Page 40 of Blame it on the Kiss
He grinned and leaned over the center console. “I may be clean cut on the outside, but make no mistake.” He moved even closer, close enough to see her pulse jump at the base of her neck. “I like to get very, very dirty when nobody’s looking.”
“That’s unfortunate,” she whispered, angling her head so her lips were at his ear. “I bet you’re fun to watch.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “I’ll prove it to you later.”
“You think so?” She undid her seatbelt and reached for the door handle.
Bryce caught her arm. “”I’m not thinking at all.”
Her lashes swept down and lifted only halfway, her focus somewhere on the dashboard. “Noted.” She climbed out of the car. He came around the hood and picked up her hand. Her clammy palm almost slipped right through his. “You can do this,” he said.
“As much as I want to believe I’d do it on my own, I’m not sure I would. I’m kind of mad at Payton right now.”
“Ever think…” He cut himself off. He may be trying to rationalize the list to himself, but Honor didn’t need to be dragged into the hit his ego had taken. He was already laying himself a little too bare, trusting Honor when his track record with women said that was a stupid move.
“Think?”
Payton wanted to pushyouout of your comfort zone?That maybe the list was as much about Honor as it was about her friend. “Nothing. Let’s do this. How about you go first? That way you don’t have to worry about it for too long.”
“Can you just strap me to the chair and do it?”
“Ican definitely do that, but not anyone else.” He nudged her earlobe with his nose and breathed her in. She smelled all sorts of good.
The corner of her mouth lifted. “Maybe if you talk dirty to me, I won’t think about the needle digging into my skin.”
“Sweetheart, I’ll do whatever you need.”
“You would, wouldn’t you?” She squeezed his hand a little tighter. The tiny gesture of thanks was one more reason he couldn’t stay away from her.
“Every time.” He’d stepped this deep into the waters and apparently he didn’t know when to stop. Or if he could. He hated the thought of any other man taking care of her needs. Stupid, since the main purpose here was to help her follow through with her promise to Payton, not bond over getting inked. If anything, she seemed determined to keep an emotional distance from him, too. Just as Payton had done when she dumped him without a word.
Honor let go of his hand and pushed open the door to the tattoo parlor. “This time works.”
“This time?”
“I helped you get a gift for your mom. You’re helping me cross something off Payton’s list. After this I say we’re even and there’s no reason to keep seeing each other.”
Bryce flinched. At least Honor gave him some warning.
Chapter Seven
Honor’s entire body trembled. And it had almost nothing to do with the needle about to puncture her skin.
“The inside of your wrist is a great place to do this,” Ryder, the tattoo artist said, holding her hand, palm up. “I don’t go very deep into the skin—about 1/16 of an inch—so you’ll hardly know you’re being touched. The process is more irritating than anything else, like a hot vibrating sensation.”
She squeezed her lips together to keep from giggling like a nervous teenager. Ryder could no doubt feel her shaking, but it was the hot vibrating sensation in her other hand giving her the most trouble. Bryce’s fingers were laced with hers and his thumb kept rubbing across her other wrist.
“Remember it’s all in the mind,” Bryce said. “Think about how bad you want this.”
Sitting in a black leather chair that unfortunately did not include any restraining devices, she held her head to the side, her cheek pressed into the chair back, chin tucked close to her shoulder, eyes on Bryce, and did just that.
She also tried not to think about how bad she wantedhim.
“Everyone has a different threshold for pain,” Ryder continued, his throaty voice a perfect match to his muscled, tattooed body. “Feeling apprehensive is normal. Even guys my size with multiple tats get nervous. It’s the body’s natural defense and endorphins kick in. The first minute is usually the worst and then you’ll realize it’s not that bad and relax.”
Honor nodded. “Let’s do it.”
“Here goes,” Ryder said.
