21.

Brody looked up to catch the sight of her walking through the shop's front door. He smiled, because how could he not? She caught his eye and motioned that she'd leave, but he shook his head and motioned her over. Puhleeze, as if he'd give up any opportunity to be with her.

Anyway, he'd been working on a half sleeve for the last three hours and he was near the end of it. More than that, the woman he was working on needed a break too. His client nodded enthusiastically when he suggested finishing for the day and having her return one last time.

Elise walked to him, straight to him, her gaze locked with his. He felt such a deep sense of belonging when he saw her. Instead of freaking or feeling suffocated, it rested him, soothed that spot inside that he hadn't known he needed to fill until she came into his life.

"I can come by another time. I figured you'd be busy but I was over at the cafe and wanted to stop in and say h.e.l.lo." She looked smart and confident with her hair up and wearing a pair of trousers and a wine-colored blouse. "I don't want to interrupt."

"Why don't you take a look at where we are?" he said to his client. She got up and stretched before heading to the mirror to check out the work he'd done. "You're not interrupting at all." d.a.m.n, she was fine to look at.

"I want you to give me a tattoo," she said without preamble. "Hang on a sec. Sit right here and don't go anywhere." He gently helped her into his chair. "Be right back." He went to his client to speak to her about when to come in again so he could finish the last detail work. He knew he wore a smile, but he couldn't help it. Elise asking for him to mark her touched him, made him happy.

He returned, kissing her for good measure. "Stay in the chair. I'll sit here." He hopped up onto the table. "Of course I'll ink you. I'd be p.i.s.sed if you went to anyone else." He wanted to mark that pretty skin himself. "But before we go there, what brings you here? Just the tat request?"

"I met with the lawyer. But I don't want to talk about that here and now. I wanted to stop by and thank Erin for some brownies she made for a bake sale at Rennie's school, and since I was next door, I thought I'd stop in and see you."

Man, he was a lovesick fool. She came to him to tell him about the meeting, to share with him. He liked that a lot. "You better have. I'd be really jealous if you played with my sister but not me." He grinned. "That sounds dirty." One of her eyebrows rose, and he only barely resisted the urge to lean toward her and kiss it. Christ, she wrecked him sometimes. "We can talk details about the meeting later on when we're alone. For now, back to the tattoo. Do you know what you want? Where you want it?"

"I want to start small. To see if it's something I can commit to first. I'd like to get a larger one, but not on my back because I want to look at it. This one would be a test."

"Nothing wrong with that. So you want a starter tattoo?" He laughed. "Okay, that's actually not a bad idea."

"I want something small here." She turned her wrist over. "It's going to sound really silly, but I want a bee, a b.u.mblebee."

He kissed her wrist where she wanted the tattoo. "Rennie." He smiled up at her and he saw her face change, her eyes soften and well up with unshed tears. Guilt hit him; he'd wanted to comfort her, not upset her.

"I . . . It leaves me speechless when you get me the way you do. When you get Rennie. It's . . . Well, it means a lot. She's my most special thing, that you see it . . ." She shook her head, blinking away tears. "Thank you."

The knot of concern he'd had at her upset loosened, turned into more feeling for her. More love. "It leaves me speechless to get you that way too. But I'm glad I do and I think a b.u.mblebee is perfect. You want it now?"

"I don't want to interrupt. I know you're like the big in-demand tattoo dude, so I don't a.s.sume I can just flounce in and demand you do it right now. You must be tired. I saw that tattoo you were doing on the lady here when I arrived. How long were you working on it?"

"You didn't flounce, although if you wanted to, that would be aces, since your b.o.o.bs would jiggle and you know I like that." He said it low so only the two of them could hear, and she blushed, wearing a sweet smile with a hint of naughty. "You can be at the top of my client list, so be quiet about that. I can always squeeze you in at my house or after hours too. But that's not an issue right now. Lastly, the half sleeve I was working on earlier? That was three hours. It's going to be spectacular when it's finished."

"It's spectacular now and you know it. But spending three hours hunched over has to be tiring. I can do it another time when you're not tired."

He couldn't help the flush of pride that she'd liked his work. That she'd come to him for her first tattoo, trusted him to do it right. "Shorty, just looking at you energizes me. It really won't take me very long. Why don't you go and have something to eat at the cafe and I'll come over with a few designs. It shouldn't take but a few minutes. Do you need to run to get to Rennie? Or to get back to your students?"

"My students have a week off and Rennie is going to a playdate with my parents and Nina. They're going to paint pottery after school."

"It's good she has them here. I'm glad you have them here too. I'm also glad I have you to myself for a while. Now, head next door and I'll be over in a few."

He watched her leave; the graceful way she moved shot to all his best parts.

Next door at the cafe Erin owned and ran, Elise slid into a seat at the short coffee bar and ordered a decaf mocha. Erin slid a plate with a gorgeous blond brownie her way.

"Bless you. And curse you too. I've eaten so many of these I had to give Rennie a twenty to cover it for the bake sale." Elise took a bite and watched Erin make the drink. "I'm getting Brody to tattoo me," she blurted.

Erin's brows rose and her mouth curved into a sly grin. "Really now? Like today?"

"Yes. I just had this idea for a tattoo. But it was too big to be my first one. I'm a total wuss. I needed a training-level tattoo. So I thought about Rennie and what she's like and I decided I'd like a little bee. Right here on my wrist." She held it out for Erin to see.

"That's a fabulous idea! Oh, it's perfect for her, she's such a little bee. Brody's work is like beyond wow. What do you want the other tat to be? The non-training-wheels tattoo?"

"A swan. From Swan Lake Swan Lake? On my hip or just above it. Then again, if I get pregnant again or stretch too much, will it look yucky?"

Erin hitched up her shirt. "I've been pregnant once before and you can see here, on my sides there, the tattoo from my back trails up my sides and over my hips, and it still looks good. I just made sure to keep it hydrated with lotion and out of direct sunlight. Anyway, you're an athlete, Elise, you'll be fine if, or when, you and Brody have a baby together. I'm sure I'll stretch now, although I'm not in my early twenties like I was with Adele. And just in case you haven't noticed, Ben and Todd are huge. This baby is probably going to be gargantuan."

Sharp longing sliced through Elise. "Me and Brody having babies?" She knew her voice sounded funny. "I know he's not interested in a wife and kids and stuff. I mean in the future. Or if I just break down and do it myself. Maybe I'll borrow one of your dudes since you have so many."

Erin tipped her head back, laughing. Despite the grape-KoolAid-colored hair and the piercings and tats, Erin's beauty still remained very feminine.

"Elise, shut up. Brody loves you. Haven't you noticed it yet? Duh. And, just a clue here, you love him too. After this mess with the custody is over with, you both can stop pretending and get moving with the rest of your life, which includes marriage and babies."

She blinked at Erin several times, afraid to speak, afraid to believe her.

"Hey dude." Erin waved, and Brody came in, sitting next to Elise and spreading out a few pieces of paper with designs of bees on them.

"Coffee me up, sister," he said to Erin and then turned to Elise.

She saw the one she wanted right off and pointed. "This one. It's perfect." The bee was fat and fuzzy and Elise could imagine the throaty little buzz it would make. He'd done little broken lines behind it to indicate movement. Just a bit, a little loop-de-loop. It was Rennie.

He grinned and kissed her, hard and fast, leaving her struggling to breathe.

"That's the first one I did. My favorite too. Mmm, chocolate and brownie."

"Here. I added a bit of orange zest to yours." Erin slid a cup to him and he took a sip, sighing happily.

At first glance, she'd thought he was the dark and broody bad boy type. But underneath it, he was actually a man who was able to find joy in most things, be it riding his motorcycle on a sunny day or a little orange zest in his mocha. He wasn't a Pollyanna, but his basic personality setting seemed to be intense yet pretty happy.

"You ready?" He took her hand and kissed her wrist, sending shivers through her.

"As I'll ever be." She hopped off the chair and tossed some money on the counter and raised a brow right back at Erin, who pushed the money back toward her. "No. We've had this discussion before."

She'd been taken into the heart of the Brown family, and heavens...o...b..tsy did it feel good. Safe. Protected. Still, she was totally going to pay for the coffee.

Brody laughed. "Erin, take the money. We're going to ink this pretty girl right now. I'll see you later."

He put an arm around her and steered her toward his shop. He bustled her to the back and had her sit before squirting stuff on her wrist and then transferring his drawing to just where he wanted it.

"You're very bossy. In some men, no, in most men, it would be annoying. Frankly, even in you it can be annoying. But I love to see you with your siblings. They love and respect you so much, you're all so close. It's good."

He looked up, grinning.

"You look like a pirate." Her voice had gone thick as his nearness and his beauty affected her.

"I do? And me without my parrot or eye patch."

She rolled her eyes. "It's the loot-and-pillage smile that worries me. Or, okay, I'm lying; not worried as much as curious."

"I'm totally going to loot and plunder." His eyes had gone hooded, dark.

"Only if you promise to pillage too."

He laughed. "You have my solemn promise. Now try to be still." He put her arm across his thigh. "Just relax. Think about being ravished and stuff."

The sound startled her when he turned the needle machine on, but she relaxed quickly, watching as he dipped it in the ink and then went back to her wrist. Pain, but not a ma.s.sive amount, vibrated through her as he worked.

The light gleamed off the darkness of his hair. Hair she wanted to touch just then, but resisted because it was his place of work and all. After a few minutes she sort of fell into it, the buzzing, the metallic edge of pain as he worked and the needle hit her skin, the sounds around them, the scents-it all hummed through her and she realized just why people did this. It felt good, like a ritual.

It didn't take him very long. He wiped her wrist off and sat back. "What do you think?"

It was perfect. Just the right size. Nothing flashy or gaudy. A little mark of importance for Rennie.

"Oh." She looked at it, loving it. He'd only used black with a tiny bit of gray so the bee's stripes weren't yellow and black, but black with thin gray bands like those bees who happily buzzed away in her garden. "It's perfect. I love that you didn't use yellow. I hadn't even thought of it but . . . I love it. Thank you."

"I'm glad. We're on for dinner tonight, yes?"

She nodded. "I'm stopping by the deli on the way home because I don't want to cook."

He put some sort of goop on the tattoo, a thin layer of gel, and taped a bandage over it. "First things first. Leave the bandage on for two hours. When you take it off, wash it with a mild soap and dry it. Pat it dry, don't rub at it. Then put this on it." He handed her a tube. "That's made specifically for tattoo aftercare. This should heal up pretty quickly. Take care of it. Keep it out of direct sunlight for long periods of time. I know how much you like long baths, but if you take one, keep the wrist out of it. Don't pick at the scab or the skin either. I'm going to give you a paper that'll detail what you need to do and I'll be there to make sure you're fine."

"Ew. I promise not to pick scabs. Like, ever." She curled her lip. "Holy c.r.a.p, I had no idea it was this involved."

He shook his head. "It's all common sense stuff. I'll be your personal tattoo doctor."

"I like the sound of that." She lasered her eyes on him. "Now, you're going to charge me for this tattoo. The regular price. Oh, okay if you wanted to give me a discount because we get naked, I won't say no. But no freebies."

"It's my shop and I'll charge if I want, what I want. That was the most fun I've had doing a tattoo in a really long time. It was my pleasure to give you your first and I'm thrilled that you like it so much. I eat at your house at least four nights a week. You never charge me for groceries."

"No, but you leave groceries in my pantry. Don't think I don't notice. And don't think I miss the twenty that shows up on the counter or tucked in my purse. I don't charge for dinner, but that's not even applicable here and you know it."

She put a hand on her hip and met his narrowed eyes with her own. He snorted. "I'm not charging you. Period."

"Fine," she said lightly. "I'll just have someone else do the other tattoo I want."

He caught up to her in two steps. He grabbed his jacket and told Arvin he was gone for the day.

"You're not leaving early just for me. This is your business!"

"You would argue that the sky was blue." His arm about her shoulders steered her outside as people called their good-byes.

"Are you saying I'm stubborn? For no reason other than I'm just refusing to expect free tattoos from you?"

"I'm saying you're argumentative. And no one else is going to tattoo you. I'm the best and you deserve the best. Now, tell me the tattoo you were thinking of."

She shoved money in his hand and he groaned.

"Now I feel much better. There will be no one at my house for another hour and a half," she called out over her shoulder as she walked to her car and got inside.

He grinned as he knocked on her front door. Grinned even harder as he heard her look out the viewer before her locks all started to disengage. Absolutely infuriating, but fascinating. Strong. Gorgeous. Smart and steadfast. He'd simply buy her groceries now. He was just as stubborn as she was.

"That grin doesn't bode well for me, I think." She opened the door, standing there in absolutely nothing. Sometimes she surprised him in all the best ways.

"No need to worry." He went inside and locked up behind himself, setting the alarm and following her to her bedroom. He sucked in a breath when he caught sight of her, settled on the bed. "All my thoughts of you, especially right now, are pretty f.u.c.king positive."

"Bring it." One of her eyebrows arched in challenge, but he barely registered it because, h.e.l.lo, naked.

He tossed himself on the bed, careful not to crush her. "Wow, I thought bad things were supposed to happen when you left work early to be with your girlfriend. I may have to leave early every day now."

Her hands paused a moment as she removed his shirt, but he'd said it deliberately. They'd moved to a new stage in their relationship and he wanted to say it out loud. Aside from a tiny bit of panic, he felt fine. Better than fine in fact.

He feasted on her mouth. She opened to him, her hands roaming all over his body, nails scoring his sides where they drove him to shivers of delight, his lower back as she urged him closer.

Not wanting to hurt her with his zipper against any soft parts, he pulled back and set to removing his jeans while her eyes remained locked on him as he moved.

"Hair down. Please."

She sat up enough to pull her hair free of the pins, and the room filled with the scent of her shampoo when her hair fell around her shoulders.

"You know, I do believe aside from you playing with your c.l.i.t and making yourself come while I'm inside you, you haven't m.a.s.t.u.r.b.a.t.ed for my entertainment at all."

She laughed. "Brody, you know I adore you, but when I finger my c.l.i.t"-she blushed when she said it, but she said it-"it's for my entertainment. I'm glad it works for you too, though."

"G.o.d how I love it when you blush that way."

She fell back to the pillows, her hands over her face while she shook with laughter.

Since she was busy, he brought her ankle to his mouth, pressing an openmouthed kiss in the hollow just behind it. Her laughter melted into a soft groan.

"Touch yourself." He kissed the other ankle and moved to kneel between her legs.

"Okay."

He knew without her telling him that he was the only person she'd done this for, and it meant something. Made a difference. She got inside him and settled there until he couldn't remember a time without her. Couldn't remember a moment in his life when he didn't think, I've got to tell Elise about this, I've got to tell Elise about this, when something happened during his day. when something happened during his day.

Erin had told him, when they were in Las Vegas for her wedding to Todd, that love often came as a total surprise. And she was right. There wasn't a moment Brody could think back on and identify as the time when like tipped into love. But he was there and it rocked him down to his foundations, and yet loving Elise was the most comforting and natural thing he'd ever felt.

Elise's eyes drifted closed as her hands slid down her torso. His body kept her legs open, and from his vantage point, the glistening, dark pink folds of her p.u.s.s.y beckoned to him, to his hands and mouth, to his c.o.c.k. How beautiful she was there, laid out before him, offering him everything.

He watched as her hips undulated while she grasped her nipples and pulled. Whoa Whoa. That was f.u.c.king hot. He wanted to talk to her, tell her how hot she looked, but he didn't want to break in yet, wanted to let the moment be hers alone for a little while longer.

His fingers curled into her calves where he'd been holding her, and she moaned. His mouth watered to taste the velvety skin where thigh met body, wanted to slide across the wet of her c.u.n.t, up her belly, over her nipples and to her lips.

Magic. Elise Sorenson was magic. Rare. The most beautiful and elegant thing he'd ever possessed, had ever wanted. When he was a kid, his mother had some fragile porcelain figurine his father had given her when they were teenagers. Brody had never touched it, fearing he'd break it or harm it, but he'd watched it. Stood and looked at it, so regal and perfect. The lines so perfect no matter how the sun hit it, even on their totally normal suburban mantel.