Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
LARK
I don’t say a word until Liam unlocks the door and ushers me inside his shop, and then I let out a quiet scream of frustration.
A throat clears behind me and I spin around to see Liam has set down our things and is rocking on his heels, hands clasped behind his back. There’s a pink flush on his cheeks that’s adorably endearing on the gentle giant.
“Listen,” he starts quietly. “I just wanted to apologize for butting in back there. I know it wasn’t my place but I couldn’t stand how uncomfortable they were making you. I’m horribly anxious in social situations anyway but add in whatever that was? I just wanted to help.”
Honestly, he seems way more anxious right now than he did back at the coffee shop. The way his hands wring together and the flush that’s now spread from his cheeks to his very tattooed neck. I was already attracted to the man, but then he had to go and save my ass in front of my cheating ex-boyfriend and backstabbing ex-best-friend?
He’s my very own white knight .
I’ve been dating off and on since I had my first boyfriend at fourteen years old, and not once in the last fourteen years have I ever had a man go out of his way to notice the discomfort under my carefully blank mask, let alone actively try to soothe it.
Liam is still nervously babbling but quiets down as I slowly approach him.
“Lark?” he asks. “I really am sorry. I understand if you’re upset with— oomph. ”
His words cut off with a grunt when I throw my arms around him in the biggest hug I can manage. I’ll never admit it to anyone, but I bury my face in his chest just a bit more than I need to so I can catch a hit of his addicting smell. Every time I’m around him it’s like stepping into Coastal Coffee after a rush of espresso-based drinks.
Unsurprising, given his obvious caffeine dependence. But hey, glass houses or whatever the fuck.
Taking one last deep inhale, I breathe out slowly and look up at him with a smile. “You’re crazy, you know that right?”
He splutters, but I laugh and pull away to go sit on the comfy looking leather couch in the reception area. It’s a beautiful cognac color and even more comfortable than it looks. “You just pretended to be my boyfriend to a couple who is spending the next two weeks in Echo Cove. You do remember how small this town is, right? If we keep hanging out, the chances of running into them are extremely high.”
A pensive look crosses his face for only a moment before he shrugs with a goofy grin. “Guess that makes us fake boyfriend and girlfriend for a while longer, little cactus.”
He leaves me with my mouth gaping open as he moves around the shop, which I’ve yet to take in. High Tide Ink is the epitome of modern coastal chic. The walls are a soothing ocean blue, almost the exact same shade as the outside of my salon, actually. There are art prints and pictures of tattoos all over the walls, and the floors are a beautiful light wood. True to what I’ve come to expect from Liam, there are plants and greenery everywhere.
“You coming, Red? We don’t have as much time as I’d hoped after the delay.”
I follow Liam to a set of spiral stairs I didn’t notice before, the same light wood as the floor with a white banister on either side of the steps. “Did you really just suggest we fake date? Why?” I call up after him. The man has obnoxiously long legs, and it irritates me to no end when I have to take three steps for every one of his.
The stairs lead into a smaller loft area that Liam has obviously turned into his office, although there’s also a chair in here just like the ones he has downstairs for clients. The space is bright and airy with more blue walls that boast several certifications of his as well as some framed photos on the far wall around the picture windows.
The photos catch my attention, especially when I see a few of Liam and my brother. The first one I see makes me smile so wide my cheeks hurt, because it’s so dang cute. It must have been taken at one of Keelan’s band’s shows, because they’re in what looks like a green room, huddled on a black leather couch.
Liam is in a Nine Waves band tee with his equipment out and is inking something on my twin’s bicep as Keelan makes a kissy face at his oblivious best friend. My rockstar brother is unsurprisingly shirtless, although he usually waits to strip it off mid-show for the fans.
“I see you found my memory wall,” Liam murmurs huskily next to my ear.
I jump, startled, and he settles his big hands on my shoulders. “Sorry, I was admiring this great picture of Keely. ”
He barks out a laugh, releasing me to point at another one next to the second window. “If you think that one is good, you should look at this.”
Squinting, I step closer to get a better look and immediately break into a fit of giggles when it comes into focus. “Why are you guys at a nightclub wearing nothing but tutus and wave-shaped nipple covers?”
“We made a pact back when we first met that if Nine Waves ever sold out Madison Square Garden, we’d go out to celebrate afterward in the most ridiculous outfits we could find. Well, turns out they had some leftover costumes from a WWE event the night before that were surprisingly on-theme.”
Rather than continue down memory lane, he takes my hand and leads me to the chair, pulling up a small rolling stool next to it. “I think that’s enough embarrassment for one week, what are we doing today Miss Monroe?”
I snicker at his sudden formality but decide to play along. Once he’s got the needle going that’s when I’ll grill him about the whole fake boyfriend thing.
“Would it be absolutely crazy of me to let you pick something for me? I’ve always wanted a tattoo, of course, but I have no clue what I want.”
He nods slowly, his eyes moving back and forth like he’s thinking. After a few minutes, he grabs his iPad and starts typing. “What’s your favorite flower?”
“Blue Hydrangeas. The super light blue ones mostly, but I like all shades of blue really.”
His head pops up. "Like the ones outside of Wild Waves ?”
The smile that takes over my face is completely genuine. “I worked for months to get those damn things to bloom and of course as soon as they finally did I had moved to freaking New York! Kelsey would send me regular pictures and updates but today was the first time I actually got to see them in person.”
“Excellent. Okay I have an idea then, but where do you want it? That will determine size and placement.”
Glancing down at myself, I contemplate where I want this tattoo. I’ve always liked the idea of doing patchwork sleeves on my arms made up of smaller tattoos with a single theme, but… “Can we do it here?” I ask, pointing to the top of my thigh.
A blush heats his cheeks just slightly, but he nods and clears his throat. “I think that’s a great spot. And you’re already wearing shorts so we won’t have to deal with any awkward coverage issues.”
My brows raise. “Do you get a lot of…coverage issues?”
Liam snorts. “Like you wouldn’t believe. It’s gotten much less frequent since moving here but back when I was working in Hollywood, many people, women mostly, if I’m being honest, would come in wanting tattoos everywhere.” He eyes me. “And I do mean everywhere .”
The wheels in my brain turn for a moment wondering what exactly he means by “everywhere,” but by the tone of his voice I have a pretty good idea. I don’t know if I could spend hours at a time up close and personal with a stranger’s body like that.
Switching topics, Liam smiles at me bashfully. “I know it’s your first tattoo, but do you want a stencil? Or would you be cool with me doing it freehand? I’ll do whatever makes you most comfortable.”
That’s the second time today he’s mentioned wanting to make me comfortable, and it’s starting to make me like him just a little bit more than I should.
In an effort to shake that thought from my mind, I playfully flick Liam on the nose. “Freehand away, oh master of the craft. Do your worst.”
That earns me a chuckle and a glimpse of his perfect teeth. The man is unfairly gorgeous all the time, but when he laughs? It’s like I’ve never seen an attractive man before in my life.
“Alright, little cactus. Hang tight for a second and let me get set up, then we’ll start.”
He sits down next to a paper-lined metal tray stocked with everything he’ll need for the tattoo and mutters under his breath as he points to different ink pots. Just as my heart finally starts to settle from the events of the morning, Liam flips his black baseball cap backwards on his head and bites his thick bottom lip in concentration as he fills the little pots with every shade of blue ink known to man.
Any hope I had of a calm, easy tattoo session goes out the window with those two little gestures. Developing a crush on my brother’s best friend is not in the cards for me, no matter how sexy he looks in a ball cap or how good he is at making me feel seen.
If he keeps up this gorgeous knight in shining armor act I’m going to have no choice but to build walls of steel around my head, heart, and lady parts.
“I’m starting to think you have a sadistic streak, plant boy.” I force the words out through gritted teeth, the same way I have been for the last half an hour. The pain was completely manageable, even pleasant for the first hour or so, but then he pulled out his fifty shades of blue and told me the shading might hurt a bit more.
A bit more my ass .
Liam leans back to laugh boisterously, keeping a hand over the tattoo so I couldn’t sneak a peek even if I wanted to. And I do want to. So bad.
I tilt my head to the side, trying desperately to see beneath his hand when he pops me on the opposite thigh. “Red, you said you wanted me to pick your first ink, and you said you trusted me, so no peeking. I want you to have the full effect.”
Rolling my eyes, I glare at him with all the heat I can muster, causing him to scoff. “Quit being a fucking brat, Lark. You’re almost done.”
In true brat fashion, I cross my arms and huff, tossing my head back dramatically. I’ve never liked being called out for my attitude before, but when Liam does it I get all flushed and flustered. I don’t know what that says about me, but the more time I spend with him, the less I seem to care.
Steel walls, Lark.
“If you mess up my first tattoo or give me a rainbow dick to punish me for having an attitude the last couple of days, I’ll tell Keelan and then probably use my good shears to stab you in the dick. And those things are crazy expensive, so I’d hate to get blood on them and possibly risk rusting.”
His head shoots up with a harsh glare, but I can see a millimeter smile pulling at the very corner of his lips. Making him smile feels really good, even when it’s a minuscule one like this.
It’s another twenty minutes before he finally pulls back with a broad smile and squirts some freezing cold foam on the tattoo before laying a paper towel over it. He glances up at me with a hesitant look on his face, and I cock my head in question.
“Would you mind if I filmed this part for social media? This is one of my favorite pieces I’ve ever done, and I’d love to post it if you don’t mind. I don’t have to tag you or have your face in it if that would make you uncomfortable, but social media drives a ton of business my way so I try to post finished work when I can.”
“Of course you can! And you can tag me if you want, my page is pretty much all hair, but hey, maybe it’ll drive traffic my way too.”
Liam beams at me before grabbing a ring light and setting it up. “That’s the goal. Anything I can do to brag about my talented girlfriend.” He winks with the last word and gets back to moving things around.
His praise lights me up inside, and I just know my cheeks are on fire right now. The way the word “girlfriend” sounds falling off his annoyingly perfect lips makes me feel all tingly, and I realize with sudden and startling clarity that despite my recent breakup and past history with men, I like the idea of being Liam Blackwell’s girlfriend.
Even if it is all fake.
I must have zoned out longer than I thought because Liam’s excited, “All done!” has me snapping my head up to stare at him blankly.
“With the video?” He grins smugly, almost like he can read my thoughts.
I’m too focused on the re-covered tattoo to play into his goading, so I just bounce in my seat excitedly. “I wanna see! Can I take this off?” I ask, pointing at the paper towel.
Liam nods, looking suddenly nervous, but the moment the towel lifts I gasp and nearly forget he’s waiting for my opinion.
The tattoo is breathtaking. That probably isn’t even the best word to describe it, but my brain has gone completely offline from the shock of seeing a real-life oil painting on my skin. Liam has somehow managed to recreate the old lighthouse that sits out in the cove, but… more .
Nearly the whole thing is done in shades of black, white, and blue, with an intricate tangle of blue hydrangeas and vines surrounding the base where the bottom of the lighthouse meets the island. It starts a few inches above my knee and is maybe 6 inches tall, but the detail is shocking.
He even managed to incorporate the lighthouse’s resident ancient seagull, Sheldon, sitting on his perch on top of the small steepled roof over the entrance.
“Liam,” I whisper, awestruck.
“Do you like it?” he asks nervously.
I choke. “Like it? No, I don’t like it.”
When I glance up, I watch his face fall and rush to explain. “Liam, I love it. I don’t know what I expected you to do but holy shit, this is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. And it’s on my leg !” Standing up, I throw my arms around him and squeeze as tight as I can.
His chuckle vibrates against my cheek. “I’m glad it meets your standards, Red.”
A throat clearing startles both of us, and we jump apart like we’ve been caught doing something much more salacious than hugging.
“Jesus fuck, Riley,” Liam scolds. He rubs a hand across the back of his neck, looking decidedly guilty. For what, I’m not sure.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Riley says. His tone ticks up at the end in an obvious question, but my big burly friend studiously ignores the kid.
Stepping forward, I slap on my customer service smile and hold out a hand to who I now realize is the shop assistant Liam mentioned. “Lark Monroe. It’s nice to meet you!”
His brows furrow, eyes darting all over my face. I wait patiently to see if he’ll make the connection on his own or if he’ll ignore the familiarity he likely feels seeing my face. I’m sure he’s met or seen my brother, but it usually doesn’t click for people unless they see us together so I’m not sure he’ll make the connection.
It’s obvious when realization dawns because he gets a star-struck look on his face for a brief moment before schooling his features and reaching out to shake my hand. “Riley Monaghan. I’m Liam’s glorified babysitter.”
I snort and quickly cover my mouth with my hand to stifle any further laughter, but the damage is already done. One glance at my friend shows him scowling with his huge inked arms crossed over his chest.
Riley releases my hand with a smirk and I pat him on the shoulder, schooling my expression into something more somber. “It seems like a hard job, but I’m sure the town appreciates your sacrifice.”
Riley laughs even as Liam glowers. If looks could kill, I’d be chum right about now. My arm brushes my thigh when I drop it back to my side, making me hiss quietly. I almost forgot about the tattoo I was admiring only a few minutes ago, and offer a sheepish look to the talented artist next to me that has him softening slightly.
Wanting to lighten the mood, I turn out my toes and point at my leg. “Liam gave me my first tattoo this morning!”
Riley lights up, dropping down to a crouch to inspect the fresh ink. The skin around the ink is still slightly red, but nowhere near as bad as I expected it to be. “Holy shit, Bossman. This is some of your best work yet.”
A light flush steals across Liam’s cheeks at the praise, and I take notice. For all his talents, he really doesn’t seem comfortable receiving compliments or praise. Even when it’s about his work .
I decide a little bit more praise is in order. “Isn’t it amazing? I gave him total free rein, and he created this masterpiece.”
Glancing up at me from his position on the floor, Riley smirks. “Is that total free rein what I just walked in on?”
My jaw drops, but Liam finally drops the scowl and snickers. “Yeah, Red. Is it?”