep him.” Her eyes shine with unshed tears before one falls, trailing slowly down her cheek.
“He was an idiot to walk away from you.” She shakes her head and wipes her cheek. “If I had a girl like you, I’d never let her go. I’d be glued to her side day and night, closer than a stalker.” She giggles and I smile, happy knowing I made her laugh.
We sip on our hot chocolate in silence for a few minutes. I can feel her eyes burning into my profile as I stare toward the front of the cafe. I caught a flash of long blonde hair and thought it might be Kyle McKenzie’s girlfriend, Janny, but it’s not.
When I swing my head back our eyes meet and she flushes, knowing she’s been caught staring.
“What’s your brother do for work?” I act as though I didn’t see her studying me.
“He’s a tattoo artist.” She plays with the spoon on the table. “He does incredible work.”
“Do you have any tattoos?” I ask, already suspecting the answer.
She shakes her head. “No, I always wanted one, but…” she trails off before chewing nervously on her bottom lip.
“But what?” I prod her, cocking an eyebrow.
She sighs. “Christopher said my skin was beautiful and didn’t need any decoration.” She glances at me.
I keep my expression impassive. I don’t want her to shut this conversation down, no matter how much I’m seething inside at hearing her utter his name.
“He said he had enough for both of us,” she continues explaining, a small smile playing around the edges of her pink lips. Thinking about him makes her happy. Fuck.
“Do you have any tattoos?” she asks.
“I do. I have a bunch, but they’re all above the elbow. I couldn’t really work in the field I did and be too inked up. There’s a stigma that goes along with having them and I wanted to be successful. I never got one where anyone in my professional life could see it. Now I’m a man of