Roxy stood and stretched her back. One corner of her usually sharp eyeliner was smudged, and she looked exhausted. “I think we might have just pulled this off. I was worried after those Tat Shack fucks tried to piggyback off our event.”
“Yeah, that was good thinking, Meredith. We could have had a whole zoo out front, but to just focus on the customers we got and make sure they left reviews was the best way to go.”
I beamed. I had considered a zoo idea, or music, or strippers. Hell, I had even thought of asking Rosalind to come down and sign autographs. We had shown we were the classier shop. We’d had a reasonable number of clients, we’d treated them well, done great tattoos and gotten more reviews. Dane said he thought we’d have close to a hundred more reviews from today but they usually take a few days to show up on the search engine.
There was nothing to do now but wait.
“You guys are the MVPs. Go home. I’ll get this sorted out,” I said.
“We can help,” Roxy offered, but her eyes were closed and she was resting her head on Dane’s shoulder.
I laughed. “I’m only going to do the basics. We can get the rest sorted out on Monday. I swear I’ll be out of here in twenty minutes.”
That seemed to assuage everyone’s guilt, and the artists all started for the staff exit.
“Love you guys,” Roxy said with a yawn. Then they were gone.
I scanned my eyes over the room, taking stock of what I had to do. It wasn’t much. Clean up the leftover food. Take the garbage to the dumpster. Put the extra tables and chairs away.
“You did good today.”
I jumped and turned. “Jesus, Luke! I thought everyone was gone.”
“Sorry, I couldn’t leave.” He leaned against the wall at the end of the lobby.
I sighed. “There isn’t much to do. I can handle it.”
“I know you can, but we need to talk and it can’t wait.” He took a breath. “I know what we said the other morning. Thisplace is important to both of us for different reasons. You want to remain focused and professional so you can prove yourself. I want that for you, too.”
I nodded.
“Here’s the thing, though. I know we can do our jobs even while distracted by each other. I know that because I tattooed for twelve hours today despite being aware of every fucking move you made.”
That was one hell of a confession.
I blinked at him for a moment, not sure what to say. The practical concerns were all there. I was here to save this shop and build my resume. That could all be in jeopardy if I gave in to what my body was screaming for.
Today, I had put aside the optics and focused on what really mattered. Not potential customers but the ones standing right in front of me. Could I put aside the potential for another career blunder, not to mention potential heartbreak, and focus on the real man standing in front of me?
I started moving towards him without even realizing it until my arms were around his waist. “I don’t know if—”
“You don’t need to know. Not for sure. Not yet. You just have to feel it’s worth trying.”
I nodded, emotion burning the back of my eyes. Whether from his words or the long day, I wasn’t sure. All I knew was I needed to kiss him, right here, right now.
Chapter Thirteen
Luke
Ibrought my mouth to Meredith’s as soon as she pressed against me. Her lips parted with a moan, and I slid my tongue inside. It was the end of a very long day after a week of resisting the urge to touch her. I had no patience left. I wrapped my arms under her ass and picked her up. I wasn’t sure exactly where I was going, but I walked with her in my arms, my eyes closed, my tongue happy in the heat of her mouth until I bumped into what turned out to be the front desk.
“Dane’s going to kill us if we have sex on his desk,” Meredith said.
I pushed my hips against her center so she could feel how hard I already was. “Then let’s make this last night count.”
She tightened her legs around my waist and pulled me harder against her. “Shit, hang on.” She said, leaning to one side. She clicked the light switch, plunging us into darkness.
“Bashful? I’ve literally had my tongue inside you.”
