Page 74 of Ink & Desire
“Right.”
Chapter 29
Avery
Saturday is busier than usual. Noah and Corbin are both booked solid, and Jessie has her hands full with scheduled clients as well as walk-ins. And since tomorrow is a rare day when the shop is closed for a scheduled personal staff day, Jessie isn't turning anyone away. She hasn’t brought up our conversation from last night, and I’m grateful for that. Nothingabout her behavior hints that she knows about me and Corbin. If she hadn’t told me she knew, I wouldn’t suspect it. I wonder if I should tell Corbin about our conversation, but I don’t have a lot of time to worry about it today with all the calls coming in, plus the clients keeping me busy.
Eventually, I forward the phone calls to the answering service so I can focus on what’s happening in the shop. When Corbin’s afternoon session runs long and his next client shows up early, I’m forced to entertain the man until Corbin finishes. Then, I help him clean and set up for the next client. I see him flexing his fingers and stretching his wrists and I wonder if he’s hurting. If so, he doesn’t mention it.
I mostly watch while he works on his last client, admiring his skill and the intricacy of the design. The way he’s able to make the image come to life on the client’s skin is a skill I can only hope to possess one day. I’ve been practicing on fake skin with a machine I ordered online. It’s harder than I thought to control the depth of the needles and keep a steady hand while creating a decent image. My first few tries turned out terrible. But Corbin showed me some tricks to help me. After a while I got used to the feel of the machine in my hand and working with a new canvas. My tattoos are still a long way from being good enough for a person, but it’s progress. I know it’s different from real human skin, but it’s the closest I can get for now.
When Corbin finishes his last client and cleans the finished tattoo, I can see from the client’s face that she’sthrilled. He directs her to the mirror so she can admire her new artwork.
“What are you doing later?”
I blink and turn back to look at Corbin. His words had been low, spoken for me alone. The client is a few feet away; far enough that she wouldn’t have heard him.
“Nothing,” I say, matching his low tone. “Ordering take-out for dinner so I can eat it on the couch without pants.”
He grins, his dark gaze tracking down over my body and back up to my face. “That sounds tempting,” he murmurs. “I wouldn’t mind seeing that.”
Is he asking to join me for dinner? That’s not part of our arrangement. He’s always told me it’s just sex. This thing between us is purely physical. It’s not a relationship. Spending time together that way is only going to muddy the waters. My stupid heart is already threatening to become involved. I don’t need to see another side of Corbin that will push me even closer to having feelings for him. But none of that seems to matter. None of the sensible, smart, rational reasons I should tell him no seem to matter when I look at him. Because somehow, I find myself smiling up at him.
The client returns for Corbin to wrap her upper arm, putting a halt to our quiet conversation for the time being. I wait until she’s gone, and Corbin and I are alone at his station, wiping everything down.
“You want to join me?” I ask. “For dinner, I mean.”
Some unnamed emotion crosses his face. It’s there for less than a second before it’s replaced with a playful grin.
“Any excuse to get you out of your pants.”
I tamp down the hint of disappointment at his words. Of course, he’s thinking of this as a sexual thing. I’m the only one reading more into it. He’s sticking to the rules.
“You know you don’t need any excuses for that,” I say, injecting a teasing tone into my words.
“Why don’t you come by my place?” he says. “I’ll get you out of those pants. Afterwards, we can order food. Since we don't need to be here tomorrow, we can spend as much time naked as we want.”
Part of me recognizes that this is dangerous territory. But the rest of me just wants to spend time with Corbin. No matter how many times I try to tell myself that this is just about sex, I can’t seem to help myself. I like this man. I know I shouldn’t, but I do.
“Okay,” I say with a smile. “But I want dessert too.”
Corbin just grins. “Deal.”
I follow Corbin’s black muscle car as he drives to his apartment. Until now we’ve always gone back to my place. Or we’ve had quickies in the shop after everyone leaves for the night. The fact that this is the first timeCorbin has invited me to his apartment isn’t lost on me. I try to tell myself that it doesn’t mean anything. It’s not like we’re dating. It’s just another chance to get each other naked, which I’m very much in favor of.
I park in front of the building and Corbin leads me to the front door with his hand on my lower back. We don’t speak as we take the elevator to his apartment on the 4thfloor. I sneak glances up at him as we walk down the hall. He’s so hard to read. I desperately want to know what he’s thinking, but I know I can’t ask. That’s not the kind of relationship we have.
He opens the door and holds it open for me. Before me is a large, open area with high ceilings and light-colored walls. On the opposite side of the room is a large window that takes up most of the wall. There’s a hallway to the right that I assume leads to the bedrooms. I take it all in, letting my gaze roam over the neat living room that holds a comfortable-looking couch and a large television. The kitchen is small but uncluttered. I turn back to face Corbin. He’s looking around the room as if trying to see it through my eyes. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he looks nervous, but that doesn’t make sense. I shoot him a grin.
“Dinner now or later?”
His gaze lands on me and I watch as my meaning becomes clear. He takes a step toward me, hooking a finger into one of my beltloops to pull me against him.
“Later,” he murmurs, lowering his head to kiss me.
His kiss hits me just as hard as it had the first time. He’s like a drug that I can’t get enough of. Everykiss makes me want more. It’s never enough. I have the fleeting thought that it’s never going to be enough. I’m never going to get enough of him.
Corbin leads me down the short hallway and pushes open the door at the end. It’s his bedroom, but I don’t take the time to notice much beyond the bed. He stops kissing me long enough to take my small purse from me and toss it onto the dresser. Then he’s touching me again, kissing me again. His hands move leisurely over my body, stoking the fire inside me higher with every little touch. We’re normally tearing each other’s clothes off by now, but tonight he seems content to take his time. His mouth lingers on mine, each kiss making me want him just a little more. His hands come up to cradle my face, holding me gently but firmly. I let myself get lost in the feel of him; his lips, his hands on me, his warm body pressed against mine. I have another fleeting thought that I never want to stop kissing this man.