4. Thrash
Chapter 4
Thrash
I watch Addie weave through the crowd toward the bar and pull out my phone. Honey Valley Inn is only two blocks away. Perfect spot to park her for the night if she gets too wild. My thumb hovers over the Book Now button.
The way she moves in those tight black jeans, the curve of her shoulder exposed by her slouchy sweater... I shake my head. Dangerous territory. I can’t let myself go there, not with Addie. She’s not just a piece of ass. She’s my friend, my coworker.
She’s the best part of every day at the shop.
From the moment I first saw her, I knew there was something special about her, but it wasn’t long before I realized her heart was guarded.
And so was mine if I’m being honest. I’ve never really felt like I was worth anything. I grew up poor out in the sticks, always being told I wouldn’t amount to anything. Even now, as successful as I am as a tattoo artist, I don’t truly feel it very often.
“Here we go!” She slides back to our table with a tray that carries a couple of shots, some salt, lemon wedges, a couple of bottles of water, and thank god, a basket of cheese fries.
My fingers brush hers as she hands me the shot glass. The contact sends electricity through my arm, and I pull back quickly. This is exactly why drinking together might be a terrible idea. Alcohol has a way of making bad decisions seem brilliant, and kissing Addie right now would definitely qualify as both, but damn do I want to.
“Cheers to letting the fuck go,” Addie says, holding up her shot glass.
I clink mine against hers and throw it back as she licks salt off the back of her hand and then immediately brings the lemon wedge to her mouth after the shot.
Addie sets her empty glass on the table and grabs a fry, popping it into her mouth.
“See?” she says with a grin. “I’m eating. Happy now, daddy?”
The word stirs something in me. Something primal. Something I haven’t ever quite felt before. My cock twitches, and I take a swig of water, hoping the cold liquid will cool the heat building inside me.
“Keep teasing like that, and you’re gonna regret it,” I warn. But even as the words leave my mouth, a part of me hopes she doesn’t listen.
“Regret?” Her eyebrow quirks up in a challenge. “And what exactly are you going to do about it, daddy ? You gonna spank me?” Her tongue darts out quickly swiping her bottom lip before disappearing.
My eyes narrow. The air between us is charged, crackling with tension. Her gaze is locked onto mine, her lips parted slightly, her cheeks flushed. Her body language is inviting, daring me to make a move.
And fuck, I want to.
“We need to finish our game. We’re holding up the lane.”
She nods. “Okay... but first... I’ve been thinking since you threw that first axe about something. You interested in a little bet?”
“What kind of bet?”
“Well... If I win, I get to pierce whatever body part of yours I want.”
I suck in a breath at the thought of her touching me. “And if I win?”
“You get to ink whatever part of my body you want.”
A sudden, vivid image of Addie naked, her skin bare for my touch, flashes through my mind. I shift in my seat, adjusting the growing bulge in my pants. This is getting out of control, fast... But I can’t make myself say no.
“Only if I get to choose the design, too,” I say, my voice low and rough.
“Deal... Within reason,” she says. “I don’t want a fucking dick tattooed on my face or any shit like that.”
“I would never fuck up a face as pretty as yours with something like that. In fact, I promise that whatever I ink on you will be somewhere it can be easily covered.”
I rise to my feet, extending a hand to help her up. Her grip is warm and soft in mine as I lead her back to the line.
She watches me throw, missing the target completely. My thoughts are too clouded with her to concentrate. She bites her lip to hold back a laugh. “Wow. Looks like someone’s been drinking too much,” she teases. “What was that about being the first to die in a horror flick?”
“Hush up,” I say with a grin, nudging her with my elbow.
She takes her place at the line, axe in hand, and sends the blade flying. It sticks in the outer edge of the target, not a bad shot, but not good enough to win unless I keep completely missing.
As the night goes on, we keep drinking, the shots flowing freely, our laughter getting louder. Addie’s smile grows wider, her giggles more contagious. And fuck, I’m loving every minute of it.
When the match ends, we’re both surprised to see that we’ve tied.
“Damn it. I was really hoping to get that tattoo tonight,” Addie says. “It’s been a while since I had one.”
“You know, we could still do it,” I suggest. “I mean, we’re tied, so technically we both won, and we both lost.”
She grins, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “You saying I do you, you do me?”
My cock twitches again, my mind taking her words in a whole different direction. “Yeah, why not? No reason we can’t do both.”
“And guess who has a set of keys to the shop?” She asks with a giggle.
“Let’s go,” I say, grabbing her hand.
“One more shot first,” she insists and drags me to the bar. I watch as she slams another one back, but I’m feeling good, so I decide to make mine interesting.
I take her hand and bring her wrist to my mouth, dragging my tongue over her soft skin before pouring salt on it. Her eyes go wide as I lick the salt from her wrist before taking the shot and finishing it off with the lemon.
“Let’s go,” I say as she nods.
We stumble out into the cool night air, laughing and weaving through the streets until we reach the shop.
“Fuck,” she says, leaning against me. “I am drunker than I thought I was.”
“Me too,” I say, wrapping an arm around her waist to steady her. “We don’t have to do this if you don’t want.”
“You chickening out?”
“Fuck no... Just promise me you won’t pierce my dick.”
“Only if you promise not to give me a tramp stamp,” she says.
“Actually... I was thinking of a giant rooster on your forehead,” I say, trying to keep my tone deadpan.
She bursts out into a fit of laughter that echoes down the street. It’s a sound that I want to hear every day for the rest of my life. It’s got me wondering what other beautiful sounds I could coax from her.
I’m done for. I might be drunk, but there’s no fucking denying it.
I am madly in love with this woman.
And I know now exactly what I’m going to tattoo on her.
Mine .