Page 8 of Then You Came Along

“Yes, but let’s head back to my station. You can take a look at the finalized stencil, and make sure you don’t want anything changed.”

Cam stands, handing me the takeout bag, and we walk back to my area.

“You can hang your stuff on the hook behind the door, and take a seat in the chair,” I tell her, as I set my food down on my table and pull out her stencil.

“Here’s the final drawing.” I hand it to her, to inspect and approve.

“Oh my!” Cam gasps. “Ethan, it’s perfect!” she exclaims, as she covers her mouth with one hand. I see a tear escape the corner of her eye, and I instantly reach out to wipe it away, but quickly drop my hand from her face.

“I’m glad you love it,” I gruffly tell her. Clearing my throat, I open my to-go box, pulling out the first taco. “Take a seat, and I’ll scarf down this food quick; then we can get started.”

Cam sits, still looking at the drawing. I want to get her mind off the pain I can see splayed across her face.

“So, what brought you to Nashville?”

“Holly, and my job.”

“Have you known Holly for a long time?”

“We met in college. We were on the same dorm floor our freshman year, and had a couple general education classes together. We ended up studying together a lot of the time, and our friendship bloomed from there, until we became best friends. I was really sad when she moved back home to be with her parents, shortly after she got pregnant with Ivy. We kept in touch, though, never allowing the distance to come between us. She was my rock when Ben died, and has begged me to move out here for months. She knew I needed a change to really move on, so when she saw the job listing for my position, she texted me a link right away.

“I took my sweet time applying for it, but finally took that leap and sent in my resume. Within days, I had a phone interview, then one by Skype, and finally, they flew me here to have an ‘in person’ final interview. I walked out of that meeting with a job offer in hand and a calm sense of peace over me. I knew this was what I needed to truly start my life over, without Ben.”

“Sounds like the best kind of friendship to have,” I reply, as I take the last bite of my food. I didn’t realize how starved I was until I opened the box and the smell hit me. I clean up my small mess and stand to wash my hands before pulling out a pair of gloves.

“Let’s get this started. Are you still okay with the placement we talked about before?” I ask.

“Yes, I think I want it on my left side, about here,” she says, lifting her shirt to point to the area.

“That will work perfect. Can you slip your shirt off, so it’s out of the way? I’ll also roll the top of your jeans down just a bit, so I have room to work.”

Cam slips her shirt off over her head, and I do my best not to ogle her too much as I take in her almost naked torso. I’ve seen every body part on countless women—some as they undressbefore we fuck and the others because of my job. But the sight of her smooth skin, and breasts that look like they could fill my hands perfectly, nearly takes my breath away and causes my dick to harden, until it’s pressing against the zipper of my jeans.Fuck, I need to calm down. This girl has me tied up in knots.

I take a few calming breaths, and grab the stencil, holding it up next to her skin. “Does here work?”

“Yes, that’ll be perfect,” she answers, as I press the stencil against her skin to transfer the design. I pull the transfer paper off, revealing the outline of the design on her.

I help position her in my chair, where she will be the most comfortable, yet in the best position for me to tattoo her without much movement needed. Once she’s settled, I get my equipment ready and we get started. I notice her flinch when I first start, but she quickly relaxes while I work.

“Are you from Nashville?” Cam asks, breaking the silence.

“No, I grew up in Michigan. Went to school at U of M, where I played hockey. I was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes after my senior year. I played for them for a season, and then was traded to the Nashville Predators. I played for them for two seasons before I suffered a career-ending injury during the offseason. I loved it here, so I decided to stay. It took me awhile to figure out what I was going to do, now that I can’t play hockey at that level.”

“Wow, that’s quite the story. What position did you play?”

“I was a forward. Do you know anything about hockey?”

“A little. I’ve been to a couple games and seen a few on TV. I don’t understand all the rules, but I’ve at least seen a few games.”

“Impressive. I can teach you anything you want to know about the game,” I tell her, as I finish up the feather, moving on to the wording. “How are you holding up? Still good?”

“Yes, it’s not as painful as I thought it might be. A few places have been more tender than others, but overall, it’s not that bad.”

“Good, let me know if that changes. I should be done shortly.”

“How did you injure yourself?” she asks.

“I broke my back in a skydiving accident. I’ve always been a daredevil, always seeking out the most adventurous things I could find to do, and I finally found one that got the better of me.”

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