to stop working and just write, so I’m grateful for it. Luckily, I got my first contracts before my savings ran out. What about you? What did you do before writing professional y?”
“I taught English at the university here.”
“But you gave it up to write?”
“Not immediately. I stopped working three years ago. Too many book deadlines to keep it up. I didn’t feel I could do both and put enough energy into each. I didn’t want to rip off my students. I loved teaching, actual y. Some people think of it as a banal existence.
But I enjoyed it.”
“I’m sure you did. And I’m sure you found your thril s elsewhere.” He grinned. “Of course. I don’t bother denying who I am.” He sipped his tea again. “Unlike some people.”
“Oh, a barb. Should I be injured?”
He grinned, a wicked glint in his eyes. “Not yet. We’l get to that later.”
Her cheeks heated once more, her sex going warm. It hit her al at once that this man was real y going to touch her soon. Spank her. And what else?
She crossed her legs under the table, fighting the ache between them.
Focus. Just keep talking.
The talking made this almost seem like a normal date. She could handle that.
“Alec, tel me more about this thril -junkie stuff you mentioned the other day. The extreme activities.”
Alec smiled. “I like anything that gives me an adrenaline rush. I snowboard. I’ve been skydiving. The shark-diving I believe I mentioned. And my motorcycles. I’ve raced, but not professional y.”
She shuddered. She hated to think of that. She had most of her life.
“Dylan? What is it?”
She waved her hand. But she could feel herself going pale. And Quinn was a big part of what had made her who she was.
Just tell him. Get it over with.
“I . . . I lost my younger brother, Quinn, in a motorcycle accident.
The idea of anyone driving a motorcycle makes me . . .
uncomfortable.”
“I’m sorry. Was it recent?”
“No. No. Can we change the subject? It sounds as if you’ve traveled a lot.”
“I have. I particularly love Southeast Asia, the entire eastern hemisphere. Thailand is beautiful. Bali. And Tibet was an adventure, although not a comfortable one. I was tattooed there by an old man, using the ancient methods. They take a long spoke of sharpened bamboo and tap it over and over to push the ink into the skin. It takes two people to hold you down, to hold the skin tight. It takes hours. But you get into this sort of trance space after a while. It’s on the back of my shoulder, a bony area and it hurt like hel , but it’s my favorite tattoo. These tattoos are custom-made, and have a spiritual meaning the artist discovers for each individual. A unique message. It was an amazing experience.”
“I’ve seen it done in documentaries. It looks painful, but the designs are beautiful.”
“I’l show you mine eventual y. Do you like tattoos?”
“Yes. There’s something so personal and interesting, so much a statement about a person. I have one myself.”
“Do you?”
“You look surprised.”
“Maybe not. What is it?”
“A branch of plum blossoms sort of arching over my right hip.”
“Ah. Plum blossoms are a sign of perseverance.”
“Yes. The blossoms can survive a winter frost.”
“Perhaps you’l tel me sometime what that means for you.” She smiled. “Perhaps. You have other tattoos besides the one you had done in Tibet?”
He nodded. “A pair of dragons on my forearms. I had them both done in Hong Kong. I’d rol up my sleeves to show you but a partial view wouldn’t real y do the work justice. I’d have to take the shirt off.”
God, what would this man look like with his shirt off? She shivered.
“And what do they mean for you?”
“The dragons are a symbol of power. Strength. And protection.”
“What do you need to be protected from, Alec?” A shadow crossed his face, but disappeared so quickly she wasn’t certain she’d seen it.
“Everyone has their vulnerabilities. We
“I taught English at the university here.”
“But you gave it up to write?”
“Not immediately. I stopped working three years ago. Too many book deadlines to keep it up. I didn’t feel I could do both and put enough energy into each. I didn’t want to rip off my students. I loved teaching, actual y. Some people think of it as a banal existence.
But I enjoyed it.”
“I’m sure you did. And I’m sure you found your thril s elsewhere.” He grinned. “Of course. I don’t bother denying who I am.” He sipped his tea again. “Unlike some people.”
“Oh, a barb. Should I be injured?”
He grinned, a wicked glint in his eyes. “Not yet. We’l get to that later.”
Her cheeks heated once more, her sex going warm. It hit her al at once that this man was real y going to touch her soon. Spank her. And what else?
She crossed her legs under the table, fighting the ache between them.
Focus. Just keep talking.
The talking made this almost seem like a normal date. She could handle that.
“Alec, tel me more about this thril -junkie stuff you mentioned the other day. The extreme activities.”
Alec smiled. “I like anything that gives me an adrenaline rush. I snowboard. I’ve been skydiving. The shark-diving I believe I mentioned. And my motorcycles. I’ve raced, but not professional y.”
She shuddered. She hated to think of that. She had most of her life.
“Dylan? What is it?”
She waved her hand. But she could feel herself going pale. And Quinn was a big part of what had made her who she was.
Just tell him. Get it over with.
“I . . . I lost my younger brother, Quinn, in a motorcycle accident.
The idea of anyone driving a motorcycle makes me . . .
uncomfortable.”
“I’m sorry. Was it recent?”
“No. No. Can we change the subject? It sounds as if you’ve traveled a lot.”
“I have. I particularly love Southeast Asia, the entire eastern hemisphere. Thailand is beautiful. Bali. And Tibet was an adventure, although not a comfortable one. I was tattooed there by an old man, using the ancient methods. They take a long spoke of sharpened bamboo and tap it over and over to push the ink into the skin. It takes two people to hold you down, to hold the skin tight. It takes hours. But you get into this sort of trance space after a while. It’s on the back of my shoulder, a bony area and it hurt like hel , but it’s my favorite tattoo. These tattoos are custom-made, and have a spiritual meaning the artist discovers for each individual. A unique message. It was an amazing experience.”
“I’ve seen it done in documentaries. It looks painful, but the designs are beautiful.”
“I’l show you mine eventual y. Do you like tattoos?”
“Yes. There’s something so personal and interesting, so much a statement about a person. I have one myself.”
“Do you?”
“You look surprised.”
“Maybe not. What is it?”
“A branch of plum blossoms sort of arching over my right hip.”
“Ah. Plum blossoms are a sign of perseverance.”
“Yes. The blossoms can survive a winter frost.”
“Perhaps you’l tel me sometime what that means for you.” She smiled. “Perhaps. You have other tattoos besides the one you had done in Tibet?”
He nodded. “A pair of dragons on my forearms. I had them both done in Hong Kong. I’d rol up my sleeves to show you but a partial view wouldn’t real y do the work justice. I’d have to take the shirt off.”
God, what would this man look like with his shirt off? She shivered.
“And what do they mean for you?”
“The dragons are a symbol of power. Strength. And protection.”
“What do you need to be protected from, Alec?” A shadow crossed his face, but disappeared so quickly she wasn’t certain she’d seen it.
“Everyone has their vulnerabilities. We
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