Page 38 of Stone
He started the music and went back to her thigh. The longer he tattooed, the more the pain became a background feeling to her thoughts.
Stone had said he’d had some clients cry while they were tattooed and others went to sleep, depending on how their bodies absorbed and translated the pain. He had a rhythm—he’d tattoo, then wipe an area. He was doing the outlining today, and then once he was done with all of that on both thighs, he’d start the shading and coloring. It was going to take a lot of time, but it was something she wanted. Even though the girls had known Jared had hurt her, Naomi didn’t want to see the reminders every time she turned her back toward the mirror.
Stone had texted her earlier this week, asking her if she’d thought about what she wanted to do. In the fall, the girls would be in school all day. What she liked about him asking was that he would be happy with any answer she gave. He wanted her to be happy and was trying to discover what would do that so he could smooth the way.
In a perfect world, she’d oversee a library. She loved books and had the background, though she’d never been able to put what she’d learned into practice. If she couldn’t work in a library, maybe she should see if Broken Hearts Brewing needed help with the bookstore part. She wasn’t really interested in the food side of it.
“Doing okay?” Stone checked, pausing the tattooing.
“Yes,” she assured him.
“Do you need to go to the bathroom or get a drink? We’ve been at it for four hours,” Stone noted.
Naomi turned her head and propped herself on her arms.
“No way. Are you teasing me?” she challenged.
Stone shook his head. “No. I think you may be the perfect tattoo client. You zoned out, and a couple times with your deep breaths, I couldn’t tell if you were asleep or just really relaxed.”
“Oh, I could use a drink,” she realized.
Stone stood up, took his gloves off, and opened the door to get it for her. She turned her head, trying to see what he’d done, but she wasn’t very successful. He brought her a soda back, opening the bottle for her. He helped her up so she could stand and drink. She hadn’t realized how thirsty she was until Stone brought it up. She finished the drink quickly.
“Do you want another?” Stone offered, his hand brushing her cheek.
“No, I’m good. Did you get everything done you wanted or is there still more?” she asked.
“Another forty minutes and I think we’ll be at a good stopping point,” Stone replied, his eyes tracing her face.
“Okay.” She crawled back onto the tattoo table, exaggerating her movements to highlight her butt and underwear.
“Seriously?” Stone huffed.
She giggled and lay face down.
“Just an FYI, it’s taking everything in me to keep reminding myself that this is a place of business and inappropriate touching or ripping off your underwear is strictly prohibited,” Stone growled.
“Noted. Is that only during open hours?” she purred.
“Naomi, you are killing me here,” Stone muttered.
She didn’t say anything. She loved that Stone was safe to tease. Maybe someday if she didn’t have ten thousand things for the girls and Stone didn’t have appointments, he could do more than kiss her.
She was ready to take that step.
Chapter Twenty-One
Naomi was sure Stone had explained it, but she must not have been listening. It had been two weeks since she’d gotten the line work on her tattoo. When she talked to Stone about coming back in, he explained that her skin needed to heal, so he wanted to wait a minimum of four weeks—possibly six—depending on her body recovered.
If she had to wait that long, it would be July before she could get the next part. It wasn’t as red and puffy, but it had started peeling.
On the other hand, she’d been dying for Stone to take them to the next level. The heavy petting and kisses but nothing more had her aching and wanting to invest in a vibrator. She’d never used one before because Jared would have hit the roof if he found it.
Because her tattoos were on the back of her thighs, Stone had said he wanted to make sure she was healing. But she was done waiting.
Her fortieth birthday—well, she and her womb mates’ fortieth birthday—was in two weeks on July 1st, and she knew exactly what she wanted for her birthday: Stone, inside her and making her his. Sure, he’d claimed her, but she wanted it all. She was prepared to do what was needed to make sure she got her birthday wish.
She’d waited forty years for spectacular sex, though with Stone, she was freaking positive that it would be making love. They might not get alone time very often, but every day, anytime he saw her, he showed her in the little touches, his looks that heated her to her core, and his words telling her how much she meant to him.
