Nodding, I gestured for them to follow me toward the break room at the back of the shop, and when we’d all entered the small area, I closed the door behind us. I waved at them to sit at the tiny round steel table that only had three chairs, and they each stole a seat. In spite of the cramped space, the walls all featured artwork by everyone who worked here, even Dawson, and Logan stared around himself like he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing. PD’s morbid painting of a decapitated vampire head that hung over the single-tub sink and dish drainer had him spinning back around to focus on me with wide eyes.
“Do you want something to drink? I have a couple of Cokes in the fridge, or PD has cappuccino packs. They taste like shit, but he likes them.” I shrugged with a grin, and when the stranger—Logan, he’d said—shook his head, I took the remaining seat. “So… what’s going on?”
Dec curled his fingers around the edge of my chair and with little effort dragged me closer to him. He kissed right in front of my ear, then lower to my cheek. Sighing in pleasure and love, I leaned into him.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he whispered.
“Hey to you, too.” I plopped a short kiss on his lips because even though we were in the company of someone new, I couldn’t resist. Every time I saw Dec after even only a few hours, kissing him felt like getting a new tattoo—a thrill that had my body buzzing with excitement. He was a never-ending addiction I didn’t want to stop.
“I should probably introduce you to Logan, shouldn’t I?” He grinned and glanced at the man on the other seat. I did, too, and what I saw made me smile. Logan had his head cocked, brows lowered in a puppy-dog kind of way, and I didn’t even think he realized how adorable he looked. “Logan is your anniversary present.”
I startled and shot my gaze back to Dec with wide eyes. “Um. What?”
He laughed and the joyous sound filled the room, making my stomach bubble with a familiar heat. He always made me feel this way, so why he would think I would want another man out of nowhere, I didn’t know. “Not like that. Logan is your boyfriend.”
I frowned even harder and glanced between them. “Last time I checked, Dec, you were my husband, and I didn’t have a boyfriend. Wait.” I sat back with suspicion. “Are you asking me if I’m cheating on you with him?”
His laughter grew louder, and I hit him on the arm with the back of my hand.
“This isn’t funny. I don’t understand what’s happening right now.”
“No, no, you’re right. It’s not funny.” But the bastard grinned anyway. He curled an arm around my shoulders and dragged me in for a longer kiss that had a moan slipping from between my lips. The spicy scent of his favorite cologne filled my nose, making my skin prickle with excitement. I fucking loved this man. He sat back. “I know you wouldn’t cheat on me. This is your boyfriend, as in the ASMR guy you like.”
“Oh…. Oh!” That’s why his voice sounded so familiar. I turned my gaze on him again and couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across my mouth. “Why are you here?”
“It’s for our anniversary present,” Dec whispered into my ear. He pulled the lobe into his mouth and sucked. “I thought we could have sex with him talking in the room. Therealhim.”
“What?” I glanced between them again. “You’re fucking with me.”
He laughed harder, and even Logan quirked an amused grin in my direction. “No, sweetheart, I’m not fucking with you. Not yet, anyway. This is him.”
“And he’s going to talk while we have sex? Actually be in the same room?” My gaze stopped on Logan, taking the time to appreciate his appearance more thoroughly. He wasn’t what I’d imagined YourBoiFriend to look like, but he wasn’t disappointing, either. Younger than I’d thought, he had a narrow nose and a hard jaw that made his baby face appear older. I’d already noticed the torment in his eyes, but the more I stared, the more evident it became.
As a tattoo artist, I’d seen people come in with the same look in their gaze as they asked for something related to their heartbreak to be inked onto them as a reminder of the trauma they’d faced. Women who’d been abused and beaten and come out alive, people who’d lost someone they loved dearly, even those who’d survived depression and suicide attempts. They all had a story to tell, and they chose to do it through tattoos, just like I had.
I didn’t ask him what had happened to him because that was none of my business, and instead I smiled. “Thank you for agreeing to this. It must be weird for you.”
Logan chuckled and some of the light returned to his eyes. “It’s probably not the oddest request I’ve received. I’ve had people ask to see my feet before. I’m not kink shaming, but you’re not into feet, are you?”
I threw my head back and laughed at the same time Dec did, and we shared an amused glance. He answered for us with a shake of his head. “No, definitely not. At least not in the kinky sense.”
“Not inanysense,” I said at the same time I nudged Dec. “I stay very far away from this guy’s feet, especially after hockey practice.”
“Well, that’s a relief because I’m not sure I’d feel comfortable flashing my delicate insole at you.” There was a twinkle of amusement in his gaze that told me he was joking, and I continued to chuckle.
“You came here to introduce yourself?” I asked Logan.
“I thought I’d check with you to make sure you were okay with the present,” Dec said, squeezing my hip where his hand rested. “I didn’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
“Thank you.” I leaned my head against his, a bubble of happiness growing in my chest. It was a feeling I was used to whenever Dec was around. He never ceased to amaze me and made me feel wanted. He was an itch I couldn’t ever fully scratch. I always needed more. “I’d like this a lot.”
“Well, I know you have to get back to work now, so how about I give Logan directions to our house, and then he can meet us there for dinner tonight. We can get to know each other then? I mean, that would be the smartest thing first, right? Get to know each other before we do anything.” His gaze slid to Logan. “What would you be more comfortable with? Having dinner with us and talking, or just getting straight to the point?”
Logan chewed his bottom lip in thought, and I couldn’t look away from him, a secret part of me hoping he’d want to sit down for dinner. I was curious about who he was, and how a man like him got into ASMR. With such a deep voice, I could see why he was so popular, but creatives inevitably had a story.
“I think it might make me feel more comfortable getting to know you. It’ll help me know what to say to you during… the sex.” He rubbed the back of his neck, the tips of his ears going red. “We can always see how things go tonight. I’m flexible and open to… stuff.”
I grinned at the adorable sight he made. Had I ever been that shy about sex in front of people? I couldn’t remember. “We’re in agreement, then. Dec can give you directions, and we can meet you at our house, say at seven?”
