“My calf.”
“Try again.”
“Down my side.”
He shook his head.
“Then tell me,” I demanded. “Where?”
Slash leaned across the table and whispered, “Your lower back.”
“Lower back?” I raised my brows. “You mean atrampstamp?”
“Damn right, your tramp stamp.” He grinned cheekily. “So, when I’m fucking you from behind, I can see my brand on you.”
“Brand? Yourbrandon me?” Somehow my voice became a screech and people at the table across the restaurant looked at me. I slouched in my seat, feeling my cheeks heat. “Damn it.”
“I’m guessing you’re not happy with the idea.”
“The idea? The idea isn’t the problem. It’s the word choice.”
“So what? I’ll get your name inked on me. You’ll brand me, too.”
My anger immediately diffused. “Oh.”
“Any requests for where?”
“Your canvas is pretty full,” I said with a smirk. “How about your d—”
“Here we go!” the waitress chirped, setting down our plates of food. “Hot sauce is on the table. Can I get you anything else?”
“I’m good, thanks,” I said.
“Same,” Slash replied. He looked at her when he gave his reply, and she tried not to stare when she saw his face, but even she didn’t do a good enough job concealing her interest.
When she left, I said, “You know, it’s weird, but when I look at you, I don’t even notice your scar anymore. I mean, I know it’s there, but it’s just a part of you. It’s familiar. Makes you look like a pirate.”
He smiled slightly. “A pirate, huh?”
“A sexy pirate.”
“Does that make you my busty wench?”
“If the corset fits,” I joked.
He lifted his massive burrito to his mouth and took a huge bite.
“You just don’t seem to care what anyone thinks,” I said. “Why is that?”
He chewed and swallowed, and then said, “What’s there to care about? Like I’m going to get caught up, worried about what some asshole who has a shitty life thinks and let him pass judgement on me and mine? It’s like having crazy people run the asylum.”
“Have youevercared what people thought of you?”
“Not really. Not after I was old enough to know better. Made life a lot easier not giving a fuck what people thought. I wasn’t going to change who I was, so why care?”
“Yeah,” I said slowly, nodding.
“You care what people think of you?”