She grins, more tears coursing down her cheeks. “I love you, too, Roman.”
“Invisible Things”—Lauve
“Can I open my eyes now?” I ask, from beneath the bandana he has covering my eyes. I don’t know how it’s possible, maybe it’s from years of use, but the bandana smells like Roman. It’s somehow captured the essence of the man through countless machine washes, and I’m suddenly trying to find ways to capture this smell and bottle it for later use.
Roman chuckles, the sound warm and smooth. It glides over my skin, prompting goose bumps to rise along my arms. “Not yet.”
“Oh, c’mon, Rome. The suspense is killing me.”
He sighs, just like he always does, when I’m getting on his nerves. “Fine. Take it off. We’re just about there anyway.”
I pull the bandana off my head, blinking past the brightness, until my vision clears. Roman is pulling into a parking spot somewhere in town, prompting me to frown.
“You brought me to…” Pausing, I glance around us, looking for anything that looks familiar. “A shopping center?”
Chuckling, he slides out of the car, coming to my side. “Not exactly.”
Taking my hand in his, he leads the way, and when we round the corner of the parking lot, onto the main street, I see now.
“This is where you brought me?” I ask, referring to the tattoo shop.
“Figured I’d surprise you, before you could chicken out.”
I swat at his arm, laughing. “I would not have chickened out. What made you want to do this?”
“I thought we’d accomplish this. Something you said you always wanted.”
Tears spring to my eyes. I do remember telling him this is something I always wanted, but I was never sure what I would get. It may just be a tattoo to some, but it’s a whole hell of a lot more than that to me. It’s my freedom, a token of my time here. A chance to take advantage while I can. It’s the fact that he listened, when I didn’t think he would, that has me tearing up. This gesture is so much more.
He’s so much more.
“Roman Banks, I am so irrevocably in love with you.”
He grins down at me, his grip on my hand tightening in reassurance. “Come on.”
A bell dings, as we step into the tattoo shop. Two other people are sitting in the chairs, either waiting on someone getting tattooed or waiting to get their own. They’re a stunning couple. The woman is Latin, with dark brown hair and perfectly tan skin. She’s holding the hand of who I presume is her husband, since they’re both wearing wedding bands. He’s handsome and something about him gives me pause. I get the feeling that I know this person from somewhere, I just can’t put my finger on it.
“It’s not polite to stare,” Rome whispers in my ear, amusement tinging his tone.
“I know, but something about that guy is so familiar. Do we know him?”
Roman chuckles. “That’s Luke Caldwell. He was the all-star QB and wide receiver for SDSU, and now the San Francisco 49er’s wide receiver.”
My brows shoot up. “How are you not freaking out right now?”
Rome shrugs noncommittally. “I’m from Oakland, babe. I’m a Raider fan.”
I roll my eyes.
Men.
The woman behind the desk takes notice of us and shoots a smile our way. Her body is covered in colorful art, and her ears filled with piercings. She’s intimidating and wickedly gorgeous.
“Roman for the twelve o’clock appointment?”
Rome nods his answer, and the woman heads to the back, probably to grab the tattoo artist.
I glance up at him, brows furrowed. “Wow, you even made an appointment for us? Talk about serious business.”
He rolls his eyes. “Getting nervous yet?”
“Well, now that you’ve brought it up, yes.”
“You sure you want to do this?” he asks, concern creasing his brows. Warmth wraps around my heart, and I step into him, pressing a kiss to his lips.
“I’m sure. And I know just what I’m going to get.”
His lips quirk. “Mind sharing?”
“Oh, no. You’re going to wait until the final result, baby. It’s going to be a surprise.”
“Not really a surprise if I’m sitting there with you, is it?”
“You’ll be looking into my eyes, not staring at my back.”
He chuckles. The sound is filled with warmth, as it reverberates in his chest, rolling through my body in soothing waves. “You’re insane.”
“Says a lot about you, don’t you think?” I smirk, quite enjoying this back and forth. It’s helping take my mind off the fact I will be permanently marking my body soon.