I flick on the overhead lights in the tattoo shop and walk across the room to grab my cell phone. Lila follows behind me and sits down in my office chair. Several of my latest tattoo designs are scattered all over the desk. Most are only half-finished doodles since inspiration strikes me in spurts, sometimes even in the middle of the night.

She picks up the tattoo design I’m working on for Hazel and holds it up.

“This is amazing,” she says. “Who is this for? I didn’t realize your tattoos are this elaborate.”

“That tattoo is a special design for a customer who had a double mastectomy. She doesn’t have insurance to pay for reconstruction, and her doctor butchered her up pretty bad. My mom died from breast cancer, so I try to do my best to make the ladies feel pretty again. I get quite a few of them in here.”

Lila glances over at me with a stunned look on her face.

I cock my eyebrows at her. “I bet you thought I only did skull-and-crossbones type of tattoos, didn’t you? Most of my clients are women. Jesse does the typical badass tattoos for the men. Between the two of us, this place stays busy.”

“What other kinds of tattoos do you design for women?” she asks.

There’s a tone in her voice I haven’t heard before.

Jealousy?

“I’m known for doing tattoos in private places,” I say with a shrug. I don’t want her to freak out on me. “You know...inner thighs, ass, boobs.”

She does not look happy with my answer. At all.

I’m surprised she didn’t know this already from her research on me. Maybe she doesn’t know as much about me as I think she does.

She chews on her bottom lip. “So let me get this straight. Women come in here and strip off for you to do tattoos in intimate places? How far up on the inner thigh do you go?”

“As far as they want me to go.”

Oh yeah, she’s not liking this one little bit. I’m enjoying watching her squirm.

“Do they ever come on to you while you’re doing the tattoos?”

“All the time,” I answer honestly. “It’s a terrible hazard of the job.”

“I bet. And do you take them up on their offers?”

She’s actually worried about this.

I reach out and tug her closer to me.

“Not since you came to town. I’m not even tempted. Not as long as I have you.”

She tucks her head into my chest and whispers, “Will you do a tattoo for me?”

I’m shocked and thrilled. I wrap my arms around her tighter.

“Of course. I would love to. I thought you said the permanent nature of tattoos wasn’t for you.”

“Maybe I changed my mind.”

Is she serious?

“I can do one right now,” I offer.