Rob swings his arm around my shoulders, urging me into him. “You hitting on my girl, here?”

“Is she yours?” Jed’s eyebrow cocks up and Rob turns his eyes my way.

“Yeah,” he says and my heart hammers against my chest.

“Shit, then. Sorry.”

“That’s alright. Any suggestions on the cover up?” Rob releases me and I cross my legs on the bed, trying to dissect why I didn’t argue his claim.

Jed and Rob talk logistics of designs while my mind races with Rob’s meaning. It will be the first question once we get out of here, that’s for sure. To correct him in front of Jed felt wrong. Maybe because I like the idea of being his girl? Or my lack of interest in Jed. I mean, he’s not bad looking, just more bulky than what I prefer. I glance over at Rob and my teeth automatically bite down on my lip from how attractive he is. Those glass eyes, lean muscles mixed with the unruly black hair. From the moment I stepped out of my car and Rob’s eyes pinned me with lust, I was addicted. Completely, obsessed with the flutter in my stomach from his smoldering eyes on my body. During the past weeks, I’ve dressed for him, pranced in front of him, all on purpose. All to bring those eyes that entice the feelings of a sexual want inside of me. Why? When I have no chance of winning his heart—only his cock.

Before I have a chance to focus on what’s happening, Jed’s gone and it’s only Rob and I in the small room. Not about to lose my chance to confront him, I shift my body to face him. “Why did you tell him I was your girl?”

His shoulders shrug as he tucks his phone back in his pocket. “I didn’t want him to hit on you.”

“Oh.” I face the curtain, hoping for Jed to re-enter and free the tension.

“You aren’t going to ask me why?”

“Why?” I still don’t turn to face him. There’s something I can’t see in this moment on his face that I can hear in his voice.

“Look at me.” My head slowly twists and his eyelids are hooded with anxiety. “I’m not going to deny I like you, Paige. I do.” My heart soars out of my chest that he’s actually admitting the feelings we’ve both been denying. “But . . .”

“But?”

His lips turn down at the corners.

“Yeah . . . but I’m not the one for you. I have a past that I haven’t made peace with and it’s not fair to put you in the middle of it.” His back straightens and he shifts his jaw back and forth. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have led you on.”

When I sit there silent for a second, his hand crosses that invisible line between us and he links his fingers with mine. “That doesn’t mean I want to see you with someone else though.” His voice is such a low whisper, I wonder what he really expects from me.

“What do you want me to do then?”

“I don’t know.”

“You can’t have it both ways, Rob.”

“I know.”

“I can’t keep going on like this.” I should really say my heart can’t take it anymore. Admit that he keeps hammering away at it and if he doesn’t at least try to make this work between us, it’s bound to break regardless.

“I know.”

I disengage my hands out of his and a huge huff releases out of his mouth. Just as I’m about to ask him more questions, Jed steps through the curtained off area with a transparency of the tattoo.

Rob

“A dove, man?” Jed asks me for the fifth time.

“Yeah.”

“I’m not sure. You aren’t the dove kind of guy.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Figure you’re the kind of guy that likes his past.”

I tilt my head and stare at the guy who has painted most of my body.

“Just do it.”

Paige excuses herself and as soon as she escapes through the curtain, I don’t have to wait three seconds before Jed hammers me with a question about her.

“Who is she?” His head nods to where she just left.

“Roommate.”

“What happened to Dex and Chrissy?” He mounts the transparency over Jessa’s lips and a feeling of loss hits me square in the gut.

I remember the day Jessa pressed her lips on the black ink pad and then on my arm. I was trying to save a relationship that neither of us wanted. I grasped for any hope that I could live life normally again. My heart wasn’t invested, and she saw through it. Grant gives her everything I couldn’t.

Paige is different though, she’s fighting for me and it feels like the first time I rode on the tallest roller coaster, The Magnum, at Cedar Point when I was ten. How I sat down in the seat staring up at the big hill thinking how on Earth will I gain enough balls for my friends not to laugh at me? Will I grip the bar, or raise my hands? Then after that gut-checking first hill, it was smooth sailing. The faster the car went, the more I laughed and screamed. I was hooked, but for some reason, that first hill still scares me shitless. Paige scares me shitless. Damn, she’s the first girl to make me want to gamble for a different life.

Jed waves his hand in front of my face and I blink, stopping my rambling of thoughts.

“Them too, but we brought Paige in to save money.” I watch him place the inks down and get the gun ready to cover up a mistake I should have never gotten.

“You really tapping it?”

“No.”

“So, she’s fair game?” He places his black gloves on, snapping them at the wrist.

“No.”

He arches an eyebrow to me. “Then I suggest you claim her quick. Girls like that don’t last on the open market.” The gun buzzes and I straighten my arm as he brings the silver vibration to me.

“She isn’t some cow ready to be taken to the highest bidder.” A devilish smirk crosses his lips.

“Like I said, don’t take too long.” I’m not a moron. I understand what he thinks he sees, and his advice, but I don’t need his damn opinion on how fucked up I am.

“Quit being my therapist and give me the damn tattoo.”

He chuckles loudly and then a mask of concentration encompasses his face. He focuses on my arm, precise as always on my permanent ink.

Jed is seconds from being done by the time Paige returns and gently props herself up on the bench. “Where have you been?” I ask her and try not to pry at the folded piece of paper she’s hiding in her hand.

“Just looking,” she sing-songs while concentrating on Jed’s movements across my arm. “A dove. How very hopeful of you.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Just that maybe you’ll make peace faster than you think.” Jed pauses a moment, going back for more ink, and then slyly widens his eyes in my direction.

“Doesn’t mean things would change.” I have to squeeze her out of my senses, why won’t she just allow me to keep her at arm’s length? Rage begins to brew that she won’t accept that my tainted past haunts me too much to focus on my present.

“All done man.” Jed takes a cloth and wipes down the dove that now sits on the edge of the guitar on my arm. “It’s a damn good cover job if you ask me.” He wraps up my arm in the gauze and then I jump down.

“That’s why I only allow you to scar my precious skin.” I chuckle and slap his back. When I spin around, Paige is perched where I sat and she hands Jed a piece of paper.

“The girl outside said you should be able to squeeze me in.”

“She did, did she?” He peruses the piece of paper and then peers back up to her. “Where you want it?”

She scoots off the bench and begins unbuttoning her pants.

“Whoa!” I step in front of her, my hand stopping hers. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Getting a tattoo. Excuse me.” She sidesteps me and starts to slide the zipper down.

“Paige,” I warn, earning me a glare like no other.

“I’m fairly sure you don’t rule my decisions.”

“If you want this done, I’ll get Violet, but the hell if you’re going to drop your pants in front of Jed.” I block any view of her to Jed who’s humorously laughing behind me.

“You said Jed is the best.” She peers over my shoulder. “I’m sure you’ve had a lot of girls get it in discrete places?” she asks, and I don’t turn around to see the smile I know is splashed across Jed’s face.