Tempting (Inked Hearts 1)

His eyes.

His smile—the rare times I get it.

That protective stare.

Those strong shoulders.

The tattoo spreading over his chest.

The other going down his arm.

That look he gives me when I'm sitting on the couch, when he asks if I'm reading something good.

Just... everything.

I let my head fill with thoughts as I make another cup of vanilla black, stir in enough honey for the drink to taste sweet, grab enough chocolate for both of us. Enough for my thoughts to turn to the bliss of the cocoa bean instead of the bliss of Brendon.

God, I have it bad.

There's no getting over him. Not with those drawings of his in my mind. Not with the way his eyes lit up when I mentioned dirty demands.

He wants me too.

How will I ever think about another guy?

I move back to the couch, hand over Emma's chocolate, settle in.

We get lost in the flow of the movie-talk about nothing combination. It's familiar. Comforting.

It feels like this is a normal lazy summer day. One where I'm sleeping over because I want to, not because my parents bailed on me. One where I look at Brendan as Emma's hot older brother, a guy so far out of my league we're playing different games. One where Grandma is okay.

Everything else feels far away. It's just me and my best friend in our own world. I'm not alone. I'm not medicated. I'm not aware Brendon's sketchbook is full of dirty drawings of me.

I'm just home. Safe. Happy.

"Hey." Brendon's voice flows into my ears. He moves into the hallway. Then down the stairs.

He's wet. Fresh from the shower. Wrapped only in a towel.

I... he... Fuck.

There's water dripping off his dark hair. Down his chest piece—the shaded black and grey roses. It drips down his side, across The Ramones lyrics, all the way to the Latin quote jutting out from his towel. Sic Transit Gloria.

Glory fades.

What does it mean to him?

What would it feel like to trace every link of ink?

To have that warm, wet body pressed against mine?

On top of mine?

I'm pretty sure my jaw is on the floor.

My cheeks are burning. I must be every shade of red.

Emma grabs a pillow and tosses it at her brother. He moves into the main room just in time to dodge it.