Page 21 of Tattoo My Heart
“Great,” Nancy keeps on blabbering about. “I really thing you kids will hit it off. He is a smart boy, and…”
I can’t concentrate on what she’s telling me. My eyes are fixed on Cal, heart in my throat, and what I’m sure to be all my feelings showing on my face.
That’s when Nancy is standing in front of him, broom in hand, still talking, not even realizing that we’re not participating in the conversation.
“Oh, Cal,” she gasps in surprise. “I forgot your jeans are all wet, honey. The vase fell on you?”
“No.”
That’s all he says, one word. He lifts an eyebrow at me in challenge, daring me to comment again. I cross my arms across my chest and pop a hip out, my own eyebrow up at him, because, yeah, challenge accepted.
I almost lose my cool when he starts laughing. I want to laugh, too, especially when I see the confusion on Nancy’s face.
“But I thought you said… Do you just walk around with stains on your pants then?” she tries again. By now she is down sweeping all the glass off the floor. The mop is next for the small puddle that’s still residing at my feet.
“This stain,” Cal points at the spot in his jeans, “is my very favorite stain.”
I drop my face in my hands, unable to handle what he’s implying. The grin on my face cannot see the light of day.
“I’ve never heard of such a thing in my life,” Nancy mutters. “I don’t get you kids nowadays. Favorite stain,” she huffs right before grabbing the broom, mop and dustpan to take them to the back. I don’t dare to look up until I am sure that she is back there.
I jump in place when Cal’s lips touch my ear.
“It really is my favorite stain, so you know.”
“Shut up!” And now I am laughing. I push him away from me so that I can jump off the counter. “I can’t believe you told her that.”
“I can’t believe you agreed to meet another man right in front of me. That’s just not right, Evie,” he teases.
I shrug off the unsettling feeling in my stomach.
“I didn’t know I wasn’t allowed to, Cal. That little kiss makes me your property now?”
The words are out of my mouth before I can think better of it. His pupils dilate at hearing them, and I almost die on the spot when the tip of his tongue makes an appearance as it moistens his bottom lip.
“I can make you my property,” he informs me quietly, careful so that Nancy won’t hear. “Just say the word.”
His words take my breath away. I think of all the times I spent in my teenage bedroom, dreaming about Cal Prentice. I longed to hear these exact words. And now that he gives them to me… They are as hot as I had imagined them to be.
Loud banging from the back room reminds me that Nancy is here now, and she could easily catch onto what we are doing.
“Cal…” I whisper in warning. “Stop this. It’s not good.”
“That’s not what the stain on my jeans says,” he deadpans.
I bite on my tongue, trying so hard not to laugh, but I can’t help it. I lean forward to grab his arm when I feel my balance being off, and I snort. I am in stitches laughing. The more I try to stop myself, the worse it gets.
“You’re a light weight, Cal Prentice,” I manage to say in between fits of laughter. “I never imagined.”
“That’s because I need lots of practice in that area,” he whispers in my ear. “And I hope Evie, Queen of Blowjobs, can teach me a thing or two.”
My laughter dies in an instant. That is not where I thought we were going with our conversation.
I clear my throat and pull my shoulders back in an attempt to show some authority.
“That’s impossible,” I inform him, but he only looks incredibly amused.
“Why is that?”
