“I do, but it’s been really slow at the restaurant and I don’t really have money to spend and…”
Lark was sweaty and a hint of her eyeliner had smudged on the right side. Yet, she never looked more beautiful than when I realized she wanted me. No, she fucking needed me..
“Let’s stop playing games,” I said, reaching to wipe the smudge from her face. “This is a date and I’m paying.”
Before she might protest, I leaned down and kissed those lips I had craved since the reception. Lark lifted them to me, needing what I needed. The kiss was soft. Even wanting more, my lips left hers. They returned to suck softly at her bottom lip once more before relenting.
When I stepped back, Lark shivered and gave me a little relieved smile. I knew how she felt. I’d been waiting to do that for weeks.
“Let’s go,” I said, holding out my hand.
Lark’s smile grew and I nearly kissed her again. She looked lovely like a child on Christmas and I was what Santa left. A guy could get used to that look.
Chapter Nine - Lark
After getting our booth at Stucky’s, I headed to the restroom to clean up. My hair looked like shit and my makeup was a mess. I even stunk of sweat. Staring at myself in the mirror, I realized I was smiling. Once again, I smiled even when I wanted to cry.
How badly I wanted to impress Aaron like he impressed me. How much I wished I was special or had a talent to make him think of me in the way I thought of him. Aaron was more than stunning. He amazed me. Every time I thought of the tattoos on Judd, Tawny, and the others, I marveled at the artistry.
Unlike Aaron, I wasn’t really good at anything. I was okay at lots of things, but there was nothing special about me. I felt like a loser smiling at myself in the mirror. However, I recalled his lips on mine. For the first time since arriving, my smile was real.
He tasted better than a guy should taste. I’d kissed plenty of boys since I was in junior high, but it always seemed gross. At the very least, unsanitary. Raven used to laugh at me when I’d say that, but it was true. Kissing Aaron though was better than I could have imagined.
Returning to the booth, I couldn’t believe I had the chance to really know him. He looked so good in a buttoned up shirt, khakis, and loafers. The colors on the cobra contrasted perfectly against the red of his shirt. While Aaron always seemed small when next to Cooper, he wasn’t short or weak. At six feet, his body was tight with muscles. Seeing me approaching, his blue eyes locked onto my face and I wanted to sit next to him and explore every inch of his body.
Instead, I planned to play it cool. In fact, the minute I sat across from Aaron, I started asking questions. A part of me feared if he asked me questions that he might not like the answers I gave him.
“How long have you been tattooing?”
“I started working at the shop of a really talented guy when I was in high school. He took me under his wing and taught me everything he knew. Once I graduated, I worked for him. A year later, he decided to move to Florida. Cooper bought his place and we opened our shop.”
“What does Cooper do?”
“Nothing,” Aaron said, giving me a grin. “He bought the place. I run it. He doesn’t do any actual work and he doesn’t take any profits. He likes saying he owns it, but it was more like a gift to me to make us even.”
“Make you even for what?”
“For putting up with his arrogant ass all these years.”
Laughing behind my hand, I couldn’t believe I was finally having a real conversation with Aaron. Nearly giddy, I was past faking cool. He’d seen me as a sweaty mess and kissed me anyway.
“What?” Aaron said when I smiled at him for too long.
“I’ve been thinking about you since the wedding rehearsal.”
Aaron leaned back in the booth and smiled in that cocky way men smiled when they had a girl on the hook. “Really? What were you thinking?”
“That you were really…handsome. I also wished I could talk to you, but I never got a chance at the wedding.”
Aaron’s smile faded. “I didn’t sleep with that chick. The one I brought to the wedding. I had invited her already and couldn’t bail.”
“I understand.”
Aaron leaned forward and took my hand. His thumb pressed warmly against my palm.
“I thought about you too and I wasn’t going to settle. That’s what I’m saying. I don’t want to play games. I’ve waited too long to fake shit.”
Running my fingers against his, I held his gaze and we simply sat there waiting for our meal. No words were necessary. Even wanting to know everything about him, I didn’t want to interrupt the perfect vibe we shared.
Finally, our food arrived and we used our hands to eat. No matter the great barbecue before us, I only wanted to stare at Aaron.
“What are you hoping to do with your degree?” he asked.
“I’d like to become a paralegal, but I don’t know if I can get a BA. I really want to work in an office and have a dress code that doesn’t involve a uniform.”