Page 51 of Swan

I shouldn’t be doing this.

I’d only just decided earlier to try and be in the present more.

This was going too far.

I should tell her I changed my mind when she comes back.

The door pushed open further, and I opened my mouth to tell Mon but snapped my lips shut when I saw Drake filling the space.

He cocked a brow and crossed his arms over his chest. “What’re you doin’, Birdy?”

I swallowed and heat hit my face. “Having my nose pierced.”

“Mon’s doin’ it?”

“Who else would?”

“Texas or Hex could. They both learned.”

“Oh. Um, yeah, Mon’s doing it. How’s… work?”

His lips twitched as he moved closer. “Good.”

I nodded. Why was my heart beating so fast? Should I apologise now? Was he done with the client? Had he heard Mon call out to me and that was why he was in here?

He walked over to the counter and picked something up before he turned and came towards me.

“Um, I’m very sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to push you away. I was just in a moment coming straight from… well, you know. We are friends, Drake. I don’t want you to think I wouldn’t talk to you or that I needed someone else. I just wasn’t in the mood to talk.”

“I know.”

He did?

“You do?”

“Yeah, Birdy. We ain’t like besties, like you and my sister, but I know if you wanted to share with me, you would have. I walked away because I didn’t want you to feel like you had to share when you didn’t want to.”

He was always such a nice kid.

Man.

He was a man.

When Drake looked down, I did too. He took the lid off a marker and stared at me with a cute curl to the corner of his lips.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“You trust me to mark where Mon should stick the needle?”

“Oh, um, I trust you. But she’ll probably be back in a second.”

“I saw Hex draggin’ his woman into his room for a beat. Not sure how long that’ll be.”

True. “Okay then.”

He stepped close so his hips touched my jean-clad knees. On instinct, I spread them, and he moved between them.

My heart tripped and then flew.

---