“Aren’t you supposed to trace it first?” Ariel piped up, looking at me over her shoulder with wide, nervous eyes.
I grinned and shook my head. “Even if I did use tracing, which is rare for me these days, I wouldn’t with this design. It’s meant to be done freehand.”
Her eyebrows shot up, and she lifted up to twist around a little more. “This design? Don’t I get to choose my tattoo?”
“Nope.” My tone was matter of fact. It wasn’t up for negotiation. I stood and brushed the tip of my fingers down her cheek, then gently pushed between her shoulder blades until she returned to lying on her chest. “Trust me.” When she didn’t say anything else, I sat back down and got to work.
Three hours later, I pulled the gun away one last time and wiped the tattoo clean of excess ink. It was exactly what I imagined with a few minor improvements that had come to me while I was working.
“Come with me.” I flipped her over and scooped her up, then set her on her feet. I grabbed a hand mirror and led her over to a free-standing one a few feet away. I positioned her with her back to the glass and held up the smaller mirror so she could see the tattoo on her shoulder.
She gasped, and her expression lit with wonder. “It’s incredible,” she breathed. After staring at it a little longer, she reached over with her right hand, but I caught it before she could touch the area. “It’ll be sore for a while, baby.”
I grinned when she continued to just stand there and stare at it, but I only let her have a few more minutes because I wanted to get the Vaseline and plastic over it. Taking her hand, I brought her back to the table and set her on it. “Why do you keep picking me up?” she asked with a frown. “I’m perfectly capable of getting places on my own.”
I went around the other side before answering. “I like having you in my arms,” I murmured against her ear and smirked when it made her shiver. “Also, I like putting you right where I want you.” She sputtered for a second, but it melted into a moan when I brushed a soft kiss over her bare neck.
I quickly took care of the wound and gave her instructions on how to care for it. Though, I intended to do it myself since I knew she’d be back in my shop breathing fire before too long.
3 Ariel
Letting a guy you’d just met ink whatever he wanted onto your skin was probably not the smartest decision I’d ever made, but it’d really paid off. The tattoo Maddox had done for me was stunning. I’d never seen anything quite like it before. It was intricate and delicate, yet somehow; it radiated strength. It was a beautiful mixture of different symbols; some I recognized and some I didn’t. The whole piece was inked with multiple shades of vivid colors. It was one of the most gorgeous things I’d ever seen.
When we walked back out to the reception area, Belle was already there. She was chatting with Wendy, and they both grinned when they saw that Maddox was holding my hand. I was in a bit of a daze from my tattoo session and that little kiss against the back of my neck, but I still knew what the smug look on Belle’s face meant. I was never going to hear the end of this.
After a quick glance up at Maddox to make sure he wasn’t looking at me, I stuck my tongue out at my sister. Her eyes went wide, and she slapped her hand over her mouth as she started to giggle. It wasn’t the reaction I was expecting, but I understood it when Maddox bent towards my ear to whisper, “If you stick your tongue out again, I’m going to take it as an invitation.”
Oh, my. I felt that sensual promise deep in my core as a shiver raced up my spine.
“And on that note, I better drag Ariel out of here or else she’ll never leave.” Belle came over and tugged my hand out of Maddox’s hold, offering him an apologetic smile. “Sorry, but I kind of need her since she’s my ride. Griffith isn’t expecting us back for another hour or so, but he’s already blowing up my phone. Cyra came close to rolling from her tummy to her back, and he doesn’t want me to miss it if she tries again.”
Any thought I’d had of suggesting that Belle could take my car and leave me here flew out of my head at the mention of my adorable niece’s possible milestone. “I guess we’d better get going then because I don’t want to miss it, either!”
“Definitely, but first I have a bone to pick with Maddox.” Belle shot an accusing glare in his direction. “Wendy won’t let me pay for my tattoo. She said you sent her a text and told her that if I put up a fuss, she should just tell me to tip Candice what you’d normally charge for my session.”
“Yup.” He leaned against the counter.
Belle’s eyes narrowed. “Griffith pays you for his ink, right?”
“Yup.” His lips kicked up in a small grin, and I had to stifle a giggle at how he was torturing my sister like he’d known us forever.
“Then I don’t understand why I can’t pay for mine.”
Maddox shrugged his broad shoulders. “And I don’t get why this is such a problem for you.”
“Because you can’t just give me a
