Messy Love(14)

“You serious?’’ I asked in disbelief. I knew I had to prove him I was good enough by coming up with an insane design, but it’s huge already.

“I am. Now, show me I’m right,’’ he said, wrapping an arm around my neck and messing up my hair like he knew I hated.

I gently punched him in the ribs, but it’s more a light push than a punch. “Thank you.’’

He nodded and went back to his client.

“Scared to confide your arm to an apprentice?’’ I asked Ralph with a huge smile I couldn’t control. I must look goofy, but I was ready to burst with excitation. Everything else that had been in my mind for the last few days suddenly wasn’t important and had taken a backseat.

“Nah!’’ He smiled back at me, mirth dancing his brown eyes. “And if you mess up you would owe me a lot. A. Lot.’’ He winked, and I laughed at him.

“Follow me then. We’ll talk in the room out back and see what we can come up with.’’

“Yes, ma’am.’’

I led Ralph, and unfortunately Wyatt down the hall to the office and the back room. I opened the door to the right to the back room where a tattoo station was waiting to be used, a cabinet holding sterilized tools for Sophie to pierce the skin and a desk in the corner with two chairs facing it. On top of the desk was a notepad along with different pens, pencils and sharpies to sketch for the clients and take notes.

I sat, and both men grabbed the chairs on the other side of the desk. Ralph still had a smile on his face and Wyatt, well, he wasn’t scowling anymore. His eyes observed me as I got the notepad in front of me and a pencil to start out sketching. He seemed more curious than anything else.

I frowned at how focused on him I was instead of Ralph. I stared down at my fingers wrapped too tightly around the pen. If I wanted to draw, I couldn’t choke the thing.

“Ralph, can you show me your arm again?’’

He extended it on top of the desk while I leaned closer, watching the way the flames were a blend of yellow, orange and red while they licked trees, grass, and a few wilted flowers. I nibbled on my lip as I tried and found something that wouldn’t clash with the sleeve and also cover the old tatt completely.

“What do you say if we include embers under the flames here? It’d be a blend of black, brown, deep orange and red. We could also try and add something laced in the ember, something that’d have meaning for you if you want. A quote, a symbol… anything.’’

Wyatt leaned over the desk, eyed the tattoo on his best friend’s arm and then me before he leaned back, head tilted to one side and arms crossed. I fidgeted in my chair and glanced back at Ralph’s arm. I really thought it was a good idea and it would respect the bigger piece on his arm. Anyway, Wyatt’s thoughts didn’t matter.

Ralph mulled it over before he nodded. “I like the idea. And a quote could be great, but can you show me how it’d be?’’

“Of course. I can make a quick sketch first, and I’ll work on something more detailed later once we’ve tweaked things until you’re satisfied,’’ I answered, once again smiling as if my life depended on it. I had no control over my lips, and it’s very maddening when they tingled whenever Wyatt stared at them like he was right now. He might be surly and quiet, but he didn’t need to talk since his presence was potent. “You guys go and ask Sophie some water or coffee while I do this. I’ll have something ready in fifteen-twenty minutes.’’

***





WYATT


Ralph started walking back to the main room of the tattoo shop, but I stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. I was all kind of fucked right now, and I needed a damn minute to gather my bearings.

Marissa Thornton was fucking with my head.

“What?’’

I leaned heavily against the white wall and shook my head with my frown back in place. I rarely smiled, and I wasn’t known to be the kind of man who did it easily, but these days I was worse than my usual.

“I don’t fucking know,’’ I grumbled, rubbing my forehead as if it’d get rid of these thoughts. Thoughts of bending Marissa over that desk in the room. Thoughts of tasting her and fucking her until she screamed my name on the station. Thoughts of seeing her blue-violet eyes flashing in anger at me right before I took her mouth and kissed her until she didn't remember what an ass I was.

I hated what she represented, who she was to my adoptive mother, but I wanted her fiercely.

Ralph’s eyes went from my face to my cock, hard and pushing against the dark denim of my pants. “I think I know, asshole,’’ he said and smirked, fighting off what I was sure was a laugh that’d grate on my nerves and strip me of my last strand of control over my volatile emotions.

“You checked out my cock?’’ I shook my head at him and adjusted myself when the zipper started to become uncomfortable.

“Oh come on, it’s not like I swin' that way.’’ He leaned against the wall next and crossed his arms over his chest, suddenly looking more severe. “Don’t get in her pants just because you’re pissed and you want to hurt her. She seems like a sweet girl, Wyatt.’’

“You have an excellent opinion of me.’’ And yeah, it hurt when your own best friend thought so little of you. Maybe I shouldn’t blame him for it because I’ve given him enough reasons to think I’d use this chick to get my kicks out of it. I frequently fucked girls just to get off, and in a way, I was using them, but it’s different. These women knew what I was all about going in and they didn’t expect anything else. If they did, then it’s their wishful thinking doing the damage to their heart and self-confidence.