I narrow my eyes at him. “You were inside me less than thirty seconds ago and now you’re being cruel.”
“I’m not being cruel, I’m being serious.”
I tilt my head and run my eyes over his sexy tattoos, and for the first time in my life, I consider it. “Yours are hot.”
“I have an excellent artist, if you ever change your mind.” His eyes are warm and filled with lust, his lips in a half smile looking down at me, and something shifts in me.
“Let’s go talk to him tomorrow.”
Nate’s jaw drops and his eyes widen. “Seriously?”
“Seriously. I’ll consider it.” I shrug, trying not to show how nervous I am at the thought of someone coming at me with needles in a gun-thingy, but he sees right through me.
He always sees right through me.
“You don’t have to do that for me,” he murmurs.
I shake my head. “Adding permanent art work to my body and undergoing torture at the hands of a needle is not something I’d do for any man. Maybe it’s time to face a few of my fears.”
He laughs and pulls me to my feet, throws me over his shoulder and slaps my ass, then climbs the stairs.
“Shower,” he says with a smile in his voice.
“Good idea.”
***
“Are you sure about this?” Nate asks.
“No.”
“Do you want to leave?” He grips my hand harder and kisses my temple.
“No.”
“What the hell, McKenna?” The tattoo-covered man smirks at Nate and smiles kindly at me. He’s the guy with the weapons of mass destruction. “You’re gonna be fine, sugar. What you’re getting is tiny, and it’ll take me all of ten minutes, tops.”
“I can’t believe I’m doing this.” I close my eyes and lean my head back in the tattoo chair. Mr. Tattoo leans the chair back so I’m lying flat.
“Okay, pull your pants down.”
“Fuck, dude, really?” Nate glares at him and it makes me giggle.
“Just a perk of my job, man.” He smiles and shrugs, and I relax until I see him pick up a gun-like thing and come toward me.
“Wait.” He stops with his eyebrows raised. I lick my lips. “Um, how many tattoos have you done?”
“Thousands,” he responds.
“Are you good with that gun-thingy?” I ask and he glares at me.
“This is not a gun. It’s a machine.”
Oh.
“Are you good with your machine?” I ask and a wolfish smile spreads across his handsome face and Nate swears under his breath again.
“Honey, you have no idea.”
“I’m serious.”
“Okay,” he sits forward, his elbows on his knees, and looks me in the eye. “I’ve been doing this for almost twenty years. I majored in art in college, so I’m pretty good. I’ve never had an unsatisfied customer. You saw the portfolio earlier.”
I nod and take a deep breath. Besides, he’s right, what I’ve chosen is super small.
“Sweetheart, we wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think he’s the best.” Nate squeezes my hand reassuringly again and I relax a little.
“Okay.” I unbutton my jeans and shimmy them down so my left hip bone is exposed. I point out where I want it. “Right there.”
“No problem, just sit back and take some deep breaths.” Tattoo guy – I’ve forgotten his real name by now in my panicked horror – rubs the stencil on my skin, pours the ink into little tiny plastic jars, and picks up his machine.
When he turns to me with it in hand, I feel my eyes go wide. “You’re going to try to kill me with that thing, aren’t you.”
“No,” he laughs hard and shakes his head. “This is going to be quick, really.”
“Look at me,” Nate says, his voice full of humor. I look up into his soft gray eyes and grip his hand more firmly as I feel Tattoo guy grip my hip with one hand. “Just focus on me, baby. What do you want to do when we leave here?” He brushes my hair off my face and smiles down at me. The machine starts up and I flinch.
“Um, I don’t know.”
“Let’s go for a ride on the bike,” he whispers in my ear and I close my eyes and focus on his voice.
“That’s appropriate. Tattoos and motorcycles,” I whisper back. He laughs softly and kisses my cheek.
“Here we go,” Tattoo guy says and I feel a slight sting on my hip. I clench my eyes closed tightly and suddenly Nate is kissing me, softly, teasingly, running those soft lips over mine, nipping the sides of my mouth, and then taking the kiss even deeper. He’s still holding my right hand in his tightly, and his other hand is cupping my face, holding me to him.
The stinging is persistent, but not too bad. Nate’s lips are the perfect distraction.
“You’re doing great,” he whispers against my lips and I open my eyes to look into his. “He’s almost done, Jules.”
“How do you know?” I whisper back.
He smirks and kisses me again, with more fervor, until finally, I hear someone clearing their throat loudly.
“I think he’s done,” I whisper against Nate’s lips and he smiles down at me.
“All done,” Tattoo guy announces and sits the chair up. “Take a look before I cover it up.”
He hands me a hand-mirror and I look down at the new little piece of art on my left hip. It sits low, so a bikini will cover it up. Only I’ll know it’s there.
“So, what does it mean to you?” Tattoo man asks.
“It’s the ace of hearts,” I murmur. It is a small red heart with an A above and to the left of it, like in the corner of a playing card. “It’s Nate.”
I look up and find Nate staring at my hip, his eyes dilated, his breathing has gone ragged and my breath catches. Jesus, he’s all turned on and just looks so… primal.
“Are you okay?” I ask him.
“Fine.”
“Don’t you like it?”
Without looking at me, he says to his friend, “Cover it up so we can get out of here.”
Shit, he doesn’t like it.
I wanted to get something that reminded me of Nate, without actually having his name tattooed on my body. The ace of hearts made sense; I call him ace all the time, and he has my heart, just like I wear his around my neck every day.
After my new tattoo is covered and I’ve been given instructions on how to care for it until it heals, Nate pays his friend and we walk over to his motorcycle.
“Where do you want to go for a ride to?” I ask and reach for my helmet, but Nate stops me, grabbing my hand and pulling me to him.
“Jules, I…”
“What’s wrong?” I lean my belly against him and gaze up at him. “I’m sorry if you don’t like the tat, Nate…”
“I love it. It’s sexy as fuck, and I love seeing part of me on you. I’m just surprised that it’s what you chose.” He looks down at me with a frown, looking a little confused, and a knot forms in my belly. Maybe it was presumptuous to get this particular tattoo this early in our relationship?
“I should have talked it over with you first,” I close my eyes and look down. “It just seemed like the right thing to do.” I shrug and grin. “And I love it. I think it looks sexy. Natalie is going to wig out when she sees it.”
“It’s kind of a commitment.” He murmurs and I swallow. “Like moving in together.”
Shit.
He tilts my chin up with his fingers, making me look him in the eye and I calm at his loving, happy expression. He’s right. I’ve committed to having a piece of art that reminds me of him permanently displayed on my body. Why am I fighting the idea of living with him?
“Okay,” I whisper.
“Okay what?” he asks, gazing intently into my eyes, as if he’s trying to read my mind. His hands tighten at the small of my back and I smile shyly.
“Okay, let’s move in together.”
“Seriously?” He’s still searching my eyes, hope and love moving across his face, and I’ve never been more sure abou
t anything in my life.
“Yes. Seriously. Let’s start looking into it this week.”
Suddenly Nate’s face splits in two with the widest grin I’ve ever seen on him, and he lifts me and spins me around with a loud, “Hell yeah!”
We’re both laughing as he sets me back on my feet. He cups my face in his hands and kisses me gently but deeply, lovingly, and I melt against him.
“Thank you,” he murmurs. “Come on, let’s go for that ride.” He hands me the helmet and I frown down at it.
“Can’t I ride without this? I like the wind in my hair.”
“Hell no. Safety first.” He fastens the helmet on my head and then puts his own on and we climb on the bike. I snuggle up behind him, wrap my arms around his belly and lean my cheek on his back, between his shoulder blades. “Where do you want to go, baby?” he calls back to me.
I take a deep, contented breath and smile. “I don’t care. Just go.”
And he does, taking off out of the parking lot and toward the freeway, driving fast but not recklessly. I know he’s more careful when I’m with him, and it makes me feel safe. He merges onto the freeway heading north, but exits about five miles later and takes us on a ride around Lake Washington, on little roads I didn’t even know were there. The view is amazing, and I watch the pretty boats on the water, and it occurs to me that it’s almost the end of May already, and the weather is warming.
The motorcycle hums loudly, drowning out the noise that seems to constantly surround us, and I just lean against my man and enjoy the wind, the view and the feel of him against me.
A few hours later, we pull into Nate’s parking garage and he helps me off the back of the bike. “How was that, Miss Montgomery?”
“Awesome. It was an awesome way to spend the day. Thank you.” I stand on my tip-toes and kiss his lips. “Now, let me feed you.”
“What do you have in mind?” he asks.
“I’ll forage through your kitchen and come up with something.” He leads me into the elevator and pulls me to him, wrapping his arms around me, as the elevator makes the climb to the thirtieth floor.
“You can start leaving lists for the housekeeper. She’ll get whatever you want.”
“That’s kind of… awkward.” I scrunch up my nose and look up at him.
“Why?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. I don’t mind doing the shopping.”
“Julianne, buying groceries is part of her job. It’s fine. Besides, if you’re going to live here with me, you need to get used to it.”
I look up at him again and search his face. He smiles and kisses me lightly. “I can’t wait to have you here, permanently.”
I grin up at him, and none of the nervousness or fear at the prospect of living with Nate settles in my belly. Instead I’m excited and happy at the thought of being together.
“I’ll start a list tonight.”
Chapter Twenty Eight
“What do you want to do tomorrow?” I ask, basking in post-orgasmic bliss. We are cuddled up in bed, the blankets wrapped around us, my head on his chest. Nate’s fingers are thrumming up and down my back.
He fucked my brains out in the shower, and then dirtied me up again when we got to the bed.
I’m not complaining.
“How do you feel about going down to Pike’s Market? I’d like to get some fresh produce and cook for you tomorrow night.”
“Sure, sounds fun. I love downtown.”
“You’re moving in with me.” He whispers and I grin.
“I am.”
“Tomorrow.” he says simply.
I giggle and kiss his cheek. “I think I have some phone calls to make, some packing to do, and you and I need to talk about logistics.”
“I’m ready for your things to be mingled in with my things. Your clothes in our closet, and you, in our home, every day.”
“God, you say the most sweet, mushy things to me, babe.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I. This is new to me.” I run my fingers through his impossibly soft, long black hair and sigh. “It feels like we’re moving really fast.”
“No, Jules, we’re playing catch-up. I’ve wanted this with you for the better part of the last year. I screwed up last summer with you. I won’t let you go again.”
“I’m not asking you to let me go. I don’t want you to let me go.” I kiss his chin again. “I love you so much. It feels fast, but it feels right. I want those things too.”
I sigh and bury my face in his neck and breathe him in. He wraps his arms around me and hugs me close, and I know, without a doubt, this is where I want to be; in his arms, for the rest of my life.
“Go to sleep,” he whispers and kisses my hair.
***
“Ready?” Nate asks, smiling down at me. We just stepped onto the sidewalk outside his building, which happens to be just a few blocks up from the market and waterfront. We’re going to walk down today.
He’s delicious in faded blue-jeans and a long-sleeved, white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up his forearms. The weather is finally warming in the early summer sun, and we’re taking advantage of it today.
“Ready,” I confirm and he twines our fingers as we stride toward downtown at a casual pace.
“You look beautiful today,” he murmurs and kisses my hand. I’m also in blue-jeans, black ballerina flats, and a red tunic top cinched at my waist with a thin black belt.
“Thank you. So do you.” I lean my head on his warm, muscular shoulder, then kiss it, as we wait at a crosswalk. “So, what are we shopping for today?” I ask.
“Greens and veggies for a salad and fresh lobster.” He pulls our linked hands around to the small of my back and leads me across the street, watching for crazy drivers. I love how he protects me, and watches out for me, while still making me feel like we’re partners.
“Sounds delicious.”
“Anything you want to grab while we’re here?” he asks.
“Tiny donuts and Starbucks.” Pike’s Market boasts the very first Starbucks café ever built, just across the street from the vendors. There is also a booth that serves delicious, fresh tiny donuts that melt in your mouth. They are both must-haves when I visit.
“Let’s do that first.” Nate’s hand tightens around mine as we descend the steep hill leading down to the Market.
When we reach the cobblestone street below, I take a deep breath and look around. This is the heart of Seattle. Business men and blue collar guys, families and couples, and people of all shapes and sizes and colors. There are musicians on the sidewalk, singing and playing instruments for change, and they are incredible, drawing quite a crowd.
I love the sights, sounds and smells.
“I’m so glad you suggested this.” I smile up at my man. “I haven’t been down here in ages, and I love it.”
“Me too.” Nate kisses my forehead and leads me into Starbucks. We order our drinks and wander through the market, starting at the end with my tiny donuts, so we can munch on the hot, soft goodness while we wander.
“SALMON!” Someone yells, and a large gray salmon goes sailing through the air in front of us. A man in orange pants held up with brown suspenders catches the fish and throws it back to the guy in the same outfit behind the fish counter.
Nate and I smile at each other, and watch the fish throwing show for a few minutes, sipping our coffee and eating our tiny donuts, soaking up Seattle.
More fish sail back and forth, the men yelling and putting on a fun show. Nate and I pick out two large lobsters, and they are packaged in a box with a handle for easy carrying.
With his hands full of lobster and coffee, I push a bite of donut in his mouth and we continue through the market, winding through a sea of people. It’s impossible to shop at Pike’s Market in a hurry. There are too many people, especially on a weekend.
Nate and I choose our salad veggies and he buys me a gorgeous bouquet of fresh tulips and gerbera daisies.
“Thank you,
babe. These are gorgeous.” I bury my face in them and breathe in their sweet fragrance and smile up at him.
“Like you.” He kisses my nose, tosses his empty coffee cup in a nearby garbage, and presses his hand on the small of my back, leading me out of the Market and onto the sidewalk.
I look up and freeze. Fuck.
“What’s wrong?” Nate asks and follows my stare. “Shit,” he whispers.
Not twenty feet away from us is Carly from the office. She’s turned away from us, looking at a hand-made scarf. She pays the vendor and turns her head our way, and her eyes catch mine. I hold my breath, just waiting for her to say something, but she doesn’t. Nothing in her expression changes, and it’s as though we’re strangers. She gathers her shopping bags and walks in the opposite direction of us without looking back.
“She saw us,” I whisper.
He kisses my forehead and nuzzles my ear with his nose. “Don’t worry,” he whispers.
Suddenly, a little brown-haired boy about three years old stops in front of Nate, crying, and looks up at him. “Daddy?”
“Hey, buddy.” Nate sets the lobster on the ground at his feet and kneels before the little guy who is obviously lost. “Are you looking for your daddy?”
The boy nods and continues to cry. Nate pats his little shoulder reassuringly and smiles gently. “What’s your name.”
“Bwian.”
“Brian?”
He nods again. “Okay, Brian, let’s find your daddy.”
Nate hands me the lobster box and takes Brian’s tiny hand in his and looks around. He doesn’t have to look far as a panicked-faced man comes running over to us.
“Brian! You can’t wander away like that!” He pulls the boy up into his arms and kisses his cheek and smiles ruefully at Nate. “Thanks. I swear, you turn your back for a second…”
“No problem,” Nate smiles back. “I’m glad you found him.”
I’ve taken in the whole scene with a bit of awe. Nate is so easy with kids. They just seem to be pulled to him.
And for the first time in my life, the thought of having kids doesn’t scare the shit out of me. Nate would love us, protect us, and just be… Nate.
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