This Regret
Page 92

Gripping the steering wheel in both hands, he leans his head back into the seat and starts repeatedly slamming his fist into the horn. It's scary seeing him this way, but also hot in some weird, twisted way. After a minute, he finally stops and reaches over, linking his fingers with mine. "We're going to the shop. I think it's time you get that tattoo. I need this right now." He looks over at me. "Can you handle that?" His eyes plead with mine and there's no way I can ever say no to this man. I will forever surrender to his every command. Just as I thought when I first laid eyes on him at the shop. My body knew right there and then what my heart wanted. Him and every part of him.
Nodding, I smile small and squeeze his hand. He squeezes back and starts the engine. I guess I better get prepared.
* * *
Once at the shop, Kellan sends Tyler packing again and I wonder why. I start to wonder if maybe he can only manage to tattoo me in private. Is this hard for him? Hurting me.
I've been sitting at his station for the last twenty minutes and he still seems to be having a hard time getting everything prepared. His hands are shaking and he looks nervous. "Are you okay?" He asks the question without looking at me.
I smile and reach for his bouncing knee. It reminds me of the first day I came here and I couldn't seem to stop my leg from bouncing. It seems like so long ago now. "Are you okay?" I quip back.
He scoots his chair in front of me and reaches for my face, pressing his lips roughly against mine. He pulls away, but keeps our foreheads touching as his eyes meet mine. "I'm only fine if you're fine." His face hardens. "I don't want to hurt you."
His worry for me makes me want to kiss him forever and never stop. God, I love this man. "I'll be fine. It's nothing I won't recover from." The tattoo that is. A broken heart caused by him will be a different story for later. "Just do it. I'm tougher than you think, Kellan."
His eyes study mine for a moment before he nods, kisses my cheek and prepares to mark me for life.
Ninety percent into the tattoo and my skin feels on fire. The pain is so intense, I can hardly keep from screaming as the needle scrapes against my skin, etching the colors in its tracks. The only thing keeping me calm the whole time is watching his face as he puts his full concentration into his work. He looks so at peace doing this. A lot more calm than he did when he first showed up at the bar. He keeps stopping once in a while to kiss me and every time he does, my nerves subside just a little bit more. This man is perfect to me.
"I wish Adric was here to see how beautiful you make this peacock look."
An unstoppable smile spreads across my face as I squeeze his knee. "You mean how beautiful the peacock makes me look," I correct. "I'm sure he would be so proud of you for doing such an amazing job. This place is beautiful. Everything about it."
Finishing up the last spot, Kellan sets the gun down and grabs my chin, turning me to look at him. "Not as beautiful as you are. He would be more proud to see the woman you've turned into. Nothing was more important to him than you. Trust me, he told me on many occasions. You were his pride and joy. The only thing he asked of me was to protect you at all cost. He knew you were going to be a beautiful peacock." He smirks, nudging me.
He always did have a way with lightening the mood. That really turns me on and right now I need a distraction from this pain on my rib cage. Not to mention, he looks delicious in that snug white tee and ripped jeans. I want them off. And that damn belt he wears.
I laugh and run my fingers up his unfinished angel tattoo. "Why must you be so funny?" I pull him into my lap, rubbing my hands up the firmness of his chest. He smirks and sucks in his bottom lip, clearly turned on. "And so damn hot?" I kiss his neck, teasingly, hoping he will just take me right here in this chair. I want him so bad, my sex aches.
His hands grip around my waist as he straddles my legs. His brown hair falls over his face, hiding his lascivious eyes and my heart goes wild. "You don't know what you're asking for right now?" He runs his tongue over my bottom lip, tasting me. "You taste f**king amazing. If you keep doing this, I'm going to f**k you right here baby and I don't want to."
My heart sinks. "Why not?"
When he speaks, my heart soars. "Because I don't want to make you feel dirty. I want to make you feel beautiful. You're not just any other girl."
Running my lips up his arm, I remind him of our rooftop experience. He didn't seem to mind then. "What about when we had sex on the roof? What's so different about right here?"
He lets out an exasperated breath and tangles his fingers through his hair. "That was before I'd fallen too far."
His words send my body into shock. Am I hearing things? "But . . ." I stop myself not wanting to question him in case I heard wrong. "Take me home then," I breathe.
"To your home or mine?"
I look up and sigh, "To your home."
It's quiet for a second before Kellan whispers, "My home can be your home."
Now my heart is really going crazy. Maybe it's just me. "What do you mean?"
He places his finger to my lip, hushing me before grabbing my hand to help me up. The look on his face is as if he's just said something he didn't expect. If it was unexpected to him just imagine how I feel. "Let's take a look at this beauty and see what you think." He walks me over to the mirror on the back wall between his and Tyler's stations. He holds my arm up and looks down at the tattoo with a look of pride. "Wow! It's stunning. Adric was the most talented person I knew."
Pulling my eyes away from his, I look into the mirror and tears spring to my eyes. It's the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen in my life. The colors really make it pop and Kellan is unbelievably talented with the tattoo gun. I glance up at him teary-eyed. "You are the most talented person I know. This is better than I could have ever dreamed of." I place my hand to my mouth and sob. I don't mean to, but I can't help it. Seeing Adric's work on me, done by his best friend and the man I know without a doubt I love, sends my emotions into overdrive. I'm a wreck.
A tear slides down Kellan's cheek and he does nothing to hide it. He just wraps his arms around me and pulls me as close as he possibly can. We both stay like this for as long as we can. This moment is special to the both of us.