Various details about Tabitha sprang into place and snapped together into a completed picture. All her little quirks and eccentricities, along with her room, reminded me of some others I knew, including Bae. Although his need to control his environment wasn’t as strong anymore.
She stared up at me with eyebrows raised and a little smirk on her face. But it was her eyes that showed me she wasn’t at ease. They didn’t sparkle. I needed to change that.
“Hell-lo...” Her eyes narrowed as she waited for me to call her tabby, but I wanted to change things up. I’d seen the way she reacted to the tabby nickname, and giving her that rise was part of my reason for doing so. But I also noticed that Bae used it. At first, it didn’t bother me since it brought an immediate scowl to her face, which was what I suspected he wanted as well. And the fact that Bae now called her tabby without derision in his tone cemented my need for something that was just mine. “Blueberry. Ready to go?”
Her mouth dropped open, and her eyes sparkled while a small giggle escaped before she choked it off. “Blue... did you just call me blueberry?”
“Yup. Figured you needed a new name, and blueberry seemed to fit.” I flipped the ends of her silvery-blue hair, which she wore down today, resting on the top of her breast. “Besides, blueberries are sweet.” I dropped my hand to the small of her back, urging her to walk. As she passed by me, I leaned down to speak by her ear. “And they’re delicious, too.”
The redness of her cheeks brought a smile to my face. So far, so good, with my plan. By the end of the day, I’d have her eating out of the palm of my hand. And maybe drinking some of my fruit juice.
10
Tabitha
I held up the sparkling fake-fur G-string by the tips of my finger and thumb. There was no way in hell I was putting that on, let alone wearing it outside this small cubicle they called a change room. The strip of fur covered less than what I had ripped off at the waxing salon yesterday. “Nope. Not doing it.” I slipped it out between the curtain and the wall to Arin.
He pushed my arm back inside the curtain and followed it with his head.
“Arin!” I jumped while attempting to cover my bra-covered breasts, missed the mark, and crashed into the wall. “Ouch. Great mouse balls on a cheese stick.” I danced around the small area, shaking out my arm from the pins and needles sensation until my good fortune struck again. The stool where I’d placed my clothes jumped into my path, stubbing my toe, sending me into a lurching stumble with a near face plant. Arin snagged me from mid air, yanking me to his chest. The problem: the hanging curtain, the bane of my existence in this store, was trapped between our bodies.
Between his body, which kept anyone in the store from seeing me without clothing, and the curtain, which kept me covered from Arin’s eyes, I felt a moment of relief. And then...
Riiiipppppp.
Before I knew what was happening, I was thrown out of the change room in just my bra and panties as the curtain rod fell from the ceiling, narrowly missing Arin’s head.
“Oh my gosh, Arin, are you okay?” I rushed toward him, no longer caring about my state of undress.
He grabbed me by the shoulders, stopping me as drywall dust and chunks of plaster continued to rain around us. His gaze roamed over me, examining me, and everywhere it touched, my skin heated. Between the adrenaline rush and the strength of his hands on my bare skin, memories of jumping on him, being held in his arms, feeling his lips on mine had me wanting a repeat experience. And the tease of the hold moments earlier primed my need for more.
I bit my lip. His eyes darkened. His head lowered. I licked my lips.
His mouth opened.
“I’m fine. It’s you I’m worried about. Are you okay? How’s your arm? Your foot?”
“W-what?”
His hands stroked down the side of my face then over the back of my head. “I saw you hit the wall hard. Did you hit your head? Yes. There’s a small lump. Does it hurt?”
What was I thinking? Did I really think that Arin wanted to kiss me? It wasn’t like he kept kissing me that night. Just when the kiss had started to heat up, he’d stopped it. And if that weren’t bad enough, he’d patted me on the back like a dog or a wayward child. Ugh.
“Blueberry? Tabitha?” He waved his hand in front of my face.
I blinked. “Um, yeah, sorry.” I gave my head a little shake. “Head’s fine.” I shook out my arm. “So’s the arm. And the foot.” I wiggled my toes. There was a slight pain but not enough to hinder me. After a quick shift this evening, I’d be right as rain.
“Good.” The corners of his mouth lifted, and his eyes twinkled.
I dropped my gaze to his chest, wishing I could curl up against it. After putting on such an unseemly display, I needed some comfort or some alone time to rebalance.
But instead of pulling me to him, Arin placed two fingers under my chin, lifting it. He stared into my eyes.
I blinked.
And then his lips were on mine. Just a brush pass. A tease like his earlier hug.
They brushed my lips again. This time resting longer, forming themselves around mine. I moaned as my body melted into him, taking the kiss deeper. His tongue brushed over mine,
