Page 35 of Watch Me

In that way, what I was developing for Ricky was better. He clearly liked me right back. At least physically. He was an unrepentant flirt, though. And not even thirty, yet. He didn’t want to be tied down to an old man like me.

Sure, Rowen found out and had mostly been supportive. He and Cam told me to go for it with Ricky. That didn’t mean Ricky wanted more than sex.

Ask,my wolf insisted, but I didn’t want to interrupt the moment we were having.

Opening my eyes, I focused on the intent look of concentration on Ricky’s face. He was hot when he was grinning, and even more when he was coming apart in my arms, but I thought his serious face might be a new favorite.

He alternated between biting his lower lip and sticking his tongue out. I wanted to suck on it and make him moan, but I was enjoying the view. I’d never had a tattoo before, but I couldn’t help feeling like this one was more intimate than most. His touch was careful, reverent. Every stroke of the needle was done with purpose and I marveled at his skill even without looking at his work so far.

Everyone saw Ricky as the fighter. The one you called when someone needed to be punched in the face or kicked out of the bar. But he was an artist. I wanted to help him grow, maybe get that license he joked about not having. Ricky deserved the world.

More than that, I could sense how much Ricky cared about me through his touch. He didn’t act like this was only physical, and that was what scared me.

Time got away from me while he was working, the pain releasing happy chemicals throughout my body until I was feeling sleepy, so I was surprised when Ricky stopped.

“Done.”

Glancing down, I could see the wolf in stark block ink with some pink around the edges. Stretching from just above my nipple to my clavicle was the outline of a wolf staring straight ahead. The edges weren’t done in extreme stark lines, with some fading out as if the wolf was coming from within me.

Ricky grabbed a small bottle from the open kit and squirted foamy soap over the art, obscuring it for a minute before he wiped it down using a paper towel. Next he added petroleum jelly to make it shiny before removing his gloves and packing the supplies away and giving me aftercare instructions.

“You should use only fragrance-free soap and no taking baths for a week. I’ll leave you healing ointment to put on a few times a day. Mainly just keep it clean and don’t shift and it should be fine,” he told me as he zipped the kit closed. “I can come back in with white ink to make itstand out, and do the eyes in green, if you want the pop of color.”

He was staring at the art instead of my face and I could tell he was nervous about my reaction. I didn’t want Ricky to ever feel nervous about how I’d react. I wasn’t his father and he should trust me to be a soft place to land.

“I think I’d like that,” I whispered and he finally met my gaze. “It’s gorgeous, Ricky. I love it.”

Letting out a ragged breath, Ricky’s lip quirked up, “Really?”

“Really. You’re an amazing artist,” I assured him honestly. He’d taken an idea and drawn it by hand before etching something beautiful on my body in a matter of a couple hours at most. Leaning forward, I hovered over his lips and added, “Thank you.”

Ricky moved the last inch and pressed his lips into mine. We kissed lazily, taking slower than we had before, and I had the crazy urge to tell him to stay. To let me thank him properly with my mouth on his body. But I needed time to think.

“I think we should get some sleep in our own beds tonight,” I started, and a flash of annoyance mixed with fear crossed Ricky’s face. I put my hand over his mouth to stop the protest I knew was coming. “I’m not pushing you away. I promise. We can meet up for lunch or dinner tomorrow to talk. Whichever works for you. How does that sound?”

“I’m off tomorrow,” Ricky answered after a pause. I was glad he didn’t argue, since he was so much more impulsive than me. “Lunch?”

“Sure,” I agreed, almost calling him baby instead of brat as a term of endearment. “I’ll text instead of calling, since that’s your preferred method of communication.”

“Whatever, old man.” Ricky rolled his eyes and I repressed a laugh. The age difference that used to creep me out was now endearing. “Tomorrow?”

Nodding, I pulled him in for another kiss, and he was careful not to touch my tattoo was the kiss lingered. “Goodnight, Ricky.”

“Night, Fin.”

He packed the tattoo kit into his saddle bag and moved to the door before giving me one last smile. When the door closed behind him, my wolf snarled in disapproval. He didn’t want Ricky leaving our sight.

Claim!

Yeah, I got it. Ricky wasn’t a casual fling. Tomorrow. I’d show him how I felt tomorrow. First, I had a couple calls to make.

Chapter twenty-three

Ricky

Beingaskedtoleaveright after finishing Fin’s tattoo wasn’t ideal, but he seemed earnest about talking. Having plans to meet up meant I only slept half-shitty instead of not at all. I was eager to find out what he wanted to say, but also annoyed to be sleeping alone. A few times in Fin’s arms and I was hooked.

Who was I kidding? My wolf and I had been obsessed with him for half my life. I watched him from afar when I thought I never stood a chance, and didn’t stop after that first hookup.