The Dom on the Naughty List (17 page)

He turned and looked at her, pinning her with dark expression. Her insides clenched. He was so fucking sexy. She gulped.

“Yes,” he said with a twitch of his lips.

She shook herself out of the spell.
“Um. Here’s what I came up with.” She held the drawing out toward him. “I can make changes though, if you don’t like something.”

He took the drawing and studied it.
“Hmm.”

She shifted in place.

“Can you make the horns a little farther back? So it doesn’t look like a goat?”

Scowling, she leaned in to see the drawing. “It doesn’t look like a goat!” Even annoyed, she registered the heat of his body so close to hers. It didn’t help her libido that he smelled good.

“I like the face.”

“I made it snarling, like you.”

He glared. Up close, he wasn’t as scary as he’d first seemed. “Alright,” he said with a nod. “Move the horns back and it’s good.”

Malachi came around the counter. “
Lemme see.”

Cross handed him the drawing. He looked it over. “That’s a mean ass gargoyle. You tattoo as good as you draw and you got the job.”

She grinned. “I tattoo
better
than I draw. Might as well put me on the payroll now.”

Cross laughed. “Cocky little thing. You’ll have your hands full with her,” he said to Malachi.

She’d like
his
hands full of her. Shit. Where the fuck had that thought come from? She needed to get her mind out of the gutter and back in the tattoo shop. Was this a side effect of depriving herself of affection, of sexual contact for so long? If so, she hoped there was a pill for that. Or maybe she should get it out of her system. One down and dirty one night stand sounded good right about now.

“Um,” she said, shakily. Head in the game! “I’ll have you lay down on a table while I work.
Malachi? Which space?”

Malachi set up a table in the back while she adjusted her drawing and made a stencil. Like most shops, each station contained a desk, a shelf above it,
a garbage, and several drawers of supplies. This one was pretty clean and she wondered if it was waiting for an inhabitant - for her. Secretly, she was thrilled at the idea.

She gestured to the table and looked up at Cross.
“After you, sir.”

He froze in place, his shoulders tense. His mouth tightened like he was fighting back a grin. Malachi and he exchanged a look.

“You first,
sir
,” Malachi repeated with a smile. With a nudge he added, “How do you like that word coming from those sweet lips?”

Were they making fun of her? She sighed. “Are we doing a kickass tattoo here or having a slumber party?”

Cross sobered, drew himself up to his full height then stared down at her. She backed up a step, her heart pounding with excitement.

“Just wait till the pillow fight,” he finally said. “Then you’re really in trouble.”

She exhaled a laugh. “Shouldn’t we all be in our underwear then?”

His eyes widened for a brief moment before he schooled his features.

Ugh. She needed to practice her flirting skills. Before Rick, the cheating bastard, she’d been pretty good at. “Ready to get started?”

Cross stepped into her, crowding her until she felt like he even stole her breath. This time she didn’t back away. His scent, the warmth of his body invaded her senses, made her knees tremble and her heart flutter. But she stared him in the eye, proving she wouldn’t back down, no matter how commanding his presence.

He peered down at her through narrowed eyes. “You sure you know what you’re doing, girl?”

The term “girl” stung her pride.
Sexist? Maybe she should tattoo extra deep and go heavy on the white highlights. Make him hurt. She laughed inside, knowing she’d never do something so unprofessional, tempting as it was.

She blinked and straightened her spine. “Of course I know what I’m doing. And my name is Gemma, not ‘girl.’”

“I know.” He held eye contact for a moment too long, making her squirm under the weight of his glare.

Fuck. Why was she letting him get to her? Her chest felt all warm and fuzzy. Naughty images popped in her mind. Cross kissing her, biting her, holding her hair, getting a little rough. Shit. Now her clit was feeling warm too.

She couldn’t think of anything to say - not that her vocal chords were working anyway. So she grabbed the razor off the table and dropped to her knees on the floor. The position put other thoughts in her mind, especially with her head so close to his...

She fought back a blush.

He made a funny noise, like his breath hitched. At least she wasn’t the only one affected. Did he feel the sexual chemistry too? God, this better not fuck up her chance at a job. Who was this guy anyway? The conversation she’d overheard sounded like he owned the shop, or maybe the building.

Quickly, she shaved the back of his leg then pressed on the stencil. When she lifted it away, it left a purple outline of a gargoyle sitting on a decorative ledge.

“Take a look in the mirror,” she told him. “Make sure you like the placement.”

He checked it in the full-length mirror on the other side of the shop then nodded.
“Looks good.”

“Okay.” She avoided eye contact for the time being.
Until she could control her fucking hormones. “Up you go.”

He walked to the table and settled face-down on top of it. The table creaked under his weight and his feet hung off the end.

“Don’t fuck it up,” he had the nerve to say before laying his head on his folded arms.

She sucked in a breath. “Stay still and be quiet like a good boy and I won’t make your tattoo look like a drunk, blind woman did it.”

Cross let out one deep chuckle, though it didn’t sound like he’d found her funny. He muttered something under his breath she couldn’t hear.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Malachi shake his head. “You better watch yourself. Does he look like someone you want to anger?”

Back to verbal sparring. That, she could handle. She turned to Malachi. “While I’m holding a tattoo machine? I think you mean that the other way around.” With a smirk, she looked at Cross. “What do you want again? A fairy?”

When he arched a brow, she nudged his leg and smiled.
“Just kidding. One badass gargoyle coming up.”