God, I want to wrap those boots around me.

“A party sounds fun,” she says through her hooded lashes.

“No way.”

“Why not? Afraid I’ll find a moodier tattoo artist there?” She’s leaning over the side of the chair with one of her legs tucked under her butt. It’s doing two things. Pushing her tits up to her chin and nearly out of the top of her little dress. And hiking up the short length of her dress to reveal most of her thigh and a little of her ass.

I march over to her and lean down, placing my hands on either side of the chair. Then, with my face just inches from hers, I pull her dress down over her backside and say, “No. I just want you all to myself.”

Planting my mouth on hers, I deepen the kiss, teasing her tongue with my own. We have an audience, so I pull away before things get too steamy. As I turn away to call my next client with a smile on my face, I notice Sierra squirming in the seat, obviously panting and wanting more.

It’s almost midnight by the time we close up and head out. Murph has his arm around Sierra as we walk down the street toward his place, which is only a few blocks from the shop.

I’m helpless against them now. He has fully convinced Sierra that the party needs more beautiful girls, and when she promises him that she doesn’t have any eligible friends that he would want—even for the night—he convinces her that at least she has to show up. To pretty the place up.

I give him another look of death as she relents.

“Come on, just for an hour.”

“I’m sure an hour can’t hurt,” she adds sweetly before looking back at me with an embarrassed grin. It’s obvious she wants to go, so I don’t even argue.

Murph’s parties are always very low-key in that everyone brings their own beer, the music is Murph’s choice, and everyone stays out back where the view is the best. For a beach island, he has the best yard in the whole town. Sitting a little higher than the rest of the island, he has a perfect view of the moon over the pier. The fact that he lives in such a nice house with a view and a huge garage to store his multiple bikes, Murph continues to be the biggest anomaly on the island. Even Theo couldn’t figure him out.

There are already at least a dozen people there by the time we arrive. He lets people in before he gets there to let them set up and put the coolers out. The party will easily run until sunrise with as much beer as they bought, but it’s tradition for Murph’s parties anyway. A bunch of drunk nocturnal locals.

“I can see my parents’ condo from here,” Sierra whispers to me as we find an empty lawn chair, and I pull her onto my lap. I don’t miss the way she calls it their condo and not hers, like she’s a visitor or something.