Finding Focus (34 page)

The tattoo shop isn’t very far from Grinders, so I park in my usual spot behind our building and we walk over. Dani is full of questions about the area and the restaurant on our walk to the shop. I love that she’s so interested and really seems to love it here. French Settlement is my home, but Baton Rouge is a close second.

When we make it to Third Street Ink, I see Frankie through the glass windows. He waves and runs over to unlock the door. “Micah,” he says boisterously, “long time, no see!”

“Yeah, it’s been a few weeks. How ya been?”

“Good. I did some new work for Deacon not long ago. He said you had some ideas for some new ink.”

“I do, but I called today for my . . . uh,” I hesitate, wishing I had some kind of claim to her, some way to show that she’s mine. Since I don’t, I settle for introducing them. “This is Sheridan Reed. Dani, this is Frankie.”

“Nice to meet you.” He smiles, shaking her hand. “So, do you know what you want?”

“Yeah, I do.” Dani pulls out the old box from the storage unit and shows it to him, pointing to the compass on the lid. “I’d like this. Right here,” she says, pointing to her forearm. “Except, where there’s an ‘N’ for north, I’d like mine to have an ‘S’ for south.”

Frankie smiles, nodding his head. “South, huh? I like it.”

The two of them walk over to the counter as he begins to sketch out the tattoo. When they both agree on the design and size, he walks her over to his booth and places the transfer on her arm. “How’s that?” he asks.

She holds it up, inspects it, and then looks at me. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s perfect.”

Without hesitation or reservation, she looks back at Frankie, and says, “Let’s do this.”

He works fast, and since the design isn’t that complicated, he’s done in no time. Dani winces a few times when he hits a sensitive spot, but for the most part, she takes it like a champ.

After he has her bandaged up, he looks at me. “So, you gettin’ somethin’?”

“I have a few things in mind, but I think I’ll stop back by some other time,” I tell him, wanting to get over to Grinders before things get too busy. I really want to show Dani around and introduce her to the staff.

“Okay, I’ll pencil you in for a few weeks out.”

“Sounds good. Maybe for after I close one night. I could bring you second dinner.”

“It’s a date.”

Dani laughs and thanks Frankie for doing her tat on such short notice. He tells her it was his pleasure. Frankie and I go way back. Deacon and I have been coming here since we were in college. Even when we’re not getting any work done, we sometimes stop by and hang out after we close up shop.

“Does it hurt?” I ask, pointing to her bandaged arm.

“Nah. It’s a little sore, but nothing too horrible.”

“We’ll get you some ointment for it later. Actually, I probably have some at the apartment.”

She nods, looking down at her arm as we walk across the street.

“Are you having second thoughts?”

“No,” she says, shaking her head and laughing.

“Want to tell me about it?”

“This?” she asks, holding up her arm.

“Yeah.”

She shrugs her shoulders. “It’s kinda hard to explain.”

“Try me.”

We stop just outside of Grinders and I motion her over to a bench nearby. I want to hear this. I want to know why she chose a compass and why she had him put an “S” in place of the “N”. I’m trying hard not to read too much into it, but my mind has been theorizing ever since she sat down in that chair.

“I felt lost,” she says, staring out at the cars passing by. “Have you ever felt lost?” Her eyes are sad as she looks over at me, and I’m not sure whether she’s expecting me to answer, so I just nod.

She lets out a deep breath before continuing, directing her gaze back to the passersby. “When I lost my job, and then Graham pulled that shit with the solo vacation . . . I remember feeling so lost, like my compass was broken. I actually thought that. Like, I was standing in the middle of a big city and couldn’t find my way. The things that had been guiding me were slowly slipping away and I couldn’t tell which way was north.”

She sits quietly for a second, gathering her thoughts, and I let her, giving her all the time she needs. “When I got the call from Piper to come down here and do the article, it was the first time in years I felt excited about life—about what I was doing and where I was. When I went back to New York, I realized it had a lot to do with the location, but even more to do with the people.”

Her eyes close and she gently touches her arm. “I realized it wasn’t north I was looking for, after all,” she says, smiling up at me. “My granny confirmed that for me the other day. In that box was a letter . . . a letter I somehow missed all these years. In it, she told me my heart is my compass.” She pauses for a second, reaching down to lace her fingers through mine. “Everything I was searching for, every question I felt like I didn’t have an answer for,” she says passionately, “it was right here,” she places her hand over her heart, “I just needed a little help finding it.”

I smile because she’s smiling, but more importantly, I smile because I like what I’m hearing. Above everything else, I want Dani happy, and if there is a slight chance her being here . . . with me . . . could make her happy, I’d be the luckiest guy on the planet. I want to fall at her feet and tell her to stay . . . to let me make her happy . . . but I don’t, because I don’t want to jump the gun. Instead, I grab her hand tightly and pull her up, placing a kiss on her nose, her cheek, and then her lips. I want to take it further. I want to show her exactly how I feel about her, but there’s one last thing I’d like to do before that happens.

“You wanna go check out Grinders?” I ask, motioning toward the front doors.

“Definitely.”

Once inside, Dani is so enamored. Her face says it all—bright eyes, big smile. “I thought Pockets was great, but this place . . .” she looks around, taking in the brick walls and low lighting, “this place is fantastic.”

“Thank you. We’re pretty proud of it.”

“I’m so glad you brought me here.” She reaches up and kisses my cheek. “Show me more.”

And I do. I introduce her to the kitchen and wait staff. Their sly smiles and raised eyebrows don’t escape me. They’ve never seen me bring someone here, not like this. I mean, I’ve brought women here before. Shit, most of my dates in college took place here because Deacon and I worked so damn much. But I’ve never brought anyone here, introduced them like this, and shown them around, outside of my family. This is a first for me. I show Dani the office I share with Deacon and the first dollar we ever made eight years ago.

After the tour, we sit in a quiet booth up top and I order several of the house specialties for us to share. When we first opened this place, we sold nothing but grinders, hence the name. Everyone around here sells po’ boys, which are basically the same idea, but we wanted to do something different. And to be honest, we felt like Grinders was a better name than Po’ Boys. It fit the image we wanted to set. Since the beginning, we’ve expanded the menu, selling other things besides sandwiches, but the name stuck. One of our best sellers is shrimp and grits. We use our Grandma Landry’s recipe, and it’s a hit.

When the food arrives, Dani tastes a bit of everything, and with each bite, she moans her approval. And with each moan, I have to restrain myself from throwing her over my shoulder caveman-style and taking her back to the apartment to have my way with her.

Fuck slow.

I’m ready to show her how I feel . . . how she makes me feel. I know my mama said patience, but I don’t want to have any regrets when Dani gets back on that plane to New York.

“You ready?” I ask, wiping my mouth on my napkin.

“I’m ready if you are.”

“Let’s go.”

I wave to Crystal on our way out, telling her to let Larry know the food was delicious. Dani chimes in, sending her praise as well. Crystal waves back and winks at me behind Dani’s back. “Have fun,” she mouths.

I grin and nod. The need to get Dani back to the apartment is growing with each passing second. Every brush of her hand against mine, the way she tosses her head back and laughs, her sideways glances . . . all of it feels like foreplay—sweet, torturous foreplay.

When we get up to the apartment, Dani quietly goes to the bathroom, looking back at me over her shoulder, silently talking to me with her glance. We haven’t said more than a few words to each other since we left the restaurant, but our touches have said plenty. They’ve said,
I’m ready. I need you. No more slow.

I lock the front door behind me and walk into my bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed. The bathroom door creaks open a few minutes later and Dani walks into the bedroom. Her hair is loose around her shoulders and she’s only wearing a t-shirt, one of mine I loaned her in Alabama when we were at the beach. She leans against the doorframe and crosses one leg over the other, watching me.

My fingers ache to touch her, so I stand up and walk over to her, brushing my fingers lightly down her arm. The way her skin pebbles under my touch makes me want to do it more—touch her more. I don’t know what she wants or how far she wants to take this, but I want it all. “Tell me to stop,” I whisper, warning her with my words, giving her a chance to put the brakes on, but she doesn’t. She shakes her head slowly and leans into my hand as I cup her cheek.

“I want this. I want
you
. Tell me you want this, too,” I plead.

“I do,” she says. “I want you, Micah.”

That’s all I need—her permission, telling me we’re on the same page. My mouth is on hers and my hands move swiftly down her body, gripping her backside and picking her up, allowing her legs to wrap around my waist. I kiss her hard, pressing her into the wall, letting her feel just how much I want her. Her fingers twist in my hair, pulling me closer. I could take her here, up against this wall, but I want more than that. I want to look into her eyes. I want to memorize every inch of her. I want
making love
—not fucking.

I carry her over to the bed and lay her down, loving how her gorgeous red hair spreads out over my pale blue blanket. She’s everything—my hopes, my dreams, my desires, all wrapped up in one amazing package.

“Off,” she commands, tugging at the bottom of my shirt.

I reach back and tug it over my head, tossing it beside the bed. Her hands roam up my stomach to my chest, tracing the tree like she did last night. Our eyes lock and the intensity I’m met with matches what I’m feeling inside. She sees past who I’ve been, who other people see—she just sees me. I love seeing myself through her eyes.

I want her to feel as good as she makes me feel.

Pulling at the hem of her shirt, I inch it up her body, placing soft kisses along the way. Words are on the tip of my tongue, wanting to be said, but I’m still scared to utter them aloud. So, I let my lips and hands say the things I’m afraid to. I kiss every inch of her body, some parts more than once. When I make my way back to her mouth, she kisses me with fierceness and desperation. Her voice is sure when she whispers, “Make love to me.”

Those words—
my
words—coming from her, make every emotion come to the surface. I feel raw and exposed, laid bare before her, but I’m not afraid. I want this kind of intimacy with Dani. I crave it.

When our remaining clothes are on the floor, I reach over to my nightstand, grab a condom, and quickly roll it on. Gazing down at her naked body, I tell her how beautiful she is and smile as I watch her skin blush, traveling from her cheeks down to her full breasts.

“Amazing,” I say, lining myself up and slowly pushing inside. Once our hips are flush, I’m overwhelmed with how perfectly we fit together, how incredible she feels. I’m almost afraid to move. Afraid this moment will fade away.

My body tenses and my eyes close until Dani presses her hands to my face.

“Look at me,” she demands. “I feel it, too. Please, don’t stop.”

Lacing my fingers through hers, I begin to move, and almost laugh at myself for doubting this couldn’t feel better than a minute ago. With every thrust, touch, and kiss, the pleasure only intensifies until we’re both crying out, finding our release together.

I have never felt this way, and I know, without a doubt, I’ll never get my fill of her.