BLAKE
I run my finger down the diary that rests open on the reception desk, searching for the details of my next client. Ryan told me I have a full day today, but whoever I’m supposed to be inking next hasn’t arrived yet.
I take a long drink of water, thirsty after two hours concentrating on the back piece I started a few weeks ago. My client was happy and relieved to get through their final sitting. I took photos for my portfolio, pleased that the skull and snake composition turned out so well.
The bell above the door chimes and I turn to find Gabriella strolling in with a broad smile on her face, dressed in a cute little sundress that sets her blue eyes sparkling. She’s closely followed by Dalton and Kain.
Frowning, I check the diary again. The next booking is in the name of G. Angelo.
Very clever. I shake my head as the name registers as fake. But why did Gabriella feel she needed to conceal her booking from me. “Gab, you didn’t tell me you wanted another tattoo.” I step out to embrace her and steal a soft kiss while none of my colleagues are around. She touches my upper arm, stroking down my full sleeve with her warm palm and linking our fingers. She swivels to face Dalton and Kain, who have closed the door behind them and are gazing around the shop. Dalton’s been here before, but we’ve had a new graffiti artist cover the side wall with fresh art. Kain hasn’t ever visited me at work, and I narrow my eyes at the way he shifts his feet.
My brother is uncomfortable.
“So, where’s this tattoo going?” I ask Gab.
She shakes her head, her long hair moving against her skin like sunrays. “It’s not for me.”
“Dalton?”
My older brother shakes his head too. “Not me. Not this time, anyway.”
I just finished his upper arm, completing the tiger tattoo with more tropical plants.
“Kain?” My surprise makes Gabriella laugh, and she squeezes my hand as Kain shrugs, forcing his hands into the pockets of his black jeans.
“He wants one, but he’s scared of needles,” Gab explains.
“I’m not scared,” Kain objects. “I just have a healthy aversion.”
“That sounds like the same thing,” Dalton says, nudging his shoulder into Kain’s, trying to lighten the mood.
“What do you want?” I ask, fascinated. Kain has always hated tattoos. He’s never wanted one for himself and shakes his head disapprovingly whenever I arrive home with new ink. What’s changed all of a sudden?
Kain’s jaw ticks, his teeth clenched so tightly they could fracture, and Gabriella drops my hand and approaches him, resting her hand over his heart. “He wants it here,” she says softly, keeping her gaze fixed on his.
I swallow thickly, understanding why Kain’s finding it hard to articulate. Any time we are forced to remember what happened to him on the field, we all struggle to contain our emotions.
“Okay,” I say in a voice that’s barely a whisper. “What exactly?”
Dalton leans against the reception desk, his weight shifting it an inch, causing a screech of wood against wood that break the tension. “Disco lyrics,” he says abruptly.
“What?” I look from Dalton’s amused expression to Gab, who’s shaking her head and Kain, who’s lost all color in his face.
“They’re not disco lyrics.” Gab waves Dalton’s suggestion away like an annoying bee. “It’s symbolic.”
“The Whispers would beg to differ,” Dalton muses.
“The Whispers? What the fuck are you all going on about?”
“The beat goes on,” Kain blurts. “That’s what I want you to tattoo.”
“Just like my love, everlasting,” Dalton croons, his voice high and exaggerated, and I recognize the song and the reason why Kain looks as though he wants to hook Dalton’s brain out through his nostrils. His profound idea for a tattoo has been reduced to a joke. I also get why Dalton is trying to lighten the mood. This tattoo is a punctuated end to the most stressful time in our lives since Mom died. All of us have cried and worried more than is good for us. All of us want to move on now Kain is healed.
“Do you have an idea of how you want it to look? Font? Any kind of holding device for the words, or image you might want around it?”
Kain’s eyes drop to the floor and he sighs, releasing the tension in his shoulders as though he’s shrugging off a heavy overcoat. “I don’t know,” he admits.
“I can help you pick something out?” Gab turns to the wall of where the example art hangs, scanning desperately for something to help Kain in his moment of uncertainty.
I step out from behind the desk and rest my hand against Kain’s elbow, forcing him to look up at me. “Do you trust me?” I ask.
“Of course,” Kain says fiercely, like I should never have doubted such a fundamental thing. We’re brothers, and our love is deep, but we’re still siblings who wind each other up and disagree over the stupidest of things.
I nod once and begin to make my way to my room.
“Shall we stay here?” Gabriella asks.
“Come,” Kain says and everyone follows as he makes his way to join me.
It’s so strange to see him lie back in the chair, waiting to receive something he swore he would never have. I guess life has a funny way of carving a path, or maybe we choose unexpected ways to deal with life’s challenges. Whatever it is, Kain is about to get a tattoo, and I’m the one responsible for marking it permanently into his skin.
“I’m going to give you a piece of paper,” I say. “I want you to write the words. It means more that way.”
Kain blinks his cool blue eyes and swallows audibly, as though my suggestion has touched something raw and painful, but he nods anyway.
Dalton clears his throat, drawing Gabriella’s gaze as they reassuringly link hands.
I draw lines on the paper to help guide Kain’s lettering so it’s as even as possible, and he writes the words in his best cursive, taking his time, each letter a punctuation of his determination to move forward.
He’s ready to leave the past behind, and it’s a huge relief.
As I trace the words onto the transfer paper, I add an ECG heart beat line at the start and end, finishing with a small heart.
When I show Kain the simple idea, I half expect him to reject it, but his face breaks into a smile and he drops his head back to stare up at the ceiling. “That’s fucking perfect,” he says, and Gabriella laughs, so happy to see my brother’s relief.
I’m happy too.
It takes a while for me to prepare his skin and we work together to place the transfer correctly. Kain opts to go without numbing cream, but I’m not worried. My brother might not like needles but he’s hardcore when it comes to pain. Maybe this is part of his process. A need to absorb some discomfort to get over the physical issues he’s faced.
I always enter a zone when it comes to my art, the concentration it takes to produce something perfect taking all my focus, but when it’s done and I rest back in my chair to consider it, I look to Dalton and Gabriella for reassurance. Their nods and relieved smiles are all I need. Holding the mirror out to Kain, I wait for him to get the angle right and study his expression.
“It’s perfect,” he says and lowers the mirror, pursing his lips. “I still hate tattoos.”
“What?” Gabriella gasps.
“I got this. I needed this. But I won’t ever get another one. No stupid pirate ships or tigers for me.”
“Or angels,” Gabriella asks, feigning hurt.
“Angels are just about acceptable,” Kain grins.
I prepare his tattoo to be wrapped and hand him the instructions for aftercare. At least I’ll be able to check on him every night, too.
“Anyone else want a tattoo?” I ask, but they all shake their heads.
“And tonight?” I ask. “What’s the plan?”
“Molly’s Motel,” Gabriella says. She forages around in her bag, pulling out a bottle of caramel colored liquid. “I brought the syrup.”
Dalton throws his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a fierce embrace and kissing the top of her head so hard, she squeals. “Forget Kain’s tattoo being perfect. This girl right here…she’s what perfection is made of.”
And for once, my brick-headed brother is absolutely right about something!
(c) Stephanie Brother 2023
Coming soon…available to pre-order...
Finding three fake boyfriends is the best way to heal a broken heart…
When I discover my boyfriend Eddie has a side chick, I’m humiliated and furious. But I dry my tears and pull up my big girl panties. I don’t want him back, but I want him out of my head and my heart. Time to turn to every woman’s medicine in a time of crisis: chocolate and cocktails.
But my friends have other ideas. They tell me the best kind of healing is the hot, sweaty, toe-curling, mind-blowing kind.
So, on a drunken night, I take a chance and kiss three hotter-than-sin men until my knees are weak and my pulse is racing.
Dornan is huge and intimidating on the outside, but has a heart of gold behind all that muscle. When I tell him what I need to heal, he’s happy to play along.
I have a history with Elias, the cockiest alpha-hole I know. As my ex’s nemesis, he’s the perfect choice to rock my world and make me forget.
And Travis is my best friend’s hot older brother. He’s sexy and mature, and reads my body and my needs like braille.
The three of them don’t seem to like each other, but they like me and the games I want to play.
It’s all supposed to be fun and lighthearted, but things get real fast and I find myself drawn into a situation I didn’t anticipate.
Is love ever a game worth playing? Or is it all too much of a gamble?
