Page 53 of The Wolf's Bullied Bride

My cheeks flushed, well aware of what he was referring to. It seemed there had been enough adrenaline between the both of us to fuel more than one round, and we were downright exhausted by the end of it.

“What were you thinking about?” He asked, running a hand through his hair.

I took in a breath of resolve. “Would you give me a tattoo?”

When I glanced over at him, Liam’s brows lifted. “Really?”

I nodded. “I’ve been to your studio a few times now, but I never really thought about getting one until now. I thought it might be a nice change.”

His shock dissolved into acceptance, and his smile grew. He traced his fingers up and down my arm absently. “Do you have anything in mind?”

“I do, actually,” I replied, mirroring his expression. “I think it would be nice.”

“All right. I’m ready when you are.”

***

The buzz of the tattoo gun eventually faded into the background the longer the session went, and I learned to ignore the pain of the needle. Sat on the chair with the underside of my arm facing Liam, I watched as the ink slowly fused into my skin.

He focused from beside me, having snapped into his expert self the moment we got started. Wanting to take his time, he kept the ‘closed’ sign facing the street and made sure to lock the door so that nobody could interrupt us.

“I’m assuming this is your first one,” he hummed, carefully tracing over the purple stencil on my skin. He used absolute concentration, wiping away the excess ink when it called for it.

“Yes, it is. Even though I grew up around shifters who spent their teen years getting their first tattoos, I never considered it for myself. I’m not sure why.”

“You just needed my studio in your life,” Liam commented, putting on a small smile. “It’s an honor for me to take your tattoo virginity.”

Laughing quietly at his words, I tried not to move too much. “This one means a lot to me. I’m glad you’re the one giving it to me.”

The expression on Liam’s face was pleasant, and it quickly made me notice just how genuine the conversation felt. Instead of being snippy or bickering about anything under the sun, we were just talking. Finally, getting to know each other.

It was refreshing, and something in me wished I had gotten over my resentment toward him sooner. The change in our interactions seemed so drastic, yet I preferred it to how we used to be.

Once half the tattoo was already complete, and he got started on the flower stems, Liam murmured, “What made you choose this design?”

Loving how it looked already, I acknowledged the warm, fuzzy feeling in my chest. “I chose the wildflowers to signify that no matter what happened in my past or what will happen in the future, I will always find a way to bloom. I’ll be courageous and wild just like they are.”

Stopping his work while he looked at me, Liam’s gaze softened. He nodded pensively to himself. “I think it was the right choice.”

Grateful for his affirmation, I smiled and anticipated the needle’s familiar sting. But Liam sighed instead and held my gaze. Guilt swam within his eyes.

“When we were kids, I didn’t know how to talk to you regardless of how badly I wanted to. Instead, I resorted to picking on you because that was all I understood. It got your attention, and while it wasn’t the attention I wanted, it was something,” he began, allowing me to see the sincerity in his eyes. “It was wrong of me, and I’m sorry for how I hurt you. I know I can’t take it back now, but I never meant any genuine harm by it. I just wanted to get to know you better. I hoped you would learn to throw it right back at me, but I shouldn’t have expected that of you. Again, I’m sorry.”

His full admittance came as a surprise to me, and for a moment, I felt stunned. While better understanding his reason for teasing me helped clear up his intentions, I wasn’t so sure I could completely accept his apology. It was a deep wound that I had to learn how to close with time, but it was a good first step at least.

Hearing him say those words felt like a major improvement from before, and it made my chest feel lighter.

He really did want things to be better between us.

“Thank you for the apology,” I said, feeling as more of that resentment fizzled into a more positive outlook. I had to admit, it was definitely easier to bear than that heavy anger and dread.

“I don’t want there to be any bad blood between us,” Liam said, eyes riddled with sincerity. “We may have complicated things more by sleeping together again, and while I’m not entirely ready to jump into anything yet, I at least want the chance to get to know you more. We’ve made a lot of headway here, and I think there are only good things ahead of us.”

While I didn’t like the idea of him keeping me at arm's length before, I couldn’t help but agree. I wasn’t necessarily in the place for romance anyway, but the prospect of being more civilized was a nice one.

His sincerity moved me, and I didn’t mind it.

“I’d like the same thing,” I said, feeling hopeful. “No pressure, just getting to know each other for who we are now.”

---