Page 185 of Hide and Keep

“Yeah, obviously. But I meant on your body.”

“Oh. Um.” Brows pulled together, he looks down at himself, rotating his arms.

“You don’t know?”

“Yeah. Of course I do. Right here.” He holds out an arm…the one without any tattoos.

I survey all that blank canvas, asking slowly, “Where?”

He rubs his wrist. “How about right here?”

Is he asking me? Or is he not sure?

“It’ll have to be something small and without a lot of detail.”

He thinks for a minute, then pulls his fingers up his forearm to the space right below the crook of his elbow.

“Let’s do here instead. Do you need a pen?”

I pull the permanent marker out of my sweatshirt’s front pocket.

“This will work better on skin. It’ll wash off after—”

“I don’t want it to wash off. I told you I’m getting it tattooed.”

Okay. This has gone on long enough. I suspected the tattoo story was a ploy to get me over here, but now he’s taking it too far.

“Crue.”

“Yeah?”

“You don’t even know where you’re getting it, let alone what you’re getting—”

“I know what I’m getting.”

“You do?”

“A butterfly.”

I fight to keep my expression neutral. “Why a butterfly?”

“I don’t know.” Crue’s green eyes plummet to the comforter. “I’ve been wanting one for a while…”

I ache to ask exactly how long? Was it since November?

“And you’re really good at drawing butterflies. I just thought…you know. You’d be the best person for the job.”

“Any kind of butterfly in particular?”

He nods, all hesitancy gone as he says, “The orange-and-black one. Monarch?”

Not only is Major Danger getting my art tattooed on his body for all time, he’s getting itforme…he just has no idea.

“Yeah. That’s a monarch. Lie back.”

Crue smirks but obeys, lying on his back, arm stretched out for me, palm-side up.

I move to straddle his wrist before thinking better of it. His hand would berightthere. One flick and he’d be grabbing my pussy.

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