Off Limits Read Online Free Page B

tattoos?" I asked, and his face suddenly lit up. He proceeded to take me on a whistle stop tour of his personal art collection. There were a lot of snakes, panthers and tigers. Dangerous animals that reminded me of Nate himself, though I kept that thought quiet. The snake that wrapped around his forearm was his latest addition. It was scary, a ferocious cobra, but there was something I liked about it. Then Nate pointed at a small tattoo his chest. It was faded, barely legible and certainly not as well done as the others. I could just about see that it was a four leafed clover.
     
    "This one was my first. I got it when I was like fifteen. My friend bought a tattoo machine online and I let him practice on me. It looks like shit and my current tattoo artist cringes every time he sees it but fuck, I wouldn't get it covered up or lazered off for the world," he said.
     
    There was something endearingly earnest about the way he was speaking now, I hadn't seen him like that before. It made my heart beat just a little bit faster and I wondered if Nate and I had met as teenagers would we have been sweethearts. Probably not. I was the type of girl who wore head to toe black in a pathetic attempt to appear edgy. Nate was the type of guy who actually did the kind of crazy, interesting things that I had only seen characters in books and movies do. Of course, I couldn't let him know where my mind had gone.
     
    "That sounds like a very...touching story. Unhygienic, but touching," I said, and he rolled his eyes at me, though there was a little smirk on his face.
     
    "Are you always this bitchy, Ruby?" he asked. I shrugged, not taking it personally. He wasn't the first person to ever ask me that question. I was used to it by now.
     
    "Yeah, pretty much. I like to keep people in check," I said, "Just because you're handsome doesn't mean I'll let you walk all over me."
     
    The last sentence slipped out before I could stop it and Nate's smirk extended into a huge smile.
     
    "You think I'm handsome?" he said smugly, "I'm sorry, but did you just admit to finding me handsome?"
     
    I could feel myself blushing now. I was probably completely crimson but I tried to look as dignified as I could.
     
    "It's not like you don't know you are," I said.
     
    "Of course I know I am, but it's great to hear you admit it!" he said. I tried to pull away from him but he only pulled me closer. Suddenly I was looking into those green eyes again and I could feel my guard coming down. My heart told me he was special. My head told me that he was a player. He leaned in for a kiss and I let him go ahead, his hand caressing my face. You'll be a crying wreck when he never contacts you again, I told myself, but right now I didn't care. I could have went on kissing him like that forever, but my damn stomach had to interrupt. It grumbled so loudly that the two of us had to pull away to laugh.
     
    "Hungry, huh?" said Nate, and I nodded, still giggling. It felt amazing to share laughter with him like that. Still, he probably laughed with all his girls. Right before he gave them a goodbye fuck and never called them again. My laughter suddenly subsided and the two of us sat in silence for a while, though Nate's arms still stayed tight around my body.
    My cell phone beeped to show that I had a text. I'd left it on Nate's bedside locker so he passed it over to me, though I saw him glancing at who it is who contacted me.
     
    "Jeff?" he said, and I groaned, switching my cell phone off as soon as he gave it to me. I threw it on the floor. Jeff was the last person I needed to deal with right now.
     
    "Who's Jeff?"
     
    "Jeff is nobody," I said, "At least, not anymore."
     
    "Ah, your ex who fucked another girl?" he said.
     
    I had to give him kudos for remembering that, though I wished more than anything that I could forget. I pulled away for real this time. I didn't feel like being touched and Nate sensed that, as he didn't try to embrace me. I considered whether or not I