even more blue, even more compelling. Licking her lips, she caught his face in her hands and tugged him down. “Like I never trusted anybody else.”
“Then close your eyes and let me do something . . .” He quirked a grin at her. “Call it a kinky sex thing if it makes you happy.”
Nerves fluttered in her belly, but she hadn’t lied about trusting him.
Slowly, she pulled her hands from his hair and lowered them to her sides. Then, after one last look at him, she closed her eyes.
The familiar scent of rubbing alcohol filled the air and she wrinkled her nose. “That’s not exactly a comforting smell, Zach.”
He laughed and swiped something down her breasts, along each curve, her nipples. She hissed as she felt the flesh pucker and draw tight. He continued down and as whatever it was dried out, he swapped it out for another. As the alcohol dried on her skin, she said, “If I feel another tattoo needle, I’m going to beat you. I wanted one tattoo. Just one.”
“Relax,” he said easily. “Not like I can do anything permanent here anyway. And you know I wouldn’t do that to you.”
She pursed her lips and tried to relax.
Then she felt him swabbing her skin again, followed by the press of something that felt an awful lot like paper. He’d done something like that when he’d done her tattoo back at his office. “Zach—”
“Shhh. Give me a second to do this first thing and I’ll grab you a drink.”
“Who said I wanted a drink?”
“Does that mean you don’t?”
She stuck her tongue out. That resulted in him crushing his mouth to hers and she groaned, reaching for him, but he was pulling away before she had a chance.
Frustrated, she went to put a hand behind her head and he caught her wrist. “Can’t do that. You’ll mess up the lines. I’ll get you a pillow.”
She heard him moving away and she went to push up.
“No peeking, Abby.”
Groaning, she stayed flat and kept her eyes closed. “You know, when you stripped me naked and spread me out on the table, I thought we were going to get down and dirty and have sex.”
“Oh, we’ll get to that,” he promised and his voice was a husky murmur just inches away.
Opening her eyes, she found him bent over her. He grinned down at her and said, “You’re peeking.”
“Just at you.”
“You always did cheat at things.” He kissed her temple and said, “Eyes closed and lift up.”
“I do not cheat,” she muttered, easing up. He helped her and when she settled back, there was a narrow, but fluffy pillow under her shoulders, neck, and head.
“That better?”
“Yeah.”
“Want a drink?”
She thought it through and then decided against it. She wrinkled her nose and stuck her tongue out in his direction. “No. Because I can’t figure out how I’d drink it and lay down with my eyes closed without it dribbling down my chin. That’s a sexy picture, I tell you.”
“You’re naked and spread out in front of me. There’s no way this can’t be sexy,” Zach said, pausing to trail the tip of his finger down her middle. “But if you change your mind, let me know.”
Adjusting a little, she tried to be patient. She figured it lasted maybe thirty seconds before talking again. “How long will this take?”
“As long as it takes. And I’m having fun, too.”
She shivered as he stroked his fingers down her side. A few more minutes passed and she figured he’d repeated whatever he was doing with the paper things maybe four or five times over, in a line that spread over from her left breast down to her right hip. Finally, though, he seemed to be done. “Is that it?”
“Not even close,” he said. And if she wasn’t mistaken, his voice was hoarse. Hoarse and ragged.
“Zach?”
“No talking, Abby.”
This time, when she lapsed into silence, it was strained . . . but not for the same reason. Something wet stroked across her skin and she hissed out a breath.
“Cold?”
She nodded, a knot swelling in her throat. “A little. Tickles.” She cracked a smile and said, “And let me guess . . . you’re going to tell me to be patient, because you’re not done, right?”
“Not done. But I can grab you a blanket or something.”
She shivered again as she felt something stroke around her nipple. “No . . .” A tug of arousal centered down low in her belly, sharp and strong, so sharp. So insistent. “I’m fine.”