Page 86 of Alpha Chase

Should’ve gone with a kitten.

I waggle my eyebrows teasingly. “It’s a fluffy pink one, and you’re gonna love it.”

Benji peels back the transfer paper and switches on the tattoo gun, the buzz of the needle sending a shiver of excitement racing up my spine. I love the ritual of getting tattoos- my first one started out unpleasant, but as I got used to the needle, I realized how much I liked the feeling. After that, the more ink I added to the canvas of my body, the more I craved the bite of the needle on my skin.

“You ready?” Benji asks as he starts to lower the needle, his gaze flickering up to Chase’s face.

Chase nods, his teeth sinking into his lower lip as his eyes collide with mine. They blaze gold when the needle first hits his skin, but he doesn’t even flinch. Instead, he blows out a slow breath and smiles, his eyes going half-lidded. I should’ve known from the way he fucks that this guy would be a pain junkie like me, riding that line until it tilts to pleasure.

I distract him with conversation as Benji gets to work, my heart thumping at a chaotic rhythm in anticipation for the final reveal. For a second, I wonder if I went too far with this tattoo design- but there’s no going back now. My excitement bleeds into anxiety as the needle continues to buzz, Benji lifting it back and forth between Chase’s skin and the ink pot.

Fuck.

He’s gonna be pissed.

“You still mad about the party?” Chase asks, his large hand planted firmly on my thigh, fingers flexing.

I sigh, covering his hand with my own. “That depends. Are you still pissed that I won’t accept the car?”

His lips turn down in a frown. “I just don’t get why you won’t let me do something for you.”

“It’s not that,” I say quickly with a shake of my head. “It’s…” I pause, worrying my lower lip between my teeth as I choose my words carefully. “I just don’t want to be indebted to anyone. It’s important to me to do things on my own, make my own way in the world. And I know you meant well with the car, but I feel like if I accept it…” I sigh, lowering my voice to barely more than a whisper. “It’s like admitting that I need help. Like I’m weak or something and I can’t take care of myself.”

Chase chokes on a laugh, shaking his head. “You, weak?” He rolls his eyes as if that’s the most ridiculous thing he’s ever heard. “You might just be the strongest person I know. You’re the only one who ever stepped up to me and called me on my bullshit, and you don’t take shit from anyone. You’re the furthest thing from weak, Vee.”

My heart lurches in my chest.

“And what if Iwantto take care of you?” Chase asks earnestly, releasing my thigh and flipping his hand over to grab mine. “Would that be such a bad thing?”

I blow out a breath. “I think… maybe I need to learn how to accept that without feeling like it’s charity. I’ve been on my own for a long time, so my mindset isn’t going to change overnight.” I squeeze his hand, offering him a smile. “But like… baby steps. Not a whole ass car.”

“All done!” Benji calls, switching off the tattoo gun and wiping the inside of Chase’s forearm off with a cloth.

Oh shit. The tattoo!

Dread curls in my gut as I drag my feet off of Chase, setting them down on the floor and rising to stand so I can peer over him at the fresh ink on his skin. It looks fucking awesome, but Chase is gonna be pissed.Fuck.He was just being so sweet and…damnit, what have I done?

“I’m gonna go clean up,” Benji grumbles, lurching to his feet and scooping up the tattoo gun and ink pots, heading toward the back of the shop. I don’t blame him for wanting to clear out before Chase sees what he’s done- my heart is slamming against my ribs, my breathing erratic as the anticipation builds.

“Can I look?” Chase asks, his eyes still intently focused on me. His self-restraint throughout this whole tattoo session has been impressive, but I can’t hold him off forever. I draw a deep breath and nod wordlessly, holding it in as I wait for the other shoe to drop.

Chase sits up, holding his arm out in front of him and dropping his eyes to it to scope out his new ink. I hear him suck in a breath as he takes in the green fairy permanently etched onto his skin, and then his head jerks up, his gaze crashing with mine.

“Get over here,” he growls, reaching for me.

I yelp and try to jump away, but he snags me by the fabric of his hoodie, hauling me onto his lap and hooking an arm around my waist to pin me in place. I flail, kicking out my legs, and… wait a second… is helaughing?

His chest rumbles beneath me and he hooks his chin over my shoulder, nipping my earlobe. “I fucking love it,” he murmurs, dropping his lips to my neck and kissing my skin.

My eyes fly wide in surprise. “What?” I whip my head around to face him, blinking in disbelief at the bright smile on his face.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I?” he chuckles. “Fucking Tinkerbell with devil horns? It’s you.”

I relax into Chase’s arms, finally releasing that breath on a giggle. “The devil horns were my last minute addition,” I admit, looking down at the tattoo and gently running a finger over the raised skin.

“Hold up…” He raises a hand, turning my face toward his, studying me with narrowed eyes. “You were trying to play a trick on me, weren’t you little devil?”

I shrug, smiling sweetly and feigning innocence. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

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