Nobody had ever asked Charlotte about her parents before, so she didn’t know how to respond right away. “My Dad is quiet. Introspective. He was a chemical engineer for an energy company. My Mom is, well, a bit of a wild card. I didn’t know for years, but she is bipolar, and when she goes off her meds, she swings from depressed to manic incredibly fast. When she is managing the disorder, she is a little cold. Proud. Traditional. She wanted me to be a ballerina, like she was. Trained me from the time I was a little girl. But I hated standing up in front of people and performing. The first time I tried on a stage in front of an audience, I threw up and begged her not to make me do it again. I’m not sure she ever got over that. She thought if I wasn’t going to be a world-famous ballerina, then I should find a husband, preferably well off, and have a family.”
“Sounds like she’d put a lot of pressure on you.” Eyes burning with indignation on her behalf stayed locked right on her face. Trey wasn’t letting anything slip by him, that much was obvious.
“It is what it is.”
His smile at her use of his own words had her stomach flipping and tying in knots.
“She loves me, just in her own way. Neither of them were very affectionate, with each other or me. I think I can remember the number of times they’ve hugged me on one hand.”
Just as Trey’s lips parted to say something else, Kym’s needles brushed over a particularly sensitive area, making Charlotte gasp and wince.
Trey sprang to his feet, never releasing her hand. The glare he directed at Kym could have made weaker men crumble in fear, but she just laughed. “Are you okay? Do you need to stop?” He searched Charlotte's face, concern evident all over his.
Charlotte couldn’t help it, she had to laugh at the big man, ready to take on the tiny tattoo artist causing her pain. “I’m fine. When she goes over the same area a couple times for shading it gets a little sensitive. Nothing I’m not used to.”
Rubbing his hand over his face, Trey took his seat again. “I don’t like to see you in pain. It makes the caveman in me want to come out and throw you over my shoulder to take you someplace safer.”
“As sweet as that is, you can tell your inner Cro-Magnon to calm down. No one is in any danger here.” Charlotte looked at their joined hands, surprised to see she had been rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand in a reassuring gesture.
“Okay, but I can’t promise that he won't come back out later. He tends to roar to life every time I think about kissing you, too. And I am definitely not letting you get away tonight without satisfying that need for both his sake and mine.”
