Chapter 8
eight
As if the image of my design inked across her skin wasn’t already haunting every fucking dream I have lately, now she wants to make it a reality.
I rub my hand down my face, shaking the thoughts from my mind.
There’s no way I’ll make it through this entire session without sporting a hard on unless I wipe the images of my dreams from my mind before I go back into that room.
I make my way back to my station, knocking on the door before I go in.
“Hey Kels, you ready?” I stop dead in my tracks as I open the door to find her lying on her back on my table, nothing covering her beautifully tanned legs.
Her jeans are neatly folded on the chair in the corner and she's just sitting there, typing away on her phone, like she didn’t just steal all the oxygen from my lungs.
“Uh…. what are you doing? Where are your pants?”
She looks up at me, a wicked grin on her lips.
“I decided where I want it.” She points to the bare skin on her hip, and I swear I’m in the fucking Twilight Zone.
No fucking way in hell is she about to become my dream brought to life.
My face must give away what I’m thinking because she suddenly looks concerned.
I quickly school my emotions and give her a swift nod.
I’m supposed to be a fucking professional here.
“Ok. Whatever you say, boss,” I tell her, snapping my black gloves over my hands and setting up my rig. She smiles and leans her head back on the headrest, taking several calming breaths. “You sure about this? Because this thing didn’t come with an eraser.” I hold up my tattoo gun with a smirk.
“Yes, smartass, I’m sure. It’s been a shitty day and I need this.
I wouldn’t be able to stand seeing that gorgeous design on anybody else, so let’s do this.
” I see the determination and certainty written all over her face, and I have to admit, it’s pretty fucking hot.
Honestly, anything Kelsea Sawyer does is hot as fuck.
As I place the stencil on her hip, turning and shifting the design to get the perfect placement, I feel her shiver just a little at my touch.
She tries to play it off, but we both know it happened.
I ask her once more if she’s sure before I start, and she rolls her eyes at me.
She tenses as I drag the tattoo needles across her skin for the first time.
Her eyes flutter closed, and she takes several deep breaths, calming herself and relaxing the muscles in her leg.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she’s actually enjoying the pain I’m causing her right now, but surely not.
I remind myself that not everyone is like me, getting off on the burning feeling of a needle repeatedly jabbing into their skin over and over, bringing art to life.
Still, she watches me methodically, focusing intently on every move I make.
After an hour and a half, I ask her if she needs a break, and she nods silently.
She heads towards the bathroom just as Eli comes out of his station with his helmet and jacket in hand.
His eyes go wide as he watches Kelsea walk through the space with no pants on, her leg wrapped in a protective plastic to keep it clean for the quick break.
An unintentional growl leaves my throat at the sight of his eyes on her.
He snaps his attention to me, giving me a knowing smirk and laughing silently to himself.
“Shut up, dude. She wanted a tattoo and I had the time,” I tell him, knowing he’s well aware of my confused feelings for Kelsea.
“Yeah, okay. Keep telling yourself that,” he says, slapping me on the shoulder and heading to the lobby to wake Ember. “We’re going home. Don’t forget to lock up and set the alarm whenever you guys are…. finished,” he hold up his hands innocently, laughing as I flip him off.
Kelsea comes out of the bathroom just as Ember and Eli walk out the back door. “Everything good?” She asks.
“Yeah, all good. Eli and Em left for the night, so he was just reminding me to lock up whenever we’re done here, which should be soon.
All the outlining is done, so we just have the shading left.
Unless you’re in too much pain. We can always finish it on a different day,” I tell her, giving her an out.
“Nah, we can keep going. It’s nice to lose myself in the feeling, even if it’s a painful one.
Takes my mind off everything else,” she says, and I stare at her in shock.
This woman just put into words the exact way I feel every time I add a new tattoo to my collection.
She completely understands the enjoyment of the pain and feels the same way.
I must stare at her for a beat longer than I really should, because she gets a confused look on her face. “You okay?” She asks.
“Uh, yeah…. I just thought I was the only one who got off on causing myself pain,” I joke, giving her a wink.
She walks past me, the scent of her almond shampoo floating all around me.
“Technically, I’m not the one causing myself pain.
You are. So I guess I’m getting off on you being in control,” she says the last part in a husky voice, and even though she’s turned away from me, I know she did that on purpose.
I feel my dick swell at her words, pressing uncomfortably against my zipper.
I choke out a strangled laugh, and I swear I hear her giggle.
She’s toying with me, and she knows it. Two can play at this game.
“Get back in the chair and let’s finish this.
I’m ready to go home.” Fire flares in her eyes at my commanding tone, but she complies.
We’re both silent for the fifteen minutes it takes to finish the shading.
I wet a paper towel with antiseptic, wiping away the excess ink and blood to reveal the final product.
I blow across the skin of her hip softly, watching goosebumps rise along her skin, and her breathing stutters.
“Done,” I say, peeling my gloves off and rubbing a healing lotion across the fresh ink.
Her muscles flex and relax under my touch and I revel in the feeling.
“Wanna take a look?” I gesture to the mirror in the corner.
She hops off the table and saunters over to the mirror, turning to put the perfect globes of her ass on display for me as she inspects my work.
I suppress a groan as I commit the sight to memory.
Kelsea, in nothing but a t-shirt and lacy black thong, standing in my shop with her ass on display for me.
This is a fucking wet dream. One I’ve had several times already.
“What do you think?” Her voice snaps me out of my stupor and I shake my head, attempting to clear my thoughts.
I come closer to her, feeling the heat and electricity crackle through the air around us.
I know she feels what I feel. We’re both just too afraid to act on it.
Staring at her reflection in the mirror, my art decorating her flawless skin, I can’t help but feel a need to claim her.
I want to make her mine, to make sure everyone in this world knows she belongs to me.
“Incredible…” I say, barely above a whisper. She meets my eyes in the mirror, and we both know I’m not talking about the tattoo. A small gasp escapes her lips as she whips her body around to face me. We’re only inches away from each other, the heat radiating from our bodies mingling together.
She reaches up to place her hand on my chest, and I tense under her touch. “Everett,” she breathes my name like a prayer, like a lifeline thrown out to save her from drowning in the space between us. Her lips draw closer and closer to mine.
My control snaps and I lunge for her, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her body against mine, desperate to touch her.
My lips crash down against hers and I’m consumed by the sweet, fruity taste that is so uniquely Kelsea.
As she moans softly into my mouth, I relish in the feeling of fire racing through my veins and across my skin wherever we’re connected.
She kisses me back exactly the way I dreamed she would, with a passion and intensity that rivals my own.
Threading her fingers through my hair, she pulls me where she wants me to go and I let her have just a moment of control before I slide my hands down her back and across her bare ass, sweeping her up into my arms. Wrapping her legs around my waist, I never break our connection for more than a second.
She's relaxed and pliant in my arms, but still on the edge, consumed by the desire surrounding us.
She lets out a gasp as I push her back into the wall, my body the only thing holding her in place as my hands roam freely over her curves.
It would be so easy for me to give in to this fire and slide deep inside her right now.
I know she’s already wet for me. I can smell her arousal all around us.
The way she’s clawing at my scalp, my shoulders, my arms, anything she can reach, tells me she wants this as badly as I do.
But I know this would change things for us, probably permanently, if we continue this way.
“Kels, we have to stop. I really don’t fucking want to, but we have to stop,” I mumble against her lips. I feel her go stiff in my arms, her body motionless.
She backs up only a few inches to look me in the eye. “Why? Why do we need to stop, Everett? I don’t want to. You obviously don’t either, so why?”
“Because you’re not some casual fuck, Kelsea. I won’t do that to you. You deserve better,” I say, trying to let my sincerity show in my voice. Her eyes cloud over with conflicting emotions. She almost looks…. hurt.
“So you’re saying the only thing you’re interested in is casual fucking?
Nothing more? Even if it’s with me?” I know that what I say to her at this moment will cause a shift between us.
No matter what I say, there’s no easy way out of this.
So I do the dumbest thing I could possibly do at this moment.
I say nothing. I just stare back at her, pleading with her to give me an out and put me out of my misery.
She studies my face, her lips pursed to the side, and I can tell she doesn’t like what she sees there.
“Put me down, Everett.” Her voice suddenly sounds cold and distant, and I already hate it.
“Kels, wait,” I plead, but she cuts me off as she slides down my body and pulls out of my grasp.
“No. I’m done waiting. I’ve waited and watched you fuck almost every girl in South Carolina.
We’ve both known for years that there was more than just friendship between us, but we’ve ignored it.
I won’t ignore it anymore. Are you in this or not?
” She asks, dropping an ultimatum at my feet.
I’ve never been good with snap decisions like this.
It’s not that I don’t want her, because god knows I do.
But I know I’ll never be the man she needs.
My hesitation speaks volumes and I see the exact moment when her walls go up and she shuts me out.
She nods solemnly as she pulls her jeans back up her legs, wincing slightly when the material chafes her freshly inked hip.
“Kels, wait. Please, let’s just talk about this,” I plead with her, but I know I’ve already missed my chance. I can see in her eyes that the walls she puts up for everyone else are firmly in place. She’s closed herself off from me.
“Nope, I’m good. I don’t deserve to be jerked around by any man, Everett.
I know my worth, and it’s more than you’re able to offer, apparently.
” Her words cut straight through me like a knife to the fucking heart, but she’s not wrong.
I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to offer her what she wants in a man, and I won’t hold her back, no matter how badly I want to.
I just stand there, silently watching her tear through the room like the tornado she is.
She gathers her stuff and stomps towards the door.
“I won’t wait for you forever, Everett. I’ve waited long enough to find someone who deserves me.
Honestly, I think that person is you. I’ve known since the day we met that there was something here, something more than just the physical attraction we both feel.
But I can’t force you into this. I won’t be one of many.
No judgement if that’s how you want to live your life, but it’s not for me.
So, you figure your shit out and let me know. ”
She turns on her heel and marches out the front door, taking my heart with her. But I don’t stop her. I can’t stop her. Instead, I just stand there and watch her walk away.