Page 112 of Somehow You Knew

“I told you, I’m not interested.”

Axel darts his eyes over to me. “Well, that’s a shame.”

I keep my gaze on my husband, trying to fight my disappointment, but do a piss-poor job of it. “Yeah, it is.”

Finally, Gage’s eyes lift to mine. “Hazel…”

Axel clasps a hand on my shoulder. “Say, while you’re here, I wanted to book a photo shoot for our fortieth wedding anniversary.”

“Oh my gosh, yes! Let’s do it.” Grateful for the distraction, I take my phone out of my back pocket. “Suzie will love that.”

“Such a good husband,” Shyanne interjects from the table. “Gage, you should be taking notes.”

My husband grunts, but he looks over at me and winks again. That tiny gesture helps ease some of the anxiety building in my chest. Because when Axel brought up Gage taking over CC Ink, for a second, I thought maybe—just maybe—there was one less thing standing between me and Gage choosing each other for real.

But Gage’s response shut that down real fast.

“I’ll be sure to take more notes once I’m done with this shading,” Gage mutters as he continues to fill in the Harry Potter piece on Shyanne’s back. The detail of Hogwarts castle and the characters surrounding it is astounding.

God, the man is so talented—and not just with a tattoo gun. Watching him hunched over and deep in concentration reminds me of all the other talents he possesses, and suddenly, I wish we were alone so he could spread me out on that table.

Axel and I settle on a date for his photo shoot just as Gage finishes up the final touches.

Before Shyanne jumps off the table, Gage hands her a towel. “You can cover up with this.”

She looks at me over her shoulder. “Such a gentleman.” When she sees the final product in the mirror, she gasps. “Fuck, Gage. It’s perfect.”

“It turned out good,” he says, walking over to her, checking out his work in the light. “You didn’t bleed too much either—should heal fast.”

Axel nods beside me. “You fucking nailed it, Gage.”

Gage cracks a smile, but I can tell the praise makes him uncomfortable. “Thanks.”

“You sure I can’t persuade you to be the next boss of this place? You could mentor so many new artists.”

This time when Gage’s eyes meet mine, the corner of his mouth lifts. “Maybe it’s something we can talk about after the wedding this weekend.”

Oh my God. Does that mean…

Axel’s eyes light up. “Sounds good. I’ll take you out for a proper business dinner.”

“Appreciate it, Axel.” Gage walks over to me, lifting my chin as he leans down and presses a kiss to my lips.

Shyanne grabs her shirt and bra from the chair in the corner. I watch Gage apply the appropriate cover and lecture Shyanne about the aftercare, to which she rolls her eyes. “This isn’t my first time, Gage. I’m not a tattoo virgin.”

He laughs and finishes bandaging her. “I’ll meet you out front for payment, Shyanne.”

“That tattoo turned out beautifully, Gage,” I say, watching him as he makes his way toward me.

“Thank you. Does that mean you’ll let me draw on you for real one day?”

I reach up and smooth his hair away from his face. “I’m thinking about it.”

“I’ll take it.”

“Will you really consider Axel’s offer?” I ask timidly, almost afraid of his answer.

“I think I might.” My heart rate climbs. He leans down and presses his lips to mine once more. “But let’s save that talk for next week, okay? The only thing I want to focus on this weekend is Parker and Cashlynn’s wedding.”

---