Heart Ink: A Fling To Ring Romance: A Bad Boy Tattoo Artist Romantic Comedy

by L. L. Ash

  A few minutes before they opened, Cambria and I went toward the front door.

  Looking in, nobody was there.

  His words from that night, or rather, the next morning, came back to me.

  “You know where to find me.”

  I did know where to find him. And here I was. Hopefully he would be as excited to see me as I was him.

  Cambria knocked on the front door, looking through the glass shamelessly while I pressed my palm to my chest, pleading with my heart to slow down before I passed out.

  A minute later I saw Roman approaching us, his faded jeans on, a flannel button up shirt that I was beginning to think he lived in, stretched across his chest. A beanie slouched on his head, perfectly precarious, and tucked away most of his golden hair.

  He opened the door, then looked up with a smile.

  “Cambria! You’re early!” he said as if he couldn’t believe it.

  “I’m always early,” she told him with a straight face.

  He laughed, then his eyes slid over my way to me, hiding behind my friend.

  “Fae!” He grinned again, his laugher dying.

  No, it wasn’t a grin. It was a predatorial smirk.

  “Cam insisted I come comfort her on her first day.” I squeaked behind her, my voice shaking.

  I hated that it shook, but his scent drifted over me and I couldn’t help myself or the goosebumps breaking out over my skin.

  “You don’t hear me complaining.” He winked and let us in.

  Great. Thanks heart, for skipping a few beats. Now I was definitely going to pass out and make a fool of myself.

  He pulled Cambria behind the front counter, going over a few things with her but she just nodded her head.

  “I used to do this for my dad’s construction company,” she told Roman. “It was on my resumé.”

  “I know. I guess I just wanted to explain how I’ve been doing it.” He scratched his head through the beanie.

  “You’re doing it wrong,” she deadpanned.

  “Well fuck me… Ok. Do what you want. You just have to update me at the end of the day as to what the hell you’re doing.”

  That quick she waved Roman away, who looked wide eyed, as if he couldn’t understand what had just happened.

  “Don’t feel bad. She’s bitchy about this kind of stuff,” I told him, taking a step to stand at his side.

  “It’s like...suddenly I’m questioning my entire life.” He looked at me, lifting an eyebrow in awe.

  I just laughed.

  “She does that to people.” I grinned at him and he broke into a smile.

  “How’re you, Fae?” he asked, sitting back on the velvet couch, patting the seat next to him.

  Cambria was sitting at the computer, typing away, her face a scowl of concentration.

  “I’m fine.” I perched gently beside him.

  “I’m...I’m glad you came back,” he said after a minute, scratching his head again with an unsure smile.

  “Cam kind of insisted,” I said and his eyes dropped to the ground.

  “Yeah, sure. I get it.”

  Huh? Why did he look disappointed?

  “Well, um...I’ve got some work to do. You can hang out as long as you want. Looks like there’s no distracting Cambria, anyway. Maybe I’ll see you later.”

  That fast he was standing and retreating toward the back of the shop.

  I was left reeling, wondering what the hell had happened.

  Taking a few swift steps to Cambria, she looked up and grinned.

  “He looked happy to see you,” she whispered.

  “I think he was.” I hesitated, still trying to process.

  “And? What’d you say?”

  “I...I think I was the jerk,” I breathed, looking over to where Roman had disappeared.

  “What?” her eyes bulged.

  “I mean… he said that he was glad to see me again...then I said I just came to support you and I...”

  “Oh my God, what a bitch thing to say!” She scowled at me. “The dude opened his heart and you bitch-slapped him!”

  I shoved my bottom lip out in a pout.

  “I didn’t mean to...” I started but she interrupted me.

  “Go over there and apologize! Seriously! Tell him you were nervous about seeing him and just said stupid, idiot things cause he’s so hot. Go!”

  If I thought my heart was beating hard a minute ago, it was practically pulverising itself against my chest cavity at this point.

  She shoved my shoulder towards the back and I found myself stumbling toward where a light shone through the hallway.

  I gulped and gulped, trying to swallow my fear of rejection and anxiety back as I made my way to the doorway.

  He looked up, then tilted his head in curiosity.

  Say something, you idiot!

  “Uh,” I paused, my fingers pulling and twisting at each other. “I uh...It’s good to see you too, Italian.”

  His confusion melted into a smile, then a grin.

  I smiled back, then jumped when a voice called, “Hey bitches!” from behind me.

  One would think it was Josie, but nope, it was Freddie.

  I collapsed into the seat across from Roman’s desk as Freddie registered who, exactly, I was.

  “Red!” He grinned. “Well damn, didn’t think we’d see you again! How’s your tattoo?”

  “It’s...good,” I nodded, my hand back on my heart to try and breathe again.

  A feral grin spread over his face as he looked over at Roman.

  “Get lost,” Roman told him before Freddie put up his hands in surrender and left the room again.

  “You have a client in twenty!” Roman called after him, then sank back in his chair, and looked at me. I looked back, our eyes meeting.

  Wow, I couldn’t believe how I’d missed his eyes and his smell and his skin and his hair and his...

  “Go on a date with me,” he stated, arms crossed in front of him as he leaned on the desk toward me.

  “A date?” I asked.

  “A date,” he confirmed.

  I stuttered for a minute before nodding.

  He grinned again, not much unlike his friend before saying, “Wednesday. I’ll pick you up at nine.”

  What kind of date would we go on at nine?

  “Ok,” I nodded and stood. “I should probably go before I do...something.”

  He laughed, probably taking my statement far more suggestive then I’d meant before saying, “See you soon.”

  I nodded, heading out the front door.

  “Want my keys?” Cambria called as I pushed open the glass door, hearing the tinkling bell above me.

  “No. I’ll take a cab.”

  “Was he an asshole?” She frowned.

  “No. He asked me on a date.”

  Her eyes flared in surprise and she ginned that same grin everyone else seemed to be sporting.

  “Ok,” she stated then went back to the computer.

  I quickly flew out of there, hailing a cab on the main road before squealing like an adolescent at the idea of a real date with Roman.

  Maybe I could let my fling turn into a few flings. He was definitely worth a second, third, fourth look.

  Chapter Seven

  Roman

  Holy shit, she came back.

  I didn’t think I’d see her again, especially after it’d been three weeks and nothing.

  But when I saw her hiding behind her friend, I knew. I fucking knew that she wanted me like I wanted her. She’d thought about me like I had thought about her every single hour of every single day for the past twenty-one days.

  Strike that… It’d been twenty-three days.

  Not that I was counting.

  Mental eye roll.

  I leaned back in my chair, tossing my beanie down on my desk as I shoved my fingers through my hair. I pulled the strands with a grin on my face, just to keep myself from yelling in triumph.

  She wanted to go on a date. That girl...was going on a
date. With me.

  Maybe it was just a few hookups she was after, but I really didn’t think so. We’d bonded unlike I’d ever bonded with a girl before. We had so many things in common, so many similarities in likes, dislikes, and lifestyle. The girl was literally me just under a decade ago.

  And maybe...maybe something could happen. Maybe we were made for each other.

  Maybe it wasn’t just a fling, after all.

  Fae

  “You’re one sexy bitch,” Josie sighed, putting the finishing touches on my makeup Wednesday night.

  They’d shown up at six, beauty tools in hand, both bouncing in excitement.

  “Ok, so you got that wax yesterday, right?” Cambria asked, burning my scalp again with her curling iron.

  “Yes, I got the wax. It friggin’ hurt, too. Just as a little FYI.”

  They ignored my sass and kept primping.

  “It’ll feel even better this time. Seriously.”

  Plus, it’d been a month. Finally a month. Mouths could be in certain pierced areas now.

  Just saying.

  I had a deep, deep gut feeling that as amazing as he performed with everything else, he wouldn’t leave me wanting in that arena. But only time would tell.

  “Hairspray!” Cambria called.

  Josie backed off just as a gas cloud of hairspray invaded my space.

  Coughing, I inhaled the toxic stuff as fingers fluffed my new curls.

  “Oh yeah. Sexy, just-been-fucked hair. Good job, Cam!” Josie called, adding a third and fourth hand into my hair.

  When my eyes stopped watering and my lungs quit contracting, I looked into the mirror and saw my reflection staring back at me.

  I looked like Sandy from the last scene of Grease. You know, the one where she’s in skin tight pleather?

  Yeah. That hair.

  Oh God…

  “I look like a hooker from the eighties!” I shrieked at them, finger combing the curls down.

  “Don’t touch!” Cambria swatted my hands away. “I’m not done!”

  “Oh my God! Go away! I don’t want to look like a hooker!” I swatted her hands back.

  “Shut up and sit down. Close your eyes so we can surprise you!” Josie added her hands to the swatting fest.

  Pouting, I did as she said and folded my arms over my chest.

  Josie leaned forward with black coating her makeup brush and closed my eyes hard, praying they didn’t make me look ridiculous.

  I didn’t have time to shower and restart because they were taking so freaking long.

  By fifteen minutes to nine, the girls were done and staring at me in awe.

  “He’s going to have a hard time resisting you, sexy beast,” Josie nodded slowly with her own words, Cambria’s head bobbing in agreement.

  Taking a massive breath, the two of them moved and I got a look at myself in my vanity mirror.

  Holy mother of sexiness!

  My mouth opened and that’s how I knew the girl in the mirror was me and not some stranger.

  The curls were tempered into a sexy, loose wave of red around me, my blue eyes lined in charcoal and a smokey black and metallic silver coating my eyelid.

  I looked like some sexy, bad girl, all red and black and silver.

  “We don’t have much time. Let’s get you dressed!” they told me, digging into their bags again.

  “I already chose an outfit,” I told them, turning away from myself in the mirror to point to the practical and pretty jeans and fluttery, floral top.

  “Nope!” Josie pulled out something black and sheer-looking along with a tight, short, leather-ish skirt

  Also in black, in case anyone was wondering.

  “What the hell is this?” I asked, looking at the compilation of maybe a total of one yard of fabric.

  “Put it on!”

  I did.

  The shirt was basically a bikini top that pretended to be a blouse. The black sheer fabric was draped across me in a deep V, showing some cleavage, then did a reverse V beneath my breasts and showed off the tattoo underneath. Both arms were covered in the same fabric with long, and wide, peasant sleeves that began to flare wide at the elbow.

  “Oh my God! You look so freaking hot!” Cambia bit her lip, nodding again in approval.

  Josie wiped away a pretend tear before stepping forward and putting a long tassel necklace over my head.

  The metal tassel hit me just at my bare belly button.

  After putting in the matching earrings, I looked in the mirror to see the whole effect.

  Wow, I totally looked like Roman’s type now.

  Hm, maybe that wasn’t fair. Maybe his type wasn’t sex kitten in leather.

  Anyway, whether it was or not, that’s the style I was now sporting.

  Something inside me blossomed under the daring and edgy style, and a grin spread over my face.

  “I think she likes it, babe!” Josie backhanded Cambria on the shoulder.

  They both looked at me like proud parents.

  “Ok. You win. Now get out before he gets here!” I told them, shooing them out of my room, leaving the mess they left for later.

  “Wear a really high heel!” Josie called as I shoved them out the door. “Something black or red!”

  “Ok! Love you!” I yelled before closing the door on them, running back to my room.

  Inside my closet I stared at a pair of black leather boots and red stripper heels…

  Man… Hard choice...

  After about thirty seconds of internal debate, I snatched up the red heels and slipped them on my feet, looking at myself in the mirror.

  I looked like a total slut, and I loved it.

  Mom and Dad would go nuts if they saw what I was about to leave the house in. Luckily I was pretty sure that wherever he was bringing me, I had about a zero percent chance of seeing someone from my parent’s social circle.

  A sense of freedom waved through me at the thought of being just me for a night. A night with Roman. And that feeling tasted amazing.

  I heard the motorcycle outside before I saw him pull into the parking lot of my complex.

  Oh God… I was going to get to ride on that beast again… aaaaaaand I wasn't dressed for a motorcycle.

  Dammit!

  I started pacing the entryway, trying to decide if I should change or not when a heavy knock sounded on the door.

  Dammit!

  I stumbled to the doorknob and opened the door to the sexiest, yummiest, delicious-iest man in the entire world.

  His hair was back in that man bun, a loose piece falling over one eye and posture comfortable and confident, in dark jeans and that leather jacket, an easy smile already on his face.

  “I need a few minutes to change,” I told him, putting out a finger.

  Evidently my brain decided that I needed to change.

  He lifted an eyebrow, eyes trailing down my body and back up.

  “Why? You look awesome.”

  I blushed, pressing my hand over my bare belly in an attempt to cover it.

  This so wasn’t me… What was I thinking?

  My confidence seeped out of me under his eyes and I know he saw it, too.

  “Seriously, what’s wrong with it?” he asked, his hot eyes turned warm as he touched my arm.

  “Oh, I don’t know...” I stumbled over my own words as his touch ignited fire that shot through me. “I mean, I’m in a skirt and heels. I can’t ride your bike in a skirt and heels.”

  He lifted an eyebrow again.

  “Yes you can. But if you want to change, I’ll wait. For what it’s worth I think you’re perfect as you are. Doesn’t really matter what you wear.”

  Is this man for real?

  I kind of felt like my imagination picked every perfect thing I ever loved in a man and put together the ultimate male, who was Roman. He just had to be all in my head.

  “Really?” I asked him, my voice nothing more than a whisper.

  “Really.” He nodded back at me, then motions his head tow
ard his bike. “Wanna change or are we going to go?”

  I didn’t even wait to process his question. I grabbed my leather jacket and stepped toward him, locking my door behind me before I followed him as he descended down the stairs.

  At his bike, he handed me a helmet as I was getting my jacket on. It looked exactly like his, just red.

  “This ok?” he asked as I took it from him, grinning.

  It was the same shade as my hair.

  “I love it,” I told him, looking up at him.

  “Doesn’t match the outfit, but I thought you’d like the color.” He shrugged, eyes roaming up my body again.

  “I love the color.” I nodded at him. “Thank you, Italian.”

  He met my eyes again, squinting in amusement at my little nickname for him.

  “C’mon, pix. Get on.”

  I looked down at my skirt and the impossible distance between me and that seat.

  “Uh… I might need a little help,” I admitted.

  He looked back at me then laughed as he understood my dilemma.

  “You’re ridiculous,” he said, sliding off his bike with a smile to help me up.

  Leaning down, one hand touched my calf, raising my foot to a silver peg just hanging out there.

  Oh, was that a footrest?

  “Now hop over,” he told me. “But wait ‘til I get on so I can help you.”

  I waited just like that as he slid back on.

  “Use my shoulder to support you as you swing on,” he said looking at me over said shoulder.

  I did as he asked, gripping onto his leather jacket and hoisting myself onto the seat.

  Hey! It worked!

  “Alright! Let’s get going,” Roman told me, holding out my helmet to me again.

  I slipped it on over my head before wrapping my arms around him, moving closer while my skirt rode up in the process.

  With most of my thighs on display and Roman’s hips protecting any peep shows from happening between my spread legs, we headed out.

  My grip around his waist grew tighter and my thighs squeezed around his hips as we got faster, and eventually my fright eased and I closed my eyes, inhaling the warm leather scent of his jacket.

  So what? I could have my face plastered against his jacket if I wanted.

  We rode for a while, the bike between our legs roaring and vibrating as we sped around cars on the freeway. Plus, the road was dry for once, which was a relief to me.