“That’s pretty adorable.”
“That my sisters like to shame me?”
“No, that you used to wear their clothes.” She tugged his hand, urging him closer. He came, looping his arms lightly around her waist. “Guess you’ve always been a rebel, huh?”
“Not really. I just know what I like and I don’t care if society or anyone else tells me I shouldn’t like it.” He dipped his head, dropping a soft kiss to her forehead. “But I get that you worry what your family would think. I just… I want you to tell me if you’re freaked out in a ‘that is never going to happen’ kind of way. I don’t want to get in any deeper if you’re not open to the idea that we might…work. Long term.”
“You mean that we might get engaged some day?” she asked.
He inclined his head.
“I’m totally open to that,” she whispered. “I’m so open to it that I could probably be convinced to go for it on two conditions.”
Nick’s eyebrows lifted. “Yeah? And what are those?”
“One, that we wait at least another month,” she said. “Just to keep things a little more traditional.”
Nick nodded. “All right.”
“Two, that you don’t make me wait for my tattoo. Like Nash said, I’m not a child. I can make my own decisions, and I am positive I want that phoenix for my first tattoo. And I don’t care what my parents have to say about it,” she said then added quickly, “though I will probably hide it from them until next summer since swimsuit season is almost over.”
“Where do you want it?” Nick asked.
“On my left side,” Melody said, pointing to a spot just beneath her ribs. “From here, down over my hip.”
He grinned. “That’s exactly where I imagined it.”
“You’ve been imagining me naked?” Melody asked, lifting a brow.
“All the time,” he confessed with a candor that made her tingle all over.
“It will need to be at least seven inches long to look in proportion there,” Nick continued, eyeing the spot. “That’s big for your first tattoo.”
“I don’t care,” Melody said, lifting her chin. “That’s what I want.”
“And it hurts,” he warned. “Not as bad as a bee sting, but it goes on for a lot longer.”
“I burn myself on a pot or pan every other week,” she countered with a dismissive wave of her hand. “I can handle a little needle. I’m tougher than I look.”
“Don’t I know it,” Nick said, laughing beneath his breath before reaching for the passenger’s door again and pulling it open. “Then get in, hot stuff, let’s do this.”
Melody blinked. “Right now?”
“Right now…unless you’re having second thoughts.”
“I’m not having second thoughts, but I did have two beers.”
Nick shrugged. “That was over an hour ago, and they were light beers. You’ll be fine as long as you don’t drink anything else.”
“But…but I thought we were going to go for a drink.” Melody sank into the passenger’s seat, stomach fluttering with nerves. “And set a date for you know what.”
“Change of plans,” Nick said. “And that reminds me—I have a condition to add to your conditions.”
“What’s that?” Melody asked, narrowing her eyes as he closed the door and trotted around to the driver’s side.
“No you-know-what until we’re engaged,” he said, sliding into the car and leaning across to kiss her cheek, whispering his next words into her ear. “I don’t want to make love to you until I know I’m the first, and the last, man who’s ever going to be inside you.”
Melody shivered and her mouth went dry as her mind’s eye put forth some very vivid mental pictures featuring Nick and her and no clothes at all.
“So you’re blackmailing me with sex,” she said, the realization so funny she couldn’t help but laugh as Nick pulled away to start the car.
“Maybe,” he said with a smug grin that made her laugh even harder.
“You’re such a girl,” she said, slapping him on the arm. “I can’t believe what a girl you are. I’m going to tell John, and all your friends. Your reputation will be ruined.”
“Good,” Nick said. “I’d rather have you than a reputation.”
She sighed. “You’re sweet.”
“No, I just love you,” Nick said with an honesty that was humbling.
Melody felt a chunk of her resistance melt away, like a piece of glacier breaking off and floating into the ocean, never to be seen again. Just like that, imagining herself engaged to the boy smiling at her like she was a human sunbeam in a world full of clouds became a little easier.
At this rate, he’d have her worn down in a week.
“You ready to go get inked?” he asked, taking her hand as he prepared to pull out onto the street.
“Let’s do it,” she said, threading her fingers through his, wondering if this would be one of the stories they’d tell their kids someday, about the night Mom convinced Dad to give her a phoenix tattoo.
The thought was as crazy as Nick suggesting they get engaged—crazier even—but for some reason it still felt right. But that’s how things always felt with Nick. Totally right.
Until the moment when everything went wrong.
Chapter Twelve
When they got to the shop it was just after nine o’clock and John was finishing up with a client, so Nick and Melody slipped quietly into the back and made themselves comfortable.
Nick already had the phoenix sketched up—he’d done the tattoo several times before—but he wanted to customize it specifically for Melody. He didn’t want anyone else in the world to have her tattoo; it had to be as unique as she was.
He sat down to modify the sketch while Melody made tea, tidied up the supply cabinet, and picked out a playlist for them to listen to while Nick worked. Every so often, she’d swing by the table where he was sketching and lean over his shoulder, making sounds of approval before dropping a kiss to his head or his cheek and drifting off again, transforming the work into something almost…homey feeling.
But she seemed to carry that with her for him. Wherever he was, as long as Melody was there, it felt like home. Better than home, really.
Growing up, he’d always been the Geary who didn’t quite fit in. He’d still been a little boy when it became obvious that his imagination was going to lead him in directions that were different than his Mom and Dad or brothers and sisters. He’d always felt loved by his family, but not often understood, and seldom completely accepted.
With Melody, he felt all of the above.
It wasn’t something he’d expected—he’d known she was beautiful and funny and brave, but he hadn’t realized how open-minded and accepting she was. She made him rethink everything he’d ever assumed about good girls, and even religious people, for that matter.
She never made him feel like a bad person, or in any way less worthy than someone who had a more traditional lifestyle or different views on faith. She accepted him as he was, which made it that much easier to accept her as she was. Even with the intense attraction simmering between them, there was still an underlying peacefulness to their relationship, and that peace was every bit as irresistible as the desire that rose inside Nick every time they touched.
Together, it felt like they could have it all—peace and passion, love and friendship, silly jokes and serious discussions, individual hopes and shared dreams.
The engagement idea had been a spur of the moment thing, but he didn’t regret it. Now that he’d started imagining what it would be like to be with Melody March for the rest of his life, he didn’t want to stop.
Still, a part of him wished he had kept his mouth shut, at least for a little longer.
Melody was obviously stressed by the idea of jumping into something so serious. He could understand where she was coming from, but he was still more concerned about this tattoo than their future together. Lots of people grew to regret their choice of tat, but Nick doubted he an
d Melody were going to regret promising each other forever.
“Hey, Mel,” he called out, even her name feeling at home on his lips. “Come take a look. I think I’m done.”
She crossed the room, resting her hands on his shoulders as she leaned in to look at the modified phoenix. “Oh, I love it,” Melody said, her voice soft and reverent. “It’s perfect.”
“Yeah?” Nick asked, pretty proud of the new drawing. He’d added more feathers of different textures, and enhanced the intensity of the curves of the bird’s tail, giving it a more feminine look.
“It’s even more beautiful than it was before.” She chuckled. “Is it weird that it kind of reminds me of…me?”
“No, I did that on purpose,” he said, ridiculously pleased that she’d seen what he had tried to do so quickly. He’d softened the features on the face and modified the eyes until they reminded him of Melody’s, while keeping the same strong angle on the beak. “I wanted to make her like you: beautiful, but fierce.”
Melody looped her arms around his neck from behind and pressed a lingering kiss to his cheek. “You’re going to make this difficult, aren’t you?”
“What?” He turned his head, bringing his lips within an inch of hers.
“Holding off for another month.”
He grinned. “You’d better believe it.” He closed the distance between them, kissing her with a thoroughness that was heartbreakingly sweet and wickedly sexy at the same time.
He was turning in his chair, ready to draw her onto his lap and take the blissful torture to another level when the curtain separating the front of the shop from the back was swept aside and John cleared his throat.
“Um, could you two get a room?” he asked, a playful note in his voice.
“We had a room,” Nick said as Melody pulled away with a nervous laugh. “You’re the one who’s invading our space.”
John grinned, showcasing rows of even, white teeth. It was still so strange to see John’s teeth. Until his roommate had shaved his beard off two days ago, Nick hadn’t been able to get a good look at what was hiding under all that face scrub.
“Well, I am preparing to retreat if you don’t mind closing up,” John said. “I’m done with Pete and don’t have any other appointments and my lady friend sort of stopped by, so…”
“The same lady friend?” Nick asked, surprised.
“Yup,” John said, a little too casually.
This would be John’s third date with his mystery woman, an unprecedented event since Nick and John had renewed their friendship. Nick had yet to meet the girl—John hadn’t brought her home after either of their dates, which was also not the norm—but Nick strongly suspected she was the reason John had finally shaved his face and was attempting to do something with his unruly mop of curls.
“So is it cool if I head out?” John asked.
“Sure. Go for it, man,” Nick said, rising from his chair and moving toward the curtain, wanting to sneak a peek at the woman who had convinced John to embrace a degree of personal hygiene.
“Catch you two later,” John said. “Later, Melody.”
“Bye,” Melody said, waving as John retreated into the other room. As the curtain swished to one side before falling into place, Nick caught a glimpse of a familiar face and a sensible brown ponytail.
Judging by Melody’s gasp, she had seen the woman, too.
“What is this?” she hissed, creeping up behind him and pulling one corner of the curtain aside to spy on the couple in the other room. “That’s my friend, Kitty.”
“I thought so,” Nick said in a hushed voice. “Did you know she and John were dating?”
“No!” Melody said softly, obviously not wanting to attract John or Kitty’s attention. “She hasn’t said a word about dating anyone.”
“Maybe she’s too ashamed to claim John,” Nick whispered with an amused grin.
Melody turned to give him a stern look, letting the curtain drop back into place. “That’s not very nice. John is adorable.”
Nick raised one eyebrow. “You saw him with the beard, right?”
Melody wrinkled her nose. “Okay, I see your point. But he’s looking much more adorable now that he’s shaved, and he seems really nice. I’m so happy for Kitty,” she said, then added in a confidential tone, “Don’t tell John, but she’s been kind of lonely lately. For some reason, most guys in this town aren’t into dating girls who run their own garage.”
Nick ran a hand through his hair, wondering how honest he should be with Melody about John’s track record. He didn’t want Mel’s friend to get hurt, but if John had been motivated to change his womanizing ways by the right girl, Nick didn’t want to mess with his friend’s love life, either.
After all, Nick knew better than anyone how the right woman could change everything, sometimes almost overnight. Two weeks ago, Nick had been dead set against dating Melody. Now, he was ready to propose.
Just in case John was experiencing a similar change of heart, Nick decided to hold his tongue and talk to his roommate first before he gave Melody any kind of heads up for her friend.
The bell above the door tinkled, signaling that John and Kitty had left and Nick turned back to Melody. “Okay, you ready to do this?”
She took a deep breath, excitement in her eyes. “I’m ready.”
“Are you sure?” Nick asked. “No shame if you want to wait. I can always save the sketch and we can do it later.”
Melody shook her head. “No, I’m ready. I love it. The changes you made are perfect. I want it even more now than I did before.”
“Okay,” Nick said, convinced by the assurance in her voice. “Go ahead and put on your playlist, and I’ll get the sketch onto transfer paper and get all my stuff prepped.”
“Yay!” Melody clapped her hands, bouncing lightly on her feet before dancing across the room to the computer.
Nick watched her for a second, loving how uninhibited and childlike she could be, even while maintaining that sexual presence that made him want to worship at the altar of her body forever, before forcing himself back to the task at hand.
Twenty minutes later, he had his station prepared and Melody on his table with her halter top pulled up on one side.
“Last chance,” Nick warned. He pulled on his latex gloves, taking extra care as he carefully shaved the area he was going to work on. Next, he sprayed Melody’s skin with a little soap to help with the transfer of the stencil, and positioned the phoenix where she’d told him she wanted the tattoo.
“Let’s do it,” she said, with a sniff and a wiggle of her nose.
“You like where I’ve got it?” he asked. “Make sure. If not, it’s no trouble to clean the skin and reposition.”
Melody lifted her head and gazed down. “Looks perfect.”
“All right.” Nick picked up his tattoo gun. “Then I’ll get started on the outline. We’ll get through that tonight, but we can always wait to do the color another time if the discomfort gets to be too much.”
“Awesome,” Melody said with another sniff.
“You need a tissue?” Nick asked, rolling his stool toward John’s station and the box of tissues.
“No, it’s all right. Just let me rub my eyes and I’ll be totally still.” She rubbed the tops of her eyes and then tucked one hand under the pillow underneath her head. “Ready.”
Nick rolled back and positioned his hand near her ribs. “Here we go.” He took a breath and started on the phoenix’s face, going slow until he felt Melody start to relax into the process.
“This isn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” she said after a moment, sniffing again before she added, “A little itchy, but not bad.”
Itchy?
Nick pulled the needle away from her skin. She shouldn’t be itching at this point. Most people didn’t complain of itching until days after the tattoo was finished, as the wound was starting to heal.
He stared hard at the skin around the bird’s head, where Melody’s skin was already start
ing to turn red. A little irritation was normal, but there were several spots surrounding the place where he had begun to work that looked puffy and raised. She was breaking out into hives, hives that continued to pop up in more and more places in the few seconds he paused to watch.
“Oh, shit,” he mumbled beneath his breath, reaching over and shutting down the tattoo machine.
“What’s wrong?” Melody lifted her head off the pillow, turning bloodshot eyes in his direction as she sniffed again.
Nick jumped up from his chair, snatching the paperwork she’d filled out from the desk near his station. “You said you didn’t have an allergy to latex,” he said, hands shaking as he checked the box to be sure.
“I don’t,” she said, rubbing at her eyes. “At least I don’t think I do.”
“You’ve been touched by someone wearing latex gloves before and been okay?” Nick asked, hoping for a miracle even as he watched the hives begin to spread across Melody’s ribs and down onto her bare stomach.
In six years of tattooing, he’d never seen a case of severe latex sensitivity, but he knew the signs and Melody was exhibiting several—hay-fever like symptoms, red eyes, and sudden rash—and he knew things could get worse, depending on the severity of her allergy.
“Um…” Melody sniffed as she pushed up on one arm, careful not to touch her exposed side. “I don’t know, we always use Nitrile…”
She trailed off, her face paling as her red eyes went wide.
“What’s up?” Nick said, heart beating faster with worry. “Talk to me, babe.”
“We always use Nitrile gloves at work because Aria is crazy allergic to latex,” Melody said. “She breaks out in hives and has asthma attacks if she touches the stuff. Oh my god, I’m allergic, too, aren’t I?”
“It’s okay. We caught it quickly, and you’ll be fine,” Nick said, trying to stay calm as he mentally mapped out the route to the Emergency Room. “I’m going to go into the back to take off these gloves. I want them as far away from you as possible. Then I’ll wash my hands and come clean and bandage the area I started on. I wouldn’t normally do that without gloves, but you’re in more danger from the latex than my bare hands.”
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