Page 23 of Unravelling The Beast

"The ones I could reach."

My eyes wander over him, taking a long look at the artistry on his skin now that he is closer, and I carefully examine each one of them. There are many different things, but the majority are portraits of beautiful women. I'm almost certain one of them is Cree's mom, but I'm not going to ask.

"I mean, they're incredible; you're an amazing artist. You should take this up professionally."

He inhales a deep breath before responding while returning to the ink.

"It's just a hobby, and that's all it will ever be."

We fall into silence for the rest of the time, and it seems that he is finally finished when he switches off the pen and wipes the large area over. I'm still not sure what he did, but it felt big, which worries me.

"There's a mirror just there."

He gestures with his head in the direction of the other side of the room and I don't waste any time as I sit up quickly before scooting my ass to the bottom of his bed, both excited and anxious about what I'm about to see.

When I get close enough to the mirror, I turn to my side and raise my arm above my head. As soon as I see it, my eyes widen and my jaw drops.

It's so simple but beautiful. It's a curving, shaded line that wraps around my side and underboob, with pendants of detailed gems and feathers hanging from it in varying lengths on my rib.

"Oh my God!"

He appears in the mirror behind me, removing his black gloves.

"You don't like it?"

I turn to face him, my eyes still wide and my arm now covering my breasts.

"Are you kidding me? I absolutely love it!"

Excitement strikes me and I release both of my breasts before leaping onto him, wrapping my arms around his neck.

As I'm tiptoeing, I place a kiss on his cheek and speak quietly against his skin.

"Thank you, it's beautiful."

As soon as I feel his entire body tense beneath my touch, I realize what the fuck I've done and I lower myself with my head down, gliding my hands down his toned chest. I take a small step back to create some distance while placing my arm across my tits again.

When I peer up at him through my lashes, I find him staring down at me, expressionless, but I can feel the tension pouring out of him. His jaw muscles are tense, and I'm almost certain he's battling within himself to either kill me or fuck the shit out of me.

When he finally takes his focus away from me and turns around, I let out a tense breath, my body unwinding. What the fuck is wrong with me? He is my boss and he's a walking red flag!

I notice him walking towards me, holding some clear film in his hand but this time he avoids eye contact with me and as soon as he is close enough, he crouches down before taping it over my tattoo.

As soon as he is finished, he stands upright and gives me one more cold look before walking away, entering another door in his room, and slamming it shut behind him.

I squeeze my eyes tight, feeling embarrassed and possibly rejected. When I have collected myself, I stroll over to my crop top on the floor, grab it, along with my wine and beats, and make my way out of his bedroom.

It’s the morning and I check myself in the mirror while adjusting my black, tight suit and tie, ready to wreak havoc for another day.

I place my heavy silver knife cross necklace around my neck, which symbolizes exactly who the fuck I am, before tucking it beneath my shirt.

I move on to slide all of my silver rings over my tattooed fingers and when I notice my wedding band glistening against the black glass, I carefully pick it up and place it in the center of my palm. I clench my hand tightly around it before slamming it down onto the desk as I release it.

I turn around and dash out of my bedroom and down the long corridor, peeking at Wren's bedroom door as I pass it, wondering if she's awake yet before jogging down the stairs.

I'm just about to walk toward the front door and leave when I hear her humming in the kitchen. I come to a sudden halt before taking a few steps backwards to see what she's up to, and once she's in my sights, I watch her.

I keep an eye on her, noticing she's making coffee with her back to me, and she's wearing those skimpy little white fucking shorts again that show off her juicy ass cheeks.

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