I’m actually relieved that she’s inadvertently put an end to it. Charlene seems to have decided to put off the piercing for another day, perhaps when Sunny isn’t at risk of passing out on us.
When Sunny’s recovered, the girls decide to make a trip to the coffee shop and bookstore across the street, and we get back to going over what we’re here for: tattoo designs.
There’s been some debate as to where we all want the tattoo, but it’s not like we need to have them in the same place. Alex already has the puck-stick combo on his bicep, Randy’s thinking about the top of his forearm, because he wants it on display, and I’m thinking I’ll go with the inside of mine. Darren and Miller are both considering chest tattoos.
As we sit here, shooting the shit, I recognize that these guys have become my family. And that’s as good as it is bad, because at some point I’m going to get traded again—we all are—and then I’ll have to start over with a new team.
This tattoo is a good way to remember to hold on to these ties.
Chapter Nine
location relocation
RANDY
LILY AND I move to the private room with Hayden after we finish going over the team tats. I’m pretty damn excited to get started on this new sleeve, even though the appointment is a couple of months out. We want to wait until closer to the end of the summer when time in the sun won’t distort fresh color. For now, it’s something to look forward to. And I’m just as excited about Lily getting ink of her own.
Hayden pulls out Lily’s folder. “Ready to see some designs?”
Lily gives me a huge smile before flashing it at Hayden. “So ready.”
He withdraws three sketches, placing them on the table in front of us.
“Oh my God!” Lily claps a palm over her mouth and drops it just as fast. “These are beautiful. I want them all!”
Hayden chuckles. “So you like them?”
“I love them!” Lily hugs my arm. “Do you love them? Aren’t they gorgeous?”
“They are, but that’s what Hayden does.” He and I exchange a look. Seeing Lily get excited about her first tattoo makes me remember exactly what it was like when I started mine. Although, having gone in wanting a full sleeve, I’d committed myself to a lot more time and art right from the beginning.
“Are you drawn to one over the others?” Hayden asks.
“Oh, God.” Lily does this little bouncy thing and runs her hands down her thighs, which are bare since she’s in a dress. “I don’t know. They’re all so perfect for different reasons. Which one do you like, Randy?”
I shake my head. “Nuh-uh. It’s your art. That decision is yours.”
“You don’t have to choose right now. You can take some time to think it over,” Hayden says.
She taps her lips. “I kind of want to get one right now.”
Hayden and I laugh again. Her enthusiasm is hard-on inspiring. Although I’ve been sporting a semi pretty much the entire time I’ve been here with all the piercing talk and Lily giving me her sex eyes.
“You haven’t even decided where you want it,” I remind her.
She presses her knees together and looks up at me, then whispers. “I thought we said inner thigh.”
“If that’s where you want it, but you don’t have to hide it from everyone but me if you want to put it somewhere it can be on display.”
“Why do there have to be so many choices?” Lily complains, but she’s still grinning. “Why can’t this be easier so I can have it now?”
“Why don’t we go over all your prospective locations, and the variables that impact them, and see if that helps you make a decision?” Hayden suggests.
Lily expels a breath. “Okay. Sounds good.”
“So there are a few important things to consider once you’ve chosen the design. Placement is one of them, but so is the size of the tattoo. You can go bigger than this.” He taps beside the design in the middle, then moves his finger to the one on the right. “But you can’t go smaller than this unless we make some modifications. Otherwise we’ll lose a lot of the detail, and the colors can bleed.”
“Right, okay.”
“If you decide you want the tattoo on your inner thigh, would you want it to be pretty small?” he asks, glancing between me and Lily.
She chews on her lip for a second. “I guess? Otherwise it would look kind of strange, right?”
Hayden taps the table. “Well, isolated, it might. If it was part of a series of tattoos, maybe not. But we want to treat this as the only one for now, right?”
“Good point.”
“The other thing you might want to consider is that you’ll likely have to be in your underwear for a couple of hours, and the inner thigh is sensitive for obvious reasons.” Hayden’s gaze stays fixed on Lily.
“I hadn’t thought about that.”
I sure have, ever since that conversation with Lance last week about the artist being up in Lily’s business.
Hayden nods. “If you decide to get it on your hip, or that area, I’d say you might want to go this size—” He points to the smallest one. “—and depending on how low you’re going, sometimes you’re looking at towel coverage.”
“Towel coverage?”
“He means no panties while he’s putting it on.” I try really hard to keep my voice even.
Lily’s hand flutters to her neck. “Oh.”
“Obviously we’d do it in here. And you’d have privacy when you change—”
“And I’m gonna be here,” I bark.
Lily jumps a little, maybe at my tone.
“Sorry.” I mutter.
Hayden gives me a knowing look. “You don’t have to go with the hip if you don’t want. You could put it on the back of your shoulder, or high up on your arm. Depending on how visible you want it to be, you could always get it on the inside of your forearm, or your ankle. I’d say the top of your foot, but with you being a figure skater, that’s not a great place unless you have a couple weeks off to give it time to heal.”
Lily traces the design in the middle. It’s the one she keeps looking at the most. “I might need to think about the placement a little more.”
“Once you settle on a design, I can make up a few transfers so you can see what it would look like in different locations. Then you can decide what you like best.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Of course. And I’ll make copies of the designs for you to take with you. When you think you know which one you want, let me know, and if there are any changes, you can email them to me. Then we can schedule an appointment to check out placement. I can either book you on the same day the guys are coming to get their ink, or we can pick a different day.”
Lily nods. “That sounds like a good idea.”
Lily waits until Hayden leaves to make copies for her before she gives me the look I’ve been waiting for. This time it’s nothing close to sex eyes.
“I know, I know. I’m sorry. I’m just not keen on the idea of some other guy’s hands and face right up next to my favorite place to have my hands and face.”
She puts her palm on my thigh. “And moody dick, don’t forget him.”
“Yeah. He’s pretty unforgettable.”
“I don’t have to get it on my inner thigh.”
“You can if that’s what you want.” It would be sexy, and I’ll have to get over my serious aversion to Hayden’s hands being that close to my girl’s pussy if it’s the location Lily decides to go with.
“Maybe it should be more visible.”
“That might be nice, too.” I’m way more partial to it being on her shoulder, or even her forearm, although I don’t want it to interfere with her employability. It’s irrelevant for me. Tattoos have no impact on my hockey career, but a highly visible tattoo on Lily might be different. It’s another thing to discuss.
Hayden comes back a minute later with a rigid envelope that he passes over to Lily. “Usually I put them up in a place I like to hang out, like my living room or some
thing, when I’m trying to make a decision.”
“That’s great. Thanks.”
“Just call when you’re ready, and we’ll set up a follow-up appointment. Unless you want to do that now? Say, in a few weeks? I’m guessing you want to wait until summer’s over since you’ve got a lot of light colors in there and you don’t want the sun to fade them out.”
Lily nods again, and we make an appointment for a few weeks from now, as well as another one for October, when I’ll be home between a series of away games.
We finish up, and Lily hugs the envelope to her chest as Hayden opens the door to the private room and stops dead.
“What’s going on here?” he demands. “You giving away all my treats while I’m busy?”
Everyone’s sitting around eating snacks. It takes me a second to realize they’re mowing down cupcakes.
Tenley, who’s close to the same height as Lily, but curvier, flips her hair over her shoulder and gives Hayden a look I’m very familiar with. “Relax, cupcake, I made lots, and there are plenty at home if you don’t get your fill here.”
“Oh, I’m pretty sure I’ll still be hungry when I get home, kitten.”
Lily leans in to whisper in my ear. “And I’m pretty sure he’s not going to be eating cupcakes.”
“Neither will I,” I whisper back.
Chapter Ten
cupcake
TENLEY
I SERIOUSLY CAN’T get over the uncanny resemblance between Hayden and Randy. I mean, of course the beard is different, and Randy is way broader than Hayden, but put those two side by side, and they could probably pass for cousins, maybe even brothers.
Hayden has that look on his face—the one that tells me I’m the cupcake when I get home. Lily’s whispering something to Randy, and ironically, he seems to be wearing a similar expression to Hayden’s, and it’s directed at Lily.
Suddenly the only place I want to be is home. In bed. With Hayden. If we can make it that far.
Lily excuses herself to the bathroom, and Randy watches her go.
“Stay where we can see you, Balls,” Lance says.
“Those two like to christen bathrooms, and based on the look on this one’s face, he’s strongly considering following her.” Violet points a finger at Randy.
“They have a lot in common with those two.” Lisa motions between Tenley and Hayden.
“Like you’re one to talk,” Hayden shoots back.
“Jamie and I were never as bad as you two.”
Hayden scratches his temple with his middle finger. “I think you have a short and faulty memory.”
“You’re riding shotgun on the way home.” Lance points to Randy. “There’s no way you and Lily are sitting beside each other.”
There’s some more banter back and forth, and when Lily returns they say their good-byes. I get Randy to sign the shirt and poster I brought to the shop before they leave. Everyone else is nice enough to sign it, too.
Lisa turns to me and fans herself once the door closes behind them. “That was a lot of testosterone.”
“Right?”
“Can you even imagine what it would be like to date one of those guys? Their stamina must be insane.”
Jamie stops filing designs in folders and gives Lisa a put-out look. “Uh, my stamina’s insane.”
“So is mine,” Hayden says darkly.
Lisa gives Jamie a patronizing smile. “I didn’t say it wasn’t. All I’m saying is that these guys play professional sports for a living. Their job is to be physically fit.”
Hayden runs his hand over his stomach. “I’m physically fit, aren’t I, kitten?”
“Of course you are.” For a guy who spends most of his time sitting in a chair, putting art on people’s bodies, Hayden is incredibly fit. He runs, and we have a workout room in the house, so that helps.
“See?” Hayden flashes Lisa a dirty look. “I’m just gonna clean up a little in the private room, and then we can head home.”
“I can help, if you want.”
“You don’t have to.” He pauses at the door. “Unless you want to.”
Chris is busy setting up for an appointment, and so is Jamie. Hayden is taking a rare Sunday afternoon off, so the sooner we leave, the sooner we’ll get home and the sooner we can enjoy some naked time between the sheets, or on top of them.
I follow him into the private room, closing the door. I don’t bother locking it. I’d prefer to be in a much more private location when he gets me naked.
“How was the consultation with Lily?” I ask, tracing the edge of the desk as I look over the designs he’s sketched for her.
They’re stunning, although everything Hayden creates is beautiful in my eyes, even if it’s dark. These designs are anything but. A watercolor heart frames a pair of mismatched skates—one hockey skate and one figure skate tied together, the laces creating a second heart inside the first.
“Yeah. It went well.” He taps the desk.
“That sounds like it comes with a but.” I look up to see a little smirk curling the right corner of his mouth.
“She’s really excited about the art, which is great—like, she would’ve gotten it today if she could’ve decided on a design.”
“That’s fantastic. So what’s the problem?”
“Location.” He drops down in his chair and wheels around the desk so he’s beside me.
“You mean deciding whether she’s wants it to be visible or not?”
“Yeah. Kinda. At first she mentioned inner thigh, and then I started explaining the logistics of that, so…”
I suddenly understand exactly what he’s getting at. “Let me guess, Randy wasn’t all that excited about you having your head between her thighs for a couple of hours.”
Hayden shifts, grabs me by the hips, and pulls me between his legs. “You should’ve seen the look on his face when he realized what I was getting at. It was fucking priceless.”
“Well, can you blame him? A sex god like you with your hands all over his girl?”
Hayden snorts. “I’m hardly a sex god, and those two seem pretty into each other.”
“You’re my sex god, and yeah, they’re like a fuck-bomb ready to explode.”
“I’m looking forward to being your fuck-bomb when we get home.” Hayden slides his hands up the outside of my thighs until his fingers reach the waistband of my leggings. He slips his thumbs under and pulls it down far enough that I question whether he actually intends to make it home.
Hayden sweeps his fingers over the cupcake tattoo on the crest of my pelvis and follows with a soft brush of his lips. It was the first tattoo he ever put on me, a cover-up for a poorly done one I’d gotten as a teenager.
“Do you have any idea how much it pissed me off that someone inked you before me?”
I push his hair away from his eyes. “You were very clear about your feelings on that.”
“I don’t think I tried very hard to contain those.” He’s not even the least bit remorseful.
I laugh. “This is Lily’s first tattoo, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. It’s cool to watch someone get excited like that, you know? I have a feeling it won’t be her last, either.”
I remember when Hayden put the cupcake on me. Beyond the intimacy, it was a huge rush. I’d never really counted the heart tattoo, so the cupcake felt more like a first. “I think you should design another tattoo for me.”
“Do you now?”
“Mmm-hmm. It’s been a while since I’ve been in your chair. I miss that feeling.”
“You tell me what you want, and I’ll draw it.” Hayden’s arms come around me and he looks up, his smile holding the same excitement as mine.
“I have some doodles at home.”
Hayden stands. “Well, we should go there so I can check them. Then we can get you naked and decide where we want to put it.”
“Best idea ever.”
Chapter Eleven
paint by numbers
LILY
“THIS I
S SO pretty. Isn’t this pretty?” Sunny says for the fifth time on the ride home.
“It really is,” Miller nods his agreement again.
“Can I have a look?” Lance asks when we’re stopped at a red light.
I pass the photocopied sheet to the front for him to see.
He doesn’t look at it long before he passes it back. “Nice.”
I stare at it for a little while longer, still unsure which one I like the best. I wish Randy would state an opinion to help.
“So, the black skate is Balls here?” Lance thumbs over at Randy, who’s sitting in the front seat beside him since he’s not allowed to sit beside me. Again. It’s smart. He’s liable to get handsy, even if he says he won’t.
“Uh-huh.”
“Remember when that chick tattooed your name on her boob? Oh! Or the one who got your face, but it looked more like Jesus? Or that guy in that biker show?” Lance asks.
“Uh, yeah, that’s not really a great comparison to Lily’s tattoo.” Randy shifts around uncomfortably.
“Right. Yeah.” Lance must realize his mistake, because he doesn’t say anything else.
He drops Sunny and Miller off first, because they live the closest, and then he drops Randy and me at our place.
As we get out, he checks his phone, rolls his eyes, and tosses it on the passenger seat beside him.
Randy eyes the device and then Lance. “You wanna come in and hang out for a bit?”
“Nah. I got some stuff to take care of this afternoon.”
“We’ll be around, if you change your mind,” I say.
“Thanks.” He smiles, but he looks sad as he waves and pulls away from the curb.
I slip an arm around Randy’s waist. “I wish I had a friend to set him up with.”
“That’s a nice gesture, but probably not the best idea.”
“Why not? Everyone deserves someone.”
Pucks & Penalties: Pucked Series Deleted Scenes and Outtakes Version 2.0 (The Pucked Series) Page 17