different angles.
“Beautiful,” I whisper, but I’m talking about her and not just my outline on her skin.
“I love it,” she says, running her fingers around the outside edges.
I can’t stop myself from staring at her in the mirror. Fuck, this is going to be a miserable month.
“You ready?”
“Yeah.” She turns toward me, the real thing more spectacular than the reflection. “Promise you’ll be gentle with me.”
“I promise,” I tell her, meaning every word. “Tell me when it becomes too much, and I’ll do whatever I can to make you more comfortable.”
She climbs up on the table, lying back with her ribs facing me. “You have some music or something? It’s too quiet in here.”
“What do you want to listen to?” I brace myself, waiting for her to say Shawn Mendes or some other fluffy-ass girl shit.
“Drowning Pool or something like that would be great.”
My eyebrows rise, moving on their own and out of complete shock. “Metal?”
“Hell yeah. Something hard and heavy.”
It’s official. I’m fucked. Not a little fucked. But totally and completely fucked. It’s like Lily gave Arlo the playbook to get to me as fast as possible, plucking my dream girl out of thin air.
I make quick work of it, putting on a metal playlist I’ve saved and listened to a hundred times.
Arlo stares up at the ceiling, one arm over her head and the other down at her side so I can get full access and see everything too.
I put on my gloves with my eyes trained on her skin. Everything else is ready to roll, but there’s a knot in my stomach, something I can’t quite place as I pick up the gun. “Small line at first so you can see how it feels.”
“Okay,” she whispers and holds her breath.
“Make sure you breathe. It’s important. I don’t need you passing out on me.” She doesn’t even flinch as I touch her skin.
“Yes, Mello. I’ll breathe, but I may need you to remind me every once in a while.”
“I’ll remind you, babe. I got you.”
She turns her face toward me and smiles. “I know you do.”
When the needle touches her skin, she squeezes her eyes shut and stops breathing. “You sure about this?” I ask her one final time, because a line, I could make into something pretty and quick, but anything more and there will be no turning back.
“Yes,” she whispers, keeping her eyes closed. “I want this. Stop asking and get to it.”
“You got it.” I go straight into work mode. Ignoring that she’s a pretty girl and one I’m going to fake date for the next month.
I am here to do a job, and she deserves my best damn work.
But three hours in, she starts to squirm more than she has before, and I’ve given her a break every hour. “Let’s finish this tomorrow.”
“No,” she says, those green eyes meeting mine. “I can do this, and I don’t think I could come back and do this again. Finish it now.”
“One sec,” I tell her, going to the sink and grabbing a washcloth down from the cabinet, wetting it under the cold water.
I place it on her forehead, to which she sighs and then smiles. “That feels so good. Thank you. So much better.”
“I’m going to do this as fast as possible.” It’s getting tough for me to watch her in so much pain. But she’s sat through every second without whining, which is impressive because I’ve seen some burly-ass men turn into the biggest pansies under my needle.
“Pain is a state of mind, Mello. I promise I’m fine. Just keep going,” she reassures me.
And I do.
A few hours later, I’m wiping off her tattoo, and Arlo’s skin is red and angry. Her body sags as soon as the word Done comes from my lips.
“How’s it look?” she asks me, staring up at the ceiling, her skin covered in a slight sheen of perspiration.
“Stunning,” I tell her, unable to take my eyes off my design gracing her body. “Want to see?”
“Yes,” she whispers and starts to move.
“Go slow,” I say, taking her hand to control how rapidly she gets up. I can’t take my eyes off her as she makes her way to the mirror, staring at my mark on her skin.
“It’s perfect. So perfect,” she whispers, tears dotting her eyes. “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen something more beautiful.”
“Me either,” I murmur.
“Do you like it?” she asks, not hearing my comment.
“I love it, Arlo.”
She turns, places her hands back on my bare shoulders, leans forward,