by London Casey
I faced her again. “I know, darling. Time gives us life and time takes life away. It’s all that in between shit that matters. You showed me that. I lost myself for a little while. But I’m here and nothing is going to change that.”
“The wildest part of that, Sawyer, is I believe you.”
“You should believe me.”
Kate reached up and touched my face. “I want you to do two things.”
“Name them.”
“Kiss me. And tattoo me.”
“Done and done,” I said.
I kissed her, tasting her, her body so tight against mine, there was a flirting intention for something more. And damn if my mind didn’t have a vision of putting her on the counter right there in the shop and having my way with her.
I contained myself as I walked her to my room so I could leave my mark on her for the rest of her life.
I shut the door and hooked up my phone to a wireless speaker and put on some music. I kept the volume down and started to get all my supplies together.
“Will you tell me what you’re doing?” she asked.
“No,” I said. “Trust me. I need you to take your shirt off.”
“Seriously?”
I stood up and smiled. “Not like that, Kate. Come here.”
I met her halfway and took hold of the bottom of her shirt. I lifted it up over her head as she gasped and shivered. I gently placed the shirt on a table against the wall. Now, I could tattoo any woman on any spot on her body. From the most basic areas to the most intimate and it wouldn’t bother me. I could turn off the guy brain and focus as an artist. But when it came to Kate, I was screwed.
She stood there in a bra and I felt my body already raging with a wicked need.
“Right here,” I said and touched the right side of her body, just below her ribs.
She jumped as gasped. “Does it hurt?”
“Like fire. But it’s worth it.”
“You could have lied to me, Sawyer.”
“No, darling, I’ll never lie to you.”
Kate let out a slow breath and swallowed hard again. She was flustered. She was nervous. And she was turned on.
I showed her to the chair and got her settled.
“Here, lift your right arm up over your head,” I said. I put her hand behind her head. “Just like that.”
I sat there and admired her body. I never had been so turned on by a woman mostly dressed before. I wasn’t exactly sure I felt comfortable with the way Kate made me feel. But if this was diving head first into another boiling pool of romance with her, so be it. Even if I got burned, scarred, went blind, never loved again, it was worth it just to be with her right now.
“Sawyer,” she said as I buzzed the tattoo gun a few times.
“Yeah?”
Our eyes locked. “I really do love you.”
“I love you too, Kate. I’ve always loved you. Everything I’ve said to you I meant. Who you are. What you do to me. This whole madness we’re wrapped up in.”
Kate smiled. “Okay. Do it.”
She shut her eyes and braced herself.
To be honest, I could have picked an easier spot to tattoo her. Getting ripped up on the side of your body, near your ribs, wasn’t the most pleasant feeling in the world.
But Kate did great.
The first few seconds, she jumped and groaned. I knew that feeling. A burning, ripping feeling but it would give way to something better. When your mind would shave away the pain and you’d focus on the feeling of the ink. Knowing a piece of art would become part of your body. The ink would be your story. And you could make up whatever you wanted.
Touching Kate while tattooing her was hard. My right hand touching her side, my fingertips dangerously close to touching the side of her breast. I would never care about something like that, but this was Kate. Everything about her drove me crazy. I was close enough to her that I could smell her skin. A sweetness that my tongue had enjoyed so many times before.
I finished the tattoo and sat back in my chair, damn near out of breath myself. I wiped the excess ink off her skin and took my gloves off. I admired the work and nodded. It had been one of the most stressful tattoos I had ever done.
“There you go, darling,” I said.
Kate twisted to look down at the fresh ink. “Sawyer…”
“It’s got a little bit of everything,” I said. “You, me, our past life, our current life, and our future.”
“It’s amazing,” she said. “The sun. The stars. The world. The heart.”
“That almost rhymes,” I said. “Look at you go. Getting tattooed, writing poetry.”
“Yeah, sure,” she said. “Just clean me up now.”
I admired the ink one more time. Every star was a different shape and meant something else. Past, present, future. Me, her, the shop, Jason. The world colliding with a heart. The opposite ends were in perfect shape but the pieces that collided mixed together. Exactly what Kate did to me. She took my world and took my heart and smashed them together.
I wiped the tattoo down one last time and slowly patched her up.
I glanced back at her shirt across the room and told myself it was way too far out of reach. Plus, I had her right there in my fancy chair.
My eyes slowly climbed up her body and when our eyes met, we both grinned.
I guess I was going to change our plans again.
4.
I kissed her wildly as my hand opened her jeans. She lifted her hips off the chair, making it easier for me to slide them down her legs. I hovered over her as she gripped the sides of the chair. I broke the amazing kiss as the desire to taste her skin was too much to force away again. I kissed at her neck and made a trail of quick kisses down to her chest. There I slowly took my time, kissing her with loud kisses at each breast, the tip of my tongue flirting along the edge of her bra, threatening to go for more.
My right hand moved from her jeans and playfully inched up the inside of her thigh. She was warm, her legs open, my fingertips finding comfort against her body. Through her panties I felt her burning with need. She rocked her hips to my touch and let out a long sigh of relief.
I pressed and twisted my fingers, feeling her softness giving way to me. I hurried to bring my hand to the top of her panties and slid my hand down, feeling her soft skin give way to wetness. My pointer and middle finger cut between her folds and I curled my fingers, testing her as my fingertips entered her.
My lips began their descent again. Moving over her breasts and down to her belly, feeling her breathing a little erratically as I let my fingers explore her depths a little bit more. I was gentle, loving, letting each inch sink into her, memorizing the way her body pulsed. When I curled my fingers and pulled back, she thrust at me. She wanted more. I needed to give her more.
I kissed down her belly faster, knowing where I wanted to be. I brought my hand to the top of her panties again and pulled, demanding them off. Kate wiggled her hips in front of my eyes as I stripped her down. I threw my right hand down her legs and made sure everything came off now. She was on the chair wearing her bra and her shoes on her feet. It was maybe the sexiest thing I had ever seen in my entire life.
And I was the one in control of this. We were alone in St. Skin, the music from my phone gently echoing around, but it was her moans and groans that threatened to be louder. Which was my plan anyway.
I kissed down her lower belly with peck after peck, feeling her body jumping, waiting for the ultimate payoff. I smelled her sweet honey a moment before I dipped my tongue into her, tasting everything. My right hand rested against her inner thigh, gently pressing to keep her legs open the way I wanted.
My tongue cut right to left against her slit as I drank what my fingers had made her body offer. I hurried down to the bottom of the chair and pulled at Kate’s waist, bringing her ass down to the edge of the chair. I hooked her legs over my shoulders and had her right where I wanted her. One of her hands grabbed my hair and pulled hard. The other hand gripped the side
of the chair.
I went right back to work on her. I was thirsty and she was giving me everything I craved. My tongue swirled in every direction, thrusting forward as she bucked her hips at me. My hands rested comfortably to the perfect curve of her hips and I suckled against the soft nub of her clit. That’s where I settled and that’s where I refused to move until she came.
The closer she moved toward climax, the harder she pulled my hair, driving me harder against her. I loved the way she wasn’t afraid to do that, knowing exactly what she wanted and how she wanted it. Her other hand let go of the side of the chair and went flat against the seat as she lifted her ass off the chair. That allowed her to grind her beautiful body as hard and as fast as she wanted. We were synced up together, her lower half moving with the same speed as my hungry tongue. The noises of her pleasure filled groans and the sound my tongue made against her body officially drowning out the music.
She put her head back and began to let go when I took full control again. My hands slid up a little and I pulled at the small of her back. I engulfed her entire sex and savored her as she came. She collapsed down to the chair, whimpering my name as I stayed with her as she jumped off the cliff of desire.
I stayed with her until her body attempted to calm.
I pulled away and stood up, staring down at the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life.
She looked at me with those vixen eyes and curled her lip as though she was mad at me.
She wasn’t mad. She wanted more.
I took her by the hands and pulled her from the chair. When she stood, I hurried to open my jeans and drop them. Before she could touch me, I pulled her to me and sat down in my chair. I kicked the chair back until it hit the counter behind me. My hands slapped against her hips and she cried out as I pulled her toward me.
Her hands went to my shoulders as she climbed on top of my me. She lowered her top half down first, wanting to kiss me. I slid a hand up into her hair and we kissed like we’d never get the chance to kiss again. With my other hand, I touched the small of her back again and brought her down against me.
As her body began to sheathe me, I groaned, praying to everything that I didn’t explode right then and there. Her body was still pulsing from the love letter I had written with my tongue just moments ago. She came all the way down on me, to the hilt, not an inch of my body not inside her.
She broke the kiss to bite my lip, her eyes open wide.
“Fucking hell, darling,” I growled.
Kate stopped biting my lip and kissed at my neck and groaned.
She whispered, “I’m coming again….”
I touched her waist and began to move her up and down my body.
I had found heaven. In her eyes. In her arms. In her body.
The only problem was that hell was waiting for us.
TWENTY-THREE
KATE
1.
I could’ve stayed there all night. His head back, me gently kissing him. My hands holding his shoulders so tight. He was still inside me even though we were long since done. His right hand resting against my hip. His other hand dug into my hair. Everything about us so wild, so free, everything we had been through and would go through. I figured as long as we could do that to each other, we’d be fine. On top of that, the right side of my body was on fire from the tattoo. I wasn’t exactly sure if after getting tattooed you were supposed to do what we just did.
But it was worth it. Even if something were to happen with the tattoo, I knew someone who could fix it, right?
I put my hands to his chest and pushed away. I put my feet to the floor and slowly stood up, biting my lip at the sensation between my legs. It was almost like I forgot how to walk for a few seconds. I stood there in front of him, not sure what I wanted to do next.
Sawyer put his hands to my waist and pulled me forward and kissed just below my belly button. My hands curled up into fists. I whimpered. Nobody ever did this to me. He made me go three times and I still wanted more. I wanted him to explore me all night long. I wanted to feel him, taste him, have him.
That’s what made me and Sawyer so dangerous. We could easily forget about the outside world and get so lost in each other that we’d end up messing everything up.
Sawyer slowly stood up, pulling up his jeans. He was fully dressed and I was in my shoes and my bra. I felt weirdly exposed and vulnerable but I didn’t care. I was with Sawyer. What more could I ever ask for?
He touched my face and stroked his thumb along my cheek. “You’re so fucking beautiful, Kate.”
“Thanks for the tattoo,” I said. “Are you going to tell me how to take care of it?”
“Nope. I’ll take care of it for you. I’ll change everything out and show you how to shower with it.”
“Something tells me that won’t end well.”
“Nope,” he said and leaned down to steal a kiss.
I caught myself blushing, which felt strange considering everything that just happened.
“I’m going to go get us a drink,” he said. “Then we’ll figure out what we want to do next.”
“You have no other plans?” I asked. “You brought me here to tattoo me and do that?”
“You say that like it’s a bad night out,” he said with a grin.
I opened my mouth but didn’t reply.
Truthfully, it was the best night out ever. Not since me and Sawyer running from the cops when we were teenagers did I have so much fun with him. Once St. Skin started growing and the tension between Sawyer and Tate kicked up, everything changed. We all became different people for different reasons. Sawyer didn’t want to lose his outlaw heart. Tate wanted to expand the business and become rich. And I felt a little jealous and left out, even though I had the chance to work at St. Skin several times.
But that was all in the past.
“I’ll be right back darling,” Sawyer said. “If I come back and you’re not dressed, we’re going again.”
“Is that supposed to make me want to get dressed?” I asked.
“Good point.” Sawyer rubbed his jaw. “Well, I think we have about twelve hours until the guys show up. I’m ready to go if you are.”
“I’ll think about it,” I said.
Sawyer left the room.
I got dressed and decided to look at my new tattoo. Which I should have done before I put my shirt back on. I peeled away the white tape that Sawyer used to tape a bandage to my side. It stung but the pain meant nothing when I saw the tattoo again. It was glossy and bright from the ointment he put on my skin. But the tattoo was beautiful. It was perfect. The stars made me think of the times we’d sneak away from the world and look at the stars together. The world crashing into a heart. It was so fitting for us. So fitting for me. Everything I had to go through. Having Sawyer. Losing Sawyer. Now having him again. Everything that happened with Kira. Watching her suffer for so long against an addiction I didn’t understand. But I did my best to never judge her for it. I never walked away from her. Right up to the night she died. I went to bed that night thinking the world was going to go my way now. That my sister was finally clean. She had her son - Jason - to take care of. And I’d get a chance to move forward with my life.
And that all came crashing down with the news that Kira was gone.
Thinking about everything made me choke up a little.
I blinked fast, not wanting to cry on a night like tonight.
Of course, that was the moment Sawyer came back into the room.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
I looked at him in the reflection. “Just thinking.”
He tossed two bottles of water to the chair and hugged me from behind.
He didn’t say anything, which was the best thing he could have done. No questions. No comments. Nothing. Just holding me in silence, letting it be the reminder I needed that he was actually here and he planned on staying.
Slowly, Sawyer patched the tattoo back up and turned me around. “Tell you what, darling. I really had not
hing else but this. I thought maybe we’d go grab a drink or two. See if the guys were at the bar. Piss Pecker off a little. Maybe I’d get into a fight or something. But I sort of feel like going home.”
“Home?”
“Well, to your place, Kate. I don’t have a home yet.”
“When are you going to get a place?” I asked.
“Why?”
“It sort of feels like you have an out,” I said.
“An out?”
“Yeah. No commitment.”
Sawyer laughed. “You think an apartment or a house would be the only reason I stay here? Darling, I haven’t gotten a place for good reason.”
“Which is what?” I asked.
“You.”
“Me?”
“I told you before that I want you and Jason to have more. That it’s hard for me to just assume that because of what you’ve provided. But is it so bad that I want to spoil you two?”
“Meaning…”
“Kate. I want you to find a new place. Right here in Hundred Falls Valley. I want you and Jason to find a place. And then I’ll be there.”
That caught me off guard. I stepped back. “Whoa. You mean live together. You and me.”
“And Jason, obviously,” he said. “I know it’s crazy. It’s a big change for everyone, especially him. That’s why I didn’t bring it up. That’s why I’m not going to pressure anyone into it. But it’s the reason why I haven’t gotten a place.”
“I don’t know what to say to that, Sawyer.”
“That’s why I didn’t want to say it this way,” he said. “But I don’t want you to think I’m looking for an out. Or some kind of stupid excuse. I’m in love with you, Kate. I came back for two things. This shop. And you. I’ve got both.”
“Just so you know, I want the same thing as you do,” I said. “It’s just not as easy as if I was alone.”
“Of course not.”
“That’s not fair to you though,” I said.
“Fair? I didn’t ask for fairness, Kate. I asked for you. Everything that comes with you. Nothing else matters.”
