Three days without Brody sucked. And she was wary of that. Wary of her need for him. But it was there and he filled it. And she liked that he filled it.

“All right, handsome. I’ll be there in about forty-five minutes. Are we storming the café to bother Erin or heading somewhere else?”

“I’m dying for a slice of pie. How about Zeek’s? Since you’ve been with me, I eat so good I rarely get takeout anymore.”

She was with him? Like with him with him? That made her smile. She was such a fifteen-year-old girl sometimes, but there was no one to see her slide back to teenaged girldom, so she wallowed in it just the same. “I’m having ice cream too then. I’ll just have to work it off later. You coming over tonight?”

“If that’s an invitation to dinner and sex? What do you think? I’ll see you in forty-five.” He hung up and she grinned as she went back to loading the dishwasher.

Brody heard her; above the general din of chatter and the buzz of the needles, he heard that petal-soft voice.

He stood, moving through the shop, caught in the pull he always felt when she was near. She wore her hair down, and it shimmered against the bright red of her sweater. Even in faded jeans and flats she looked like she was royalty or something. So elegant and pretty. That he’d touched and kissed every part of her, that he’d been beside her as she laughed, that she trusted him enough to give herself so freely, just floored him.

She was speaking with Arvin as he approached, and when her eyes met his, that smile deepened, changed into something intimate and innately sensual.

“Hi there. I’m here to sweep you away to lunch. But you should show me around first.”

He took her hand and kissed it. “You look pretty.”

“Thanks.” Arvin winked and Brody rolled his eyes.

“Not you, douche bag. Scrounge your compliments from your gorgeous and totally-too-good-for-you wife.”

Admittedly, he was sort of nervous to show her the shop. He wanted her to be impressed. Hoped she would be.

“Are these pictures of tattoos you’ve done here?” she asked when he led her past the front where clients waited. The wall held photographs of various tattoos.

He nodded. “Yes. We have to do a ‘best of’ wall at this point. All the stuff we’ve done is in the book up front. Books.” He laughed. “This place has been mine so long we’ve got seven binders’ worth of pictures.”

She looked close at his stuff, smiling. “You have every right to be proud of what you’ve built here. You’re really good, Brody. I’ve obviously seen your work on Erin and Ben, but this is absolutely amazing. So much talent. I’m in awe.”

“Hi, Elise.” Raven approached and put her arms around Brody’s waist. It wasn’t unusual, Raven was physically affectionate with most of her friends. At the same time, it made him uncomfortable, it felt forced and for an audience. She knew he was seeing Elise. Knew because he’d told her that several times.

Elise’s gaze went to those arms, even as Brody removed them and stepped closer. Then her eyes moved back to Raven’s face. Her back straightened, and her eyes, just warm and sweet moments before, went hard. “Raven.” Even her tone had gone hard. Which was sort of odd. Except for the call he’d overheard with her ex-in-laws, she was nearly always nice to people.

Though Elise and Raven didn’t have the friendship each had with Erin, he’d expected them to at least like each other. The tension between them didn’t shine much light on that particular hope. Worse, he got the distinct feeling Raven wanted it that way.

“Where are we headed then?” Raven asked, inviting herself along.

“Elise is getting the tour and then she and I are headed out to lunch.” He steered Elise around Raven and hoped Raven didn’t say anything else.

“See you later,” Elise said, but it wasn’t with the same warmth she had with other people.

“This is my office.” He flipped on the light and showed her the small space where he slept many a night. Luckily now he just did his weekly scheduling and the books in there.

She walked ahead of him. “Look at you guys!” She homed in on a picture of Adrian and Erin when they’d signed their first record contract. Brody stood between them, grinning like a fool. He loved that picture. How much youthful hope they’d all displayed then.

“Seems like only yesterday.” He shut and locked the door. “On the desk, legs wide. I need to f**k you right now.”

“I knew I should have worn a skirt,” she said, toeing her shoes off and stripping from her jeans and panties quickly. Damn, how disarming was it that she’d just moved to obey like that? That she wanted him as much as he wanted her? “But I’m not wearing a bra.”

As if he wasn’t already hard enough.

One-handed, he reached for her, his hand palming the back of her neck to hold her the way he wanted, the way he needed to, to taste her lips. The other hand unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, freeing his cock.

“Are you wet, baby?” He kissed her pretty ni**les after shoving the sweater up.

“Yes. Please, inside me, please.”

He drew his knuckles through her cunt, so wet and hot he had to close his eyes to get control. Control that slipped from him like sand every time she got near. “Christ, you’re on fire.”

“Since you called me earlier. I . . .” She grabbed his c**k and guided it to her gate, letting that finish her sentence.