Page 2 of Tattooed Love

“That’s because I’m not self-absorbed.”

I took a step towards him, staring up into those dark eyes of his. “No one ever got hurt being self-absorbed.”

“Whatever you say Miss Shields.”

He knew my name, and my last name. Where did he say he knew me from again? Oh right… school or hell on earth as I liked to call it.

“Fine then handsome, you can take me home.”

“I’ve got a question first.” His eyes flickered to my lip. “Should I be hunting down the man that gave you that cut on your lip, or should I be asking what the other chick looks like?”

My lips curved into a smile. I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I smiled. “I always think no question is a good question.”

I caught something flash across his face, but before I could read him, he gave a quick nod of the head, and I knew that was the end of the subject.

I would never tell a soul that it was Blake who had done this to me. I knew he regretted it as much as I was trying to forget about it. Our fights were always nasty, but this one had, by far, been the worst.

“Come on then, I’m parked around the back.”

I followed him, walking towards the darkly lit car park, as warning signs flashed through my mind. I should’ve been terrified. I should’ve run in the other direction, but I continued to follow him.

“So, where to?” he asked, opening the car door for me.

I couldn’t go home; I couldn’t risk my dad seeing me this way. I had no other choice. I had to go back to Blake. I silently prayed he had cooled off.

So, I gave Jackson the address, unsure of whether this would be my first or second mistake of the night; the first being getting in the car with him to begin with.

***

I got out of the car rather gracefully, or so I thought. As I wiped the dirt from my mouth after falling face forward on my second step, I began to rethink how graceful my exit actually was.

“You alright?” Jackson dropped beside me, placing an arm around my waist and bringing me back to my feet.

“Two left feet” I muttered, not meeting his eye. I hoped right then that I would never see this person again.

“You live here?” Jackson asked as he looked over at the house he was helping me walk up to.

“Yep.” No I didn’t. I just crashed here with my somewhat boyfriend, but I wasn’t about to tell this person that.

The front of the house was packed with cars, motorbikes and motors. It looked like an automobile junkyard, but it was this very look that kept people away, shielding the ‘family’ from prying eyes.

We reached the porch, and I grabbed the door knob. Letting go of Jackson, I leaned all my weight against the door. “Thanks for bringing me home.” I looked at him for the first time since I had embarrassed myself.

“You sure you’re safe here?” He gave the property a once over before looking back at me, visibly torn. “You know if you need somewhere to crash for the night, I can put up the cash for a hotel or something.”

I smiled for the second time that night. “What did I ever do to you to deserve such consideration?” I wanted to know. While I may not have known him, he seemed to know me, and I wasn’t a nice person. So, why was he bothering?

He exhaled slowly, and then met my eye with an expression I couldn’t quite read… “You’re the kind of woman who needs a man to protect her from herself, and clearly you haven’t found one yet, so I’m just giving you a helping hand.”

“You don’t seem like you’d be big on community service,” I bit back. He certainly didn’t look the part. The tattoos and that ‘pissed off’ expression would scare anyone with half a brain away. My judgment at this point was questionable though, so it was no wonder I hadn’t slammed the door in his face yet.

“Maybe I’m a sucker for a good looking woman.” The corner of his lips twitched in a half smile. “You know Amber, you’re bearable drunk.”

I chuckled and pushed his shoulder playfully “You know Jackson, maybe you do know me.”

For a split moment we shared a smile, an amused chuckle, and then silence fell between us, but it wasn’t an awkward silence. It was the kind of silence that usually compelled me to step into a man’s arms; this was sexual tension, and fuck me if I knew how it had come to this so suddenly.

“Night Amber.” Jackson took a step back, his eyes darting around one more time, before he turned his back to me and began to walk down the porch steps.

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