I laughed, gripping the sides of the bath and slowly standing in front of him, watching as his expression became hungry again.
‘There’s too many . . .’ I said, slowly turning, shivering as his hands reached up to hold my hips, running down my legs, eyes everywhere – from my ass to the viper that wound around the back of my left thigh, circling down to my calf.
Looking back to him, I stilled. He said nothing, hands still on my lower legs, but his expression screamed everything I knew I felt too.
‘Would you do one for me?’ he asked suddenly, his eyes on my wrist, the white Norse compass on the inside. ‘I’ve got an idea.’
Barely half an hour later, the small desk in the corner of the room pulled out, my borrowed kit cleaned and prepped, we sat opposite each other.
‘So you don’t mind me free-handing this? I can stencil it?’ I offered, eyebrows raised as he shook his head, offering his upturned arm on the desk.
‘I trust you, Jessica. Besides, I’ve stalked you online. I know how good you are.’
I couldn’t help laughing, his sheepish expression giving way to a beautiful smile.
‘Okay . . . well, I’ll do my best. But you’re going to need to hold completely still for this, and I’ll warn you, the inner wrist gets fucking sore. I’ll go as quick as I can.’
He nodded briefly, watching as I reached for my gloves.
‘It’s so painful that I actually think you might need some help,’ I added, unable to deny myself the amusement, justifying that it might actually work . . . kind of.
So as I shrugged my robe off my shoulders, letting it fall to my waist, he barely noticed as I gently took his wrist and, prepping the ink, got to work.
He simply stared for a moment, his eyes, his whole attention entirely focused on my breasts.
‘What are you trying to do to me?’ he asked hoarsely as I followed the faint outline of the pen I’d used to give a rough idea of the design just minutes ago.
‘Distract you,’ I replied softly, concentrating just as resolutely. ‘Never done it half-naked before, might check with Lottie, see if it could be a new marketing tactic.’
He barely laughed, still too fixed on me to respond properly.
‘So why this design, why here?’ I asked, shifting my grip slightly, taking the next bit a little more slowly, all too aware of the increased margin for error. The design he’d requested – the same cow’s skull as the design on my T-shirt, wreathed in flames – was small, but not without a fair bit of detail.
He shifted his gaze to my face, then to the emerging design on his skin.
‘I wanted something of you,’ he said simply, holding my eyes in his as I stopped, looking up. ‘Your skull design and . . . your flames. And right here, on my wrist . . . I want to see it. Every day. I want the reminder of you . . . if you’re not here.’
A lump gathered in my throat as I forced myself back to work, not daring to say another word as I continued.
Eventually the quiet between us settled, just as it had in the bath. I’d finished within the hour, allowing myself to smile as I triple checked it, setting aside the machine so I could wrap it gently.
‘Do you like it?’ I asked, strangely nervous as he held it out.
We were both standing, me still naked. He didn’t answer until he reached me, his right arm circling my waist.
‘I love it,’ he murmured, kissing my nose first, finding my mouth moments later.
‘Don’t go,’ I whispered as he drew back, aware that it was late, with another full day ahead in not many hours. ‘Stay here, with me.’
He did. And with creeping exhaustion, curled around each other, I watched as he finally fell asleep. I waited a few moments, eyes heavy in the darkness, as his breathing softened, his hands still on my skin. When I kissed him softly on the forehead, he didn’t stir.
‘Jesse,’ I whispered, tears instantly springing forward, falling onto the pillow as I closed my eyes, ‘I think . . . I’m in love with you.’
CHAPTER14
HESTIA
As life sped up over the next couple of weeks, I was both grateful and . . . lost.
