I don’t kiss her again soon I swear I’m going to die .
Yeah, that’d go over real well.
“I’ll stay if you want me to, Lina.”
“I really don’t care what you do, Kyle.”
She didn’t care? Is that why her voice faltered? Or why her eyes filled with moisture before she could turn away and hide them?
In that moment, he wanted to whip that sheet off her ass and give her a good spanking for lying to him like that. But even more, he wanted to spend the next several hours kissing it until the sting went away.
Lina’s breath hitched suddenly and Tiny mumbled “sorry”, patting a cloth against the rapidly welling blood on her ass. Kyle let his eyes travel down her back to where her entire right flank was now exposed. Sweet Jesus .
Kyle met Tiny’s eyes and gave him a look that could have killed him on the spot. “You’re finished now,” he said, his voice low and deadly.
For several long moments, Kyle was afraid Tiny was going to disagree. They faced off over Lina’s prone body, but Kyle refused to back down. Luckily, Tiny heaved a sigh and said, “Yeah. Yeah, I’m done for today.”
Thank God Lina didn’t argue. Tiny cleaned off her back with soap and water, spread a thin layer of ointment over the new ink, then covered the design with clear plastic wrap.
“Take this off as soon as you get home,” Tiny advised. “Let your skin breathe for a couple of hours. Give it a quick wash with anti-bacterial soap – the unscented kind – and cool or tepid water only.”
Without a word, she eased off the chair and began to get dressed. Kyle refused to look in her direction until she was brushing past him.
Tiny gave her a jar after-care lotion. “Thin coat, three to five times a day. Loose fitting clothes, and no bras for a week, got it?”
Lina nodded in acknowledgement, and Kyle walked her out. Kim told Lina to call for her next appointment, and Lina promised she would. The hell she would , Kyle thought. She was not coming back here again if he had anything to say about it, not unless he was right there beside her, holding her hand and keeping the fucking yahoos at bay.
Kyle followed her out of the shop like a two hundred and twenty pound lovesick puppy. The loose-fitting, shapeless dress did nothing to minimize how sexy she was. Even the slightest breeze conspired with her natural, graceful movements to hint at the lush curves beneath the light fabric. Christ, she’d look hot in a garbage bag.
As much to distract himself than anything else, Kyle plucked the jar from her hand and read the directions, though he was already quite familiar with them. “How are you going to get this on?”
“I’ll manage,” she said without looking at him.
“What about Jamie?” he asked through clenched teeth.
“What about him?” she practically spat back.
“I’m sure he’d like to - ”
“No. Just...no.” She snatched the salve back and hastened her pace, as if she thought to increase the distance between them. His much longer stride made it a futile effort.
What the hell was going on with her and his brother? Were they on the outs? He heard Lina’s voice in his mind, the same echo he’d been hearing as part of a constant loop: “If I had any sense at all I’d be crazy about him. But it appears that I have no sense whatsoever.”
Those words were the ones that kept him up at night. The ones that kept him from walking away completely. Because if they meant what he thought they did, then there was no reason to keep fighting this insane attraction between them, right?
He wasn’t an idiot. He knew it was just a case of wanting what he couldn’t have, a craving for the forbidden fruit. But if she and Jamie were done – hell, if they were taking a break – then maybe he could finally get his taste, satisfy his craving, and move on.
And until then, if Lina thought for one minute someone else was going to be touching that golden skin, she had another thing coming.
Decision made, Kyle said, “I
Yeah, that’d go over real well.
“I’ll stay if you want me to, Lina.”
“I really don’t care what you do, Kyle.”
She didn’t care? Is that why her voice faltered? Or why her eyes filled with moisture before she could turn away and hide them?
In that moment, he wanted to whip that sheet off her ass and give her a good spanking for lying to him like that. But even more, he wanted to spend the next several hours kissing it until the sting went away.
Lina’s breath hitched suddenly and Tiny mumbled “sorry”, patting a cloth against the rapidly welling blood on her ass. Kyle let his eyes travel down her back to where her entire right flank was now exposed. Sweet Jesus .
Kyle met Tiny’s eyes and gave him a look that could have killed him on the spot. “You’re finished now,” he said, his voice low and deadly.
For several long moments, Kyle was afraid Tiny was going to disagree. They faced off over Lina’s prone body, but Kyle refused to back down. Luckily, Tiny heaved a sigh and said, “Yeah. Yeah, I’m done for today.”
Thank God Lina didn’t argue. Tiny cleaned off her back with soap and water, spread a thin layer of ointment over the new ink, then covered the design with clear plastic wrap.
“Take this off as soon as you get home,” Tiny advised. “Let your skin breathe for a couple of hours. Give it a quick wash with anti-bacterial soap – the unscented kind – and cool or tepid water only.”
Without a word, she eased off the chair and began to get dressed. Kyle refused to look in her direction until she was brushing past him.
Tiny gave her a jar after-care lotion. “Thin coat, three to five times a day. Loose fitting clothes, and no bras for a week, got it?”
Lina nodded in acknowledgement, and Kyle walked her out. Kim told Lina to call for her next appointment, and Lina promised she would. The hell she would , Kyle thought. She was not coming back here again if he had anything to say about it, not unless he was right there beside her, holding her hand and keeping the fucking yahoos at bay.
Kyle followed her out of the shop like a two hundred and twenty pound lovesick puppy. The loose-fitting, shapeless dress did nothing to minimize how sexy she was. Even the slightest breeze conspired with her natural, graceful movements to hint at the lush curves beneath the light fabric. Christ, she’d look hot in a garbage bag.
As much to distract himself than anything else, Kyle plucked the jar from her hand and read the directions, though he was already quite familiar with them. “How are you going to get this on?”
“I’ll manage,” she said without looking at him.
“What about Jamie?” he asked through clenched teeth.
“What about him?” she practically spat back.
“I’m sure he’d like to - ”
“No. Just...no.” She snatched the salve back and hastened her pace, as if she thought to increase the distance between them. His much longer stride made it a futile effort.
What the hell was going on with her and his brother? Were they on the outs? He heard Lina’s voice in his mind, the same echo he’d been hearing as part of a constant loop: “If I had any sense at all I’d be crazy about him. But it appears that I have no sense whatsoever.”
Those words were the ones that kept him up at night. The ones that kept him from walking away completely. Because if they meant what he thought they did, then there was no reason to keep fighting this insane attraction between them, right?
He wasn’t an idiot. He knew it was just a case of wanting what he couldn’t have, a craving for the forbidden fruit. But if she and Jamie were done – hell, if they were taking a break – then maybe he could finally get his taste, satisfy his craving, and move on.
And until then, if Lina thought for one minute someone else was going to be touching that golden skin, she had another thing coming.
Decision made, Kyle said, “I
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