Page 26 of Betting Blind
When Red begins, I suck in a lungful of air only to exhale, “Holy mother of God,that shit hurts!” I squint my eyes through an hour of pain while Jack patiently holds my hand. When Red makes a final swipe over the area, I stare down at the foreign markings that are haloed with red and a tiny bit swollen.
Red created a delicate bundle of small, black-and-white flowers with long stems that are neatly tied together with a thin bow in the center of my forearm. At the top of each stem is a flower that represents each of our birth months—mine, Momma’s, and my dad’s.
“It’s perfect,” I tell Red and hug him after he cleans and wraps the area in plastic wrap.
Jack holds my arm gently, turning it this way and that to admire Red’s handiwork. I thank Red repeatedly and hand him his payment as joy pumps through my heart. It energizes my body to the point of nearly bursting, and I’m overwhelmed with the urge to move.
“Let’s go!” I beam up at Jack, and his light chuckle trails behind me through the door.
Chapter 13
Cassidy
“Ah!” I sprint to the parking lot and throw my head back as I spin in circles. My arms are spread wide, and the rush of air cools the warmth pulsing from the middle of my forearm. Anyone who could see me now would think I’ve lost my marbles, but I can’t find a single cell in my body that cares as I continue to spin.
I collide with the side of Jack’s truck, and I laugh as I stumble backward. Attempting to catch my breath, I rest my hand against the metal and turn back to him. “What a rush!”
Flattening my back against the vehicle, I turn my gaze up toward the night sky. It’s still warm from the heat of the summer, but the humidity is low for once, and I breathe in deeply, savoring the comfortable night air. There are a few stars scattered about, but with the lights in the city, the rest of them are tucked away from view. “I wish we could see them better.”
Jack tilts his head toward the hidden stars, moving his hands to his front pockets. We let the quiet sounds of the night speak for us, and I steal a quick glance at him. There’s something comforting about silence that isn’t awkward between two people—silence that doesn’t need to be filled with unnecessary words.
The warmth of his hand brushes my bare shoulder as he reaches to open the door. “Get in.”
I roll my head to the side to eye him, keeping my heels glued to the ground. The fresh, earthy scent of him replaces the distant aroma of hay and horses. “You’re awful demanding, you know that?”
He angles his body toward me, leaning in close enough that I tilt my head back to meet his eyes. “You have no idea,” he says quietly, and the innuendo raises goosebumps on my skin.
Jack drives a few miles away from the tattoo shop to a quiet, empty field and parks right in front of what appears to be miles of tall grass. It’s pitch-black out here, and when he cuts the engine, I turn my leery eyes to him.
“I like to come out here sometimes at night.”
“To bury bodies?”
A slow smile plays on his lips before he reaches behind his seat and grabs two thick blankets and some pillows. “You said you wanted to see the stars better.”
“I did say that, didn’t I?”
Without another word, he opens the door and jumps out with his bounty, and I rush to follow him, not wanting to be left in the dark silence.
The tailgate groans when he unlatches it and I jump. “Quit being such a scaredy-cat. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” He winks at me before hopping up into the bed to spread the blankets and pillows out, unaware that this is the second time he’s promised me his protection.
Once he’s finished arranging them to his liking, he reaches a hand down to help me. It’s big enough to dwarf my own, and he pulls me up in one fluid motion as if I’m weightless. The truck bed bounces slightly when we lie down, and I become hyperaware of every breath and movement we make.
“Wow,” I gasp when I finally settle into a comfortable spot and catch sight of the inky darkness above us. It’s littered with a blanket of bright white speckles, big and small. Crickets and other creatures surround us with their songs, and the wind rustles the tall grass lightly. I understand how he could come to love this spot. It’s perfectly peaceful.
Our bodies aren’t quite close enough to touch, but the temptation to curl myself into the warmth of his side is agonizing.
“It’s pretty nice out here, isn’t it?” he asks.
I turn my head to see Jack relaxing beside me. He’s in faded jeans and a simple T-shirt, with one arm lazily draped across his belly, while the other props his head up behind him. The light shining from the full moon highlights the angles of his face, and I take my time admiring him. His prominent nose gives strength to his facial features, along with thick brows that compliment his dark hair.
“Yeah,” I respond to his question, “it truly is.”
I listen to his even breathing for a moment, trying to sync it to my own. Out here, away from the city lights, I can see hundreds of thousands of stars sprinkled in the sky like glitter. “What’s on your mind?” I ask quietly.
His eyes find mine and I swallow thickly. I roll over to my side to look at him directly, and the blankets rustle beneath us as he does the same.
“Oddly enough, my grandfather,” he says. “He’s been on my mind lately.”
