Chapter 22
Kole
The shiver that ran through Kole was at odds with the heat that also flowed from his head to his toes. As much as he was in control in the bedroom, he would never forget how dominant Beck could be, pretend or not. When it came to inking, Beck was the professional, and he knew it.
He pulled away and settled himself onto the chair in front of the table, although he placed it along the side so he could watch everything that happened—as long as the client agreed. Pulling out his drawing pad and pencils, he settled into place and watched Beck potter around, tidying, cleaning and sterilising everything that needed it.
Kole was drawn to the man, and his hand began moving on the page, sketching the strength of Beck’s body, the muscle definition, the chiselled jaw hidden by his beard, the softness in surprising places. It all merged to become the person Kole knew as Beck Cavanagh.
“I’m done,” Beck said, leaning against the counter and crossing his arms. “You seemed far away.”
Kole glanced down at his drawing and smirked. “Someone distracted me.” He turned it to face him. “It’s not the best.”
Beck’s eyebrows rose, and he moved closer, taking the pad. “I knew you could draw patterns, but I didn’t know you could draw people, too. This is bloody amazing, Kole.”
“It’s not my favourite because I get, for want of a better word, anal about the minor details. If they’re not right, it annoys me until I’ve figured it out or I give up. Patterns don’t take as much brainpower.”
“I’d disagree. Patterns have a lot of nuances that you need to think about. It’s no less valid than something you find difficult.” Beck flicked the pad towards him, making his drawing visible. “This is fantastic, Kole. You’re fantastic.”
Kole ducked his head but smiled. “Thanks. How’s your hand?”
Beck leaned down and kissed him, chaste though it was, and said, “It’s okay. Aches a little but I mainly use it to wipe at the skin, so I should be good to go. I have to let Ani know I’m ready because I’m sure Maxim is already here.”
Kole stared at the drawing while Beck sorted his appointment, scrutinising the details, and found he quite liked it. He flipped to another page and smoothed it out, his mind wandering. What design could he draw for Beck? Should it be something similar to what he already had, or something completely different? While he considered it, he doodled, letting his pencil skim across the page until voices broke into his concentration.
Beck entered the room, talking. “—have someone in to watch, if that’s okay? This is—”
“Kole. Nice to meet you,” a guy said, striding over and holding out his hand. He was lean but tall, with a shock of black hair that made his bright blue eyes shine.
Kole shook his hand with a frown. “How did you—”
“Know?” He winced. “Sorry. I’ve seen the news following the case. It’s hard not to know who you both are now.”
“You must be Maxim?” Kole guessed.
The guy grinned and nodded. “Yes! You must’ve been talking about me, Beck.”
Beck chuckled. “Only to say who my client was. Confidentiality and all that.” He bustled to the counter. “You know what to do, Maxim.”
Maxim removed his coat and shirt, placing them over the back of a nearby chair. His body was covered with ink, with only a few random spaces; one, Kole saw, was right over his heart. “I see Hilary is back again, too.”
Beck met Kole’s gaze above Maxim’s head and smirked. “Yeah, you always seem to have appointments at similar times.”
“She’s lovely. I talk to her a lot when we’re here. She’s as addicted to tattoos as I am. We have a lot in common, it seems.”
Beck worked his jaw, narrowed his eyes and nodded. “Would you like her to come in and watch as well? We certainly don’t mind.” Maxim’s eyes widened, and his mouth opened and closed a couple of times. “Never mind. It was just an idea.”
“No! No, that…” He inhaled. “That would be nice, actually. If you’re sure?”
“Absolutely,” Beck said.
“I’ll go ask her,” Kole said, rising and heading for the door, not giving Maxim that chance to say no again. He’d listen if the guy changed his mind, but he could see how much he wanted her there. But so much for Ani being the matchmaker; Beck apparently was, too.
Jogging down the stairs, he smiled to himself before entering the front of the shop. He stepped up to Ani and whispered, “Is this Hilary?” Ani frowned but nodded, opening her mouth, but Kole didn’t give her the chance. “Hilary?” The brunette looked up from her phone. “Maxim would like to invite you to watch. I’m watching while Beck works, too. Would you like to join us?”
Hilary blinked at him a couple of times before physically shaking herself. “Are you sure that’s okay?”
Kole nodded. “Beck offered and Maxim agreed. If you’d like to, they’re more than happy to have you there.” He was careful with his words, not wanting to scare her off and also not wanting to promise more than he could.
“Sure, thanks.” She collected her things and stood.
Kole glanced at Ani, winked and led Hilary up the stairs. He held the door for her, and she entered slowly, as if worried about the reception of her being there.
“Hi, Hilary,” Maxim said with a smile.
“Hey.” She glanced at Beck, wringing her hands around the handles of her bag. “Are you sure this is okay?”
Maxim smiled. “Absolutely. We both love tattoos, so this is a great way to see someone else getting one, don’t you think?”
Hilary smiled back and nodded. “Yeah.” Kole brought over a chair for her, and she settled into it. “What are you having done?”
Maxim thrust his hand into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. “This. At least, I hope,” he added, flicking his gaze to Beck. His hands shook as he held it out.
“Oh, I love that,” Hilary breathed.
Kole stepped closer, as did Beck. The design was elegant in its simplicity, a slight contrast to what he already wore on his skin, but he could see how it would potentially work with the current designs.
“I can do that. Where do you want it, Maxim?” Beck asked as he stepped over to his working table, fiddling with some ink bottles.
“I was thinking it might fit in the space on the back of my neck. What do you think?”
Beck nodded. “That’d work. It might have to be a little smaller, but if you lie down, I’ll check the available area.”
Maxim sent a smile to Hilary and climbed onto the table, face down. Kole settled into his chair and rested his drawing pad on his knee, watching all the others as they interacted. Beck discussed the placement and created a copy of the drawing, slightly smaller, but still as detailed, and then took a photo so Maxim could confirm he was happy.
“Looks good to me. What do you think, Hilary?”
Kole couldn’t see Hilary’s expression, but her voice trembled as she spoke. “It looks amazing.”
Kole swapped a smile with Beck and divided his attention between his drawing and the couple—and he was sure they would be a couple soon—in Beck’s care. He smiled whenever Beck made them laugh, watching him weave his spell over them, though Kole knew he didn’t know he did it. His personality, despite his trials and tribulations, drew people to him. They wanted to be near him, to know him, to take just a little of what made Beck as strong as he didn’t believe himself to be and help themselves to be strong, too.
The clock said it had been an hour and a half when Beck finally rose and stretched after covering the tattoo with cream. He had shaken his hand out a few times during the process but hadn’t complained.
“All done. You know the drill, so I won’t bore you with the details.”
Maxim exhaled as he stood. “That’s going to sting for a bit.” He huffed a laugh.
“Yeah, you chose an area close to a bone. You know how that goes,” Beck said.
Maxim turned his back to Hilary. “How does it look?”
“It looks great. It suits you.”
Maxim beamed. “Thanks.” He pulled on his top and glanced at her as he smoothed it down. “I better leave you to it.” He grabbed his coat. “Thanks, Beck.”
“You’re welcome. See you soon, no doubt.”
Maxim nodded, looked at Hilary once more with a smile and headed for the door.
Hilary bit her lip, eyes darting across the floor, until she finally stood and said, “Wait!” Maxim paused, gaze solely on the woman wringing her hands. “Will you stay?”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
Hilary’s smile returned, her shoulders lowering again. “You don’t.” She turned to Beck. “It’s just finishing off, anyway.”
Beck nodded. “If you’re okay with that, then by all means.”
Hilary swallowed but smiled, putting her bag on the floor by the table, and pulled her top off, revealing her bra. She had a slight flush to her cheeks, but she settled onto the table on her front, exposing her back.
“Oh, wow,” Maxim breathed, stepping closer.
Kole felt the same. The ink on her back was…beyond words. Patterns, images and words, all mingled to make a massive, full back spread. It was incredible.
Beck smirked at them and then got to work. Kole continued with his drawing, in between watching Maxim. If the man hadn’t been fascinated before, he certainly was at that point.
By the time Beck stepped back, Kole’s design was done. He closed the book, unable to look at the design any longer because it was raw. Unadulterated emotion and love, and it hurt. The band around his chest tightened with every breath, and he could barely swallow. He had never experienced such a thing before. None of his drawings had ever made him feel as bare as he was then. He wasn’t sure he could show Beck even.
“All done,” Beck said. “You know the routine. Don’t do anything daft with it.”
Hilary chuckled as she rose, slipping her top back on. “Thank you, Beck. I really appreciate it. And though this one is finished, there is a lot more skin for me to choose.”
Beck laughed. “I know you, Hilary. It won’t be long before you come back. Or you either, Maxim.”
Beck’s words seemed to shake Maxim from his stupor. “Absolutely. As much as I hate this, I also love it.”
“I’ll see you both soon, then.”
Maxim opened the door and gestured for Hilary to go first, which she did with a flush and a smile. When the door closed, Kole could feel Beck’s gaze on him, but he couldn’t look at him. He would cry if he did; that’s how close to the edge he was.
When a hand cupped his cheek, he jumped. He hadn’t heard him move.
“What’s wrong, Kole?”
He breathed through his nose, trying to stem the emotional torrent overwhelming him. “I just…” He swallowed. “I wanted to…show you how amazing you are.” Glancing up at him was a mistake because tears escaped his eyes.
“Let me see,” Beck whispered, crouching in front of him.
He handed him the book with shaky hands, the pencil he’d used bookmarking the page, and then closed his eyes. The creak of the spine was loud, and he could hear the brush of Beck’s fingers over the paper. Then silence reigned until it was too much for him to take, and he opened his eyes.
Beck had his hand over his mouth, silent tears dripping over the back, as he stared at the page. Seeing those wet drips always made Kole want to join him, but he stayed quiet until Beck lifted his tear-stained face.
“You really see me like this?” Kole nodded. “It’s amazing. No, that’s too small a word. It’s breathtaking. I want it.”
Kole licked his lips and nodded. “Okay.” There were so many words in that one word he didn’t have the energy to say, so he capped it off with the phrase that meant so much to them both. “I love you.”
“I love you.” Beck surged up and caught Kole in a fierce kiss, and he took every lick, every bite, every nip until he had to pull away to breathe. “I love you so fucking much.”
Beck stared into his eyes, nothing but sincerity showing, and although they’d shared the words so many times, it settled something inside Kole to know how much Beck meant it.
“How’s your hand?”
Beck rolled his eyes. “Aching but good.”
“Shall we get some food?” Kole asked, trying to break the tension.
Beck shook his head forcefully. “I want this now.” He pointed at the design.
Kole spread his hands. “I don’t know how to tattoo.”
Standing, Beck grinned. “But I know lots of people who do and can teach you as you go along.”
“No. I don’t want the first thing I do to be this design. I’ll mess it up.”
“No, you won’t.”
“Yes, I would.” Kole stood firm. “I’m not doing it until I feel more confident.”
Beck visibly sulked. “But I wanted to be the first person you tattoo.”
Kole grinned. “You still can be, but it needs to be something small in a place where no one will see if I mess up.”
Beck laughed. “Really? A place no one will see? I’m sure that can be arranged.”
Feeling his cheeks heating, Kole backhanded him. “I’ll end up castrating you if I do it there, and I like it too much to damage it.”
“It? It!” Beck stood, hands on hips. “What about me?”
Kole jumped up, wrapping his arms around Beck’s neck. “And you.” He stole a kiss.
A knock sounded before the door opened. “Beck, your next—Oops, sorry!” Finn said, backing out of the room with his hands over his eyes.
Beck laughed again, and Kole decided he would make that happen as much as possible. It was a beautiful sound. “It’s all right, Finn. Come on in.”
Finn popped his head back in before stepping inside again. “Ani asked me to let you know that your next client is here.”
Beck frowned. “I don’t have another client, do I?”
“She said you’ll want to take this one.” Finn scrunched his forehead. “And that you might need…support, which is why I’m here.”
Kole’s stomach churned. Who the fuck was it?
“Who the fuck is it?” Beck echoed his thoughts.
“Seven women who each want something small on their hands.”
Kole’s heart started a rapid tattoo, an inkling of who it was filtering through his brain. But seeing the confusion on Beck’s face, he hadn’t made the potential link.
“Why would I need support for that?”
“Because of who they are,” Kole guessed.
Beck glanced at him. “Who?”
“I’m only guessing, but I bet it’s the seven women who stood up against Drake.”
Finn nodded slowly. “It is.”
Beck let out a long breath, rubbing his hands over his lower face. “Do you think I can do it without breaking down?” he asked Kole.
“I think they won’t care if you do.”
Beck stared into space for a few seconds. “Okay. Let them in.”
Finn paused for a moment and then nodded and disappeared.
“Are you okay?” Kole asked.
“I think so. This is hard, but it’ll be nice to do this for them.”
A knock sounded again, and Finn entered, followed by Becca and the others. Becca stepped straight over to Beck and hugged him.
“Thank you for agreeing.” She pulled back. “We wanted something to unite us when we go back to our normal day.”
“It’s a great idea. Do you know what you want?”
She wiggled her head, glancing at the others. “Not really. Just something small we can have on our hand that when we see it, we remember.”
“How about a ribbon?” Kole said, suddenly remembering something his mother once said to him. “No matter how tangled it gets, it is still one entire piece.” Silence in the room, and he fidgeted. “And it’s something different to the usual semicolon, but you don’t have to.”
Becca smiled. “I love that idea.” She turned to the women. “What do you think?”
“I like the idea, but how would it look?” a woman said.
Beck glanced at him. “Want to design something?”
Kole blinked. “Um, I could.” He grabbed his book. “Give me a minute.”
Settling into the chair, he flipped to a blank page. He tried a few designs, but quickly dismissed them, although he’d still show them in case they worked better for the area being tattooed, but then hit on an idea. As his pencil scratched across the paper, his excitement grew. When he finished, he studied it for a second and then stood, heading over to where they were all chatting. Just his initial standing got their attention.
“These are some ideas.”
Becca took the book and everyone crowded around it, discussing which they preferred. When Becca pointed at the last design, Kole smiled. Beck took it and chuckled.
“So simple, yet so poignant. Perfect.” He winked at Kole, then turned to the women. “Are you all sure?” They nodded. “Okay, who’s first?”
“Me,” Becca said.
Kole had expected Finn to offer to help, but he seemed to know that this was Beck’s role, and Kole couldn’t have agreed more. As Beck tattooed Becca, Kole watched. The ink took the form of an infinity symbol made of ribbon, which extended into a couple of loops before the loose end flew free. They had chosen a teal colour because it was widely known as a symbol of healing, courage and strength.
Kole’s phone rang, distracting him. He frowned at the private number, tempted to ignore it, but he excuse himself into the corridor.
“Hello?”
“Mr Peterson. It’s Officer Kirby. I thought you’d like to know that we’ve arrested Andrew for arson. His prints were on the petrol can. While here, he attempted suicide, so now he’s on a psychiatric ward and being looked after. You shouldn’t need to worry about him now.”
“Thank you, Officer.” Kole exhaled as he hung up. As he entered the room again, Beck raised his eyebrows. Kole put his thumbs up. He’d explain later.
When Beck finished with Becca, Kole felt a sense of pride. Not because his design was now inked onto skin, but because Beck was seemingly taking some power back from being able to do it for them. When he finished all seven women, Becca stepped closer.
“What about you, Beck? Would you like to join us?”
Beck’s throat bobbed several times before he nodded. “Finn?” he croaked.
Finn took Beck’s place and, as Beck met Kole’s gaze, tattooed the man with the symbol of a survivor. Something he didn’t need, but so truly deserved.
****