“And I’m Gia.” Gia said her name seductively as she hurried into the lobby, hips and boobs swaying. She pushed between Cait and Tank, fluttering her long lashes, openly checking out Brant. “Aren’t you sweet.”
Brant looked at Scrappy. “He is, isn’t he?”
“Oh, yes, the dog is too, honey.” Gia winked.
Cait glowered at her.
“It’s nice to meet all of you.” Brant looked past them, and Cait followed his gaze to Aria, who was standing at the entrance to the lobby watching them, fidgeting with the hem of her sleeveless shirt. “Hey there. I’m Brant, Caity’s friend.”
Tank and Gia turned wide eyes to Cait and said, “Caity?”
Cait gritted her teeth. This cannot be happening.
“You give Zander hell when he calls you that.” Tank gave her a scrutinizing glare.
“Zan calls me Caity Cat. Now, can we move on from whatever this is?”
“Who’s this Zander guy?” Brant asked gruffly.
“Ugh! He’s Tank’s cousin.” Cait pulled Brant away from the others. “What are you really doing here?”
“I told you. I have an appointment for a tattoo.” Brant pulled out his phone and showed her a picture of an anchor with a mermaid’s tail wrapped around it.
A knot formed in her stomach.
“Um, Cait?” Aria said from behind the reception desk. “There’s a BR down for seven o’clock with you.”
Brant grinned. “That’s me.”
Gia sauntered over and put a hand on Brant’s shoulder. “I can do him if you don’t want to, Caity.”
“I’ve got him, thanks.”
“Okay, chickadee.” Gia ran her hand down Brant’s arm and said, “You should come party with me and Cait tonight at the Salty Hog. It’s a bar and restaurant a few minutes from here. We’ll have a few drinks, get to know each other better, and get our groove on.”
Cait shot Gia a death stare. Her worlds were not supposed to collide like this. She saw Tank’s eyes narrowing and knew he was chomping at the bit to insert himself into the conversation.
“I’d love to, but I’ve got our boy,” Brant said, petting Scrappy. “I really can’t leave him alone.”
Cait breathed a little easier.
Gia waved her hand. “Bring him along. Tank’s parents own the bar, and they bring their dogs all the time.”
That slow, sexy grin appeared as Brant’s gaze returned to Cait. “Sounds fun. I’d love to.”
Are you freaking kidding me? The Salty Hog was her safe space, where she could let her guard down and relax. Now she’d be a nervous wreck all night.
Gia wiggled her shoulders. “Awesome, sugar. You won’t regret it.”
But will I?
“Let’s go, BR. Looks like I’ve got some tattooing to do.” She grabbed Brant’s sleeve, dragging him toward her workstation, wondering how she was supposed to give him a tattoo when her nerves were fried. She pointed to the chair, said, “Sit,” and turned her back to Brant, taking a deep breath. I can do this. He’s just a customer. When she turned around, Tank was handing Brant a clipboard with the paperwork for the tattoo and a pen. Way to go, Cait. Brant had her so frazzled, she’d totally forgotten their procedures.
As Brant completed the paperwork, Tank walked into his work area, talking on his phone. “Hey, babe. I’m going to be late tonight,” he said in the soft tone he used only with Leah. “I’ve got to run over to the Hog for a bit . . .”
Of course you’re coming.
Okay. She could deal with this. Maybe Tank would be a good distraction from Brant and his dangerous dimples.
Brant was watching her, petting Scrappy.
Why did you really come all this way?
He set the clipboard on the counter, stepping so close to Cait she could barely breathe. “I thought you’d be a little happier to see us.”
The disappointment in his voice tugged at her, but his proximity had her rambling thoughts falling from her lips too fast to stop them. “I am happy to see you and I’m glad you brought Scrappy, but you could have told me you were coming. I could have done a tattoo for you on the island. My life here is different from my life there. It feels weird to have them cross like this, and it makes me flustered. I hate to be flustered.”
He gazed deeply into her eyes, casting some sort of spell on her that made her want to press her lips to his. “I’m sorry, Cait. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. Maybe this will help.”
He took Scrappy out of the sling and handed him to her. Scrappy licked her face, wriggling excitedly, easing some of her tension. How did you know? “Hello, baby. I missed you.” Her eyes flicked to Brant. “How did you get an appointment with me so fast?”
“I booked it almost a month ago because I didn’t like not seeing you for two or three days at a time when you came back here. This was the first appointment you had available.” He leaned closer again, his warm, minty breath whispering over her skin as he said, “But if you really want me to leave, I will.”
Lord. A month ago? She tore her eyes away and looked at Scrappy, trying to process what that meant.
“So you’re not here just because of the last few days?”
“No, but if I didn’t have the appointment, I definitely would have shown up anyway.” His lips quirked up. “What can I say? I missed seeing you yesterday.”
She inhaled shakily. You missed me. She should tell him she’d missed him, too, but she couldn’t. Wouldn’t.
“We’re out of here,” Gia said loudly, bringing the sexual tension between them down a notch. Unfortunately, the difference between combustible and blazing wasn’t enough to calm Cait’s nerves. Gia waved as she and Aria headed for the door. “See you at the Hog, Blue Eyes!”
Brant’s gaze never left Cait’s. “What do you want me to do, Cait? Stay or leave?”
Tank glanced over, making her even more nervous, but no part of her wanted Brant to leave, even if she was frazzled. Scrappy licked her chin, reminding her to answer. “You’re here. You might as well stay.”
“Now, that’s more like it,” he said in a low, enticing voice.
Tank cleared his throat.
Brant turned his attention to Tank. “Sorry, man. I don’t mean to step on your toes over here.” He glanced briefly at Cait, threw his shoulders back, and puffed out his chest. “Actually, I do mean to step on your toes.”
Tank arched a brow.
Cait stifled a laugh. “Um . . . Brant, Tank and I aren’t going out.”
“You’re not? Why didn’t you tell me that when I asked about him?” Before she could respond, he looked at Tank, completely unruffled, and said, “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been trying to get a date with this woman?”
“No, but I’ll know everything there is to know about you two in a few hours.” Tank leaned back in his chair, kicked one booted foot up on the table, and crossed his other over his ankle, watching them.
Cait stalked over to him and handed him the dog. “Can you please take Scrap for a walk or something?”
Tank pushed to his feet. “You sure?”