He didn’t know why or how, but he got the impression her heart had leaped into her throat. His had. Or maybe he was just fucking delusional where she was concerned. Nonetheless, he returned what smile she managed for him.
Kelsey and Candace rushed into a hug, both trilling with delight at seeing each other. Macy greeted Kelsey and Evan warmly, but Ghost didn’t miss her gaze sliding over to him every few seconds. Because he couldn’t stop looking at her.
Her cheeks, all flushed with the bite of cold. He remembered them flushed from arousal. Her bright hazel eyes—maybe he’d put the light there; it hadn’t been there the first night he’d seen her before their interlude in his car.
She was one of those girls who remarkably had a different hairstyle every time he saw her. Sometimes curly, sometimes long and sleek, sometimes in a variety of stylishly sloppy updos. Tonight it was simple—one dark sweep tucked behind both ears under her off-white knit cap. Her ears were slightly pink too, and what he wouldn’t give to take her home and warm her up…
Goddamn, she was out of his league.
“He was talking so sweet about you just now,” Kelsey said as Candace moved to Brian’s side and handed him the cup she’d brought in from across the street.
“Was he? He can be pretty sweet when he wants to be.”
Brian sipped his coffee and hugged his girlfriend to his side. “I might keep her around for a while. As long as she acts right and doesn’t give me too much lip. She’s all right to look at, you know.”
Candace smacked him on the chest. “So nice to know I’m wanted.”
“Weren’t you thinking of getting your master’s and going for the LPC, Candace?” Evan asked. “There you go, Brian. You said you needed a counselor in the parlor. You’d have one.”
The others laughed, but all at once, the atmosphere seemed to shift. Candace became very interested in the remaining contents of her drink, and Brian dropped his arm from her shoulders and promptly rubbed the back of his neck. Ghost cocked an eyebrow. Brian had hinted at a little bit of stress regarding Candace’s future career goals, but he got the feeling now that Evan had just inadvertently dropped a major shit bomb right between them.
“I’m exploring options,” she said carefully and looked up at Brian. He smiled at her, and the weirdness seemed to evaporate somewhat.
Ghost made a mental note to take Brian out for some one-on-one time.
As the lovey banter was resuscitated, he kept trying to figure out how in the hell he could get Macy off to the side without becoming a part of it all. His chance came when Brian decided he wanted to show everyone what he was working on. For all her hang-ups about ink and piercings, Macy loved to look at the artwork, so she followed the group. Ghost fell into step right on her heels. She was wearing some of those jeans with bling on the ass. As if he needed more reason to look there.
The sight had so captivated him that he almost missed it when Candace poked him in the arm as they all filed into the back room where they drew up designs. “I didn’t know you were coming in tonight.”
Macy glanced at him, smiled and ducked her head.
“Just hanging out,” he said. “Thought I’d ruin Brian’s night.”
But flippancy was futile. He swallowed around the tightness in his throat as Macy moved beside him and her familiar scent filled his nostrils. Christ, she smelled so good. He wanted to pin her against the wall right here, breathe his fill.
The others engaged in chatter around him, giving Brian their compliments and opinions on this and that, but Ghost was concentrating too hard on not tenting the front of his pants to care much about what was being said.
“Have you changed your mind yet?” he asked Macy, damn near desperate to have that hazel gaze on him again.
Her delicate eyebrows dipped low as she looked at him. “About?”
“Miss ‘I’ll Never Get a Tattoo’.”
“Oh.” She laughed. “No, nothing will ever change my mind. Not that these aren’t beautiful.” She pointed to an elaborate floral design. “Especially that one.”
“That’s one of mine.”
“Really?”
“He does have rare moments when he doesn’t suck,” Brian said.
“Shut up before I rip the metal out of your face.”
“How rude!” Candace cried. Ghost didn’t miss the little glance she exchanged with Macy. “Come on, guys, let’s go back up front. Bri, I need