Hating You, Loving You (Inked Hearts 4)

"What do you want?"

"To know if it's good."

"Do you think it's good?"

She stares at the art. Traces its lines with her fingertip. "It's a good start."

"It's great."

Surprise streaks her expression. Her lips curl into a soft o. Her chest falls with her heavy exhale.

"You're a fantastic artist. Best at the shop."

"Really?"

"Yeah. But that's only a fraction of what you need."

"Oh." Her brow knits in frustration. She blinks and it softens. Fades into the fiery determination I expect from her.

There's no middle ground with Chloe. She's all fire and ice. She's passionate. Opinionated. Sure.

I wish I gave that much of a shit.

My eyes meet hers. "Where would you put that design?"

She studies the drawing. Thinks it over. Slowly, she holds out her arm. Draws a line from her wrist to the crook of her elbow. "Or a hip." She nods to my right hip. "You're ink free. Or you were, last time I saw that."

"It's been—"

"You pulled it out the other day. To prove how I had to stoop to sex."

So I did.

"Which was a dick move. And it wasn't even true. That was tattoo haver to tattoo haver."

"You're a hot chick. He's a straight guy."

"Nudity doesn't have to be sexual."

"Maybe for doctors. But the average guy—"

"You?"

"What do you think, sunshine?"

"Remember when we ended up in the same figure drawing class? The one at SMC?" She calls the local community college by its initials.

"Yeah." When I fell in love with ink, I got serious about drawing fast. Took every art class I could. My mom was delighted. She dragged us to museums every weekend. But that… That was fucked in all sorts of ways.

"Was that sexual?"

"When they were hot."

"If I thought you meant that, I'd slap you."

"You wouldn't."

"Yeah, I would." She stands. "If you can ask about my panties, I can slap you."