Chapter 1
“Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
A sensual shiver raced down Mina’s spine as Eric settled his hands on her side and metal hummed as the needle bit into her skin. It started as a dull burn and increased in intensity as the force of the tattoo gun sent vibrations through her ribs, hammering against them more times than she could feel, let alone count. Eventually he paused to wipe excess ink away with a clean towel.
“I don’t know how you can stand it,” Karen said, her auburn ponytail swinging around her jaw as she shook her head, pressing her fingertips to her temples. “Doesn’t it hurt?”
Mina wore her dark brown hair loose around her shoulders. She closed her dark eyes as the pain intensified and gave a ghost of a nod. The gesture was the best she could do considering that she was lying on her side, which put her cheek flush against the vinyl headrest of the tattoo chair. “Yes.”
“I think I’d pass out if it was me,” Karen said.
Eric started again, keeping the towel at an arm’s length as he applied the gun to Mina’s ribs.
“Actually, I think I might pass out anyway.” Karen leaned against the wall, tilting her head back and closing her eyes.
Mina clenched her jaw as Eric hit a particularly painful spot. The tiny needle felt more like a chisel pounding away at her rib. “It’s not that bad.”
Karen opened her green eyes and narrowed them as she watched Eric labor over Mina’s side, carefully filling out the outline he’d inked into her skin days ago. “I’m not convinced.”
Mina was about to take back what she’d said when Eric stopped, mopping her side with the towel again. “Do you need to take a break?” he asked.
“I’m all right,” Mina replied. The large, ornate tattoo would never get finished if she took a break every five minutes. “I think Karen might need some fresh air, though.”
Karen shook her head. “I’ll be fine as long as you don’t come near me with that thing.” She eyed the tattoo gun Eric held as if it were a venomous snake that might strike out at her.
“Deal,” he said. “Though I can’t promise the same for Mina.”
Mina’s heart fluttered, and not just because the whir of the skin-piercing needle had started up again. The sound of her name escaping Eric’s lips captured her attention, distracting her from the pain of being tattooed – for a moment, anyway. She stole a glance at him, peering under her arm, which he’d instructed her to hold stretched over her head in order to keep her skin taut.
He was so hot. She hadn’t known that when she’d chosen him to do her tattoo. She’d browsed online for hours before finally selecting him because of the impressive work displayed in his online showcase. The website had included a picture of him, but he’d been bent over a client’s bicep, half his face hidden beneath a crop of short black hair that had just a hint of a wave to it. She’d forgotten her own name for half a moment when he’d introduced himself to her in the tattoo shop days ago, meeting her surprised stare with a pair of gorgeous sky-blue eyes. She’d been back almost every day since, and each time she went home sorer but happier. Her tattoo would be finished within the next few days.
Karen seemed to have recovered from her bout of squeamishness and was craning her neck, studying the partially finished design. “I have to admit, it’s going to look nice when it’s finished.”
“Thanks.”
“You should let me take some photos when it’s done.”
Mina nodded her consent. Karen was determined to eventually ditch her waitressing job and devote herself full-time to her photography, which she practiced constantly. Mina had been roped into posing for her dozens of times already. What was one more time, especially when she knew Karen wouldn’t take no for an answer?
“Maybe you could shoot me an e-mail with a photo or two,” Eric said. “I have a feeling this is going to be one of the best pieces I’ve ever done and it’d be nice to have some good images for my portfolio.” He stopped tattooing and pressed the towel to Mina’s side. “That is, if you don’t mind.”
Mina was just about to reply when Karen spoke, her ponytail whirling like a helicopter blade as she nodded. “I’d be glad to send you the images. Make sure to give me your e-mail address before you leave.”
“Take a card. They’re right there.” He motioned toward a small stack of business cards that rested on the half-wall that divided the booth from the rest of the shop.