I looked up at him, his gun in his hand, and my heart in my throat. “Yeah. I’m ready.”
Then the pain started. I tried to hold as still as I possibly could, but there were moments when Parker would push down on my hip to keep me in place. He wiped the ink from my skin, rubbed some sort of salve over the work he had already done, and then he continued working. He looked so serious as he concentrated on his gun against my skin. His brow was furrowed, and he constantly pulled his bottom lip in between his teeth. I wanted his lips against mine, I wanted his teeth against my body, and I felt like I was about to lose my mind.
“Are you okay?” He ran his paper towel over my skin again, collecting the excess ink.
“Yeah. Why?” I ran my hand through my hair.
“Your stomach is trembling.” He was watching me, waiting for my response.
“Oh.” I tightened my stomach muscles. I hadn’t even realized it was happening.
“Why don’t we take a break?” He pulled his gloves off. “I’ve got the outline finished.”
“Can I look at it?” I leaned over trying to see my ribs, but Parker caught my chin in his hand, stopping me.
“Not happening.” We stared at each other, my face in his hand, my pulse racing. His eyes seemed glazed over as he looked at me, and when his thumb ran over my bottom lip softly, I knew we were in dangerous territory.
“Parker.” His name was a whisper on my lips, the taste of memories and pain and the desire for something I knew was wrong for me. Something that was wrong for both of us.
He pulled his thumb away from me, leaving a trail of fire and want behind. “I’m going to go get some fresh air.” He stood from his stool, the legs hitting the wall, before taking a deep breath and walking out.
I stood from my chair, careful not to touch my new tattoo, and I went to Staci’s room. She was lying back in her chair with a piece of paper over her face, and I couldn’t tell if she was sleeping or not.
I pushed on her foot, and she slowly sat up, blinking.
“Were you napping?” I sat down on her stool.
“Me? Nope. Never. I would never nap at work.” She was grinning a shit-eating grin, and I came to realize that was her normal look.
“Uh huh.”
“Holy shit.” She sat up further in her chair.
“What?” I looked around the room, confused.
“He did it.” She pointed down at my tattoo. “He really fucking did it.”
I was worried that maybe he had tattooed something crazy on me instead of doing the drawing I asked for, but I still avoided looking down at it. Well, because he told me to.
“What did he do?” I asked hesitantly.
“Motherfucker.” She stood up and paced in her small space.
“What’s wrong?” I started to look down at the tattoo because you know, that shit is for life.
“He actually tattooed that drawing on you.” She pointed to my ribs again. “Do you know how many people he’s said no to?”
I shook my head, but she wasn’t finished.
“Me either because it’s more than I could count. I thought this was a sure thing. That asshole. Now I’m out a hundred dollars.”
“Umm, Staci. You’re confusing the hell out of me.”
“That tattoo. I made a bet with Brandon that Parker wouldn’t do it.” She narrowed her eyes on me. “Brandon must know something that I don’t know. Spill it.”
“Not here.” I looked out her door to see Parker coming back inside.
“Tonight.” She pointed at me. “We’re going out when he’s finished with you.”
She didn’t realize how much her words would affect me, but she also didn’t know that Parker had been finished with me long before tonight. If we were all going to work together, I might as well tell her. God knows that Parker had already told Brandon what went down between us.
“Deal.”
She grinned again as I walked out of her room and headed back to Parker.
“You ready to finish up?” I climbed back into his chair. He was sitting on his stool and his head was buried in his phone.
“Yea.”
He put his phone in his pocket. “This might be brutal though. The outline is already trying to heal and when I go over it with fresh ink, it might hurt like a bitch.”
“I can handle it.” But I wasn’t sure that I could because he was right. The first time hurt, but ripping open my wounds with fresh pain was likely to kill me.
“Okay. Let me know if he becomes too much.” He pressed his gun against my ribs again, this time the pain more intense than the last.
L I V Y
Four Years and five months earlier
Parker and I were either being really careful, or my brother didn’t pay very good attention. Actually, the only thing he seemed to pay attention to these days was all the girls he had coming in and out of his rotating door.
It had been two weeks since Parker had taken me to the karaoke bar, and it had been the best two weeks of my life. We had gone to dinner, to the movies, to the mountains, but we hadn’t even come close to getting as physical as we had the night at his grandparents.
I didn’t know why either. It wasn’t from a lack of trying on my part. Every time I thought something was going to happen, he would change the subject, move away from me, or pretend like he didn’t notice.
But tonight wasn’t up to him. I was making the plans, and he didn’t have a choice.
When I pulled up outside his house, one hour before our plans, I sent him a text.
* * *
I hope you don’t have any plans tonight.
* * *
Parker: ??? I have plans with you. Don’t I?
* * *
You do! Get your butt outside.
* * *
A moment later, he poked his head out the door and looked out at me standing with my back against my car. I was wearing a pair of cut-off blue jean shorts that I knew drove him crazy, a tied up white tank top, and a pair of aviator sunglasses. He walked up to me slowly, his gaze running from my head to my toes.
“What’s all this about?” He put his hand on my hip pulling my body close to his.
“Change of plans.” He watched my lips as I spoke. “We’re not going to the movies tonight.”
“Oh yeah? Then what are we doing?”
“It’s a surprise.” I pushed him away from me with my hands on his chest and pointed to the passenger seat. “Now get in.”
He grinned before climbing into my car, and as soon as I took my seat behind the wheel, he pulled my hand to his and kissed my knuckles.
After thirty minutes of holding my hand and trying to guess where we were going, he finally asked, “Are you really not going to tell me where we’re going?”
“Nope. What kind of surprise would that be?”
He huffed and looked out the window.
It was ten minutes later when we pulled up to an old campground that my mom used to bring my brother and me to before she forgot to give a shit anymore.
“What are we doing?” He stepped out of the car and looked around at the nothingness that was before us.