Love and Tattoos (9 page)

“
How long has this been going on? How long have you been arranging this?”

“
About a month after I got home.”

“
I can’t believe no one said anything to any of us. This is a small town. There’s supposed to be rumors and gossip. I feel so let down.”

Annie smacked him on the a
rm. “You’re such a smart ass.”

“
You said earlier that this was a magical night.” He waved his arm to encompass the room, still blown away by what he was seeing. “Looking at this… At your work, the soulfulness of tattoos through your eyes, and then the feel of you next to me…” Brax kissed the top of her head. “I agree. It has been and is very magical.

“
Thank you”.

“
You know,” he said softly into the silence that had grown around them, “Maybe I was the lost one.”

“
How so?”

“
Maybe I was lost looking for you, waiting for you.”

Annie lifted her head. “
I don’t see how that’s right. You weren’t lost. You weren’t wandering aimlessly in the dark, you weren’t suffering through life changes, and career decisions. How could you have been lost?”

“
I don’t know, I—”

“
Maybe it’s a purpose you needed.”

“
Are you my purpose in life?”

“
Possibly. At least, you know, until Joe gets back.”

Brax chuckled low in his throat
and nodded. “Yeah. That’s not going to be fun.” He ruffled her hair with his hand. “C’mon. Let’s get you back to the shop. You need to get home, get some sleep.”

Annie kept hold of his arm
when he stood, and Brax didn’t complain. He took one more long look around the room, at the pictures, at the life Annie had created on the walls. She was brilliant and her talent, her vision had been wasted at that ad agency.

“
When do want to do my tattoo?” she asked, as they descended the stairs outside the art gallery. The dark, pre-dawn hours were quiet and still and in a way, full of promise. Brax held Annie close to his side when they got to street level.

“
Do you still want it? I won’t make you honor the agreement. I’m not even sure who won.”

“
Of course I still want it. Why wouldn’t I?”

“
A cherry blossom signifies new life. You’ve already found and started yours.”

“
Still fits me and it’s from you. It’s all from you, so yes, I still want it.”

“
In the afternoon, then.”

“
Joe’s due back Sunday, right?”

“
Yep.”

“
You won’t be done with it by then, will you?”

“
Don’t think so. I have a few appointments. I might not get started on you until late.”

“
You could work through the night.”

Brax smiled. “
Yes, I suppose I could. What’s my incentive?”

“
Me?”

“
A good start, sure.” He laughed when she nudged him in the side, causing him to lose a little footing.

“
What do you think your incentive should be?” He was back at her side, his hand holding hers, the same as when they’d left the shop an hour ago.

“
Well, I never did get sex after cookies that you promised me.”

“
Hmm. Very true. That could probably be arranged.”

“
Before the tattoo?”

“
And maybe after.”

“
I could always take you home tonight,” he suggested. He didn’t play it off as an innocent offer either. He had plans for her, for them, for getting naked again.

“
Your home or my home?” she asked.

“
Where would you feel more comfortable?” He was fine with the floor in the office, but he didn’t want anyone walking in on them as there was a fairly good possibility that they were going to oversleep.

“
I don’t know,” she mused. “I haven’t had a man in my bed since I’ve been back and I don’t know how many women have been in yours.”

Brax tugged a strand of her hair until she yelped. “
That was rude, babe. And for your information, no woman has been in my bed since my last serious girlfriend.”

“
When was that?”

“
About a year and a half ago. Maybe two.” Damn. Had it really been that long?

“
Then where do you go with your dates?”

“
Either their place or a hotel. I don’t bring women home.”

“
But you’d take me?”

“
Yes. You’re not just any woman. You know you’re not just any woman.”

“
True. I am quite special and hot and I do have that piercing.”

“
Goddamn,” he groaned. “Yes. you do have that piercing.”

Several steps more, then Annie rushed him, pressing him against the nearest wall. They were still a few storefronts away from
Love and Tattoos
, but it seemed his little artist had something on her mind.

She fit her thigh between his legs and lifted high into his groin with her knee. Her lips
kissed the hollow in his throat and Brax hung on for dear life. Her breath was hot against his skin as she spoke. “I do think you should give serious thought to a matching piercing. You know, as discussed earlier.”

“
Oh don’t worry. I’m strongly considering it.” Brax grabbed hold of her head and licked a trail across her jaw, until his mouth was at her ear. He whispered intensely, “I want your mouth wrapped around the head, your teeth tugging on a ring. It’s not the first time I’ve thought about a Prince Albert, but it’s the first time I’ve had a woman want it too.”

“
Mmm. I like being the first. I think I might even want to be the only. Ever thought about tattoos on your cock?”

“
Yes.” Brax looked her in the eye, lust and need and pure adoration warred in the depths and he didn’t doubt for a second that she saw the same things in his. “Don’t you even think about it. You nor Joe nor anyone else is getting anywhere near my dick with a needle like that.”

“
Chicken.”

Brax barked out a laugh and pushed away from the wall. “
Didn’t we have this conversation about a chicken earlier? But, yes guilty as charged.”

“
Well, I have another idea then of how to tattoo it that wouldn’t hurt at all.”

“
Oh do you now? Please share.”

“
I’d rather show you. We need to get back to the shop first, though.”

“
Thought I was taking you home?”

“
You are. We haven’t decided which home yet and while I demonstrate another way to tattoo your cock, we can. Decide, that is.”

“
I’m not so sure about this. What have you got in mind?”

“
You’ll see.”

God, she was fucking frustrating. “
Will I still be able to walk?”

“
Yes.” Annie tugged his keys out of her pocket where she’d stuffed them earlier and unlocked the
Love and Tattoos
backdoor when they got to it. “I’ll be two seconds,” she called, racing across the darkened interior.

Brax took a deep breath
, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. In roughly six hours, the place would be open for business. He’d have to be in no later than two. That was nine hours. Plenty of time for sex and sleep.

And yet, he was still wide awake, no doubt
he was running on pure adrenaline. Annie thrilled him and he didn’t want to give up a minute of time with her. They’d learned a lot about each other during the course of the night. The sex had been hot and he was contemplating a ring in his penis, mainly because his new lover thought it would be hot.

Hell, who was he kidding?
It
would
be hot.

“
Pants down,” Annie ordered, returning to his side. She took his hand and led him to the station he used most often for his tattoo clients. It was closest to the office, deepest in the shadows.

He eyed her
Cheshire smile warily. “Didn’t we do this earlier tonight?”

“
Yes, but this is different.”

“
Right.” But he did as she asked. Or, he started to… “Yours off too.”

“
I don’t need to get naked for this.”

“
Maybe not. But you do need to get naked for me.”

“
How about —”

“
How about every stitch of clothing off your body,” he interrupted. “Now.”

“
Bossy,” she grumbled.

“
Yep.” He stared her down and she did the same. Neither gave in nor gave an inch, until…

“
Oh fuck it. Fine.” She flipped her shirt off and Brax followed suit.

“
As if you’re really put out about it.” His pants dropped next as did her jeans. She reached back to unhook her bra, but he stopped the motion with his hand on her arm. “Leave the bra. And the panties.”

“
Why?”

“
Because I love them. You’re sexy with them on or off. I like the feel of them.” To demonstrate, he cupped her breasts in both palms, stroking the silk with the pads of his fingers.

“
W-well, you need to take your underwear off.”

“
Then I’ll have to find some other way to keep touching you,” he murmured, lowering his head to her chest. He sucked the soft fabric of her polka dot bra between his lips, wetting the material. He soon felt the outline of her nipple against his tongue.

Annie moaned and held his head in her hands. He knew if he
reached between her legs she’d be wet and ready for him. He awkwardly pushed his boxer briefs down and started to straighten.

“
Not yet, please,” she whispered.

“
Okay,” he whispered back. “At least let me have the other tit and at least let me sit instead of bend.” He wrapped his arm around her and shuffled them back until he was balanced on the padded tattoo table. “Better. Now this one, I want naked.” He eased the bra cup down and took hold of her other nipple with his teeth. Annie fairly sagged, melted with need, but Brax held her up. He worked the tight bead of flesh with the tip of his tongue until she whimpered. “More?”

“
Yes,” she hissed.

“
Good girl.” He found his way to her panties, sliding his hand up her thigh to her hip. The silk teased him and the heat of her sex pulled him in. He tugged at the crotch until it was snuggled tight between her lips, pressing into her naughty little piercing.

He felt for the outline of it
, too. He fondled her, stroked her, pulled her panties higher and tighter. She thrust toward him, riding the edges of the silk and elastic, the feel of his hand against her smooth skin.

Lifting his
gaze, Brax watched her face and was surprised to find her looking down at him. Their eyes held, lust between them ratcheting upward. He had her. He finally fucking had her. And it wasn’t about the sex — though God, this was damn good sex — it was all about her and him and their passion for their art, their love of tattoos, and the winding road it took for them to realize they could have something special.

“
Annie?” he said, the words so soft they were little more than a ghost of a caress. “Come for me, Annie.”

If
she heard him or not, he didn’t know. Blood roared in his ears and the near pain in his cock from being harder than a steel rod distracted him for a brief moment. She was there though, nodding.

Brax shifted his hand between her legs and wedged a finger in
side her. His thumb he kept pressed to her piercing. She was soaking wet, hot and tight, pulsing and clenching.

She huffed her breath through her lips as she orgasmed. It wasn
’t pretty, but it was wonderful. She gave everything in her pleasure, just as she poured everything into her art.

He held her close until the spasms subsided and they were both breathing with some semblance of normalcy again. Her glassy gaze cleared and she leaned in for a kiss. “
You good?” he asked.

“
Better than. You?”

He grunted. “
Hurting like a mother.”

Annie giggled. “
I’ll take care of that in a second,” she said, righting her bra and panties. “Now, for your penis tattoo…”

“
We don’t have to do that, do we? You can just climb on and ride, babe.”