“Need a break?”
She shook her head, not quite able to articulate anything around the feelings that swamped her. He was a good, kind man and she’d almost thrown away any chance with him.
All because she was too stupid and afraid to see what was in front of her.
She sucked in a deep breath as the shading needles blazed over her skin. The sharp pain of the smaller needle had felt more like tearing. This was pure heat.
“Okay, lie still, baby.”
She slowly eased back on the table, forcing her skin to press into the warm vinyl. The endorphins chased the heat and her nipples beaded again. It could have been a minute or ten minutes when he finally sat back, smoothing her skin a final time.
“You have such sensitive skin. It raised like crazy, but you barely bled.”
“That’s a good thing?”
He smiled. “Very good thing. Healing time will be quicker and less chance of scabbing over.”
She wasn’t sure what that meant, but she smiled. “Easy patient.”
He smiled. And helped her sit up. The numbing heat faded, leaving behind what felt like a sunburn. He pulled her around to the floor-to-ceiling mirror that made up the corner of his room.
She gasped. He was right, her skin was an angry pink, but the shading was delicate and the star in the center of the O in hope was a soft, mossy green.
“I took a little liberty with the color for the star. I was going to stick with purple or blue, but the green reminds me of your eyes.”
She lifted her arm and stepped closer. “It’s… I didn’t think it would be quite so beautiful.” She winced and looked at him in the mirror. ?
?That sounded bad.”
He laughed. “No, I get it. You see ink on other people and sometimes it looks like it was done in a back alley.”
She nodded. “Lots of basement tattoos happened when I was a kid.”
“Cesar and I studied under different people, but one thing we both have in common is the art. His is a little more Miami and L.A. than mine, but we suit.”
She turned to him. “Thank you. It’s amazing. You must think I’m a complete jerk for saying you should give this up.”
“Now that’s a compliment, Darcy Tucker.”
She rose on her toes and kissed him softly, grimacing when her skin pulled.
He laughed. “Let’s get you lubed up and wrapped.”
She sat on the table and he smeared a gob of triple antibiotic ointment on her skin and ripped off a piece of Saran Wrap. “Really?”
He laughed. “Best protection ever.” He ripped off tape and stuck it to the edge of the table. “Now. I don’t usually do this, but you’re a special client.”
Darcy grinned. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”
He reached around her and undid the hooks of her bra.
Her eyes widened. “That better be just for me.”
He laughed. “I can’t say I haven’t seen a lot of breasts and…other things in my career, but I don’t ever touch the clients for anything other than the needlework.”
The quick stab of jealousy surprised her. She’d never felt like that about someone in her life. Her number for relationships was laughable, but none of them had ever made her feel the least bit anxious.
He eased the straps down, gently spread a gauze pad over the wrap and taped it down. She nodded as he explained aftercare and keeping it clean, to ignore itching and keep it moisturized.