“I want to watch your ass bounce as I fuck it from behind.”
I gulp. “You… You want to fuck my ass?”
His fingers tighten on my skin, hard enough I worry—or hope—I’ll feel them forever. “You have no idea how much I want to ruin you, Angel. I wish you could see yourself through my eyes. If you did, you’d know that every—” he squeezes my ass again, “—single—”squeeze, “—part of you—”squeeze, “—is perfect.”
He stands slowly, his thumb reaching out to graze my lower lip. “I know that Gia wanted to cut away the parts of you she couldn’t control. She wanted you to be a hollow shell that fit her mould. And those men I’m hunting? They see the money. The pieces.”
He leans in, breath hot against my mouth. “But me?” His gaze darkens, turning possessive. “I don’t want your parts, Em. I want the whole messy, beautiful wreck. You are more than your body, but your body is a masterpiece. And I’d kill anyone who tries to take a single piece of it.”
Then he’s moving away from me, back towards the door. He stops at the threshold, turning his head back to me. “Wear whatever makes you comfortable. But Em”—he fixes me witha hard stare—“you look beautiful in this.”
Our eyes hold each other for a lingering moment. Then he’s gone.
My lip trembles as I bite down on it. Indecision wars within me.
Breathe.
You’ve got this.
I am strong. I am sexy. I am beautiful.
I don’t believe the words, not just yet. But maybe for today I can pretend.
I swipe on some make-up, fix my hair, then walk out the room without taking another look at my body.
I am strong. I am sexy. I am beautiful.
The buzz of the tattoo gun is the first thing I notice as I step inside the shop. The second, is the incredible artwork adorning the walls. Every inch is filled with various designs, from doodles to realistic imagery.
“Wow,” I breathe, as Eli pushes me forwards gently with his hand on my back.
The buzzing stops and then a man's bald, tatted head is poking out from a door at the back.
“Eli,” he greets brightly, coming to clap him on the back. Then his gaze swings to me. “You must be Emily. Tyler told me you had a girl, Eli. Didn’t quite believe him. But here you are.”
Eli’s grin is instant and proud. “She’s real. Aren’t you, Angel?”
There’s something about the question—like he needs to hear me confirm it for himself—that makes my stomach flip.
I roll my eyes. “I’m real, last time I checked anyway.”
The man laughs. “I’m Karl, by the way.”
My shock must be written all over my face.
Amusement twinkles in his eyes. “Yeah, that Karl.”
“You don’t care that I know?”
He waves a dismissive hand. “Nah, if Eli trusts you then I do too.”
And then he’s gone again, back behind the door.
Eli leads me through another door into a private room. A reclining chair sits in the middle; tools neatly arranged along the workbench. The air smells like cleaning spray and ink.
“What are you working on today?” I ask as he nudges me into a seat in the corner.
“A rose.”