Page 21 of Dare To Take

His attention roams up my arm as I pull up the sleeve of my top. “Over the cigarette burns?”

I nod.

He rubs his chin. “How’s your pain tolerance? It’ll hurt more because the skin has been damaged and will be more susceptible to pain. Maybe you’d prefer it somewhere else?”

The second he mentions pain, I change my mind. I flip my arm over and pat my forearm. “Here, then.”

The guy smiles. “That I can do. Blue, you say? Let me get the template prepared, and we’ll get started.”

My gaze moves nervously to the tattoo couch.

How much is this going to hurt?

Eli pulls down his top and turns.

“Ready?”

I stand, slip off my chair and walk toward him. “More than ready.”

The tattooist jerks his chin at the couch. “On you get.”

One hand on my skirt to keep it in place, I somehow manage to get up onto it. Not without flashing the skin between my thigh-high socks and the hem of my skirt, though. When I’m finally settled, I turn to see Eli and the guy both watching me.

I give them both a flirty smile. “Let’s get this over with.”

Sitting down on his stool, the tattooists position the design on my forearm. “Here, okay?”

“Yes.” My voice is small, and I hate the nervousness I can hear in it.

I avoid Eli’s gaze and look up at the ceiling. My heart pounds as I fight to hold onto the courage that had brought me here.

Terry wipes my arm with something wet. “Here we go.”

Eyes closed, I bite down hard on my lower lip, as the buzzing fills my ears. The first touch of the needle makes me yelp, but I force myself to lie still. It feels like a bunch of bees are stinging their way over my skin.

Fingers entwine with mine. “Do you think it hurts?”

“Not as much as I thought it would.” I keep my eyes shut, squeeze Eli’s fingers and dig my nails into his skin as hard as I can. I’m grateful for the grounding contact, but at the same time, I hate that he’s the one here giving it to me.

He likes to see you hurting. I remind myself.

“Let me guess. You chose it because it’s pretty?”

I can almost hear his eyes roll.

“It is pretty.” I agree. “But butterflies also feed on the dead.”

“They’re attracted to the sodium,” Terry says.

I smile and nod. “Which makes them macabre as well as beautiful.”

Just like the new me.

The heat and sting become more noticeable over time, but I hold still.

“All done,” Terry announces after what feels like forever.

Eli immediately lets go of my hand.

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