“Jude. That’s insane. We’ve only been together a little over a month! That’s crazy, right, Mackie?” she says, turning to look at Mackie.
He shakes his head. “I work in a tattoo parlor in downtown Nashville. Him wanting your lips tattooed on his chest is nowhere near crazy.”
She lets out a breath. “You’re not helping.” Turning to me, she says, “Jude, come on, let’s wait. When we get married, we can get matching tattoos or something. It just seems so early to me.”
Crossing my arms across my chest, I say, “You don’t want me to have your lips on me?”
“I didn’t say that. I’m saying let’s wait.”
“I want it now,” I say and she gl
ares.
“And I am asking you to wait. Why rush this?”
“’Cause I want to,” I say and I’m not budging. I want this.
“Whatever,” she says, shaking her head as she looks away, her face red with frustration. “I wish you would just stop being so headstrong and wait.”
“I don’t want to wait.”
“Yeah! I get that,” she says, letting out another long breath.
“Are we fighting?” I ask, even though I’m pretty sure I know the answer.
“No, I just think it’s crazy.”
“You’re starting to hurt my feelings. I love the way your lips look. They’re a work of art, Claire. Aren’t they, Mackie?”
Mackie nods and Claire glares at him as he says, “Hottest lips ever.”
“You are no help,” she accuses again before holding her hands out in front of her. “While I think that’s totally romantic and hot, Jude, I don’t want you to regret this.”
Taking her hands in mine, I pull her to me. “I can’t regret something as beautiful as a tattoo of your lips. Even if for some insane reason we don’t work out, I’ll always have that piece of you. I want that. I want that constant reminder of the greatest love ever. Not that I’ll ever forget us, but just something to remind me of you every time I look in the mirror.”
Her eyes soften and I know I have her as Mackie says, “That’s some deep shit, dude.”
“And I mean every word,” I say, cupping her jaw. “And now I’m gonna be an ass and say that if you love me, you’ll support me on this.”
“Oh, that’s dirty,” she says, her body molding against mine.
A triumphant grin takes over my face as I reach for the paper and hand it to her. “I never said I play nice. Now, pucker up, gorgeous.”
Later that night, after six hours at the tattoo parlor followed by eating a platter full of sushi, we lie in my bed, both of us completely naked and spent. She rocked my world, and I’m pretty sure the whole house heard us going at it. I’ll probably get shit for it tomorrow, but at this moment, in my love bed in the sky, I couldn’t care less. I run my finger down her spine as she lies in the crook of my arm, her fingers tracing the sensitive skin where her bright red lips sit.
Looking up at me, she grins as she says, “I still can’t believe you did this. It’s crazy.”
“Why?” I ask. “Don’t you know my love for you is crazy?”
Her eyes brighten as she shakes her head slowly. “Crazy it is, for sure,” she agrees as she nods. “But I have to admit, I love seeing them on you. It’s kinda like you’re mine.”
“I am yours,” I whisper against her jaw. Kissing her, I lift my head to admire her tattoo. Her arm is swollen but still the tattoo is flawless and looks amazing on her shoulder. “This is fucking awesome.”
Looking at her arm, she smiles. “Yeah, Phillip and Reese loved it when I sent them the text.”
“Awesome,” I say just as she yawns. “Tired?”
“Yeah, but I don’t want to go to sleep yet,” she says, and I can see that she is fighting to keep her eyes open. “If I go to sleep, then tomorrow starts, and that means I won’t see you for a couple days.”