Playing (Inked Hearts 2)

"I'm going to eat all of it."

He smiles. "And that—you get defensive about everything."

"I'm not defensive." That isn't helping me prove my point. I give up. "Fine. You're right. I'm adorable and clueless and awkward and you're sexy and suave and in control. Should I keep going?"

He lowers his voice. "It's not a competition. I like you the way you are."

"But…" I bite my lip. I'm not helping my case. "Okay."

"We're friends." His eyes find mine. "I want you to enjoy this as much as I do, Meg. If calling you adorable really makes you that miserable, I'll stop. But I'd rather not. I love watching you blush."

I swallow hard. "Okay."

"You sure?"

I nod. There's something about his voice when he calls me adorable. I hate feeling cute, but I love the sound of his voice when he says it. I'm affecting him. Maybe I'm not driving him mad with lust. Maybe I don't have him under my spell. But I am affecting him.

"I don't think you're amusing," he says. "I think you're funny. Charming in a unique way."

My cheeks flush.

"You have a beautiful smile. It's rare. Makes me feel like I've won a prize when I can get you to smile."

His expression is sincere. Does he really think that much of me? His words aren't at all casual. They're the words of someone with deep affection. They're the words of a lover, not a fuck buddy.

I clear my throat. "You really think we're friends and not just two people hooking up?"

He nods.

"So you'd tell me if there was anything I needed to know about you? Anything you usually keep secret."

He raises an eyebrow. "You getting at something?"

"Just… you've been pushing a lot about Rosie. I thought that maybe you'd been through something like that."

"My uncle died last year."

"So that house—"

"It's mine."

"He's the one you inherited from?"

Miles nods.

"Oh, I'm sorry that you lost him."

"Thank you." His eyes go to the ocean. "Took me six months to smile after he died. It's still a struggle some days. So I know it still hurts you, that your sister lied to you. I can only imagine." His expression fills with vulnerability. "I'm not going to lie to you like that."

For the first time ever, Miles isn't confident. There's uncertainty all over his face. His brow is knotted, his eyes turned down.

"There's nothing you need to know," he says. "I promise."

The words don't feel quite right, but I can't bring myself to ask him to promise.

* * *

Back at his uncle's place—his place, I guess—I change into a pair of extra boxers and a t-shirt. His extra clothes. Not some random thing he keeps around for the disposable women he brings here.