Chapter Sixteen
He should’ve known that things would be different with Bailey.
Weren’t they always?
Cash had finished the last of the shading without an ounce of his usual peace. Working on Bailey, he hadn’t been able to slip into a familiar state of euphoria, to float away until nothing mattered but his hands and the skin beneath them.
Nope. She kept him right there. Painfully present. Painfully aware. Bailey Cooper wasn’t just a canvas.
He really should stay away from this girl, shouldn’t he?
He was sitting in the corner of the room, watching everyone else crowd around Bailey as she admired her fresh ink in the mirror. Gem had provided her with a long, flowing skirt, which she hiked up around her thighs.
Jay, Steve, and Gem were all gushing over the tattoo—and he supposed he’d done a damned good job on it—but all Cash could focus on was the shape of Bailey’s legs; the rounded curves of her thick calves and thicker thighs.
One of which was now marked forever. By him.
Abruptly, Cash stood.
The sudden movement had all eyes swinging his way. Fuck. He cleared his throat. “We need to get that covered up.”
“Alright,” she said with a smile. She hadn’t stopped smiling since he’d finished, and her excitement was catching. It filled his chest like a balloon, made him want to cup her face and kiss her nose and—ugh. What the fuck was wrong with him?
He stalked forward and picked up the clingfilm, tearing off a length with a sharp pull. She sat for him, and he wrapped her up, his fingers lingering against the softness of her skin. It was way too late to pretend indifference. She knew what he wanted. Or he thought she did—but recently, he wasn’t even sure what he wanted.
She was singing under her breath, a tune light as air. He stilled, hovering over her body, straining to hear the lyrics.
“But why should I try to resist when, baby, I know so well… I’ve got you under my skin?”
Her voice was husky and weak, but beautiful all the same. As the familiar refrain trailed off, he looked up, right into the heat of her dark gaze.
“Thank you,” she said softly. “I love it.”
He nodded stiffly, unable to speak around the lump in his throat.
“Alright young’ns,” Steve said. “That’s enough faffing about for one day. I know we’ve all got plenty to do.”
“Barely,” Gem said, rolling her eyes. “We close tomorrow, anyway.” But she and Jay dispersed obediently. Steve’s dad tone could not be denied.
“What are you guys doing for Christmas?” Jay asked, cleaning up his station.
“Going to my brother’s house and pretending his children belong to me,” Gem said dreamily.
“Because that’s not creepy at all.”
“He has five kids! No-one needs five kids. He can definitely share.”
Jay snorted. “What about you, Bailey?’
Cash watched as Bailey bit her lip, her face hesitant. Which was odd. She loved Christmas.
But then she said, “I’m… It’s just me this year.”
A beat of awkward silence fell.
“Oh,” Gem said finally. “Oh, that’s rubbish. You don’t have any family you can—?”
“No.” Bailey straightened her skirt and stood, forcing Cash to step back. He watched as she fiddled primly with the cuffs of her jumper, keeping her eyes to the ground. Maybe that was enough to hide the sadness that surrounded her from everyone else in the room.
But not from him.
“You should come home with me,” he said.
Wait.
Wait.
Had he just said that?
Shit.
She looked up at him, her brow furrowed. “With you?”
“I mean… To my mother’s house. That’s where I spend Christmas. With my sister and brother-in-law and… They have two kids. I don’t know if you…” He became suddenly aware of the silence in the room, of everyone’s eyes drilling curious holes into his back. He felt the tips of his ears heat up, which just made the whole situation even worse. He was blushing, for Christ’s sake, like a teenager. He didn’t think he’d ever been so embarrassed in his life. What the fuck was he thinking, inviting Bailey to his mother’s house? This wasn’t part of the arrangement. This wasn’t his way. It certainly wasn’t what she’d agreed to—
“I’d love to,” she said. The words ran into one another, as though she’d blurted them out without thinking, which was a habit of hers. He loved that habit.
Especially right now.
“Really?”
“Yes. Definitely. I mean—thank you. For inviting me. Oh, only if you’re sure! I don’t want to intrude.” Her smile faded, and he watched doubt take its place. That killed him.
“I’m sure,” he said firmly. Shouldn’t be doing this. “Extremely sure.” It’s a bad idea. “I want you to come.” In more ways than one.
“Oh.” Her smile returned, light as a bird on a bare winter branch. “Okay.”
“I’m leaving on the 23rd. Get back on the 26th. That okay with you?”
“Yeah. Um… Where is it?”
“Oh, not far. Just out of the city. But she likes us all to stay, and my sister comes over from Derby.”
“Okay. Cool. Um… Thanks again. For the tattoo.” She moved past him with a pleased little expression on her face that made him want to pick her up and hug her. Maybe he would. Except—
He turned, suddenly remembering the presence of the rest of the room. His staff stood, gawping openly. “Don’t you fuckers have shit to do?” He snapped.
Jay shot him a smirk. “Aye aye, boss.”
Cash raked his hand through his hair and stifled a sigh. He’d never hear the fucking end of this.