Page 87 of A Sinner's Saint

After I stick the transfer on her, I peel the paper back and we both look at the numbers now marking her skin. Marcus pushes a table over to me with his gun, a new needle, and a tub of black ink. “If it hurts, I’m stopping,” I tell Cammi. “I don’t care if you end up with half a number, babe. I’m not doing this if it’s going to cause you pain.”

“It’s okay. It’s not my first tattoo, Vin,” she says.

I blink once. Then twice. I’ve seen every inch of this woman naked. She doesn’t have any tattoos. I would have noticed. “You don’t have any tattoos, Cammi,” I tell her confidently.

“I do, actually. You just haven’t noticed yet,” she saysmore confidently.

My brows draw down in confusion while my eyes roam over her body. “Where?”

Cammi moves her head to the side and lifts her hair. And right there, behind her right ear, is my name. Vin, with a love heart around the letters.

I’m fucking speechless. “When did you get this?”

“After the first time my heart stopped, when I realised you weren’t coming back. I wasn’t ready to let go. This was my way of keeping you with me,” she says. “It’s stupid. You hate it.” She drops her hair and shifts in her seat.

“No, it’s not. I love it. I’m just shocked. How the fuck didn’t I notice it before? And I’m pissed at myself for making you feel like that,” I tell her.

“We’re moving forward, right? No looking back?” Cammi asks.

“Right. Should we do this?” I pick up the gun. I’m somewhat more relaxed now that I know she’s aware of what to expect pain-wise.

“Let’s.” Cammi places her wrist on the armrest for me. After attaching the new needle and dipping it into the ink, the gun whirrs to life, and I get started.

Cammi doesn’t flinch. I keep watching her, waiting for any indication that she’s uncomfortable. I can hear Marcus and Elena arguing about something in the back of the shop, but I tune them out.

“All done,” I tell Cammi, wiping the area clean.

“I love it. Thank you.” She holds up her wrist to examine my work.

“My turn.” I hand her the gun, place the transfer on the exact same spot, and then position my wrist on the armrest. Cammi goes to hand me back the gun, and I shake my head. “I want you to do it.”

Her eyes go wide. “I can’t do that, Vin. I don’t know how.”

“You do. It’s just curves and lines. Just like all those buildings you love to draw.”

“But that’s on paper. This is your skin. What if I mess it up?” she asks.

“Then I guess I’ll have a fucked-up tattoo forever.” I laugh. “It’s fine, babe. I’ll help.” I place my hand over hers and guide her over the first number nine. Once I think she’s got the hang of it, I let go. She digs a little too hard at times, and I bleed more than I usually would. But it’s fucking perfect when she’s done. “I love it. See? You can do anything, Cammi,” I tell her.

“That was fun. Maybe I should ask Marcus if he needs an apprentice.” She smiles at me.

“Or you could stick with becoming an architect,” I suggest, the idea of her touching other men for a living not sitting well with me at all. Plus, I know the kind of clientele Marcus gets in here and Cammi doesn’t need to be anywhere near those guys.

“You just said I could do anything.” She lifts a challenging brow.

“Anything within reason. Anything that doesn’t involve your hands on other men.” I know my words aren’t going to go over great, but I’m not backing down. No fucking way is she working here. Not that Marcus would hire her. If he knows what’s good for him, he sure wouldn’t.

“That’s stupid. What if I wanted to become a doctor? I’d have to touch people, Vin,” she says.

“Do you want to be a doctor, Cammi?” I ask, knowing full well she doesn’t.

“No, but that’s not the point. I could, if I wanted to.”

“I have no doubt.” I stand and start cleaning up Marcus’s station.

“Cammi, I’m really sorry to bust up this love fest, but I have class.” Elena walks out of the back room and over to us.

“Oh, we’re done. I’ll come with you.” Cammi jumps out of her seat. “Thanks for the tat, Vin. I’ll catch you later?” she asks, stepping closer to me. “Kiss me goodbye and follow me back to campus if you must. If not, I’ll be okay. Promise. And I’ll call you when I’m done for the day.”

---