Page 7 of Ink

She didn't know me yet, so I suppressed the laugh and smiled instead.

“C’mon,dolcezza,” I murmured, putting my hand at the small of her back and guiding her toward my booth. When we reached it, I gestured for her to sit in the chair and popped down onto my stool and rolled next to her.

“Tell me about the tattoo,” I requested, staring boldly into her clear, blue orbs.

Her voice was soft as she explained about her parents and what she’d chosen to have inked on her skin in remembrance. It was clear that she missed them and had loved and been loved in return. Her idea was beautiful, and I couldn't wait to start sketching her design.

When she finished, I gave her a soft smile and held out my left arm, showing her the underside and pointed to a spot near the crease of my elbow. There was a dripping paint palette and brush. If you looked close enough, the bristles formed an outline of a father holding the hand on his young son as they walked away. “Had that done for my dad when I was fifteen.”

Annika stared at the art for a moment, then raised her eyes up to meet mine. They sparkled with unshed tears, and she placed her hand on my wrist, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’m sorry, Ink.”

“Me too,dolcezza,” I replied. Then I cocked my head to the side and heat filled my gaze, bringing a pretty blush to her cheeks. “Matteo. Call me Matteo, baby.”

“Okay,” she whispered, a pretty smile lighting up her beautiful face. When she released my wrist, it felt like a bolt of electricity arced between us, sizzling over my skin and shooting straight to my dick.

My pants were suddenly way too fucking tight, so I inhaled deeply and swiveled my stool just slightly to hide my reaction. I reached for a pad and pencil, ready to get started, but her phone rang.

“Oops. Sorry,” she apologized, pink rushing to her cheeks. The corners of her lips dropped into a confused frown when she checked the caller ID. “It’s my school. I’m so sorry, but I just want to make sure everything is okay.”

“Whatever you need,dolcezza,” I told her with a nonchalant wave. “Gonna get shit ready.”

She smiled and hit the accept button before raising the phone to her ear. “Hello? Yes, I’m Annika Lee.”

The other person started talking, but I couldn’t hear their side of the conversation. I took the opportunity to study my girl a little more, but I didn’t get much of a chance before she gasped and went rigid. “What do you mean it bounced?”

They said something, and she shook her head. “That’s impossible. Did you call the bank to verify the check?”

She listened again, all color draining from her face. “I’ll…um…I’ll get back to you. Um, how long do I have before you won’t hold my classes?” Her eyes closed, and her head drooped forward. “Okay. Thank you,” she whispered, her voice steeped in despair and confusion.

When she hung up, she sat in silence for a minute, her eyes glued to her phone.

“What’s going on, Annika?”

Her head lifted and swiveled so that our gazes collided. “I…um…I paid my tuition for college in the fall, and…it didn’t go through. I don’t–I don’t understand. The money is there. I don’t know what’s happening.”

“Relax,dolcezza,” I murmured. “I can help. We’ll figure this out.”

3

ANNIKA

Matteo was sexier than any man deserved to be. Even after the shock I’d gotten during that phone call, I was having a hard time ignoring my attraction to him. Which I had a feeling most women would understand because of how hot he was.

He was tall with lean muscles and a butt that looked great in his jeans. His short hair was inky black and matched the chinstrap beard on his brutally masculine face. His bright-blue eyes had an intensity that made me want to squirm…but in a good way.

With the black tattoos on both of his arms and the leather vest that announced to the world that he was a member of the Hounds of Hellfire, there was no denying Matteo had a dangerous vibe. But he was a tattoo artist, not a lawyer or banker.

His offer was kind, but it didn’t make any more sense than what I’d just been told by the person from my college’s business office.

“How can you help? This has to be a glitch at the bank. There was no reason for my check to have bounced.”

I didn’t like talking about how much my parents had left me when they died. I would’ve gladly given it all back to just have a little more time with them, but they had ensured that I had more than enough to do anything I wanted with my life. If I wanted to skip college and tour the world, I could travel until I was old and gray…and there would still be money left for my retirement. Between my dad’s investments, my childhood home, and their rather large life insurance policies, I had more money than I knew what to do with.

“Do you use your bank’s app?”

“Yeah, but that’s not going to help solve this problem because my trust doesn’t show up there. Only my personal account, and the check for my tuition wasn’t written on it,” I explained, my brows drawing together. “It’s never been an issue before because my uncle just transferred over whatever I needed.”

Matteo crossed his arms over his chest, drawing my attention to the full tattoo sleeves on both of them. “Your uncle?”

---