Page 45 of Don't Go Breaking My Heart
I chuckle. “Coward.” I nudge her knee again, a not-so-subtle invitation to keep playing along. “What about you? You got any tattoos?”
She shakes her head. “None. I almost got one once during spring break in college but the one shop that was open near our hotel looked... sketchy. I was afraid I might wake up with tetanus,” she deadpans.
“Good instincts.” I nod approvingly. “You’d make a terrible impulsive drunk.”
“You said you had several tattoos—what’s the other one?” She taps her chin dramatically. “Let me guess, the other one is your college logo? Your mom’s name? Wait—wait—is it a drawing of the little LEGO man, or somethingHarry Potterrelated?
Very good guesses. “Wrong, wrong, and no way in hell.”
She raises both brows. “So? What is it?”
I smirk, dragging out the suspense to watch her squirm. “It’s a star.”
She blinks. “A star?”
I nod, leaning back against the headboard. “Tiny one. Right here.” I lift up the hem of my T-shirt enough to show the ink low on my rib cage—small, clean.
Barely visible.
Her eyes stare at my flesh. “What’s the story? That looks feminine.”
Because it is.
My shoulders move up and down in a shrug. “It’s for my little sister.”
Her whole face seems to fall. “Oh.”
“She used to say I was her ‘north star,’ back when we were kids and she was scared of everything. Thunderstorms. First days of school. Dad’s scary-ass driving.” I chuckle under my breath. “So when I turned eighteen, I got it. Just something small. Just for her.”
There’s a beat of silence, the air between us shifting—thicker now. Softer.
“That’s…” Poppy presses her lips together like she’s physically restraining the swoon. “Did your sister…”
Her voice trails off as if she’s afraid to say the words.
“My sister is in college. Alive and well and a giant pain in my ass.”
“Oh!” Poppy exhales a soft laugh, the tension melting away. “That’s good.” She smiles—and holy hell, it knocks the breath out of me.
I bump her knee with mine again, this time a little harder.
Playful.
I give her more information about my family. “I have two sisters—Georgia is younger and in college. Stella is thirty and single with two kids. She’s dating too, and as a matter of fact, I helped write her bio. Crazy, eh? She’s having better luck than I am.”
Poppy’s eyes light up. “You helped write your sister’s dating bio?”
“Damn right I did.” I lean back on my hands, smirking. “It’s a masterpiece. She’s the hottest mom on Bumble.”
“That’s so sweet. Maybe Ishouldlet you see mine,” she says shyly, fiddling with the corner of my pillow. “I need all the help I can get.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “Yeah?”
She nods, cheeks pink.
“Don’t judge me—and don’t start swiping on people. I’m handing you my phone strictly so you can give me any pointers.”
Noted.
