Chapter Twenty-Four
Rome
The buzz of my tattoo machine had always been one of my favorite sounds. Steady. Predictable. A rhythm I understood.
Tonight, though? I kept looking up. Not because I was distracted by the guy sitting in my chair. Mason was easy. Local mechanic. Good dude who sat still, knew what he wanted, and paid cash.
I kept looking up because Josie was sitting at the front desk laughing. Actually laughing. The sound carried through Bad Habit, bouncing off the dark walls and glass display cases. And every time I heard it, I couldn’t help but look at her.
Mason hissed when I wiped his arm. “Shit.”
“Don’t be a baby.”
“I’m getting stabbed a thousand times.”
“That’s called a tattoo,” I grunted.
“It’s called torture.”
His girlfriend, Katie, laughed from the front desk. “I still couldn’t believe when you said you wanted a tattoo. You cried during a flu shot.”
“I was sick,” he grunted. “And at least at the end of this, I’ll have a badass tattoo.”
“I guess tattoos are like stickers for adults,” Katie joked. “Something tells me you won’t be getting many, though.”
Josie laughed harder.
Katie pointed. “See? She gets it.”
Josie held up both hands. “I am staying out of this. I also only have one tattoo and it’s a, eighth of the size of Mason’s.”
I smirked and got back to work. The lion head spread across his bicep nicely with bold black lines, a thick mane, and fierce eyes. A tattoo that looked tough without trying too hard.
Unlike the man wearing it.
“You sure you want it this big? I could always switch gears.” I asked.
Mason glared. “Shut up and tattoo.”
Katie snorted. “I told him to start smaller and get flowers.”
“Babe,” Mason called. “You know how I say it’s a good thing you’re so fucking hot? This is one of those moments.”
“I got one of those, too,” Rome joked.
“But you always say you like what I do with my mouth,” Katie smirked.
Josie looked horrified. “This is a conversation I could never have across the street.”
Katie pointed at me. “You’re not doing a very good job at corrupting Josie.”
“I’m working on it,” I laughed.
“Careful, man. The corrupted ones turn on you,” Mason grunted.
“I’m good with whatever Josie wants to throw at me.” I looked up and caught her smiling at me.
And there it was.
That feeling. The one I’d been trying really hard not to think about too much. I looked back down at Mason’s arm before I did something stupid like grin.
Too late.
Mason saw.
“Oh, he’s gone.”
“Fuck off,” I growled.
Katie laughed.
Josie tilted her head. “What?”
Mason pointed at me. “He smiles when he looks at you.”
“I do not.”
“You absolutely do.”
“I’ll stab you.”
“You’re literally stabbing me right now.”
I sighed.
Katie leaned closer to Josie. “You got him bad.”
Josie’s cheeks turned pink. “No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
I finally looked up. “She does.” No fucking point in denying it anymore. I was apparently acting like a love-sick fool.
“Right back at you,” Josie said softly.
“Okay, okay,” Mason interrupted. “I need you two to do your girl talk, and stop distracting Rome. I need all the focus to be on the lion on my arm, and not you two.”
Katie zipped her fingers over her lips and scooted so her back was to us.
“She’s likely to give me attitude later because of this,” Mason joked.
“And you know you’re going to like it,” I smirked.
“Fuck yeah, brother.”
An hour later, I wiped the tattoo clean one last time.
The lion stared back at us, mean, bold, and done.
Mason sat up and looked in the mirror. “Damn.”
“Told you.”
He flexed, and the lion moved.
Katie whistled. “Okay.” She moved next to him and looked at the tattoo through the mirror with him.
Mason grinned. “I look badass.”
She leaned into him and smiled. “You looked badass before.”
“Nah.” He glanced at me. “Having a good woman makes me look better.”
Katie rolled her eyes. “You are such a suck-up.”
“I’m smart.”
“It’s hard to find a good woman, right, Rome?”
I looked toward the front desk. “Yeah, but it’s worth it once you find your woman.”
Josie was pretending not to listen and failing miserably. Her cheeks turned pink and she was inspecting her fingernails like they were the most important thing on earth.
I pointed toward the register. “Pay and let’s get you out of here.”
Katie laughed. “Somebody’s done with customers.”
I was. It had been cool working while Josie hung out, but I was ready for it to be just me and her
Mason paid while Katie hugged Josie before leaving. “You should text me.”
Josie blinked. “Really?”
“Absolutely.” She handed over her phone.
The two of them exchanged numbers while I stood there pretending not to be ridiculously pleased that Josie was making friends.
Mason noticed. “You’re doing the smile again.”
“I will actually stab you.”
“No, you won’t.” I hated that he was right.
The door finally closed behind them, and I locked it before anyone else decided to wander in and want a tattoo.
It was just us now.
The neon sign glowed softly in the front window and the smell of antiseptic mixed with cedar. Music drifted quietly from the speakers. Josie sat behind the register smiling.
I leaned against the counter and just looked at her. “You’re fucking beautiful, Josie.”
She rolled her eyes and scoffed. “I didn’t know you drank while you tattooed.”
I rolled my eyes back at her. “There you go.”
“What?”
“Calling me a liar.”
“I’m calling you blind,” she clarified.
I pushed off the counter and walked around the counter. “Baby.”
She stood and wandered toward one of the stations. “I know what I look like, Rome. I get you like it, but you don’t need to keep calling me beautiful.”
I didn’t argue with her. I just knew I was going to keep telling her she was beautiful until I dropped dead.
She studied all the framed flash art I had on the wall.
Roses. Daggers. Skulls. Snakes.
I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist.
Josie sighed and immediately relaxed against me. “How weird is it that I’m not even into snakes, but I’d totally put that on my ankle. I think you might be a bad influence on me, Rome.”
I trailed kisses down her neck, and she leaned her head back onto my shoulder. “Any of those would look good on you, baby.” And I meant it. I was so far fucking gone for Josie.
“I love it here,” she whispered.
“The tattoo shop?”
She turned her head, and a small smile played on her lips. “Yeah, but also…”
“Also, what?”
“I think I also just love where I am in my life. I love Scoop & Swirl. I love being my own boss. I love…” her words trailed off.
I tightened my arms. “You love what?”
She turned in my arms and looked up at me. “I would love it if we could just stay like this.”
I kissed her temple. “Like this?”
She looked around. “Yeah. Just you and me. No customers, Bruce’s, and definitely no Brandi’s”
I hummed. “That does sound pretty damn good to me.”
She nodded. “The world just needs to go away.”
I turned her around and looked down at her. “Fuck the world.” Josie blinked, and I brushed my thumb across her cheek. “I want you.” Her breath caught. “And no one’s gonna convince me otherwise.”
I kissed her forehead. “Not Brandi.” Another kiss. “Not your ex.” I tipped her chin up. “Not even you.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “Stop being so nice to me, Rome. You’re doing it again, where you look like an ass, but you’re really just a marshmallow.”
“Get fucking used to it, babe.”
“Jesus, Rome,” she laughed and pressed her head to my shoulder. “I really like you.”
I hooked my finger under her chin and tipped her head back. “Right back at you.”
Her eyes went soft, and I couldn’t wait anymore. I brought my mouth down on hers, slow at first, just tasting her. She made a small sound against my lips and opened for me, her tongue meeting mine with equal hunger.
I walked her backward until she hit the edge of the tattoo chair. My hands slid under her shirt, finding warm skin. She arched into my touch, and her own fingers worked at the buttons of my jeans, impatient and clumsy.
“Off,” she breathed between kisses. “All of it.”
We tore at each other’s clothes. Her shirt and pants hit the floor, her bra followed, and my jeans kicked aside. She stood before me in nothing but moonlight from the window, wearing only curves I wanted to worship.
I sat back in the tattoo chair, the leather cool against my bare ass, and held out my hand. “Come here.”
She climbed onto me, her thighs bracketing my hips, her heat hovering just above where I needed her most. I gripped her waist, my thumbs pressing into the softness of her, and she lowered herself slowly, taking me inch by inch. “Fuck,” I groaned, my head falling back against the headrest.
“Yeah,” she whimpered, her nails digging into my shoulders as she sank fully onto me. She was tight, wet, and perfect.
She started to move, rolling her hips in a rhythm that made my vision blur. I watched her above me, tits bouncing, head thrown back. From the swell of her belly, and the jiggle of her thighs, every gorgeous inch of her was taking what she needed from me.
“Rome,” she moaned, grinding down harder. “You feel so good.”
I thrust up to meet her, my hands gripping her ass, guiding her pace. The chair creaked beneath us as we fucked, her cries filling the empty shop.
“Touch yourself,” I commanded, my voice wrecked.
She did, her fingers circling her clit, and I felt her start to flutter around me, her movements getting frantic and desperate.
“Come on,” I urged, my own release building, burning at the base of my spine. “Let go, beautiful. I’ve got you.”
She shattered, crying out my name, her body clamping down on me so hard I saw stars. I followed her over, thrusting deep and spilling inside her with a groan that sounded like her name.
We stayed there, panting, as she collapsed against my chest, and my arms wrapped around her. I pressed a kiss to her sweaty temple and laughed, breathless. “These chairs are good for more than tattooing.”
She giggled, breathless and satisfied, and I held her tighter, already wanting to do it again.