Page 73 of Beck

“I’d disagree. Patterns have a lot of nuances that you need to think about. It’s no less valid than something you find difficult.” Beck flicked the pad towards him, making his drawing visible. “This is fantastic, Kole. You’re fantastic.”

Kole ducked his head but smiled. “Thanks. How’s your hand?”

Beck leaned down and kissed him, chaste though it was, and said, “It’s okay. Aches a little but I mainly use it to wipe at the skin, so I should be good to go. I have to let Ani know I’m ready because I’m sure Maxim is already here.”

Kole stared at the drawing while Beck sorted his appointment, scrutinising the details, and found he quite liked it. He flipped to another page and smoothed it out, his mind wandering. What design could he draw for Beck? Should it be something similar to what he already had, or something completely different? While he considered it, he doodled, letting his pencil skim across the page until voices broke into his concentration.

Beck entered the room, talking. “—have someone in to watch, if that’s okay? This is—”

“Kole. Nice to meet you,” a guy said, striding over and holding out his hand. He was lean but tall, with a shock of black hair that made his bright blue eyes shine.

Kole shook his hand with a frown. “How did you—”

“Know?” He winced. “Sorry. I’ve seen the news following the case. It’s hard not to know who you both are now.”

“You must be Maxim?” Kole guessed.

The guy grinned and nodded. “Yes! You must’ve been talking about me, Beck.”

Beck chuckled. “Only to say who my client was. Confidentiality and all that.” He bustled to the counter. “You know what to do, Maxim.”

Maxim removed his coat and shirt, placing them over the back of a nearby chair. His body was covered with ink, with only a few random spaces; one, Kole saw, was right over his heart. “I see Hilary is back again, too.”

Beck met Kole’s gaze above Maxim’s head and smirked. “Yeah, you always seem to have appointments at similar times.”

“She’s lovely. I talk to her a lot when we’re here. She’s as addicted to tattoos as I am. We have a lot in common, it seems.”

Beck worked his jaw, narrowed his eyes and nodded. “Would you like her to come in and watch as well? We certainly don’t mind.” Maxim’s eyes widened, and his mouth opened and closed a couple of times. “Never mind. It was just an idea.”

“No! No, that…” He inhaled. “That would be nice, actually. If you’re sure?”

“Absolutely,” Beck said.

“I’ll go ask her,” Kole said, rising and heading for the door, not giving Maxim that chance to say no again. He’d listen if the guy changed his mind, but he could see how much he wanted her there. But so much for Ani being the matchmaker; Beck apparently was, too.

Jogging down the stairs, he smiled to himself before entering the front of the shop. He stepped up to Ani and whispered, “Is this Hilary?” Ani frowned but nodded, opening her mouth, but Kole didn’t give her the chance. “Hilary?” The brunette looked up from her phone. “Maxim would like to invite you to watch. I’m watching while Beck works, too. Would you like to join us?”

Hilary blinked at him a couple of times before physically shaking herself. “Are you sure that’s okay?”

Kole nodded. “Beck offered and Maxim agreed. If you’d like to, they’re more than happy to have you there.” He was carefulwith his words, not wanting to scare her off and also not wanting to promise more than he could.

“Sure, thanks.” She collected her things and stood.

Kole glanced at Ani, winked and led Hilary up the stairs. He held the door for her, and she entered slowly, as if worried about the reception of her being there.

“Hi, Hilary,” Maxim said with a smile.

“Hey.” She glanced at Beck, wringing her hands around the handles of her bag. “Are you sure this is okay?”

Maxim smiled. “Absolutely. We both love tattoos, so this is a great way to see someone else getting one, don’t you think?”

Hilary smiled back and nodded. “Yeah.” Kole brought over a chair for her, and she settled into it. “What are you having done?”

Maxim thrust his hand into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. “This. At least, I hope,” he added, flicking his gaze to Beck. His hands shook as he held it out.

“Oh, I love that,” Hilary breathed.

Kole stepped closer, as did Beck. The design was elegant in its simplicity, a slight contrast to what he already wore on his skin, but he could see how it would potentially work with the current designs.

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