Page 15 of Flock
“Maybe.”
He leans down, cupping water to snuff out his cigarette, and it’s the first time I can clearly see the tattoo on his arm. The feathered tips belong to a raven with stretched wings taking up the whole of his upper arm; the head and beak rest against his bicep, facing away from him as if watching his back. The menacing and lethal claws at the foot of the body are embedded in such a way it’s as if they’re anchored painfully into his skin. The ink is so vibrant, so bold. It’s as if it’s a separate entity from him. Like if you were to reach out and touch the intricately defined feathers, the bird would react.
“Nice place.”
“Thanks, I’ll tell the owner.”
He looks around. “You really don’t want to stake any claim in all this?”
I shrug. “I didn’t earn it.”
He shakes his head and lets out a low whistle, scanning the grounds. “So, this is how the one percent lives.”
“Yep, and trust me, it’s just as foreign to me as it is to you.”
“How so?”
“We’ve been estranged for years. I had to outgrow my adolescence before he decided we could have a relationship again.”
“That’s shitty.”
“Enough about Roman. You swimming or not?”
Dropping his T-shirt and smokes, he dives in, and I turn in time to see him emerge, a river pouring from his thick blond strands, sliding down his impressive chest.
He lifts to stand, towering above the water line, marking his height an inch or two above six feet.
“How you feelin’ today, lightweight?” He asks, his faint drawl distinct, like perfectly edited punctuation.
“I feel ... like I got drunk off a few chick beers. And maybe a little embarrassed.”
“Don’t be. You made an impression.”
“Couldn’t have been much of one—I got kicked out.” I tread water, feeling the burn of the sun on my back.
“That wasn’t you, it was Dom, trust me.”
“So, tell me why you quit the plant the first time.”
“I was working at the garage, but Dom graduated from college and came back to claim my spot.”
“Dominic just graduated?”
He hikes a brow. “You judged him that hard, Pup?”
“Maybe, but he’s a dick. Where did he go to college?”
“Just got his masters from MIT. Computer geek. He’s an evil genius with a keyboard.”
My interest only grows. “Really?”
He lifts one side of his mouth. “You impressed?”
I stand stunned, not at all able to picture Dominic on any school campus, just as Sean cuts his hand along the water, creating a tidal wave that drenches me.
I sputter out the water in surprise. “You ass!”
“You’re in a pool.” He lifts a thick brow. “Bound to get wet.”
