Skin Deep (14 page)

“Morning, baby,” Luke said, handing me a cup
of coffee and leaning down for a kiss. “I’ve got to get ready and
head to the shop. I have a tattoo scheduled for this morning, but
it shouldn’t take too long. Do you have any plans, or do you wanna
come watch?” he asked.

I thought for a second. “Umm… I don’t think I
have anything going, so, yeah. I’ll go if you want me to. Maybe
I’ll let you ink me again…” I grinned at him, but my smile faltered
when his eyes darkened.

“Luke?” I asked. I wasn’t sure I liked the
look he was giving me.

“Oh yeah, sugar. I’ll definitely do that
again.” His voice was low and sent shivers down my spine.

I sat my coffee down on the nightstand beside
the bed and let the sheet fall to my waist. I leaned back on my
elbows, cocking my head to the side before asking, “Really? You’ll
do me again?”

Luke’s eyes darkened even more and he groaned
in his throat. “Emma, don’t do this to me. We gotta go, sugar.”

I shrugged my shoulder at him, making my
breasts jiggle, and laid down on my back, stretching my arms up
over my head and moaning softly. I heard Luke’s breath catch and
watched him bite his lip, clearly torn. I decided to up the ante
and slid my hand down my chest, cupping my breast in my hand and
tweaking my nipple with my thumb.

Luke groaned harshly before he was on the
bed, Doug flying out the door, as Luke was coming over me and
sliding as deep as he could. He fucked me furiously, slamming
himself in and out, and I reveled in it. I couldn’t contain my
moans as my knees came up to bracket his sides, my hands sliding up
and down his back, digging my nails into his skin. Without warning,
it hit me and I came, screaming my release, my body pulsating as he
still pounded into me until he thrust deeply one last time, his
body jerking with his release.

He leaned forward and kissed my lips quickly
before pulling out and leaving the bed. I rolled over, squeezing my
thighs together, enjoying the slight aftershocks still zinging
through my loins, and I felt him slap my ass, yelling, “Get up,
woman! We’re gonna be late now!”

I looked over my shoulder at him and he
grinned at me before heading off to the shower. I thought about
joining him, but decided we’d never leave the house if I did, so I
let him finish, jumping in and showering quickly as soon as he
emerged to get dressed.

We pulled up outside the shop just a few
minutes late. Brandon was already there, even though he didn’t have
anything scheduled until later that afternoon.

When I walked in the door with Luke, his arm
thrown around my shoulders holding me tightly to his side, Brandon
hooted loudly, yelling, “Finally! Maybe now I can go home and get
some sleep!”

Luke punched him playfully in the arm and
went back to get his room ready for his client.

Brandon looked at me, winked and said, “Oh,
Luke! Harder Luke! Yes…Ohhhhh!” in a high-pitch falsetto.

I gasped, my cheeks flooding with heat, and
punched him in his chest, glaring at him. “I didn’t sound like
that, asshole. I never said any of that, either,” I muttered.

Brandon just grinned at me, nodding his head
vigorously up and down.

I spun on my heel and headed down the hall to
Luke’s work room. My cell phone rang in my jeans pocket as I walked
towards the back and I pulled it out to see who was calling me.

Allie’s name flashed across the screen, so I
answered it. “Hey!”

“Hey! What are doing today?” Allie asked.

“I’m down here at Luke’s shop. He’s doing a
tattoo this morning and said I could watch.”

Allie was silent for a minute. “With Luke,
huh? I take it you got your head outta your ass, Jensen?”

I said quietly, “Allie, I didn’t mean to be
such a bitch. But you know what happened with Douche Bag Brad. Like
I told you, I just don’t want to be hurt like that again.”

“I know, Em, but Luke just…I don’t know. I
can just see that’s he’s not like that. You’ll be good together,
make pretty babies.” I could tell she was smiling now.

I snorted. “Yeah, well I don’t think that’s
in the cards any time soon. We just started dating.”

Luke poked his head out of his doorway and
looked over to where I had stopped to talk to Allie.

“We just started dating?” he asked with a
grin.

I rolled my eyes at him and turned my back.
To Allie I said, “Listen, I’ll call you later when I get home.” I
heard Luke snort behind me and I turned back to see what he was
doing. He shook his head at me and I raised my eyebrow at him.

He mouthed, “
You aren’t going home. Unless
I’m going with you
…”

I gaped at him, Allie repeating, “Hello?
Emma? Are you still there?” in my ear.

“Yeah, Allie, sorry. Like I said, I’ll call
you later, okay?”

“Okay! Talk to you later! And Emma? Don’t do
anything I wouldn’t do…” she warned, laughing.

“I think I’m covered then, Allie, because we
both know there’s not much you wouldn’t do!” I replied drolly.

We hung up and I walked into Luke’s room.
Brandon came by to tell him his appointment was there, and Luke
went out to greet them. He came back with a college-aged boy in
tow, who was talking his ear off about his tattoos. When they got
in the room, Luke waved to where I was seated on a stool in the
corner, asking if the guy had any problem with me being in there to
watch.

The boy shook his head no, staring at me
wide-eyed. He then cleared his throat and asked timidly, “Could she
come hold my hand?”

I laughed and smiled at the poor thing, while
Luke narrowed his eyes at him. The boy lowered his eyes and mumbled
sorry to Luke, who shot me a dirty look. I waved his look away and
pulled my stool up beside the chair where Luke had him sit, and I
held out my hand for him to take. He blushed and took it. I got the
impression he was trying to be macho with Luke, but seeing me had
triggered his nerves.

Luke stared at me a beat before turning back
to his client. He explained the process, and pulled out the
transfer sheet to show him the design that Luke had previously
drawn up for him. The design was a sweet ass nautical star, two
toned with black and red. The top corner point of the star was
drawn to look like it was ripping into the skin, and two blood red
droplets were suspended from the opposite bottom corner point,
underneath which the words Under My Skin were scripted. Inside the
lower droplet, which was placed so it almost seemed like it dotted
the ‘i’ in Skin, was a tiny skull and cross bones.

Wow. I was seriously impressed with Luke’s
skills, and I was only seeing the drawing.

“Okay, Mike, we’re all set if you’re
satisfied with the design. You’re still wanting this to go on your
right pec?” Luke asked.

Mike nodded and then looked worried as Luke
had him lie back on the chair after taking off his shirt. He
blushed furiously as he took it off, glancing my way out of the
corner of his eye. I ducked my head to hide my smile.

Luke did his thing, shaving the area where
the tattoo would be placed (even though Mike didn’t have much going
for him chest hair wise), set the transfer and had Mike check it in
the mirror. It looked awesome.

When Luke set up his machine and starting
inking the liner needle, Mike reached out blindly for my hand
again, and I took it, squeezing it reassuringly. He took a deep
breath in and held it. And held it.

Luke finally looked up as he swung toward him
with the gun in his hand and said, “Dude, you gotta breathe. Cant
have you passing out on me in my chair while I’m working on you,
man.”

Mike let his breath out slowly and I decided
to try to take his mind off of it. I asked, “So does the tattoo
have any special meaning to you, Mike?”

He nodded, eyes wide as Luke started the
outline. I felt him squeeze my hand a little bit more. Then he
finally spoke. “I met this girl last year. Freshman year. I’m a
sophomore this year at Cincinnati. Anyway, she’s so beautiful but
she just doesn’t see it. She keeps telling me that I’m just after
one thing and that’s all it would ever be between us, but its not
like that. I mean, I like this girl, man! She’s the one. Ya know
what I mean?” He looked over at me and nodded, apparently answering
his own question for me. “So, anyway, we went out a couple times
and I think I’ve got her almost convinced. But she’s under my skin.
And I don’t see her going anywhere.”

Luke looked up and caught my eye as he paused
to wipe off the excess ink and reink the needle. I nodded
imperceptibly, letting him know that I knew what he was thinking.
And it made me feel kinda warm inside.

I looked back to Mike and asked him, “Well,
what happens if something happens and she’s not convinced? Not that
I’m second guessing you or anything, but, you know?”

He nodded. “I thought of that, but it really
wouldn’t matter either way. She’s under my skin and if something
happens, then it’ll just be a reminder that I let someone get under
my skin, that I need to be more careful in the future.”

Hmmm. Mike was a pretty smart cookie.
Oohh…cookies. My stomach growled loudly, reminding me and everyone
else in the room that I hadn’t had breakfast this morning.

I grinned sheepishly as everyone looked at
me, laughing.

“Emma, why don’t you run down to the café and
grab us some breakfast?” Luke asked.

“Sure,” I replied. I asked Luke what he
wanted, his reply being to surprise him. Mike declined anything,
reassuring me that he didn’t need my hand anymore, and I headed
down the hall to find Brandon to see if he wanted anything. I found
him in his work room with the door shut. I knocked on the door,
opening it when he yelled, “Come in!”

Whoa! I was not expecting to see him seated
on a stool with the chair raised up high in front of him, a buxom
blonde coed half-reclined on it with her legs spread wide, skirt
hiked to her waist. She grinned and giggled at me, shrugging her
shoulders before saying, “I’m getting my hood pierced! Isn’t that
like, so cool?”

I barely managed to keep from rolling my eyes
at her, and Brandon grinned at me from over her hip. All I have to
say about it is thank God the chair was facing away from the door.
I’d have been traumatized if it hadn’t been. I asked Brandon about
food before hot footing out of the room, closing the door behind
me. Before I got completely away from the door I heard the perky,
high pitched voice of the blonde squeal then say, “Ooh,
pretty!”

I couldn’t stop the eye roll this time. But,
hood piercing…I wonder what that-? Nevermind. I’m not even going
there.

After getting food and coffee from the café,
I brought everything back and divvied it up between the four of us.
Four, because Mike decided he was hungry too, so I shared half of
my sandwich with him.

Luke finished Mike’s tattoo and it was
amazeballs! I loved it so much that I was contemplating actually
getting another tattoo. Me! The girl who swore I’d never let a
needle anywhere near me voluntarily! Weird, right?

After Luke cleaned everything up and did what
he needed to do, we headed out, leaving Brandon in charge at the
shop. He had a couple appointments coming in, and was back with
another walk-in piercing ( I didn’t ask, I didn’t want to know this
time!).

Luke surprised me by not heading to his
house, nor did we go to mine. Instead, since it was the beginning
of October, he took me to The Patch, the best pick-your-own pumpkin
farm in southern Ohio. We spent a good hour wandering through the
vines, looking for the perfect pumpkins to carve. He found a couple
immediately and set them to the side in a pile for him and Brandon.
I, however, am very picky about my pumpkin. I finally found it,
jumping up and down like a little kid while Luke laughed at me.

On the way to the front with our pumpkins, we
went by the little pumpkin area, and I couldn’t help but pick out a
couple little pumpkins to carve, along with a few tiny gourds and
the cutest, tiniest little pumpkins to decorate my front porch
with. We stopped at the store after leaving The Patch and got a
couple of those really cool carving kits with the nifty tools and
killer patterns, candles for the pumpkins, and Luke surprised me
again by grabbing the stuff to make s’mores with.

As we were leaving the store, my cell phone
rang and I answered it without looking at the screen.

“Hello, Emma…” a voice whispered harshly.

“Umm…hello?” I responded.

“What are you doing, little girl?” the voice
continued in that nasty raspy whisper.

I rolled my eyes, grinning at Luke who was
staring at me questioningly. “Calland, you ass. What the hell do
you want?”

My brother busted out laughing and hung up on
me. I didn’t call him back because I knew his little games by
now.

He called me back after a minute, and when I
answered he said, “You bitch! You didn’t call me back!”

“I know. So what’s up?” I asked.

“Mom says that you have to be here for
breakfast tomorrow. I say you don’t have to,” he replied in his
smart ass tone.

I heard my mom yell at Calland in the
background before she grabbed the phone from him, smacking him and
muttering under her breath.

“Emma? Breakfast tomorrow, honey, and bring
your friend. Allie’s coming, too.”

Oh, Lord…what was my mother up to? “I’ll be
there, Mom. I’m not speaking for anyone else. Luke may have plans
with his brother or something.”

To my dismay, Luke leaned close to me and
said, “Nope. Don’t have plans. Where we going?”

I closed my eyes and sighed, knowing my
mother had heard him.

“Emma? See? You’re friend doesn’t have plans,
and his brother can come, too. Don’t be late, Emma Marie. Ten
o’clock. Love you, bye!” Mom hung up the phone on me, and I tossed
my phone into my purse.

I glanced at Luke, who cocked his eyebrow at
me before asking, “Emma Marie, huh?”