Page 30 of Then Came You

I agree it's probably not the most appropriate place to engage in a passionate kiss, but I don't want Row feeling like she's done something wrong, so I clasp the back of her neck and make her look at me. "I want you to kiss me like that later, baby girl," I command gruffly.

Her face flushes crimson, and I can see she's racing to try and come up with a retort. With nothing, she nods and walks back to where the bowling balls are lined up. I swat her ass, hearing a satisfying crackle from my palm.

The rest of the evening is a blast. We bowl three more games, play five rounds of air hockey, race on the arcade cars, and win miscellaneous prizes with our tickets.

We steer clear of talking about her family, except for a quick check-in about her sister, and I update her on Haven's birthday, leaving out the bit about asking her to be the hairdresser. I inform her I'm now down my assistant and tell her about a new experimental drug on the market for Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML) patients. I'm flabbergasted that she understands so much of what I'm saying, which reiterates just how perplexing she is.

We talk about Alex and how he's my best mate, and I thrill her with my teenage bad boy antics when I set off fireworks at the golf club. In return, she tells me about the time her school took the class to the Blue Mountains to see the Three Sisters, and how when they got there, they couldn't see a thing because of the fog, but it was still the most magical day out.

It breaks me to think that a class memory is among her top memories.

We end the bowling portion of the evening discussing her ink and piercings, and my various tattoos that are on clear display this evening.

"Not much surprises me these days, but you being completely covered in tattoos is shocking," she says as we stroll alongside Darling Harbour.

"Why?" I quiz, pulling her leg a little. My full-sleeve tattoos are vibrant, with a collection of religious and scientific significance to me.

"Blade, come on. You're like a prime candidate to be our next Prime Minister or something. I'm sure there's like a Nobel Peace Prize with your name on it somewhere, along with thousands of people just waiting to celebrate you. It's a little trippy that you have tatts. It doesn't reconcile with your cookie-cutter reputation." She waves her hands up and down my body.

"My ex hated them," I admit. "She said it was like ruining a Ferrari... but I love that stories and words about my life are imprinted on me. It's like a map of who I am."

"Well, I think they're sexy. Tell me about them," she asks softly, surprising me by linking her fingers with mine as we stroll along the boardwalk. I look down at the mosaic of my coloured flesh contrasting with her flawless inkless one.

We seem to be yin and yang in every single way.

"I'm riddled with them. My right arm is a rainbow DNA sequence, which represents my love of science. I have a Marie Curie quote stencilled on as well." She skims her fingers over the sequence. "On my other arm, I have the galaxy. Planets and stars woven around each other, and an infinity symbol. My son thought the planet 'Uranus' was hilarious, so he wrote the word down, and I took it to the artist to have it written on me underneath the planet." This titbit makes Row laugh.

"Is that all you have?" She's intrigued, lapping up every detail. Her interest makes me feel like I'm the most special person she's ever met. No one has ever made me their priority.

"Not at all. My chest is covered in biblical imagery - the classic heaven and hell symbolism of angels and demons - and a bit lower, there's a naked Eve, an apple, and a snake curling dangerously close to an appendage. It's sort of a play on how a woman can be so tempting," I say candidly. She coughs at my openness, her palms sweaty, and she wriggles at my revelation.

"That's... well... Yeah... cool?" She stumbles over her words. I wrap my arm around her waist, laughing.

"I love seeing you off-centre," I tease, my fingers tickling her side.

"You make me feel like a squirmy teenager. I hate how uncool I am around you," she confesses.

"It makes me want you more." I squeeze her to my side, watching as she pokes her tongue out at me.

"Any others?"

"Both my legs. One imitates the coral from the Great Barrier Reef, and I've added plenty of tropical fish. My kids have the same fascination I do with the water, so they've added some random animals."

"What's your favourite?" She interrupts, eager to learn more. My heart swells. Any more, and I'm going to be engulfed by it.

"My favourite sea animal is a seal, Haven's is an Octopus like Henry from The Wiggles, and Zee's is a Seahorse."

"Gah, why is your family so adorable?" She smacks my chest. I hope it doesn't make her compare upbringings. It seems hers is the antithesis of mine. "What about the other one?"

"It's a letter of life lessons my Mum wrote to me before she died. It's her original writing and everything." Mum was extraordinary, and I feel her loss daily, but knowing she's etched on my skin forever subdues that soul-crushing pain.

"I was right," Row says matter-of-factly, crossing her arms against her ample chest.

"About?"

"The first time I saw you, I thought you were a Da Vinci masterpiece or something, and I was right, you're a work of art." I snort at her hilarious representation of me she's whipped up in her head.

"Oh yeah? How much am I worth?" I go along with it.

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