his hands, “it’s not a problem for me. I got me an independent woman myself. I get it.”
“I am not his woman,” Addison repeated. “I’m getting pierced and you can’t stop me, Preacher!”
“If she comes back here and I find out you pierced any part of her, do I have to tell you what I’ll do to you?” Preacher said.
The piercer shook his head. “Nope. Consider her banned from the shop, brother.”
Preacher gave him a curt nod of thanks.
“You jerk!” Addison shouted. She whacked Preacher on the chest and then muttered a curse and rubbed her hand.
“Watch your piercing,” he said.
“What? What do you -”
She gasped and pressed her hand over her right breast to protect her nipple, when he bent and tossed her over his shoulder. She pounded him on the back as he walked back into reception. He grunted when Addie bit him on the back and gave her a slap to the ass.
She squealed in outrage, and he smiled politely at the receptionist as he walked to the door. “Later, sweetheart.”
The moment they stepped outside into the hot sunshine and Addison saw the people staring at them, she stopped struggling. She cleared her throat and said, “Please put me down, Preacher.”
He set her on her feet next to his bike and she straightened her dress. “Why are you here?”
“Stopping you from getting your goddamn clit pierced,” he snapped.
“Keep your voice down,” she muttered before smiling at the old woman who was walking past them.
He glared at her and stepped closer before saying in a low voice, “You are not getting your clit pierced, Addison. I won’t allow it.”
“You don’t get a say in it.”
He wanted to spank her ass in frustration but instead he made himself take a deep breath. “Please, Sunshine. Don’t get your clit pierced.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s perfect just the way it is.”
She blinked at him before sighing and looking away. “I wasn’t here to get my clit pierced anyway.”
Relief rushed through Preacher. Not just because she wasn’t piercing her clit but because fucking goddamn Paul from Paul’s Piercing Palace wasn’t going to see her clit. He didn’t want anyone seeing her perfect pussy but him.
“What were you piercing?” he said.
“My other nipple.”
Stupidly, another wave of jealousy went through him. Thinking that some other guy might see her tits was just as bad.
He tried not to scowl at her and failed. “I’ll pierce it for you. Let’s go.”
“No, I don’t -”
“Let’s go, Addison,” he said. He pulled her gently to his bike and put the helmet on her before buckling it. He put his helmet on, sat on the bike, and patted the seat behind him. “Get on.”
“Preacher, I don’t want you to -”
He switched off the comm and then pointed to the helmet before shrugging and making a ‘I can’t hear you’ gesture.
She glared at him and he pointed at the seat behind him again. She flipped him the bird and he had to hide his grin from her as she straddled the seat behind him. She put her feet on the pegs and her arms around his waist. He grunted when she smacked him on the abdomen before clasping her hands together. He checked for traffic, pulled out on the street, and headed for home.
* * *
He drove straight to his shop. It was only four but the blind in the front window was down and the closed sign was on the door. Nolan had closed the shop like he’d asked.
Addison followed him inside and flounced to the couch, collapsing dramatically on it as he closed the door and locked it. She was scrolling through her phone and he said, “What are you looking at?”
“I’m looking for another piercing place,” she said.
“You’re not allowed to let anyone else pierce your nipple but me,” he snarled.
“I don’t want you piercing my nipple or my clit,” she said.
He ignored the trickle of hurt that went through him. “You said you weren’t getting your clit pierced.”
“No, I said I wasn’t getting my clit pierced today.”
“You’re not getting your clit pierced, Addison, and that’s final.”
She laughed. “Do you seriously think I’m just going to do what you tell me to do?”
He stared at her in frustration before being hit with sudden inspiration. “If you pierce your clit, you can’t have sex for at least six weeks.”
She blinked at him. “What? That isn’t true.”
“Yes, it is,” he said. “It has to heal completely and sometimes that can take months.”
“Bullcrap,” she said. “You’re just saying that.”
He shrugged. “Look it