Paige pursed her lips. “Is your other tattoo inside your mouth?”
“How many tongue exams have you done on me?” he retorted. Leaning close, he bent over her again. “But, by all means, do another.”
Demo kissed her, his tongue delving into her mouth as if on an exploratory mission of his own. Paige opened up, allowing him entry. She squirmed under his attention, though his hands never touched her. Fuck, the things he could do with that tongue. She was very much looking forward to putting it to use again…elsewhere.
Both of them pulling back, Paige managed to gasp out. “Nope, didn’t see any tattoos in there.”
Demo laughed. “Do you really want to know?”
She nodded. He picked her up by her hips and placed her back on the massage table. Then Demo knelt between her legs again. Only this time, he turned his back on her. He tilted his head to the right and then bent his earlobe down so she could see the skin behind it.
Paige bent down for a closer look. At a distance, it could have been mistaken for an oddly shaped mole. But upon a deeper inspection, she realized it was a music note with the initialsLBSalong the tie.
“LBS?” she questioned, thinking maybe it was a band she had never heard of before.
“Laurel Bethany Snyder.” Demo released his ear, looking at her over his shoulder. “My mother.”
“Your mother?” She couldn’t recall Demo saying anything about his parents. Honestly, she’d avoided asking him, not wanting him to ask about hers.
“She died when I was five. They say sound is the first memory to go when you lose someone. But I never have to worry about that. My mom was an opera singer. I have thousands of recordings of her singing voice. But it was the times when she would hold me close in my bed and whisper how much she loved me that I never want to forget. I put the tattoo there as a reminder to always listen for her.”
Paige felt her heart clench. She reached for him, her goal comfort rather than lust this time. “I’m so sorry, Demo.”
He kissed her palm. “Took the guys a long time to find that tattoo too. I was nearly stripped naked one night by them because they were convinced I didn’t have a second tattoo.”
Paige laughed despite the sorrow she still felt for him. She had been too young when her birth father had died for her to remember anything about him. “Did they finally find it or your piercing?”
“Yes to the tattoo, no to the piercing.” He smiled broadly up at her. “Wanna hear something hilarious? Your first secret as my ol’ lady.”
Though Paige hadn’t accepted being his ol’ lady yet, she still nodded. Because she loved to see him smile so mischievously as he was.
“Pumpkin has one too. Exactly where mine is.”
She blinked, not understanding the joke. “A Prince Albert?”
“God no!” he said loudly, eyes wide. He chuckled, “I meant the tattoo! But his is a pumpkin. He got drunk one night about four years ago. Angel tattooed a little pumpkin behind his ear. We all waited the next morning for him to say something or notice the pain and take a look…” Demo shook his head. “But he didn’t. As far as we know, he still doesn’t know about it!”
Paige gasped as her own eyes widened. “You tattooed him without permission?”
Demo nodded. “They got the idea from how well mine was hidden. We were drunk, but we were cognizant enough not to put it somewhere that would impede his day-to-day life. Like his forehead.”
Paige shook her head, covering her mouth with her hand. “That is so mean! I don’t know if I should laugh or cry for him.”
Demo shrugged. “Pumpkin had it coming. We’re still not convinced the girl he claims he slept with the night of his patch-in party exists. It’s a constant reminder for him to find her to prove she does.”
“Harper told me about his name. He woke up the morning after cuddling a pumpkin instead of the woman he claims he slept with, right?”
Demo nodded, his lips fighting a smile. “We’re not as wild or careless anymore. Not when a good number of the guys have kids and women around now, but we still like to party and have a good time.” His eyes lowered to her chest. “Speaking of which, I am completely naked while you are entirely clothed. I don’t think that’s fair.” He pulled at the top button of her V-neck button up, taking a peek at her cleavage. “Maybe I need to explore your body for tattoos.”
Paige could have very easily saved him the trouble and told him that she didn’t have any. Instead, she said, “You’re welcome to search. I had a few wild nights in college myself. There might be a tattoo or two that I don’t know about.”
Demo smiled widely. Standing up, he claimed her lips. “I’ll be sure to do avery thoroughsearch.”
“Mmm…” Paige moaned against him. “Be sure to check every inch.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Demo madequick work of Paige’s clothes. The heat hadn’t kicked on fully so he made sure the heat lamp was still facing towards the massage table. He knew she had pillows in one of the cabinet drawers to help patients who needed the extra support. Grabbing out two of those, he placed them over the head of the table where the face hole was.