Page 50 of Tessa

Dax immediately popped the cherry in his mouth, ate it and spat out the stem tied into a knot.

Remembering the implication, Tessa blushed. That Dax had that secret talent did not surprise her. She already knew he was very good with his tongue.

She sucked down half the chocolate milkshake and only pushed it aside to ensure she left room for the pancakes she was dying to try.

They came stacked three high, piled on top with sugar crystals and fluffy cotton candy, with whip cream and flavored syrup on the side. Tessa’s eyes bugged when the waitress set them down in front of her. “Dig in,” Dax said with a wink, his eyes twinkling.

Cutting into the stack, she crammed as big a bite onto her fork as would fit and drizzled the syrup over the top of her stacked fork, making Dax laugh at her antics. She shoveled it into her mouth, her cheeks so stuffed full her mouth would barely close. It reminded her of the chubby bunny game she and Ellie had played as children. When she finally managed to chew and swallow, she took a much smaller portion the second time.

When neither of them could eat another bite, Dax paid the bill, left a big tip on the table, and guided her out of the restaurant.

“Well, little one, what do you want to do next?”

Even in the pre-noon hours, the strip was starting to hum with tourists, and there was a buzz of excitement in the air.

Tessa had no idea what she wanted to do and she couldn’t pick. “Can we just walk around for a bit?” she asked, looking up at Dax.

“That sounds like a fabulous idea. Let’s walk around, people-watch, and see where the day takes us. I haven’t done that in a good while.”

“I haven’t done that in… ever.”

Dax seemed to take that as a challenge to give her the best, most Vegas day possible. He dragged her into store after store, picking up a soft yellow feather boa, yellow rhinestone-bedazzled sunglasses, and a designer purse that looked like a daisy.

“Stop!” Tessa groaned when he tried to pull her into yet another novelty shop. “No more! You don’t need to buy me things for me to have fun!”

Dax stopped short. “Are you not having fun?”

“No, I am!” She rushed to reassure him. “So much fun. Thank you for all the presents but I don’t need more. You’ve already done so much. I just want to have a fun day with you.”

“Ah okay. So less things, more experiences.”

“Um… yes?” Tessa answered, not quite sure what she was agreeing to.

She figured it out after he took her to the wax museum, and on another gondola ride, an inside one this time because, he said, they hadn’t done that yet, and bowling. By the time they were done with all that, it was past lunchtime. He took her to a fancy hot dog place, with a bazillion different kinds of hot dogs, even though she just wanted a plain one with ketchup and mustard and a side of fries. He let her get a slushie with it, though, and ordered himself some crazy, messy hot dog concoction with a million things on it.

“I’m so full,” Tessa groaned, holding her stomach as they walked back out onto the strip.

“Me too. Let’s walk it off for a bit and then we will head back to the hotel and clean up before Beau gets back from his meeting.”

“Okay good. Just walking though. No more shopping or experiences.” Tessa was pretty sure she was funned out and she was starting to feel guilty about all the money Dax had spent on her.

Beside her Dax just hummed and stopped short. “Oooh!” he gasped. “Maybe just one more experience?”

Knowing that she would give in, Tessa turned to look where they’d stopped. Her heart dropped to her knees.

They were at a tattoo shop and Dax was standing in front of the window, already sizing up the options.

Chapter Fourteen

Dax

“Eeep!” Beside him, Tessa was frantic. “No, no, no! We can’t. We really, really can’t. It’s a super bad idea.”

In the back of his brain, Dax knew she was right, but also in the back of his brain, he wasn’t sure he cared.

The fake tattoo on her bottom and Beau’s reaction to it had reignited something within him that was already there. He’d always wanted to get a tattoo; nothing fancy, just a small one somewhere where nobody would know. Dax thought the idea of having a secret tattoo in a place where only his lover or lovers could see it was super sexy and appealing and the thought of that lover being Beau, who would undoubtedly be equally aroused and upset, had his body humming in anticipation.

The tattoos on a sheet in the window were all too big or fancy, more of a portfolio of art than a catalog of options. Telling himself he was just doing research for the future, he took a step inside.