Pushing the door open, he walked into Second Circle. It was the first time they’d really gone public with their relationship, and he wasn’t sure what her boundaries would be with regards to him greeting her exactly how he wanted. But he needn’t have worried. The moment she looked up, she squealed.
“Oh my God,” she ran around the counter, throwing herself into his arms so he had no choice but to catch her. “You’re actually here.” She showered kisses all over his face, and while he was aware that pretty much everybody in the studio was looking at them, he didn’t really give a fuck.
“Hey, Snowflake,” he said before capturing her lips and kissing her the way he wanted. She tasted fruity, like jelly beans. It was fun, and sweet, and so very Pixie.
“What did I tell you about hitting on the staff?” Trent asked, slapping him on the back.
Dred lowered Pixie to the floor but kept her tucked under his arm. He shook hands with Trent. “Good to see you too.”
“What are you doing here?” Pixie asked him, the huge grin on her face worth every uncomfortable moment of the shitty overnight flight.
Suddenly he didn’t feel tired at all. “I was in the vicinity, so I thought I’d drop by.” He kissed her again.
“I’m going to vomit. Or punch you. Can’t decide which.” Cujo shook his hand and slapped his shoulder, with enough force to send him a little off balance. It wasn’t so hard as to take offence, but it certainly wasn’t harmless.
Dred grinned. He understood where Cujo was coming from and was happy that Pixie had someone to look out for her when she was in Miami and he wasn’t.
“Four thousand miles is nowhere close to the vicinity,” Pixie said. She stood on her toes and kissed him quickly on the lips. “But I am very glad you came by.”
“What time are you off today?”
“Not until five, and Eric called in sick, so I really can’t bail today.” She took his hand and led him to the empty kitchen area.
Out of sight of the others, he let his hands to slide over her ass, and sucked the skin on the side of her neck. “Don’t worry about me. I came here to see you. Don’t care where that happens,” he murmured.
He smiled as she tilted her neck away from him, allowing him better access. Fuck. She was delicious. He stood up straight but kept his arm around her waist. There was no way he could do what he wanted with her while they were still here. His flight home wasn’t until quarter past nine, so he didn’t need to leave Pixie’s condo until seven. He needed to talk Trent into letting his girl go an hour early.
“It’s so good to see you, Dred. It’s been a crappy week, and I really missed you.”
“You were on my mind all the time too. Not sure what that says about us, but I like it.” He took in her pretty eyes. “Anyway, I have an idea for a new tattoo. You think Trent or Cujo can fit me in?”
“Sure, let’s go see the calendar. I think Trent’s good in another hour or so.”
Several hours and one tattoo later, Dred glanced over at Pixie. She was laughing at something Lia said.
“So what will it cost me for you to let Pix leave now?” he asked Trent, itching to get Pixie alone for as many hours as they could manage. It was three o’clock and he watched Trent tape the cover over the incredible rose he’d inked as a tribute to Petal on Dred’s lower forearm.
Trent looked around the shop, presumably calculating what needed to get done before the studio closed in a few hours. “Your timing sucks, man,” he said. “Couldn’t you drop in like Superman on a Wednesday?”
Dred laughed. “If only I had that much control over my schedule. Was meant to fly straight back to Toronto but did a trade with the guys so I could fly through here today.”
“What was the trade?’ Trent asked as he turned the black baseball cap on his head around so it faced the right way.
“We were meant to pitch in to have the garden landscaped this summer at the group home we grew up in, now I’m footing the bill while they work on a new arrangement for one of our songs.”
“Was it worth it?” Trent asked seriously.
Dred looked over to where Pixie was laughing with a group of women at the desk. “Yeah,” he said. “Worth every nickel.”
“We’re friends now, right? So I can say shit that pisses you off and you’ll get over it, right?”
Dred had been waiting for this moment and knew what was coming. Pixie smiled at him from across the room and suddenly it didn’t matter what Trent needed to say. “Sure,” he replied.
“Be careful with her. It’s not my place to tell you what I know. But, well . . . it took her a long time to get over whatever happened before Cujo and I found her in that doorway one morning.”
Dred was momentarily confused. With the tilt of Trent’s head, he could have sworn Trent meant the doorway to Second Circle. “When you say found her? Like she was waiting for a tattoo one morning, or sleeping there?”