Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 65083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
I raise my hands, pleading innocence. “You’re the one who changed the subject.”
Ava cleans the last of the incendiary food from her plate, licking her lips to get every bit of the sauce. “I think it’s incredibly romantic, you reuniting with childhood friends after all these years. It sounds like they really care for you. Why would it matter that there’s three of them?”
An ember of hope begins to glow in my chest. I hadn’t expected this response from Ava, and is it possible that her take on our unconventional situation could be more realistic than my mom’s?
Of course, my mom wants to protect me, but her warnings are very much influenced by the way my father hurt her. I know that Kai, Gage, and Thorn would never hurt me like that. Not if they’d vowed not to, and never intentionally, even without us having a commitment.
The waiter brings the check and I grab it, even though I may need to dip into my savings account to purchase new taste buds after trying Ava’s food. She reaches for the bill a moment too late.
“You paid for our last lunch, and the one before that. This one’s on me,” I say, handing over my credit card.
While we wait for the waiter to return, my newly buoyant mood leads me to ask, “Have you been to their shop? Beasts Ink?”
It’s only a few blocks away, and the close proximity has been on my mind all throughout lunch. At Belle Epoque, I may occasionally wander past the kitchen to catch glimpses of Thorn, and I feel the same pull to get a tiny fix of Gage and Kai to get me through the rest of the day.
There’s no denying that my men are addictive.
LEXY
It turns out that Ava never has been inside Beasts Ink, so we stroll down the street, taking in the Christmas decorations on the Strip as we go. She says she went by the shop once, with the intention of checking it out after watching their reality show, but there was a big crowd at the door—mostly women, of course—and she ended up turning back, not wanting to wait.
There’s a crowd there again today.
“This isn’t nearly as bad as last year,” Ava says, making my eyes go wide. There are at least eight people at the door, six of them women, and I wish I didn’t automatically count the women and wonder if any of them are Kai’s and Gage’s types.
We’ve talked a lot about the years we’ve been apart, but I carefully avoided asking about their romantic relationships, because I knew it wouldn’t feel good to hear about them.
I’m glad there’s less of a crowd than Ava experienced, but it also makes me wonder if their popularity is waning.
Clearly, they’re not hurting for business, but maybe they’re not earning what they were in past years.
The two of us slip in behind the small cluster of people in the doorway. There’s a heavy cloud of perfume hanging in the air. I stretch on tiptoes to catch Brax’s eye and wave, making sure he sees that it’s me sneaking in, and not a random fan.
He nods and grins, lifting his chin in greeting before his eyes shift to Ava.
“Who’s that?” she whispers, turning back to give him another look as I lead us to Ember’s desk.
“That’s Brax. Maybe I can introduce you on the way out.” He’s deep in discussion with the perfumey women, who don’t look much older than eighteen.
“Please do,” Ava says, and her tone of voice has me doing a double take at the guard. I guess he is an attractive man; I hadn’t noticed, having more than enough men to occupy my attention, but it looks like Ava definitely appreciates him.
“Hi, Lexy.” Ember gives us both a warm smile, lifting her brows in inquiry when she looks at Ava.
“Ember, this is my friend, Ava; Ava, Ember, the woman who keeps the artists’ hectic booking schedules straight.”
The two of them shake hands and exchange pleasantries while I look around the space. My dilemma when coming here, aside from dealing with the groupies, is who to go to first. Both Kai and Gage emit such a strong pull that it’s often impossible to decide who to visit first, which is why I often start with Ember, who tells me which of the men might be able to talk and which of them are deep into a project.
Kai is currently bent over a man’s bare leg, but I don’t see Gage at all.
As if he’s feeling the same pull I do, Kai glances up, immediately meeting my eyes. He tilts his head, beckoning me over.
“Looks like Kai has a free moment,” I tell Ember.
On our way over to his station, Ava and I pass two of the other artists. Pierce greets me by name and gives Ava a friendly nod, while Zeb remains focused on his work. When Ava and I reach Kai, he’s hunched over his client again, so we stay quiet, letting him find a stopping point in his work, which is a dark, furry doglike demon running from the burning gates of hell on the side of the man’s calf.