Page 22 of The Art of Deception
This is becoming heated as we rock together on the chair.
My temperature rises. I want him so bad right now I’m having trouble holding myself together.
Then I faintly hear footsteps in the hall.
My heart leaps into my throat as I dramatically pull back from Xander, my eyes open wide as I pant for breath, backing away from him.
Smoothing out my dress, I turn just in time to see Levi walking in with his sleepy eyes. He’s tired. I clear my throat, knowing we were seconds away from being walked in on by Levi.
Xander subtly rearranges his crotch.
“Can I have some water?” Levi asks, not taking in the room’s awkward tension.
I dart off into the kitchen, trying to catch my breath without saying anything. I race about grabbing Levi a big glass of water, figuring I better help him to bed. I usually always do, but I didn’t tonight. It’s probably why he’s come back out.
“C’mon, let’s get you into bed, all right?” I tell him, handing him his plastic cup.
He waves at Xander as I glance back at him. Xander’s trying to hide his smirk, which actually makes me feel a little better. So, I wink at him, then head down toward Levi’s room.
We walk in, and his night light is on. He sleeps with it every night because he has a problem with shadows and the dark. I’ve never been able to understand why, but I don’tneedto understand. I simply accept it, and we deal with it. As he hops into bed, I move around, shutting all the cupboard doors for him. The corners of his mouth turn up at me as I walk over, bending down. He likes to feel like he’s surrounded and enclosed in his bed with a heavy feeling. So, I place his weighted blanketover him, then tuck it right into his sides, tight, as if I’m trapping him in. How he can sleep like that, I have no idea. But it works to keep him calm—most nights. We’ve gotten into a routine, so we stick to it. Unfortunately, tonight, Xander distracted me with his gorgeousness.
Leaning down, I kiss Levi on his head as I walk toward the door. “Night, little brother.”
“Night, big sister.”
I blow him a kiss.
It’s our ritual, then close his door. He likes it closed because he doesn’t like the shadows the hallways make when the moon changes its height. He only likes the light in his room. He’s very particular, and that’s okay.
Taking in a deep breath as I stand outside Levi’s door, I steady my shoulders, then turn to walk back out to find Xander. My whole body is still throbbing from our intense-as-hell kiss. But I let my attraction to him get in the way of my duties as a big sister and caregiver to Levi.
I can’t let that happen again.
I stride into the kitchen to see Xander at the sink, elbow-deep in suds and hot water. I gnaw on my bottom lip as I watch him doing my damn dishes. I raise my brow, impressed with his domestic skills.
This guy continues to astound me.
I can’t help but giggle. “I have a dishwasher, ya know?”
He faces me, a small splotch of suds on his chin. “You do?”
My lips pull in to try and stop myself from laughing when he’s being so fucking nice, but I walk over, open the cabinet door that appears like part of the kitchen cabinetry, and yank it down to reveal the dishwasher.
Xander chuckles. “I like your eye for design.”
Grinning, I shrug. “I kinda like designing things, comes with the flair for art, I suppose.”
A strange expression crosses his face as he tilts his body, continuing to wash the bowls. “Humor me…” he pauses, then continues, “If you could have a tattoo studio with any features, any design aspects you wanted, what would it be?”
Why would he ask that question?I’ll play along. I walk up to him and casually wipe the suds from his face. “If I could have anything I wanted?”
He nods.
“Well, the welcome area would have a mural, so as soon as you walk in, you’d be excited to be there. It would be classy and arty, maybe of my parents, my sister, and Levi, with cherry blossoms woven into the design. My mom loved them. It was the first tattoo my father gave to her, and it was a running theme between them. He’d always find something with cherry blossoms on it to give to her. I thought it was tacky growing up, now though, I know it was a tough tattoo artist’s way of showing his love.” Xander weakly smiles at me as I continue, letting out a heavy sigh and waving my hand through the air. “I know how sentimental that is, but it would still be artistic. Customers want artsy, not tacky…”
He continues with the dishes, but his face is focused like he’s taking this all in.
“The zones would have a rustic brick façade with a white plaster wall, making each individual section private. It would be a classic look.” I glance up at the ceiling, imagining it in my mind. “Chesterfield couches in the waiting area for people to sit on. The other walls would be painted in a dark, textured finish, giving a sexy feel to it.” Warmth floods through me. “Giant mirrors line the walls, making the space feel bigger and allowing the clients to view their tattoos when done. But not only is there the main space, but there are additional rooms for the clients who don’t like being out in the main room on show. Some like their privacy.”
