His smirk was gone from his face as he stared down at me. As he looked over every inch of my face like he was trying to memorize this moment, memorize me. He pressed his thumb against my bottom lip dragging it down as he watched the movement then his mouth devoured mine.
It didn’t matter that it was a goodbye kiss. That it was our last kiss.
It somehow fueled me more than any kiss that we had shared all night. Somehow it tore into every part of me. Every part of me screamed to not let him leave.
But I knew that none of that was logical.
I wasn’t this girl. I wasn’t the hopeless romantic who got butterflies from a one-night stand.
But as soon as I thought the words, my chest ached. I had plenty of one-night stands in my life. This didn’t feel like that. Even if it was completely foolish to think it, this felt like something more.
He gripped my hair in his hand and pulled my head back so I was completely open to him as he devoured my mouth.
And when he pulled away, I instantly felt his loss.
I wasn’t even sure who I was as I lifted my fingers to my mouth and ran them over the tingle that still lingered there.
He looked as completely dazed as I did. Lost in whatever the fuck this was.
But we were running out of time.
I walked past him and opened the door. The shop was empty with no signs of Brandon to be seen. I took a deep breath before I turned back to face him again, and I schooled my features. I became the Staci that I allowed everyone to see, not the fool that I had somehow let slip only moments ago.
“The coast is clear.” I grinned at him. “Remember,” I pointed my finger at him, “this stays between us.”
He saluted me and I rolled my eyes.
He walked out of the room, and his fingers trailed against mine as he passed me. I clamped my eyes shut to shut down the feelings that were whirling through my head. The feelings that he couldn’t seem to leave alone.
He took five steps through the shop before he turned back to face me. He opened his mouth, to say what I will never know because a throat cleared behind us and I winced at the sound.
Mason and I both turned to look at Brandon as he leaned against the counter with a shit eating grin on his face.
“Hello there,” Brandon said as his eyes bounced between me and Mason.
“Hey, Brandon.” Mason couldn’t hide his small smile, and when I narrowed my eyes at him, he just shrugged his shoulders. “Have a good day.”
“You too.” Brandon looked down at a piece of paper in his hands. “Although, it seems like it’s already off to a great start.”
A chuckle burst out of Mason and I looked to the ceiling and prayed for something to save or smite me down. It didn’t really matter as long as I didn’t have to stand here and endure these two. But my view was blocked when Mason stepped up to me and looked down at me with a soft smile on his face. A different smile than the usually cocky look that it usually held.
“Thank you for my tattoo. I love it.”
I nodded my head because I didn’t trust my voice. I could barely think right now let alone speak. He leaned down and pressed his lips softly against my cheek, and I closed my eyes as his skin touched mine. The kiss was gentle, but he lingered. Then he was gone.
The door clicked behind him as he walked out of the shop, and I blinked my eyes open. I tried to let reality to sink into me, to ground me, but I could still feel his lips on my skin. I could still feel him over every inch of my body.
“Do you want to explain to me why Mason Connor was leaving your tattoo room at seven o’clock in the morning?”
I looked up at Brandon and just like that, reality hit me like a ton of bricks. I turned away from him and headed back into my room, but I heard his footsteps trailing me.
“Mason Playboy Connor. Mason Love Them and Leave Them Connor.” His voice carried into the room, and I braced my hand on my tattoo chair to try to block out his words. “Mason Livy’s Going to Flip Her Shit Connor.”
“I get it, Brandon.” I pulled the rubber band from my hair and shook my hair out before piling it back on top of my head.
“Holy shit.” He let out a low whistle.
I turned to look at him, but his eyes were moving around my space. My space that looked like a tornado had gone off.
“That ink is probably going to stain.” He pointed to where tattoo ink dripped down my work table onto the floor.
“Are you going to keep giving me shit or are you going to help me?” I bent down to the floor and started picking up all my stuff as I winced. My tattoo gun was lying on the floor along with almost everything else.
Brandon squatted down beside me and started grabbing things from the floor and putting them on my table. Brandon was almost never serious, but he was one of my best friends. I knew that no matter how much shit he gave me, I could trust him.
“So, last night?”
“Really Brandon? Can we just let this go?” I wiped paper towels over the spilled ink and it only seemed to make it spread further.
“Probably not.” He took the soiled paper towels out of my hands and handed me more. “Are you going to tell Livy?”
“I don’t know.” I started to run my fingers through my hair before I realized they were covered in ink.
“Go home.” Brandon grabbed more paper towels from my hands. “Your first appointment isn’t until this afternoon. Clean yourself up and get some rest.”
“I can’t.” I motioned around the room.
“I’ll clean up your fuck fest.”
“Seriously, Brandon?” I laughed because only I would get myself into this situation.
“Go.” He grabbed the paper towels from my hands and I rested my elbows on my knees.
“I’m fucked. Aren’t I?” I didn’t just mean with Livy, and somehow, I think Brandon knew that because despite what Brandon liked to show people, he was far more sensitive then he let on. We were the same in that aspect.
“I would say so.” He leaned back behind my tattoo chair and scooped something off the floor before he dangled my panties in front of me. “But it looks like you had fun.”
…
I had no idea what the hell I was doing.
I stared at my station as I reorganized it for the thirtieth time in ten minutes. My appointment would be arriving any minute now, and I couldn’t wait to have a needle in my hand to help numb my mind.
Because all that was currently running through it was Mason and what the hell I was going to say to his sister. To my best friend.
I went home when Brandon had told me to.
I had scrubbed the ink and lake water off my skin, but when a hint of Mason’s scent hit me, my hand paused. I didn’t want to wash it away.
I laid in the bed and I tried to sleep, but there wasn’t a chance. I tossed and turned and thought about what Mason and I had done. I thought about the way his skin felt against mine. I smiled when I pictured his tattoo and how he had given such blind trust in me.
But then the thoughts of how I was going to face Livy flooded me, and I hadn’t been able to think about anything ever since.
And I had somehow managed to avoid her all day.
I couldn’t tell her that I had the best night of my life last night with her brother.
Regardless of whether I knew what it was or not.