Page 65 of Cocky Jerk

“Nah, that’s all me,” Tig says, raising his beer. He points the neck of it towards her. “You got ink?”

“Not yet.”

Christ.

“I have something in mind, though,” she continues.

“Oh, yeah?” I ask, totally intrigued.

Her eyes sparkle with mischief as they meet mine.

“Yep.”

“You going to share?”

She shakes her head and looks back at Tig.

“Can you fit me in this week?”

“I always have time for a blank canvas. How’s Tuesday?”

“I get out of work at five.”

“You’re in.”

“Wait a minute,” I say. “You still haven’t finished the piece on my back.”

“You did that?” Antonia questions. She finally takes the drink from my hand, but she doesn’t make eye contact with me. She’s too enthralled with Tig. If Delia wasn’t standing right there, and he didn’t have his hand on his wife’s ass, I might be jealous.

“Guilty.”

“I love it,” she says and my eyes snap back to her. I hadn’t even realized she noticed the damn thing. She must sense I’m staring because she finally turns to me. “I was admiring it this morning when you were in the shower.”

A guest of the party shouts for Tig and Delia to join him at the bar for shots and they excuse themselves, leaving us alone.

“I love them,” she says, once they’re out of earshot. I know I should probably ease her worries of being accepted by my family and tell her it’s obvious the feeling is mutual, but I’m stuck on the tattoo thing.

“Tell me more about this tattoo.”

“Nope, you’ll just have to stick around and see for yourself.”

It’s not even up for debate.

There is no place I would rather be.

No one else I would rather be with.

A fact that is only confirmed as the night goes on and Antonia is welcomed into the bunch. She tears up the dance floor with Soraya, does shots with Tig and Delia, and even pokes fun at Graham’s suit and she does it all with a smile on her face.

A smile that knocks me on my ass.

I’ve been the guy on the outside looking in, watching everyone find love and I never thought I was missing anything.

Until tonight.

Until Antonia.

We may be from two different worlds, but she fits in mine.