“I’m so sorry, Bryan,” I said breathlessly.
“I’ve got one that’s just for him. On my lower back.”
I felt myself tense up as he mentioned it. The cabin tattoo I saw that day on the jobsite. He was going to talk about it.
“What’s it of?” I asked.
“It’s a picture he drew in high school of our family cabin. We kept asking our parents for a treehouse, and instead, they built us a family log cabin.”
“Well, that escalated quickly,” I said, trying to lighten the mood.
“My parents have always been that way. That tattoo was my first ever.”
“The cabin one?” I asked.
“Yep.”
That was all he said about the matter, and I didn’t push it any further. He’d mentioned his brother and that was enough for tonight. We talked back and forth over dinner, eating our fill and waiting out the storm. The rain began to back off and the thunder finally trickled back off into the distance, and all the while, I could feel Bryan’s intensity radiating out toward me.
Had I not been so willing to drown myself in it, it would’ve stifled me until I choked.
Chapter 15
Bryan
The dinner with Hailey was nice. It wasn’t as awkward to talk with her about John as I thought it would be. It was a relatively easy to topic to bring up with her, but I didn’t want to harp on something that would bring down my mood, especially since we were having such a good time. The storm was a wonderful backdrop for our meal. It forced us to take our time and simply relax. It gave me some time to study her and how beautiful she looked in an outfit that had probably taken her no time to throw on before she headed out the door.
It was refreshing to meet someone like her, a person who lived life like she did without being tortured and depressed. I could see why her spirit would be so uplifting to a community she found herself in, and the more we talked, the more I gravitated toward her.
I could see the smile of relief on her face as we drove back by the gallery. Her passion and her desire to protect her building filled me with something I couldn’t quite explain. She took pride in her work, something that wasn’t always apparent with business owners, and I didn’t take it as an insult at all that she wanted to keep checking up on it.
It only enhanced the beauty that was inside of her to begin with.
We drove back to her place in relative silence. All of San Diego had been drenched in a torrential thunderstorm, and by the looks of it, the storm was just beginning. Clouds were growing darker as we inched closer and closer to her apartment, and by the time we pulled up, it was beginning to rain again.
“Why don’t you come up and have a cup of coffee? You could wait until the storm breaks again before you try to head back.”
I had to admit, going up into her apartment seemed nice. I wasn’t quite ready for the night to end, but I knew the sparks were flying between the two of us. Every time my skin touched her, there was this electric current that shot throughout my body. Her smile and her laughter, they warmed a part of me I’d ignored for a very long time. I had cast my dating life aside to build my business, grieve the death of my brother, and try to repair my damaged family.
Going up and having a cup of coffee with her didn’t just tug at my stomach.
It tugged at my pelvis as well.
“I think that sounds like a good idea,” I said.
We rushed up the steps to her apartment before we both fell into it. She shut the door behind her as the wind began to kick up, and she needed a bit of help getting it shut. She locked the door but walked around to all her windows and opened the blinds. I cou
ld see the relaxing smile that crossed her face as the thunder started to roar again, and I watch as the lightning played off her supple curves.
“A fan of thunderstorms?” I asked.
“They’re my muse,” she said, smiling. “I love everything about them, their torrential strength and life-giving grace. I love the way they’re capable of destruction while lighting up the sky with the most beautiful light show I’ve ever seen.”
Her intensity was astounding and not the least bit stifling. I watched as she walked over to the coffee pot and started making some, filling her small studio apartment with its comforting scent. She started grabbing for mugs and sugar and creamer, setting everything out as I slowly made my way toward her.
Every part of me was yelling out to touch her, lay my hands in the dip of her waist and feel her soft skin underneath my touch.
Part of me wondered if taking her up on the coffee invitation was a good idea. I hadn’t known her that long, and she was one of my clients for the company. But as I watched her fix us two cups of coffee with that cute little grin on her face, I couldn’t help but feel drawn to her. The lightning played off her features again, followed by the rumbling sound of thunder as the storm barreled towards us. Where most people would cower away and find anxiety, Hailey found strength and relaxation.