Page 6 of The Truth of Loving You

I’d pulled together all the necessary documents except the latest sales report, so I wandered up front to print it out.

My stomach dropped as my pretty boy entered my shop. I had to stop thinking of him asmyanything. I absolutely could not pick up 180lbs of guilt and regret if I caved on my attraction to him. My hazy memory from a week ago didn’t do his pretty face justice. And his dazed expression pulled heartstrings I didn’t know existed.

“I’m thinking about...” Shane tipped his chin up with determination and restarted. “I want to get a tattoo.”

“Well, you came to the right place. I’m Alec Ivy,” he crooned. Do you have a specific request or we can consult our books.”

Before this moment, I never wanted to punch Alec for his flirty personality. I tried to rein in that uncalled for urge. Alec had no idea who Shane was or that I currently had lost all feeling in my limbs at seeing him again. Alec’s easy smile, dimples, and deep chuckle charmed everyone with two legs. Harmless, yet I didn’t want him near Shane.

Shane kept his eyes on me. “I saw your original artwork online, and I was hoping you could design something for me.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry but,” Alec’s voice dripped with fake customer service empathy, “Cole doesn’t have any appointments today. I can absolutely schedule his first available for you.”

The silence stretched as Shane and I stared at each other. A confused Alec’s eyes ping-ponged between us. Alec would harass me if he knew Shane was the guy who helped me last week.

“What type of tattoo do you want?” I asked.

“A memorial tattoo.” Shane shuffled his feet and drummed his fingers on his thighs.

He wasn’t insinuating that we’d met, and his request seemed genuine. Normally, I spotted when a person hadn’t fully committed to the idea of marking their skin permanently. And the thought of someone else inking Shane’s body turned my stomach. If he was getting a tattoo, I was doing it. But I wouldn’t bring up breaking into his office or his bedside note.

“Let’s move to the consultation area.” I gestured to our lounge area, and Shane visibly relaxed. The opposite of most customers. The shop had a large picture window with double doors that opened by the register and check-in/out desk. The entire wall behind that area had drawings and pictures of tattoos. Our consultation area was across the rooms with a couch, club chairs, and a coffee table.

Alec let out a long sigh. “But—

“I’ll rearrange my schedule.” My firm voice left no room for argument.

Alec couldn’t care less about Shane but knew putting off paperwork was a bad habit of mine.

I reintroduced myself with my full name so he’d give me his. Shane Reynolds. I repeated his name out loud, liking the way it sounded coming out of my mouth.

My hand balled into a fist as I resisted the urge to touch him as I guided him over to the couch. The guy showed me a little goddamn compassion last week, and my reaction was to stake some sort of claim over him. I shouldn’t ignore the voice in my head shouting that I should cut and run. Shane was nothing to me. If I lost his business, it’d be nothing.

“Thank you for fitting me in.” Shane sank onto the couch. “I should have called for an appointment. I didn’t think.” His big brown eyes begged me to ease the stress rolling off him.

“No worries.” I chose the chair next to him instead of sitting on the couch with him. “So the first step is to talk about where you’d like the tattoo because that will determine the size and scope of the artwork. We can discuss images and any words you have in mind.”

“Great.” Shane sat very straight on the edge of his seat as if preparing for a formal lesson. “I have an image that I’d like to incorporate.” He pulled a piece of paper out of his shirt pocket. So goddamn adorable.

I shook out all my inappropriate thoughts, and we spent the next half hour talking about what he wanted. Shane’s excitement and rambling about the tattoo design magnified the fact he gave zero information about the person who’d inspired it, which was unusual. People tended to overshare with me. He had more than one image in mind and described it in stunning detail.

“Give me a few minutes to sketch out a design, and you can see if it’s what you envision on your skin for the rest of your life.”

I needed to be sure he was ready for this, especially since he admitted this would be his first tattoo. I always got a rush knowing I was the first to ink someone.

My curiosity won out. “What’s your girlfriend going to think about this?”

“Oh, no, I don’t have one.” Shane’s neck turned an adorable pink.

“Boyfriend?” I asked to confirm his heterosexuality.

He’d requested the tattoo cover his left pectoral, over his heart. Usually, a sign it was for a lover.

“Nooo. Not one of those either.” He lifted a shoulder.

I nodded as if his answer didn’t drive my interest higher and started sketching. It occurred to me that I recognized the symbol he’d brought from the year I worked in London. A circle around three connected swirls, a form of a Celtic knot.

I took my time and crafted something I wanted to see on Shane’s body. “Here. What do you think of this?” I handed Shane my sketch pad.

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