Page 41 of Reckless Roses
“Augustus?” I call out, turning slowly around the building.
A moment later, he comes around the corner I imagine leads to some kind of back office. His brows are furrowed beneath his glasses, and a smile blooms across his face when he realizes it’s me. August leans against the wall, crossing his arms. My eyes rake up his body, starting at the worn Converse on his feet, his black jeans, the white T-shirt hanging off his slim, tall frame, tight over his toned, tattooed arms.
He’s smirking at me now as he realizes I was checking him out, and I don’t even care becausegoddamn, he’s hot as hell.
“Hi,” he says.
“Hi,” I respond, suddenly out of breath. I inhale deeply, willing confidence as I prepare myself for what I have planned. I’m about to ask for something I’ve honestly wanted for a while, something I’ve always known I’d only trust August to do, but the meaning behind it is completely different now. “I came by because I was hoping I could get a service done.”
He raises a brow. “I can tattoo you at home.”
“Not a tattoo.” I shake my head. “Piercing.” August is licensed in body piercing, too. He’s done my septum and a few on my ears. I know he also did his own nose and ears.
He tilts his head, pushing off the wall. “What do you want pierced?”
I swallow thickly, my stomach knotting in a mix of anticipation, excitement, and a little fear, too. Fear of rejection, mostly. Reaching deep, I find the confidence that only comes alive when I’m in his presence and reach for the zipper atthe center of my chest. Slowly, I drag it down, opening my sweatshirt to reveal nothing but bare skin.
Something between a gasp and a moan leaves August’s mouth as his jaw drops open. His pupils blow wide, chest heaving as he takes in the view of my breasts for the first time.
“Will… Will you pierce my nipples?”
Gaze completely stuck on my chest, he licks his lips several times before he speaks again. His eyes drag up to my face so slowly, it almost seems painful. “I…” He blinks at me, clearing his throat as he shakes his head. “Are… Are you sure?”
I nod.
August drags his bottom lip over his teeth, glancing at my tits again. His eyes fall closed, and he takes a deep breath, as if gathering his composure. It does fucking wonders for my ego. He shakes his head again, gesturing to the chair in the corner of the room. “Go sit down. I’ll uh…I’ll get the supplies.”
He makes no notion to move, still staring with a bright fire blazing in his green eyes. I can’t stop the smile that springs to my cheeks as I close my sweatshirt over my chest, and his gaze snaps up to mine, a faint blush running up his neck.
I walk past him, finding the chair he referenced and lying back on it. The rain outside creates a cascade of water on the windows, and the low lighting and back corner give us plenty of privacy from anyone walking by, but a small thrill races down my spine at the exposure.
August wheels over a metal tray with gloves, gauze, some kind of sanitizing solution, two needles, and two pieces of jewelry: small bars with beads on either end. His hands are shaking as he slips the black gloves on. I let my zip-up fall off my shoulders once more, baring my chest to him.
He sprays the sanitizer on a cotton pad before turning to me, voice tortured as he rasps, “You’re positive about this?”
I nod but reach out to grab his forearm. “I don’t want the first time you touch me like this to be with a cotton pad and gloves between your skin and mine.”
August swallows. “I’m trying to be professional.”
“Professionally, aren’t you supposed to make sure my nipples are stimulated?”
He licks his lips. “I have a clamp.”
“I don’t want a clamp, Augustus. I want your hands.”
“Fuck.” With that, he rips the gloves off, eyes glossing as he leans over me, cupping one hand behind my neck and pulling my head toward him. He forces my gaze to his, doesn’t let me look away, but I jump at the soft flick of sensation across my breast. “Is this what you wanted?”
“Yes,” I breathe, that electric feeling cascading down past my stomach and settling in my core.
“Do you actually want to be pierced, Elena? Or were you looking for an excuse to get me to touch your pretty tits?” His breath skates across my jaw, sending chills down my spine as his palm flattens against my breast, squeezing deliciously.
“Both,” I moan.
He laughs roughly, letting go of me as he steps back, slipping a new pair of gloves on his hands before sanitizing my skin. Knots form in my stomach as he reaches for the needle, pulling it from the sterile pouch before doing the same with the jewelry. My throat is a little dry, and my entire body is tensing in anticipation of the pain.
August unscrews one of the balls on the bar before turning back to me. “Look at me, Elena.” My eyes shoot to his, and he steps over me, taking my nipple between his thumb and forefinger, rolling it back and forth. “It’s just like when I did your nose and your cartilage. No different.”
“I have sensitive nipples,” I breathe.
