Rafael pauses, then laughs. “Shit,” he says, then sets the machine down gently on the nightstand. “Hold on.”
A minute later, he’s back with the rest of his supplies, not just a few towels but a big glass of water for me. Rafael deposits it on the bed and slides in close to me again for another kiss as he cleans me. “Let me do this right.”
I run my fingers over his beard, savoring the friction. “You’re so good,” I tell him.
Rafael smiles. I can tell how much he appreciates the words so I say it again, stroking his cheek. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Lay back,” he says. “Get comfortable for me.”
I do, sitting back on the towels that he lays. I offer my arm to Rafael, which he takes lightly in his hands, still standing at the edge of the bed. His cock isn’t far from my face, thick and half-hard, hanging between his legs.
“Your skin is so beautiful,” he tells me.
Where he’s touching, there are a few freckles, barely darker than my skin. “Thank you,” I say, and Rafael gently kisses my arm, then lifts the machine.
“I’ll go very slow,” he says. “I’ll just do a spot to start, and I’ll stop anytime you say.”
“Go ahead,” I tell him. “I’m ready.”
The machine turns on, humming. My only other tattoo didn’t hurt very bad, and Rafael is working in the same spot. Still, I hold my breath when he leans down, tensing slightly in anticipation of the pain.
I don’t let myself think about all the things that could go wrong. I don’t try to anticipate any problems. Instead, I just give myself over to Rafael. I focus on the fact that he loves me and that he wants to tattoo a heart beneath his initials on my arm.
I relax and suddenly feel like I’m soaring.
Our love is real, and it lights through my body when Rafael presses the machine to my skin. The needle sinks in, stinging, piercing me over and over, and then just as quickly, Rafael pulls the needle back again.
I tilt my arm. “Oh my god,” I say. “It looks perfect.”
There’s a thin but solid line, curving to make the top of the heart, my skin flushed and aching around it. Rafael inspects the ink and nods slowly. “It does look good.”
“Wait,” I interrupt, “don’t you need to draw the rest of it on first?”
The thought escapes my lips before I think about it. Rafael hesitates for a second, then nods. “Sure, I guess I—”
“Sorry,” I laugh and grab his hand. I made him second-guess himself, and that was the opposite of what I was trying to do. “I know that you know how to draw a heart. Go ahead.”
He shakes his head quickly. “No, Alexander, really. I might as well.”
I leap up and slam my lips against his. Our bodies press together, and Rafael groans as I kiss him deeply, then pull back.
“Whoa,” he says.
“Do it just like you were going to do it,” I tell him. “Please.”
Rafael nods slowly. “Okay,” he agrees.
I slide back down onto the bed and find my position. My heart is beating, and I’m excited to see that Rafael is totally hard again from the kiss, his cock straining up, the curve full and thick. My gaze fixates on him as he starts the machine again.
I trust him, and I know that even if a million things go wrong, I’ll always still trust Rafael’s heart.
“Ready?” he asks.
“Ready,” I agree, and give myself to him forever.
* * *
Rafael
