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“I’d never force you to do this. I wanted to take you here to show you something personal to me, not just for this,” I add carefully.

She looks over at me where I stand a few feet away, the only one not surrounding the table. The corners of her lips fall slightly, and I jerk forward a step.

“It’ll be you tattooing me?” she asks.

Shade’s smirk makes my palm tingle with the urge to slap him. “Unless you want me, little devil.”

“I’d prefer Bryce. No offense.”

His smirk transforms into a genuine smile, and my heart expands. “Good answer.”

Arching a brow, I watch as he gives me a thumbs-up and strides to my side. He has to drop his head to speak into my ear.

“I’ll be back in an hour.”

“It’ll take me half that time,” I mutter, my focus on Daisy and only Daisy.

She sucks on her cheek and examines the supplies on the table. Stray auburn waves droop from over her shoulder to tickle her cheeks before she pushes them back and looks at me. Her shy smile threatens to yank my legs from beneath me.

“An hour,” Shade repeats himself. “I’ll lock the door behind me and grab dinner.”

Emotion catches in my throat. “Thank you, Shade.”

For everything, I hope he can read in my expression.

His lips touch my temple for half a second. “It’s good to see you happy.”

Then he’s gone, leaving me and Daisy alone in the one place I always kept just for me, a hidden paradise I feared would get snatched from me.

Yet, with the woman smiling at me from across the room, I’ve never felt more confident or secure sharing anything in my entire life.

33

DAISY

Shade kissesthe side of Bryce’s head and then leaves. I watch him lock the door behind him, tug his hood over his head, and disappear down the street without a second look. He doesn’t seem like the type of guy to trust just anyone with this place, and that speaks volumes to their relationship. A friendship that I had no idea existed until now.

He’s a very handsome guy, with a towering height, thighs the size of tree trunks, and a dark aura about him that I’d find alarming if I hadn’t met him in these circumstances. If that’s your thing, I’m sure he’d be a real catch. From his confident, flirtatious jokes, I would put money on him hardly ever striking out with women.

Bryce moves around the table with skilled ease, not fumbling with the supplies or how they’ve been set up on the rolly cart. She taps the gun and then nods, not having adjusted or swapped out even one thing. They’ve been perfectly prepared just for her.

“Does Poppy know about Shade?” I ask, unable to help but dig into all of my burning questions.

“I’ll tell you everything you want to know once I’ve shown you my idea and gotten you up on this table.”

She’s already turning to the thin piece of paper on the cart bythe time I realize she’s talking about the tattoo she wants to give me. I didn’t notice the paper before or the design printed onto it in bright blue.

“I drew it the other night and sent it to Shade to get his opinion before I even contemplated taking you here or showing it to you. It’s simple, but with the right colours . . .”

“Let me see,” I murmur.

She picks it up with extra caution and slowly extends it toward me. I don’t touch it, not wanting to risk ripping it. Instead, I stare at the sketch and blink back the tears that cause it to become warped.

“Good or bad tears?” she asks, the paper beginning to shake before she sets it on the cart of supplies.

I shake my head, sniffling once. “It’s perfect. I want you to put it on my skin.”

She takes my face in her hands and kisses me softly, content with the simplicity of it. I return the kiss with the same ease and cover her hands with mine, enjoying the affection and the warming effect it has on me.