Page 136 of Caution to the Wind

“The dragon.”

He frowned. “Would’ve thought that’s the first one you’d get.”

Another shrug. His hand swept down my throat over my collarbone to the naked skin on my right shoulder.

“I didn’t think I deserved it,” I admitted unwittingly, so caught up in his hands on me, in the energy between us that I was more honest than I’d intended.

His eyebrows jumped a little, but he only hummed and traced the uninked skin of my shoulder around to my back. “It’d look good startin’ on your back and curlin’ over your arm just here. A dragon needs space to fly free.”

“Yeah, I left it clean for the design.”

“You should get it,” he said, a little too firmly. A little too loud.

The shop went quiet again around us.

“What?” I whispered.

“You should get it. Complete the set,” he said casually, but I could see his pulse throb in the side of his neck and his gaze was too intent on mine.

There was nothing was casual about anointing myself with the last of Axe-Man’s designs. It felt…final in good ways and bad. I hadn’t realized until that moment that I was waiting for Axe-Man’s validation to get it. If I’d never returned to Entrance, it was probable I’d have gone without that final and most important tattoo for my entire life. The last big blank space on my skin an empty frame.

“I’ll do it, Blossom,” Nova called out from his station, where he was applying a stencil to King’s naked and very impressive torso. “After work tonight if you stay late.”

I couldn’t seem to break eye contact with Axe-Man, who’d stiffened and glowered at Nova’s suggestion.

“Uh, okay, Nova, thanks,” I called back weakly.

Axe-Man pulled away from my skin like I’d burned him and abruptly turned on his boot to stalk back to his station. When I opened my mouth to call him back, his next appointment came through the doors and called out to him.

When I looked a little helplessly back over at Nova, King, and Cressida, all of them were grinning a little madly at me. Nova even winked.

It wasn’t reassuring at all.

It wasdark beyond the one-way screened windows of Street Ink Tattoo Parlour, but the lights of the other businesses on Main Street glowed prettily, highlighting couples walking to dinner and friends out for an after-work beer.

I watched them from the front desk, wondering what it might be like to go on a date with Axe-Man one day. Where we would go and what we’d do. It was a pretty harmless fantasy, but I blushed when Nova waved a hand in front of me like he’d been trying to get my attention for a while.

“You ready?”

I nodded, getting out of the wheely chair to move toward his station at the back left of the shop.

“Nah,” he corrected, grabbing my hand to lead me to the right front station. “Let’s do it here.”

I glared at him, digging in my heels. “That’s Axe-Man’s station.”

“You don’t say,” he said, unperturbed, still tugging me forward until I reluctantly followed him. “It’s better lightin’ over here.”

“It’s nighttime.”

“Right.” He stroked a hand over his chin. “Comfier chair?”

I shook my head on a snort. “You’re trouble. Has anyone ever told you that?”

His grin was wildly beautiful. “My fiancée does all the fuckin’ time.”

I’d met Lila for the first time two days ago when she’d come into the shop to pick up Cleo for lunch at Stella’s Diner. She was just as glamourously beautiful as Nova, a Latina with long dark hair and exaggerated curves inked all over with gorgeous floral tattoos. She’d been Nova’s muse long before they were even a couple, and I thought there was something so beautiful about that.

“Take off your shirt and get comfortable on your stomach while I get everythin’ set up,” he offered.