Forbidden Harmony (Harmony Falls #3) - Elizabeth Kelly Page 0,37

giggle. Pierce her clit? No damn way.

“Hey, sorry for the delay.” Preacher had returned and Addison stood up, clutching her purse tightly in one hand.

“Uh, that’s fine.”

Preacher turned to Nolan. “You can cash out and head home.”

“You sure?” Nolan said.

Preacher nodded. “Just lock up and turn the sign to close.” He glanced at Addison. “Follow me.”

She followed him across the shop to the room he’d disappeared into earlier. It was a small room with a tattoo chair that was already in the bed position, a counter with a sink, a rolling stool, an autoclave, bio-hazard and sharps containers bolted to the wall, and a metal rolling cart next to the bed.

She swallowed hard as she stared at the cart. The top of it had a box of disposable gloves, bandages, gauze, some packages of alcohol wipes, a pen and – her pulse sped up – a pair of clamps. On a paper towel, there was a small barbell and an unopened needle.

“If you want to rebook because the shop is closed now, I understand,” she said.

He shook his head. “It’s fine. It won’t take long.” He paused and gave her an assessing look. “Unless you’ve changed your mind about having your nipple pierced?”

The look on his face suggested he was positive she had. She lifted her chin and straightened her back. “I haven’t.”

He studied her a moment longer before saying, “All right. Take of your shirt and your bra.”

Her nerves returned in full force, like a punch to the gut by a championship boxer. She smoothed her sweaty hands over her skirt before quickly unbuttoning her shirt.

She’d worn her practical cotton panties -why break out the silk thong when no one would see it - but she’d made sure to wear her prettiest bra, a lacy pink thing. It didn’t matter because Preacher had turned away and was washing his hands at the sink. She unhooked her bra and placed it neatly on the second shelf of the utility cart with her shirt.

Feeling incredibly self-conscious she crossed her arms over her breasts as Preacher turned around. Without looking at her, he pulled on a pair of gloves and tore open an alcohol wipe.

“Um, should I lie on the bed?” she said.

“Not yet.” He sat down on the stool and indicated for her to stand in front of him. “This is an alcohol wipe. First, I’ll clean your nipple and then I’ll mark it with a pen. You want a horizontal piercing, right?”

“Yes,” she said.

“Okay.” He paused and then said, “You need to drop your arms.”

“Right.” Oh awesome, she was blushing again. She dropped her arms, staring at a spot over Preacher’s left shoulder. She’d spent some time this afternoon wondering what would happen if her nipple wasn’t hard when he tried to pierce it. Would he touch it to make it hard, maybe suck on it or lick it? The perverted version of Addison had certainly hoped so.

Unfortunately for pervert Addison, it wasn’t a concern. Whether it was nerves, the coldness of the room, or just because Preacher’s mouth was agonizingly close, her nipples were diamond hard.

“Right or left?”

“S-sorry?” She stared down at the top of Preacher’s head, wondering what he would do if she threaded her fingers through that thick dark hair.

“Which nipple do you want pierced?”

“Oh, um, the right one please.”

She jerked, a soft gasp escaping her mouth when he wiped her nipple with the alcohol wipe. “You okay?”

“Yes. Nervous,” she said.

“That’s normal. It’ll hurt but the pain fades fast,” he said.

His head moved closer, she could feel his warm breath on her nipple, and it took everything in her not to arch her back. He used the pen to draw a mark on either side of her nipple before rolling the stool back.

“Good, lie on the bed.”

She laid on the bed, the paper covering that was on it crinkled beneath her.

“I cleaned and sanitized the barbell before you got here. All right?”

She nodded. “Okay.”

“I’ll clamp your nipple first, then pierce it with the needle, and then put the barbell in,” he said as he opened the needle package. “Last chance to change your mind.”

“I’m not changing my mind,” she said.

He clamped her nipple and she stared at the ceiling, her hands in tight fists at her side, her spine a rigid line of tense nerves.

“Take a few deep breaths,” he said.

She forced air in and out of her lungs and on the third exhale, he slid the needle neatly into her nipple. It hurt, much more than