Page 12 of Covert (Ruthless Love #2)

Chapter nine

Nikki

T he next day, I've fully recovered from my hangover and am back at work, staring at the shop's iPad. Social media. I'm responsible for their social media.

I swallow nervously as I open the TikTok app. Okay. I'll just see what other shops post and copy that.

I type "tattoo shop" into the search bar and click on the top result. Okay, so it's mainly just pictures of their artists' works. The second tattoo shop in the results does slow panning videos of their reveals set to dark music.

I think about the guys and their goals for this shop. They have a pretty steady flow of work, so maybe it's not about getting more customers. Maybe it's more about getting their names out there.

I look at the calendar for the day. Beckett's got three, Axel's got four, and Maddox has an eight-hour back mural session. That should give me plenty to film.

The third account I click on for ideas features a gorgeous, shirtless man absolutely covered in tattoos.

Dancing. I scroll down the page. The second video is of him gripping the top of a door frame and looking down at the camera, and holy crap.

My breath rushes out of my lungs on an exhale.

I scroll to the next one. It's the same pose, but he's bathed in red light, making him look even sexier.

I click the little comment button and scroll through hundreds of thirsty comments from women. That would definitely get more attention on their account .

I look at Axel. He'd definitely do posts like this.

Maddox, I could take close-up pics of his tatted forearms that are sexy as hell.

Beckett. I soften a little when I see the big guy.

He wouldn't like the attention from women.

But maybe that would help his self-image a little.

I'll ask him. The last thing I want to do is make him uncomfortable without his consent.

"Hey Axe?" I call out.

"Sup, babe?"

"Can you come here really quick. I want to show you something."

I show him a few of the thirst traps and he picks the door frame lean. He strips off his shirt and I can help my gaze as it wanders up and down his body. He's fucking gorgeous.

"Eyes are up here, darling," he teases, pointing at his face. I look up and see the smug grin on his face. My cheeks heat. I don't care that he caught me checking him out. He's hot and he knows it.

He spins his hat around to the back, and my mouth dries. Fuck, that does it for me. I might have to get a smartphone so I can watch this video on repeat.

Instead, I tug the front pocket of his jeans down a little, revealing a strip of the top of his boxers. There we go.

"Okay, put your hand up on the doorframe." He does as I say, and I flick on the iPad's camera.

I lower it, trying to get the angle right, but I'm still too close to get his full torso. I bend as far as I can, and it's almost the right angle. Before I can think better of it, I kneel, lowering the iPad even more.

"Oh, baby, that's a good look on you."

I blush as I realize what this must look like to him.

Instead, I hit the record button and watch as his face falls serious and he smolders.

The hair on my arms stands up, and my panties dampen.

God, the man is walking sex. I'm not sure how long I should record this for.

Right when I'm about to stop, he cracks, giving me a wide, bashful smile.

I knew he couldn't stay serious for that long.

"What the fuck is this!?" Maddox shouts from behind him.

Axel jumps to the side before reaching a hand down to help me up.

I take his hand and stand up from the floor.

I'm not sure what Maddox thinks was happening when Axel's pants are still zipped and we're at work. I make the mistake of looking down at his jeans as if I need to confirm for myself that they are zipped. It's a mistake.

The outline of his hard cock is prominent. He's just as turned on by our positions as I was. The image of kneeling for him, the heated eye contact, as if he were looking directly at me, not at the screen. The thought of taking him deep in my throat will keep me satisfied for a long time.

"Just filming a TikTok for the shop's account," I reply breezily, praying Maddox can't read the lust flowing off me in waves. Axel actually looks sheepish, like we'd gotten caught.

I slide to stand next to Maddox and show him the thirst-trap account.

"I figure we can do some like this, some of your work, switch up the content until we know what works well." I sound a lot more confident than I actually feel. Fake it till you make it and all that. He grunts his acknowledgement before turning and leaving.

I bypass Axel, feeling all sorts of worked up before heading to Beckett's chair .

Large brown eyes take me in, a war of emotion swimming through them.

Warmth, heat, care, interest, and just a fraction of wariness stare back at me.

I feel closer to him after the night he took care of me.

I hope it helped prove to him that I do trust him.

And I want to respect his trauma as much as I can.

I flip the iPad around and show him some of the thirst traps.

"I'd like to try these with you and the guys. It doesn't have to be performative, but you three are all gorgeous. I think it would be good for the brand. But I know you're uncomfortable with female attention. So, I'm going to ask you every day if you want to be in one or not. Okay?"

Dark eyes search my face, skim down my body, back to the iPad, and then back to my face. He nods once, a small smile creeping onto his handsome face.

"You think other women would find me attractive?"

My jaw drops. "Dude. Do you really not know how hot you are?"

He looks down, and I swear he blushes. "Your hair, your beard, your muscles, your tats?

Shit, each one of your fingers is like twice as thick as one of mine.

" I hold my hand out, splayed in front of him to compare.

He raises his hand to mine, not quite touching, but close enough that it makes me smile.

"You'll see. One day, I'm going to ask, and you'll say yes, and then you'll see. The girls of this town may know the story you let them believe, but the women of the world? They'll see what I see."