Until Lexi

“No one is this good at some of the techniques you use after only two weeks,” Blossom says, pointing toward the rose tattoo Lexi was working on when I came in. “That shading? The precise linework? That’s not the work of a complete amateur. So, how long?”

“At least a year,” Lexi admits.

“I want to see your portfolio.”

“I’ll bring it tomorrow.”

Blossom nods, satisfied with Lexi’s quick agreement. “As for you,” she says, looking at me, “I’d normally make an artist tattoo themselves before ever letting them near another person, but if you want to volunteer as a guinea pig… who the hell am I to stop you? It’s your skin.”

“Seriously?” Lexi asks, not quite believing Blossom is going along with it.

“It’s ultimately up to you, but you’ve got my permission. Only him… for now. We’ll see how this one goes before we talk about setting you up with actual clients.”

“Holy shit,” Lexi whispers, tucking a loose tendril of hair behind her ear.

“I’ll leave you two to talk,” Blossom says, making her way to the door. “I’ll come back in a little while to see what you’ve decided.”

With that, she’s gone.

“Jake…”

“Nope,” I argue, shaking my head. “I’m not doing that self-doubt shit with you, Lexi. There’s no need for it. You’re an amazing artist—you know that—and I meant it when I said you’re more than ready. I want you to give me a tattoo.”

She crosses her arms over her chest and cocks her hip to one side, that feisty attitude of hers showing in every movement. I get it—she’s pissed. I won’t let her talk herself out of this and she’s not the least bit happy about it.

But she fucking wants this.

Bad.

Her eyes hold a glimmer of hope that’s unmistakable.

With Blossom’s approval, I’m going to let her have it.

“You’ve got free rein with the design. I only ask that you don’t use any color.”

Her ire quickly morphs to intrigue.

“Anything I want as long as it’s in black and gray?”

“Artist’s choice,” I confirm with a nod.

The smirk that appears on her face as she turns and grabs a sketchpad should worry me. It doesn’t. Lexi may be full of sass and snark, but she’s also an artist. She takes way too much pride in her work to ever ink something permanent on my body that she knows I wouldn’t be happy with.

She would never give me a shitty tattoo out of spite.

Refusing to hover, I return to the chair in the corner and have a seat, giving her room to work as she puts pencil to paper, sketching at a furious pace. It’s fascinating to watch her draw. She gets completely lost in the image she’s outlining on the paper. Watching her create is beautiful in itself.

When she finishes the drawing, she studies it for several minutes before erasing something to make an adjustment. A couple more, and she seems satisfied. I continue watching as she turns the sketch into a stencil, then as she goes through the process of cleaning and sterilizing the area, as well as her machine.

Once all that’s finished and she’s washed her hands, now donning a fresh set of gloves, she finally glances in my direction.

“Change your mind?”

“Hell no,” I tell her, smiling at the challenge in her stare. Standing, I stretch my arms above my head, then reach behind me to pull off my shirt as I cross the small room. “Where do you want to put it?”

Her gaze turns heated as her eyes roam across my bare chest, motioning with a finger for me to turn around. I do as she asks, spinning slowly to give her a good, long look.

“Here, I think,” she says, trailing her fingertips down my left side, near the bottom of my rib cage. Goosebumps pebble over my skin at her touch, even if there is a thin barrier between her soft skin and mine. I don’t bother trying to hide my body’s reaction to her. I want her to see how she affects me. “Yeah, definitely here.”

She thinks she’s slick, but I see her game.

She had her spot chosen before she ever started drawing. She wouldn’t have finished the design and printed the stencil without placement in mind.

Lexi takes my silence as agreement, which it is. Even though she picked one of the most difficult and painful spots, I don’t care. I’ll suffer through it, because truthfully… I’m fucking ecstatic knowing that I’m the first person she’s ever going to ink, no matter what the fuck she puts on my skin, or where she wants to put it. Since I don’t protest, she proceeds to shave and disinfect the area on my side where she plans to tattoo.

“Ready?” she asks, reaching for the tattoo stencil she printed.

“Let’s do it.”

Not wanting to see the design, I look away as she carefully pats the transfer paper onto my skin. Call me crazy, but I’d rather wait to see the final tattoo.

While that sets, she fills several small ink caps with black ink and goes about opening new needles and readying the machine. For as much time as I’ve spent in tattoo shops, I think this is the first time I’ve watched the entire process.

Blossom appears in the doorway a couple minutes later as Lexi begins to peel the paper away from my side. She watches silently as Lexi works but moves in closer for a better look.

“What do you think?” Lexi asks her mentor.

“Placement looks good, and I love the design. The question is… do you like it, Jake?”

“I’m sure I will.”

“You haven’t even seen the design?” Blossom asks, not hiding her surprise.

“No,” I murmur, talking to Blossom, but looking at Lexi. “I let Lexi choose the design. I trust her.”

“Well, all right then.” Smiling, she turns from me to Lexi. “You look like you’re good to go, Lexi. Technically, I should be in here to supervise, but I have a client waiting. Gareth is finishing up with his client now, so I’m going to let you get started, and he’ll be coming in as soon as he’s done. He won’t get in your way, but he’ll be here should you run into any trouble or have any questions.”

“Sounds good, Blossom. Thanks.” Lexi says, but Blossom is already halfway out the door. Lexi laughs, turning her attention back to me. “You ready, handsome?”

“For you? Always.”

Lexi’s eyes roll, but she can’t hide her smile as she adjusts the tattoo chair to lay flat. She pats the leather. “Up here, Romeo. Flat on your back.”

Doing as she asks, I get into a comfortable position and fold my arms behind my head. I want to be able to watch Lexi work, I just have to remind myself to focus on her so I don’t look at the tattoo design. The thought alone is laughable.

As if that’s going to be a problem.

When Lexi is in a room… all I see is her.

“Last chance to back out,” she says with a smile as she spreads a thin layer of ointment over the design.

“Not a chance.”

“Right the fuck on. Let’s do this.”

For as long as I live, I’ll never forget the way Lexi’s eyes light up when she turns on the machine and touches the needle to my skin. If there’s ever a moment she’s radiated pure happiness… it’s this one.

Lexi gets down to business and I watch in silence.

Nothing exists right now except the two of us, the low buzz of the tattoo machine, and a sense of contentment. Lexi gets lost in her work, and I get lost in her.

A little while later, a quiet knock draws our attention to the door.

For some reason, I expect to see Blossom, even though I know she said she had a client. Instead, it’s a large, rough-looking guy I’ve never seen before. This must be—

“Hey, Gareth.”

Yeah, him.

“How’s it going in here?” he asks, stepping into the room now that his presence is known.