Page 60 of Set It Right
“They’re happy.” I rapped my knuckles on the desk. “Are you going to hang out up here or come back with me?”
“Maybe I’ll wander down the street and come back. How long do you think you’ll be?”
I rubbed my bicep. “An hour, tops. We’re just doing shading and a touch-up.”
“Okay. I’ll be up here when you’re done.”
“Don’t steal anything,” I teased.
She gasped. “I would never.”
“Mmmhmm. All right.”
She shooed me toward the hallway. “Go get stabbed.”
I followed Jett to his station in the back, leaving her standing at the flash wall. A couple years ago, Deke had brought me here for my second tattoo, which had been a hell of a lot bigger than my first. Jett had made it so easy, and his company was so enjoyable I got hooked. So far, he’d done my backpiece and the tattoo on my arm.
Jett snapped on fresh gloves and nodded toward the chair. I peeled off my T-shirt and draped it over the back, then settled in and flexed my arm.
Jett leaned in, studying it. “You’ve been in the sun.”
“It’s the summer. I keep it covered, but you know…”
“Do better.”
“I’ll try.”
He cleaned the area, the cold swipe of antiseptic sharp against my skin. A second later, the machine buzzed to life, that steady, unmistakable vibration settling me.
As he started in, he glanced up at me. “So…”
I exhaled through my nose. “So…”
“Zara.”
“Jett.”
He smirked. “You’ve never brought anyone other than Deke to an appointment. What’s the occasion?”
“No occasion. She wanted to come along, so I brought her.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Zara’s a childhood friend,” I clarified. “She’s visiting.”
“And nothing’s going on.”
“Nothing’s going on,” I confirmed.
The needle bit into my skin, a familiar sting that barely registered beyond surface level. I’d always liked the sensation. Most of the time even found it easy to sink into.
Jett wasn’t letting me sink. “She’s gorgeous.”
I stared at the far wall. “I know.”
“She call you Maccie when you were kids?”
“Yeah.”
