Page 20 of Brand
This woman.
This woman was doing things to me that I wasn’t ready to give into.
This woman was going to ruin me. Only I wasn’t sure how.
“Times up,” I said as I moved closer to her.
“Ah! Okay,” she said with a tiny jump as I peered over her shoulder.
“It’s good. Remember when you do tattoos, the detail is going to be in your head. So, these here,” I said as I pointed to a few shaded lines, “aren’t really necessary. If you have time, then yes, you can add them. But think about it more as an outline. A page in a coloring book. They, the client, are going to trust in you to put the rest in there. Plus, you don’t want too much for when you transfer it to skin. You understand?”
“Yeah, makes sense,” she mumbled while her head did a slow nod.
Then she was staring at her drawing while her teeth moved to sink into the side of her lip. A move that only made my eyes snap to those plump, red lips.
I needed to get away. So, my only solution right then was to keep her busy. For the rest of the day, I gave her drawing after drawing to do, giving her a set amount of time for each one. She caught on quickly and I noticed how her lines changed. Instead of shading, she was marking the shaded spots with thinner lines than the outline. I was impressed and honestly, couldn’t wait to see her work. She still had a lot to learn and a long ways to go, but I’d get her there. I knew that much.
After I closed up the shop, I shot Chris a text and headed to the beach. I needed to clear my head and I knew I couldn’t do that in a clubhouse full of noise. I parked my bike in his driveway and sometimes I almost couldn’t believe that this house was his. There still wasn’t much on the inside, considering that he’d just moved in a few weeks ago right after closing on the place. The sellers were ready to be rid of the house and had already cleared their stuff out. They paid extra to expedite the sale, which Chris didn’t complain about at all. It wasn’t as big as some of the other beach-front homes around, but it was perfect for him.
I let myself in through the side gate and walked the bare path to the beach. He was already out there with a case of beer and blanket spread out on the dry sand. A simple text and he got me. I didn’t even need to tell him anything.
He handed me an opened beer as I flopped down beside him. I grabbed it and we sat there in comfortable silence for a long time.
“The girl?” he asked not looking at me.
I studied him in the dim light of the half moon.
“You look at her the same way…”
He didn’t need to finish that statement. I wasn’t sure I was ready to talk about it. I hadn’t admitted it to myself, so there wasn’t even the thought of admitting it out loud. But it seemed like I didn’t even need to. He got me. He knew me.
Reagan.
But I felt like I couldn’t even compare the two. Cami didn’t feel the same as Reagan, if that even made any sense. Reagan had a piece of me much like Chris did. I had no other way to explain it other than we were kindred souls or some shit. But Cami…there was something about her that was more.
Fuck.
Now I wasreallythinking about it when I’d tried so hard not to. I had all these questions in the back of my mind and now I was having to actually answer some of them.
My head hung down and I pinched the bridge of my nose with my fingers.
“I like Cami,” he continued on when I didn’t say anything. “She’s funny and laid back. Although, she acts a little weird around you. Can’t quite figure that out.”
“Yeah,” I breathed out. “I’ve noticed that too.”
“It bothers you?”
“Yep. It shouldn’t. She’s just there to learn the ways and help keep the shop running, it’s not like I need her to be my best friend. Hell, I don’t even really need her to like me. As long as she listens and gets things done, nothing else matters.”
“But it bugs you. Then fix it. Talk to her.” His shoulders lifted in a quick shrug. He could tell I wasn’t there yet. I wasn’t quite sure how to talk about it or what to say, so he was giving me an out. But maybe I wasn’t sure I wanted to take it.
“I just can’t figure her out.” Yes, that had to be it. That had pretty much been it from day one. “Like, why is she there. Why did she pickmyshop of all the shops? And the big one, why does it seem to mean so much to her? At first, I thought it was just her way to piss her parents off. Rich girl bored. But she works hard. She watches everything when she’s in that room with me. And I can see her mind working to take it all in and process everyting. She listens and asks questions. To be honest here, she kinda blows my mind. Maybe I was a little judgmental at first, but I take it all back now.”
“Do you really think that’s it, that you want to know why she wants to be a tattooist?” He pinned me with a hard, questioning look. One that made me pause and think.
“I saw her in her bra and panties,” I whispered, moving my gaze to the gently rolling ocean as it lapped against the shore. “Some girl puked all over her. I felt so fucking bad. She took it in stride and it amazed the shit out of me. I went to bring her a clean shirt and I walked into the bathroom…she wasn’t wearing much. I wanted her. I did. And I feel shitty about it.”
“Why? You’re human. She was nearly naked. I imagine she looks pretty hot without clothes on. So what’s the big deal?”
