Page 65 of Fractured Mind
The second girl standing near Levi approaches Roman, gently tracing her fingers along his arm, prompting him to openhis arms and welcome her. Her face lights up, and she takes a seat in his lap.
“Will there be any spare rooms?” one of girls on Levi’s lap asks in an over-the-top flirty voice.
I clutch my hands together firmly while waiting for an answer, because if they move in, I’m out.
“Only family, sorry girls,” Levi tells them.
My heart is in my ears while a blanket of relief covers me. The other girls, except Ruby, do not share the same sentiment, as they are all pouting.
“You can always stay the night in my bed.” His voice is thick with seduction, and the girls eat it up. Their pouts transform into smiles while they flutter their oversized eyelashes at him.
Maree leans forward, her arms pushing her boobs together as she speaks. “What are all of you doing after school finishes?”
I harden my gaze at her. Who’s she trying to sleep with now? The guys sounded like they wanted nothing to do with her.
Levi answers as he points around the table. “Ruby wants to be an author, so she’s applying to do an English degree.”
“How do you know?” Ruby asks, sounding surprised.
Without missing a beat, Levi says, “She probably wants to write one of those BDSM porn books that women read.”
Ruby groans. “Someone hit him for me.”
Levi looks at Ashton and me. “These two are opening a gym.”
My brows hit my hairline at the news. Ruby swings to face me, her mouth agape. “You never told me.”
We haven’t discussed it in detail, but I’m proud Ashton wants to use his skills to do something productive and I’m happy to help him.
“You never told me you were planning to be an author either.”
“As I was saying,” Levi cuts in while mock glaring at us. “Jackson was offered a tattoo apprenticeship.”
My eyes flick to Jackson. “Wow!”
He presses his lips together and his eyes harden.
“What?” Levi asks, oblivious to why Jackson is annoyed with him. I get the impression Jackson doesn’t want people knowing his business.
“Can you tattoo me?” I blurt out.
Jackson’s head inches back, then he lazily shrugs his shoulder. “I guess so.”
“I’m reminding you now,” Ruby says with a smirk. “Jackson will be anapprentice.” Jackson’s eyes narrow at Ruby, but she grins back at him. “Settle down. We all know you’ll be amazing at it.” She looks at me. “What are you thinking about getting?”
Ashton’s face draws closer to my shoulder, like he’s keen to hear the answer.
“A couple of small ones like a simple sunrise on the water and some music notes.” I feel Ashton grinning against my neck. His lips press a soft kiss there, making me sag into him.
“Roman here,” Levi says, slapping the back of his chair, “will win football games. What degree did you want to do again?”
“Social work.” Roman answers Levi with a clipped tone.
I glance at the other girls around the table. Their gazes drift off like they either don’t know what social work means or they aren’t interested. Roman’s choice has me curious. “What area are you looking at working in?”
Roman stares at me with wide eyes and raised brows. “I’m interested in working with children. Help them get the protection they need.”
Oh, my heart!