Dragging a hand through his short blond hair, AJ sat in the visitor’s chair and looked around. “Nice office. Are you going to be spending most of your time in here, or at your tattoo station?”
Brett gaped at him. Had he seriously just waltzed into her office after four days of radio silence and started making small talk?
“What are you doing here?” she stammered.
“Interviewing for a position.” An impish smile lifted his lips. “The position of Brett Conlon’s boyfriend.”
Her jaw fell open again and her knees got so embarrassingly shaky that she sank into her chair with an ungraceful thud.
“This is insane,” she muttered, her brain still trying to process not only AJ’s unexpected presence, but his even more unexpected announcement.
“More like unprofessional,” he chided. “Do you tell all your potential employees that they’re insane? That’s not what you should be leading with in an interview, angel.”
She just stared at him. His cheerful demeanor was starting to annoy her.
“Ask me why I want the job,” AJ prodded.
Brett mumbled a curse under her breath, then decided to humor him. He’d come all the way here for this craziness. Might as well let it play out.
“Fine. Why do you want this job?”
He leaned back in his chair, long legs stretched out in front of him as if he had all the time in the world. “Well, first off, I think I’d make an excellent boyfriend. I’ll open doors for you and buy you flowers on your birthday.”
She raised one eyebrow. “Very unoriginal. I can get that from anyone.”
“I’ll watch any teen vampire show you become obsessed with.”
“Better, but not by much.”
“Okay, how’s this? I’ll have sex with you whenever you want, however you want it.”
A laugh struggled to break free. “Sounds intriguing. But still not a good enough reason for me to hire you. I have very high standards, Mr. Walsh.”
“Trust me, I know.” He looked like he was fighting a laugh too. “Ms. Conlon.”
“Then what else have you got?” she challenged.
Without breaking eye contact, he gripped the hem of his shirt and began dragging the cotton up his chest.
Brett’s mouth went dry when his tight six-pack was revealed. “Don’t you dare distract me with your bare chest,” she ordered.
“Can’t help it. I’ve got something to show you.” He drew the fabric higher and exposed his pecs.
Brett gasped in shock. “Oh my God. What did you do?”
Heart pounding, she draped half her body across the desk to examine the small line of black text tattooed above his left pec.
It was a date.
Fucking hell—the idiot had gotten the day they’d met tattooed on his chest.
“Oh God, I really hope that’s not permanent.” But she knew it was. She could see it in the swollen redness of his skin, which told her the ink was only a few hours old. And she’d recognize that distinct style anywhere—this was Rob’s handiwork, no doubt about it.
“Are you nuts? You finally get inked and this is what you choose?” she blurted out. “The day we met? What if we break up again, huh? Then you’ll be stuck with the memory of me forever!”
AJ’s laughter echoed in the office. “It’s not just the day we met.”
“Yes, it is!”
“Yep, but it’s also the day I finally stopped pretending.”
That shut her up. Hard. Her pulse sped up as she glimpsed the intensity in his eyes.
“That was the night I truly let go,” he said quietly. “I gave in to the urges I was always fighting, and I did what I wanted. I took what I wanted. Even if you and I don’t have a future—which we do, FYI—that night was important enough that I never want to forget it.”
She was too stunned to move, let alone talk.
“So, you wanted to know what else I’ve got—this. A promise that I won’t hide any part of myself, not anymore.” His voice went husky. “From this point on, you get me. Just me.”
Brett’s heart skipped a beat as she studied his face. God, she’d never seen him look so…free. Was that the right word? Maybe unburdened was more apt. Relaxed. Open. Honest. Whatever adjective she used, they all reflected the same damn thing—something had shifted inside him, and it was written right there in his gorgeous green eyes.
“With that said…I like to fuck and fight and take chances,” AJ said roughly, repeating the same words she’d thrown his way when they’d last spoken. When she’d broken up with him.
“Is that so?” she murmured.
He nodded. “But you know what else I like? Actually, you know what I love?”
“What?”
“You,” he said simply.
Her breath jammed in her lungs.
“I love you, Brett. I love every second I spend with you.” Conviction rang in his voice. “I like who I am when I’m with you, and I think you like who you are when you’re with me.”
He had her there. Being with AJ had taught her things about herself she’d never expected to learn. Like the fact that she could be in a healthy relationship. That she didn’t have to be consumed by a man, that she could have fun without getting wasted and dancing on bar counters. That proving yourself was all the more rewarding when you had someone cheering from the sidelines, someone who was proud of you, someone who believed in you.
AJ was kneeling in front of her now, his warm hands cupping her cheeks. “Give me another chance, Brett. Let me be the man I know I can be.”
“The man you are,” she corrected.
“The man I am,” he echoed. His thumb swept over her bottom lip in a tentative caress. “What do you say?”
She supposed she could have left him hanging. God knew it was always fun tormenting this man.
But her heart was so full of emotion it was dangerously close to overflowing, and the past four days without him had been too agonizing to ever have to endure again.
“You’ve got the job.”
The boyish grin she loved so much made an appearance. “Yeah?”
“Of course.” She rolled her eyes. “I love you, too, idiot. Did you really think I’d say no to that heartfelt speech?”
“The thought occurred to me,” he admitted.
“Then you’re an even bigger idiot.” Laughing, she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him close. “Now kiss me before I change my mind.”
As AJ’s lips covered hers, a wave of sheer belonging washed over her. Oh yes, they belonged together, all right. They fit. Not just their mouths and tongues and bodies, but their hearts. She and AJ brought out the best in each other, and as long as he was willing to stop hiding who he truly was, then she was willing to open her heart to him.
They were panting when they pulled apart, foreheads resting together, AJ’s hands gently stroking her hips.
“Makeup sex?” he suggested with a grin.
She grinned back. “Hells yeah.” As his eager hands immediately tugged on her shirt, she quickly spoke again. “Oh, by the way, you should know, I—”
“Son of a bitch.”
His hiss of pleasure cut her off, and she knew he’d glimpsed what she’d been about to reveal.