Chapter 2
Joel
As soon as I stepped into the tattoo parlor, all the stress I’d been feeling just kinda…
melted away. Karma Katz wasn’t scary at all.
I wasn’t sure what I’d been expecting, but it certainly wasn’t the lush rainforest vibe they had going on.
There were potted plants everywhere, lending the air a rich humidity that seemed to settle on my skin like a gentle touch.
Now that I’d calmed down and my gasping, wheezing breath had quieted, I could actually hear soft music playing, coming from speakers hidden somewhere in the greenery, paired with the sound of burbling water from a fountain in the corner.
“Oh…” I said on a sigh, my shoulders relaxing away from my ears.
Where was all the black leather? The sharp bite of antiseptics? This was… sophisticated. Strangely calming for a place that promised to inflict pain.
“Good afternoon,” someone said, and I whipped my head around to see a man offering me a pleasant smile.
He was seated behind a glass counter acting as a display case for all kinds of jewelry.
He was certainly handsome, with his thick dark hair and tan skin.
Without knowing if he was one of the artists here, he was certainly a customer.
His hands and forearms displayed vibrant artwork, and his earlobes were stretched wide enough to poke a finger through. “Are you here for an appointment?”
“Um, yeah?” I hadn’t meant for that to come out as a question, but I hadn’t quite regained my balance yet.
The man’s smile widened, amusement dancing behind his dark eyes. “You must be Joel. I’m Mace.” So, not North, the tattoo artist I was here to see.
I nodded.
“Come on back with me. North is just getting ready for you.” Mace stood from his chair, unfolding to his full height several inches over six feet, and gestured for me to follow.
As we headed down a short hallway, the sound of buzzing drowned out the music, and my nerves seemed to vibrate under my skin, making me itchy all over.
I want this, I want this, I repeated in my head, reminding myself why I was here.
I wasn’t boring or plain or generic in any way.
I was unique, one of a kind. I was Joel Fuller, godsdammit, and if lame-ass Perry couldn’t see me for who I was, then that was on him.
I was a fucking catch. And today, I was going to lay claim to the bold future I couldn’t quite envision for myself. It was always just out of reach…
Mace pulled a curtain back and stepped into a room on the right. “North, your appointment is here.”
Stepping into the room behind him, my feet froze to the floor.
The room was much like the waiting room had been, draped with pothos and philodendron vines, a large fern taking up one corner.
But the air… instead of being earthy and moist, had a crisp sweet scent to it that made my mouth water.
It was like cotton candy, but I couldn’t see a single thing in the room that could account for it.
North was facing away from me, sitting on a wheeled stool, hunched over a small table, but the broad expanse of his back, his muscular shoulders bared by his tank top, was enough to make my dick stir.
“Hi, nice to mee—” I began.
His entire body tensed before he spun around on his stool to glare at me, and I was quickly reminded of rule #2: No talking. His nostrils flared with a sharp inhale.
My jaw snapped shut with a clack of my teeth, and I pinched my lips closed, even as I went lightheaded with the sudden desperate need for more oxygen.
Fuck. The guy really was hot, and while I was pretty docile by nature, I would’ve been tempted to flirt with him if it weren’t for Kedi’s warning ringing in my ears. Do. Not. Hit. On. Him.
He had black hair, short on the sides and longer on top, thick brows, and a trimmed beard. There was a vague family resemblance to the man at the desk, though North’s eyes had a ring of gold around the iris that almost seemed to glow the longer we stared at each other. Gods, this guy was intense.
Shit. Was I drooling? I wiped my chin absently with the back of my hand, before I could think to be embarrassed.
I glanced back to find Mace had left at some point, and I was now entirely alone with North.
North, however, seemed in no hurry to move this along.
He continued to stare at me, those dark gold eyes burning into me.
Was this how he decided what tattoo to give me?
Was he psychically judging me right now?
I fought the temptation to fidget, even as sweat broke out on my skin with the urge to speak.
I drew in a shaky breath, licking my dry lips, and North’s gaze went straight to my mouth.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then paused, frowning.
I caught a glimpse of suspiciously sharp canines.
Was that a cosmetic thing, like piercings or tattoos?
Maybe he’d had his teeth filed down to points.
Or maybe he a vampire. That seemed just as likely.
A sexy, brooding vampire who wanted to sink his teeth into my flesh.
As if he knew what I was thinking, his tongue darted out, dragging over his bottom lip, and I shivered.
Finally, he cleared his throat and nodded toward the padded bed, upholstered in black vinyl, sitting at waist height. “Lie down on your stomach.”
I stepped over but paused. He hadn’t said where he wanted to put the tattoo. I looked over my shoulder at him and tugged at the hem of my shirt, wordlessly asking if he wanted me to take it off.
His pupils seemed to dilate, pitch-black devouring the gold. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, and he nodded at me. He didn’t look away as I peeled my shirt up and off, and I swore I could feel his searing gaze trailing over my skin, as intimate as any lover’s touch.
It’s nothing more than professional interest, I told myself. An artist examining his canvas. Except this felt far too personal.
Easing down on the bed, I shivered, only partly due to the cold vinyl against my skin.
I turned my head to the side to watch North wash his hands, before he pulled on black gloves with a snap.
Then he wheeled over to my bedside with a tray.
There were little caps full of black ink and a sterilized tattoo machine.
He wiped my skin with what was probably an antiseptic, then used a cheap disposable razor to quickly remove hair from my left shoulder blade.
I was glad he’d picked an area I could easily hide under a shirt—not that it mattered with any of my jobs, but what if it was something I didn’t want to share with people?
It could be anything! A naked woman or a poo emoji.
I really was putting a lot of trust in this stranger.
It seemed crazy! But when I considered leaving…
something inside me resisted. Because against all odds, I did trust this man.
The way he looked at me, his eyes boring straight to my soul, it was like he knew me, even the deepest, darkest parts of myself I’d never shared with anyone.
“Ready?” he asked, his voice a deep purr that smoothed my sharp edges, and I found myself relaxing onto the bed.
I nodded and closed my eyes, holding my breath as I waited for the pain to start. He set one hand on my shoulder, and the buzzing on the machine cut through the silence. The first jolt of the needle was like an electric shock, and my eyes flew open.
North stopped immediately, silence pressing down as he turned off the machine, but there was still a muffled buzzing in my ears. “Are you okay?”
I blinked up at him. Was I allowed to answer? I mean, he did ask me a direct question… It was safer to just nod, but he frowned at my non-verbal answer. When he didn’t continue with the tattoo, his face a mask of concern, I said, “Y-Yes. It just surprised me.”
He set the machine down on the tray and rolled his chair out of view. He came back a moment later with a plastic-wrapped candy. “Here. The sugar will help.”
I nodded again, skin squeaking on the vinyl. He quirked a brow, as if expecting me to elaborate. “Okay. Th-Thanks,” I whispered, accepting the candy. It was lime-flavored, my favorite.
He waited until I had unwrapped it and tucked it into my cheek, then got a new set of gloves before he started again.
Now that I knew what to expect, I was better able to prepare myself.
It still hurt, obviously, there were needles being repeatedly jammed into the skin, but I settled into the heat of it, focusing instead on North’s steady hand on my shoulder, the care he used to wipe the tender flesh.
I wondered why he had expected me to talk, when everyone had told me to stay silent.
Kedi had said North was like a monk who’d taken a vow of silence, but I didn’t get that from him at all.
There was a barely restrained predator lurking inside him, like he had the potential to be dangerous, but I instinctively knew he would never hurt me.
But there was a small voice in my head that could admit I wouldn’t mind if he did hurt me… just a little.
The whole tattoo didn’t take longer than 20 minutes, and when he’d finished, North’s cheeks were flushed, his eyes back to that deep gold.
His full lips stretched into not quite a smile, but a look of intense satisfaction.
“All done.” It was like he was declaring world peace or something equally momentous, not just a tiny tattoo.
I craned my neck, trying to see what it was, but it was too far. Why wasn’t there a mirror in here? And it seemed North wasn’t about to tell me what it was either. He simply covered it in soothing cream then stuck a clear protective film over it.
“Can you stand?” he asked, peeling off his gloves and tossing them in the trash before offering me his hand. I didn’t hesitate before sliding my hand into his, the heat of his palm sinking into me like a warm bath.
He helped me up, keeping his hands on me to make sure I was steady. That sweet cotton-candy scent enveloped me as North crowded my space. Was it coming from him? It seemed an odd choice of cologne, though I found myself leaning closer to breathe him in.
I swayed on my feet and closed my eyes tight against the wave of vertigo, and it wasn’t until I pried my eyes open that I realized how close I was to him, my fingers tangled in North’s shirt.
“Oh, shit. Sorry…” I forced my fists open and smoothed the wrinkles out, petting his muscular chest in broad lingering strokes.
North made a choking sound, his grip on my hips turned bruising.
I looked up and had to bite back my own whimper.
No flirting! I reminded myself. Gulping, I forced myself to step back, North’s hands dropping to his sides, in relief, no doubt.
I opened my mouth to issue yet another apology.
No talking! I berated myself. Gods, how short was my memory?
So instead of thanking him, I nodded once and turned on a heel, grabbing my t-shirt from where I’d draped it over a chair, then marched straight out the door before I could screw this up even more.
As I left the room, it was like everything caught up to me at once, crashing down on my shoulders and making me weak in the knees.
Without that sweet scent addling my senses, it was like I went into shock, the fresh tattoo throbbing in time with my pulse.
I followed the sound of Kedi’s voice to the waiting room, where he was chatting with Mace and Sierra, another member of the pack.
Kedi turned to me, a wide grin on his face. “That was fast. So, how’d it go?”
I tried to smile back, but it was wobbly. “I dunno. You tell me.” I turned to show them the tattoo I hadn’t even laid my own eyes on yet. All their playful banter died off, tension filling the empty spaces. Frowning, I glanced back to see them exchanging weird looks. “What? Is it bad?”
Kedi smiled tightly at me, shaking his head. “No… it’s great.” Sure, totally believable.
“What?” I sputtered, stomach clenching. “Tell me what it is. It isn’t a poo emoji, is it?”
“You’ll see when you get home.” Kedi took my arm. “Come on, let’s go.”
I hadn’t even put my shirt back on. “Wait, I still have to pay.”
Mace’s smile was softer, though no less cryptic. “This one’s on the house. We’ll see you later.” As if I would be coming back for another tattoo. Not likely.
They exchanged one more look before I was practically dragged out the door.