Page 28 of Hidden Memories

“Well, that would be tonight.”

Her eyes are daring, full of the kind of excitement one feels when they’re walking on the wild side. It’s cute. “I’m free tonight if you can book a slot.”

Something about this—about her first tattoo, about doing it together—is bigger than any other time I’ve gotten ink.

I thrust my hand out. “Deal.”

She slides her palm into mine, her grip firm, her skin warm.

“I guess this will be a monumental occasion for both of us,” she murmurs.

I take my hand back but still feel her on my skin. She’s already under it.

“Positively unforgettable.”

It’s the longest Kat and I have ever spent together. She finished the drawing not long before the sunset. I gave her the address to the tattoo parlor in Janesville, then I went off on my way down the hill to get Hector home to my land and out to pasture. She went down her side of the hill to tuck up Ares in what I guessed was a fancy stable.

For weeks now, I’ve thought about asking Kat out. I didn’t expect it to happen quite like this. I stand outside Desert Bloom Ink with my hands in my pockets. I haven’t felt this nervous for a girl since my first kiss. I got here more than half an hour ago, and Johnny is inside working on the tracing for my tattoo. I called ahead, and thankfully, Sylvie was available to come in for Kat.

I check my cell for the time. Now I’ve been here forty minutes. Maybe Kat has had second thoughts? About me? Or the tattoo?

I take off my hat and run my fingers through my hair. I’m not sure she’s coming…

But then, headlights cut through the dimming evening, and a sleek Audi R8 pulls up. My breath tightens at the sight of her—rushing toward me, her dark hair catching theneon glow of the shop sign. She’s wearing more makeup than usual, a soft flush on her cheeks, and a bold swipe of lipstick that makes my mouth ache to ruin it. Fresh-faced Kat is stunning. This version of her? Deadly.

She jumps up the curb next to me. “Sorry. I wanted to freshen up.”

“No need to apologize when I’m the one who benefits.”

She smiles bashfully and I place my hand on her back to usher her toward the door.

Inside, the air hums with the low buzz of a tattoo gun. The scent of antiseptic, ink, and something metallic lingers. Kat flips through a book of Sylvie’s designs, her fingers hesitating, trembling slightly as she skims through them. I’m patient. Observing. Drawn in by the idea of what an actual artist and a woman like Kat might choose.

She finally lands on a butterfly. Whimsical. Graceful. Just like her.

She heads behind a curtain to remove her top. Something about that sends a pulse of heat through me.

I lie back on the chair, my shirt off, Johnny inspecting the stencil on my chest. The buzz of the machine kicks on.

Then, the curtain swishes. Kat steps out.

Her shirt is clutched to her chest, but her smooth, feminine shoulders are bare and golden under the warm lighting. The fabric of her shirt falls just below her belly button, exposing a sliver of velvet skin. Her jeans cling to her round hips like they were tailor-made.

Her gaze locks on to me. And there it is—that spark of pleasure in her eyes at the sight of me laid out like this. My cock twitches with a primitive, selfish kind of pride.

She likes what she sees.

Johnny starts. The familiar sting of the needle grounds me, but I still don’t look away. Sylvie settles Kat into thechair beside me and lays on the tiny stencil of Kat’s butterfly just under her breast on her ribcage.

She’s topless. I’m topless.

Goddamn, Kat has perfect skin.

Sylvie’s machine whirs to life. “You ready?”

Kat nods, but the moment the needle presses into her ribs, she sucks in a sharp breath through her teeth.

Sylvie chuckles. “Told you ribs aren’t a beginner’s spot.”

---