Istretched against his chest and didn’t mind the feeling.
“I always liked these.” I traced the delicate lines on his arms all the way up to the thick ones spanning over his collarbone.
Dom reached to run a hand down my back, sweeping back and forth up my spine. The motion made me arch further into him, our bodies molding together.
“You do?”
I hummed in assent, bringing my mouth down to give his ink a kiss to show him how much.
He shivered, still so sensitive.
“I’ve always wondered why you don’t have tattoos or more piercings,” said Dom. “In my head, I thought of you with them. They …”
“Went with the aesthetic you made of me? Moody witch girl who shops at the same places she did as a depressed high schooler?” I wasn’t sure if I should be pleased or highly insulted.
He smiled against the crown of my head. “A little bit.”
“Please, I dress much nicer.” Of course, the proof now was all over the floor.
“I won’t deny that. Still, why not if you like them so much?”
I shrugged. “Honestly?”
“If we are actually trying that out these days.”
Resting my chin on his chest, I took a moment to find a tiny bit of courage before meeting his eyes. “I’m afraid of needles.”
“Really?”
I pressed my lips together. I tried not to smile as hard as I already was when I nodded. “Yeah. I was—Iama big wimp. I once made an appointment to get my nose pierced years ago. I thought it would look cool. Maybe it would’ve.”
“What happened?”
“The girl I went with got her belly button pierced first and …” I mimicked what had happened with my hand spread wide open, flat as a board, before colliding with his shoulder.
His eyes widened. A laugh burst out from low in his stomach. “You’re kidding.”
“I’m really not.”
“You passed out?”
“I was much less surprised than the piercer, let me tell you,” I confessed.
“Happen often?” I could tell he was just barely keeping in his humor at the entire story filled with my own pain.
“Only whenever I used to get my flu shots. They had a sticker on my file. They called me a fainting risk. I had to sit down afterward with the kids who they made sure didn’t have an allergic reaction.”
Dom roared with another renewed laugh, deep and full. It sounded nice. Better than nice, even as it vibrated under me, against my skin. I tucked myself back down into his center and breathed in.
“Maybe in some alternate universe of ours, I have all the piercings and ink you’re thinking of.”
“Yeah.” His laughter slowed. “Maybe.”
I nodded, taking in the new quiet.
“Do you think, in that alternate universe, we would still be right here? In Barnett?”
Falling in love.
