Page 3 of Maggie

Maggie’s gaze fell to the purple ink on her skin. It would be so weird to see something there every day. Placement looked good, though. “That’s fine.”

“The others did a black outline of the words with a filled-in purple heart off the V. Is that okay?”

“Okay,” she squeaked.

“It’ll match your hair.” One side of his mouth quirked up.

“It will.” She laughed, nervously.

Wylder studied her for a second. He reached a decision, nodded, and picked up the tattoo gun.

He said, “Okay. I’m going to turn the machine on now. Tell me if you need to stop anytime, all right?”

She nodded.

“Please talk to me. I need your words.” He met her gaze. “Is that okay?”

“That’s okay.”

Wylder nodded and turned on the machine. A loud buzz filled the air.

Maggie laid her arm against the padded armrest. She drew a nervous breath.

Again, Wylder asked, “May I?”

“Yes.”

Delicately, Wylder leaned forward and pressed the tattoo needle into her skin. She could feel him watch her reaction from the corners of his eyes. The needle left behind a black line on her flesh.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized all she felt was light scratching and mild pain. Nothing at all like she’d imagined.

“It’s okay. I’m okay,” she said.

He nodded and turned his focus to the tattoo. Maggie watched him work. She saw how carefully he applied the lines and how focused he was.

“Tell me about your favorite musician. Besides yourself,” he said.

She laughed and began talking. The conversation flowed naturally between them.

Partway through, he used a cotton pad to wipe her skin clean of excess ink and specks of blood. His eyes met hers. “How are you doing?”

“I’m good. It’s not as bad as I thought,” she answered, her voice steady.

“Okay, awesome. Keep talking to me. What’s your favorite movie?”

They chatted during the tattoo. Maggie enjoyed the conversation so much that she forgot what he was doing. She felt like she could tell this man anything. Several times, she wondered what it would be like to have someone with this intensity and dedication as her boyfriend. What it might be like to have this man, Wylder, as her boyfriend.

“How did you get into tattoo work?” she asked.

“When I was a kid, I saw a beautiful piece on someone and it made an impression on me. So much that I still remember it. I’d always been good at art and drawing, so making it permanent became the next step. For years, tattooing — putting my art on people’s bodies — has been my life. I love it. I can’t imagine doing anything else. I would be completely lost without it.”

The tattoo was done before she knew it. Wylder wrapped up the tattoo and gave her aftercare ointment and instructions.

He smiled at her. “You’re all done. How was it?”

“Not bad. Thank you for taking it easy on me.” She admired the art, which looked smooth and graceful. She held the squeeze ball out to him. He accepted it with a laugh and tossed it on the counter.

“You did great.”

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