Free Love and Tattoos by Lissa Matthews Page B

smiled. “I haven’t felt this inspired in a long time.”
    “ Most people need to get away to find themselves, Annie. You’re not the first. I had to do it too. What’s important is to know where you belong or at least where you want to go and maybe even what you want to do when you get there. You found the ad agency wasn’t it. Corporate America wasn’t it. A tattoo shop may not be it either. Could be Love and Tattoos is just a stop along the way to wherever you are meant to be.”
    Cookie forgotten. Hell, breathing forgotten , Annie stared at Brax, dumbfounded. When she was able to shake herself free and form coherent thought, she said, “Careful. You’re ruining your street cred with all the philosophical insights.” The exact issues with her art, or what he thought were the issues, weren’t, but what he’d just revealed told her that he did know her, he did know more than that she wanted him. He did know who she was and what she was going through.
    “ Street cred? I have street cred?” Brax laughed around a bite of cookie. “I won’t tell if you don’t,” he conspiratorially whispered.
    “ Not a peep,” she agreed. She closed her eyes, wanting to savor every second possible. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d opened up to someone, not like this. She’d shared feelings, thoughts, disappointments, pleasure. The pleasure made her smile. Brax was an incredible man. He was beautiful to look at and gorgeous to make love with and amazing to listen to. He understood her. He might not know exactly where her art was taking her, or where she wanted it to take her, but he’d shown her that he cared enough to try. “Do you still want to ink me?”
    “ Yes. Are you going to let me?”
    “ I didn’t think I had a choice.”
    “ You didn’t at first, but I was going to let you think you did.”
    “ Do I get to pick the tattoo?”
    “ Nope. I have it picked out.”
    “ That requires serious trust. What have you chosen?”
    “ A cherry blossom. A sleeve. In a rainbow of colors.”
    “ Cherry blossoms? Why?”
    “ They mean new beginnings, new life. You’re finding yours.”
    “ And you’re willing to risk even more ass kicking from Joe by inking me?” she teased.
    She loved that she could flirt and joke and tease, that she felt comfortable enough with him. She knew things would change, maybe even g o back to being a little awkward when the shop opened for business in a few hours, when Joe came back from the convention in a couple of days, when their lives went back to normal. But she wouldn’t trade this magical night for anything.
    “ Yes. I’m willing to risk everything,” he promised softly.
    He me ant it. She saw it in the slight smile on his lips. She felt it in his tender touch. She heard it in the low rumble of his voice. Her art gave her pleasure and love of life. He understood that. Tattoos were an outlet for all of them, in one form or another. Sharing that passion with him…
    “ Would you like me to draw them?”
    “ No. I did.”
    “ You?”
    “ Just hold that thought, okay? I am not without artistic ability.”
    “ I never said you were.” Curiously, she watched as he slid off the desk. In the top drawer, he pulled out a thin stack of paper and handed it over. “I’ve been working on several different ones for a couple of months, changing them as I saw you change.”
    Annie counted seven pages and Brax took up his seat next to her again. Some pages held simple drawings and outlines. Some shaded and three-dimensional.
    S lowly, she flipped through the sheets of thick drawing paper, then did it again from the last to the first. He was good at his job and could tattoo rings around most artists, but beside her, Brax fidgeted.
    Was he nervous? Other than the wings on his shoulders, she didn ’t know if she’d ever seen any of his designs. The only people she’d seen him ink were those who brought in their own images.
    His confidence was somet hing that rarely ever