Dallas’s brows shoot up. “I’m glad. Can I have it back?”
“No.” She hops off her chair. “Time for round two.”
Willow sets her drink over a coaster on her piano and settles into her chair.
Wilder pulls his gaze back toward me. “Sorry I’m late. We had to drop off Ellie first, then grab a late dinner.”
“I wasn’t waiting,” I lie. “I was relieved, actually; they need you back home on that ranch.”
“Sorry to disappoint.”
I set Dallas’s whiskey at the bar—not that he’s focused on a drink anymore. Or anything other than the soft music from the corner of the bar.
“You heading back with your brother?”
Wilder takes a breath and considers it. “No.”
“What are you waiting for?”
He keeps his eyes on me, making my stomach flip.
“Wilder.”
“Can we talk tonight?”
I give him a small smile. “I’m actually leaving early tonight.”
He checks his watch. “It’s eleven. What’s your idea of early?”
“Midnight. There’s a tattoo parlor open late in the Village and I want to go see if they can do something for me.” I pull a piece of paper from my back pocket where I mocked up a concept I’ve been working on and show it to him.
I watch his expression as he studies it, shifting his gaze briefly from my arm to the artwork. “Is this a river?”
I nod, admiring the sketch again. It’s an outline of a narrow river which would flow from my upper arm to just above my wrist. Blue roses and petals float along the surface like an endless, gentle journey.
He smiles. “I can already see it. And I love it.”
I lean in, challenging him, keeping my tone playful but also being serious. “You don’t think it’s impulsive or wild or .?.?. something I’ll regret later?”
He doesn’t blink as he holds my eyes. “I think you know exactly what you want. It’s what I love about you .?.?.” He leans back with a smile like he’s totally here for it. “Ride hard, think light.”
That smile is contagious, and I take a moment to settle my heart from what he’s just said before I lean in with another question.
“What if I .?.?. change my mind?”
His eyes are full of gravity. “What if you don’t? What if it turns out to be the best thing you ever did? Think that’s a risk worth taking.”
I nibble on the corner of my lower lip.
Wilder glances back at his brother, checking if he’s still distracted with the entertainment. “You regret having those pictures taken of you?”
I’ve been thinking about those a lot these last few days and the truth is, no. I’m not saying it was a good idea, but it also doesn’t fall under the category of “greatest mistake.” It was exhilarating at the time. I felt flawless, beautiful, not scarred. I didn’t feel compelled to shrink into myself, which I sometimes do while fully dressed.
I shrug coyly. “Only after you saw them.”
His eyes soften and he tilts his head to the side with a smirk. “Well then, you won’t mind that I kept them for you.”
My heart swells because of how much he’s saying between the lines with that look, that comment. The fact
