Every Soul (22 page)

“Come on, we don’t wanna be late,” I respond.

She smirks at me and walks by, sliding on her flip-flops.

“So where are we going?” she asks, buckling her seat belt.

“Dinner.”

“No shit. Where?”

“I can’t tell you that. What I can tell you is there is more to the night than just the meal.”

She contemplates my words, thinking really hard about them. I love watching her wheels spin. She looks absolutely adorable when she’s deep in thought.

Checking my phone, I look at the directions one more time and pull onto the freeway. God, I hope she doesn’t freak out and likes what I have in store for tonight. She has talked about it before, so it’s not like what I have planned will be totally out of left field. If she doesn’t want to do it, then she doesn’t have to. But I sure as hell am. Fuck, I can’t wait.

Glancing at Arion, she looks relaxed. “Does Virginia have a basketball team?” she asks.

I shake my head. “No, unfortunately they don’t. You like it here?”

“Yeah. It’s relaxing, maybe it’s more the water than anything.”

“You wanna live on the water?”

“I would love to.”

“Then we’ll live on the water,” I confirm.

“Bain, come on, you know that might not happen. What if you got picked by Denver or somewhere without the ocean?”

“Then we could live on a lake. Fuck, A, I’d buy you a lake.”

“You really are something else.”

“And so are you. So what’s your choice? Wendy’s or Taco Bell?”

She stares up at the two restaurants as they sit opposite each other in the parking lot. “Are you serious right now?”

“As serious as I’ve ever been. Come on, I told you I don’t want to be late.”

“To what, dinner?”

“No, what’s after dinner.”

“Fine. Wendy’s. But whatever you have up your sleeve, it better be good.”

“It will be, trust me.”

I go through the drive through and order our food. She just stares at me. I’m not sure if she’s pissed that we went through the drive through or if it’s the fact that we are at Wendy’s in general.

“We could’ve gone to Taco Bell if you’d prefer,” I say with a mouthful of food. I haven’t been eating like this lately and it tastes absolutely fucking delicious.

“I told you I’m fine. Stop worrying.”

“Okay.”

Once we finish our food, we make the short trip across the street, to where our appointment is. When I put the car in park, her jaw drops.

“Why are we here?” she asks.

“’Cause we have an appointment. Let’s go!”

Staring into the window of the crowded tattoo shop, I suddenly become uneasy. I know I told Bain that I wanted a tattoo, but I didn’t think he would actually make it happen.

“Come on, babe, this guy is world renowned for his work. He used to work in Jersey and he’s done a ton of mine, you’re gonna love him, I promise.”

“I don’t know, Bain, I haven’t even had the time to really think about it.”

“It’s okay. If you’re not feeling it, you don’t have to. I’m going to get Kinsey’s portrait tattooed on my chest, so you’ll have lots of time to think about yours.”

He gives me a reassuring squeeze on the knee and we hop out of his car. The shop is in a strip mall. It all looks brand new and is very modern with all kinds of cool art all over. There are patrons inside and out, and the moment we walk in, Bain is recognized. “What up, man?” the guy behind the counter greets Bain, coming around to give him a hand shake.

“Not much, how’s the new shop?” Bain asks.

“It’s great, we’re really busy.”

Then another guy comes from the back. “I was just setting up for you guys. It’s great to see you, bro.”

“You too,” Bain responds, shaking his hand. “Tommy, this is my…this is Arion.”

He corrects himself and doesn’t call me his girlfriend. I’m a tiny bit hurt by this. Then again, I have been the one who’s been shut down and reserved when it comes to feelings. Plus I was very clear in the beginning, no feelings whatsoever. I told him we could try and see where things led, but that was it. There wasn’t any more that I gave him to work with so I can understand what he’s trying to do.

“It’s great to meet you, Arion. Bain said this is your first tattoo?”

“Yeah, it is, so please forgive me if I’m a little nervous.”

“It’s all good. You can watch how Bain takes it. Come on back.”

We head back to where Tommy has everything set up and he holds up a sketch. I can tell right way that the picture is of Kinsey.

“I love it,” Bain exclaims.

“Good, now you know the drill.”

Bain smirks at him, lifting his white t-shirt above his head. Once he has it off, he passes it to me and I set it in my lap, taking my seat next to Bain. I watch as Tommy shaves what little hair is on his chest, then the two guys talk about where to place the stencil.

Watching all this take place makes me think…do I really want to get a tattoo? And if I do, should it be something for Nate? I’m not sure how Bain would feel about that. Then again, he did bring me here after we talked about getting something together for each of us losing those closest to us.

Once the stencil is set, Bain checks it in the mirror, then lays back and looks at me as Tommy starts the first line of what I’m sure will be many.

“You okay?” he asks me.

“Yeah.”

“What are you going to get?”

I shrug my shoulders unsure. The buzz of the tattoo gun is quieter than I expected. I watch Tommy do his work, keeping a steady line and think about what in the world I want to get.

“You’re going to get something for Nate, right?” Bain asks.

I think about his question wondering how in the world he can be so cool with me getting a tattoo representing another guy. Granted, I know it’s because I lost Nate, a lot like he lost his sister, and we’ve connected over that. It’s a bond that has made us strong and that’s brought us together.

“I really don’t know, Bain. I’m torn.”

“What are your thoughts?” he asks as if Tommy isn’t carving a needle into his chest. He’s so calm and relaxed. It’s almost like he likes the pain. I shake my head unable to give him a solid answer. “When you said you wanted to get a tattoo, what were you thinking?”

“I was thinking ‘Nate’ in cursive, but not now.”

“Why?” he asks dead serious.

I look him straight in the eyes. “Because of you.”

“That’s why I brought you here. Get what your heart feels. If it’s his name then get it.”

I hear what he is saying, but I don’t believe him. I don’t believe that he would want to kiss every inch of my body including the part that said ‘Nate.’ Jesus, I finally have the opportunity to get a tattoo, but I can’t decide.

“There are some books on the counter. If you wanna look through them, you can,” Tommy offers.

“I want something different.”

“I get that,” Bain says. “What about a quote?”

The moment he says the word, I know what to get. “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.”

“Albert Einstein?” Bain confirms.

I nod my head and he winks at me. “I love it, babe. Can I add it below mine too?”

“Sure.”

I sit back feeling content, knowing what and where my tattoo will go. I’ve always envisioned one on my ribs, so that’s an easy choice.

“Are you nervous?” Bain asks me.

“Not at all. More excited than anything.”

“Let me wash it for you, baby.”

I shake my head, still not sure how I made it through the hour tattoo. It was the worst pain I’ve ever endured. I can’t even imagine touching my skin right now as it is finally not screaming at me. “Don’t act like this. You have to wash it, so it’s either you or me.”

I scowl at Bain as he sits next to me. He’s shirtless with the bandage still covering his chest. His tattoo of Kinsey is gorgeous. Tommy does amazing work; no wonder Bain has had him do so much of his.

Finally, he stands up and stares down at me with irritation in his eyes. “Either get up, or I’ll pick you up and I’m sure it will hurt.”

I know he’s not joking so I stand on my own and take his hand as he extends it to me. Without speaking a word, he walks us to the bathroom and starts the shower. “Arms up,” he orders coming over to me.

I listen, standing with my eyes fixated on his beautiful face. Reaching down, he gently grasps the hem of my shirt and kisses me before lifting it over my head. His lips still give me a stomach full of butterflies.

Next he moves to my pants and I let him take care of me. Taking control of us and the situation the way he has so many times. As I stand naked before him, he kneels in front of me. Steam from the shower begins to fill the room, warming my body, causing me to shiver. Placing a large warm hand on my abdomen, he grabs the corner of the tape that holds the bandage to my skin. “Ready?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“God, you’re beautiful,” he says slowly peeling the tape off. I watch his tattooed hand, slow and steady. His patience and care makes any ounce of pain, vanish. Finally, he drops the ink-blood-stained bandage and stands, checking the water before shooing me in. I’m hesitant to get in without him, but he doesn’t waste a second shredding off the rest of clothes and then tearing his bandage off, as well. He showed much more care and patience with me than himself. “Are you okay?” he asks, grabbing a bottle of soap off of the counter then sliding in next to me.

“I am. Thank you, Bain. Thank you for everything.”

“Of course. Why don’t you wash mine so you can see what it feels like. You don’t need to use a lot of pressure, okay?”

I smirk at him and give my hand to him. He pumps a squirt of soap in it and says, “Wash your hands first.”

I listen and then reach out for more soap. He gives it to me and I rub a lather together before pressing it against his hard chest. He doesn’t look at what I’m doing, he only watches my eyes. I make small circular motions over the beautiful portrait of Kinsey. When the tattoo was finished and Bain’s chest was compared to the actual picture, they were identical.

“That’s enough,” he says and turns into the water, the soap rinsing away leaving a masterpiece. Below it is our matching quote, which I absolutely love. Holding out the soap, he squirts some on his fingers and goes to touch my tattoo. I freeze waiting for his fingers to make contact with my skin. “Are you okay if I do this?”

I nod my head and he holds my hip with one hand and takes the other, leaving gentle strokes, soothing my angry skin. “This looks so fucking hot on you.”

I can’t help the smile that covers my face. “Rinse now,” he commands.

I rinse and turn the water off. Both of us are so hot for one another that you could cut the tension in the air with a knife. I know what I want. I want Bain and his cock to do what he does best and I want it now. Watching him move the white towel over his body almost makes me tear it away. I get bits and pieces of Mr. Sexy Man as he dries himself. Sex. Sin. Cock. Tattoos. Then just when I can’t take anymore, he drops it.

“Don’t look at me like that,” I warn. His eyes are hooded and his stance shows he’s about to take me at any moment. “Better run, then.”

I lick my bottom lip and bolt out of the bathroom, stark naked. The cool breeze on my skin chills me, not to mention how it makes the skin of my tattoo tingle. Bain is right behind me, his presence this close is not something that can go unnoticed. I don’t make it far, weaving in and out of this elegant home, before he catches me by one of my wrists.

I spin in his hold and he turns me back towards him.

“Gotcha, beautiful.”

I laugh and give in to him, the same way I always do.

“Maybe I wanted you to.”

“We’ll have to see about that,” he says scooping me up in his arms and taking me into the bedroom. He uses extra caution, holding me to make sure that his hand doesn’t touch my tattoo nor does he move in a way that will irritate it. Gently, he lays me on the bed and says, “Stay there.” I listen, sitting up and watching him walk back into the bathroom. He comes out with a bottle of Aquaphor and squirts a dab on his finger then straddles my legs with his and begins to very gently apply a thin coat.

“You gotta keep it moist, but don’t suffocate it, okay?”

“I think you better keep it moist,” I respond reaching down and grabbing his cock. Holding it tightly in my grip, he shakes his head and puts some ointment on his tattoo. Then as he wipes his hands, his hips begin to move in my hold, pushing in and out. “You want me to cum on you?”