Now she was actually going to have to carry on a normal conversation with him when she was on the verge of orgasm. Never in her life had she imagined she would ever pray not to have one. But how embarrassing would that be?

Her earlier question rephrased in her mind. She shouldn’t have asked him whether anyone had ever freaked out and been unable to finish. She should’ve inquired about how many of them lost control and begged him to take them right here. “N-not much. Macy and I have been hanging out for most of the day.”

“That’s it?”

She flinched as he passed over a particularly sensitive spot, clenching her teeth when he wiped it with the towel. It was growing more and more difficult to resist rubbing her thighs together. “Pretty much.”

“I figured some lucky guy would be in the picture by now.”

Her short bark of laughter was immediately regrettable, and this time, her wince had nothing to do with the burning scrape of the needle tip. “No, no guys, lucky or otherwise. Oh, God, that’s starting to get to me.”

“The needle, or the lack of guys?”

Both. “I meant the needle.”

“You’re doing great.”

“Where are you going later?” she blurted, and was momentarily aghast at her impulsiveness. Chalk it up to desperately needing a distraction from the towering need pulsing at her core.

“Family function. My brother’s birthday is next weekend, but we’re all getting together tonight. I don’t know why now and not next weekend.” He shrugged. “I was just informed my presence was required. Hey, did you hear I’m an uncle now?”

Ah, no date. So much sweet relief swooped through her that she momentarily forgot everything else…until she realized that didn’t mean he wasn’t seeing someone already. What if he had a girlfriend? “Yes, I’d heard. Congratulations. I bet he’s so cute. You must be excited.”

“It’s pretty cool.”

“No wonder you’re…um, dressed up a bit. Or down. Or whatever.” It was hard to resist the urge to touch his eyebrow, where the two rings usually resided. Heck, who was she kidding. It was hard to resist grabbing him and pulling him on top of her.

Especially when he grinned like he did then. “My mom will be there, and my body art drives her nuts.”

Candace could sympathize, but it drove her nuts in an entirely different way.

“I try to accommodate her,” he went on. “Sometimes. Most days I just don’t give a damn.”

“How long has it taken you to get all your tattoos?”

“I started when I was eighteen. It’s been a couple of years since I got a new one, and to tell you the truth, I think I’m done. And I never was about the really extreme shit. I’m actually pretty f**king tame, by some standards.” He shook his head, his gaze still intent upon his work.

She repressed a sigh. Nothing about him was tame, at least, not to her. She’d been brought up in such strict surroundings and her friends monitored so carefully, she hadn’t been around people like him growing up. Homeschooling had kept her sheltered from the world most of her life. It wasn’t that her parents were religious freaks or anything like that, they just thought most things were…beneath them.

College, needless to say, had been an utter, almost incapacitating shock. It had taken some begging, fast talking, and several tears to get her parents to allow her to attend the neighboring university. They had only given in on the condition that she live here in town under their watchful eye, and commute forty-five minutes every day, which was the only plus they could see in not sending her off somewhere smaller and way more prestigious. She’d accepted those terms grudgingly.

As much as the thought of having her own life away from here had appealed, in the end she’d balked, so she really had no one to blame but herself that she was twenty-three and still living a life dictated by her mom and dad.

Not for long. Her new tattoo was only the first in a series of changes she wanted to make. Soon. There was no reason she and her parents couldn’t coexist in the town she grew up in and loved without having them run every aspect of her life.

The coloring part of the process wasn’t nearly as intense, and it even tickled, wringing a giggle from her every so often. If she did it on purpose a couple of times just to watch Brian’s lips curl up and his eyes crinkle at the corners, well, he didn’t have to know that.

When he sat up straight and announced it was done, she didn’t think she had ever felt such a rush of excitement or pride in herself. She’d done it. Without utter embarrassment. The little black-and-blood-red design was perfect, with remarkable shading. And it was all hers, something her parents couldn’t take away even if they did find out.

“It’s beautiful!” she exclaimed. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re most welcome.” He lightly smeared it with some kind of ointment, and she bit her lip on a sigh. That touch of his was driving her out of her mind.

“Did that hurt?” he asked, and she glanced up to see him looking at her with his brow creased.

“No, it’s fine.” It did hurt, actually, but nowhere near the way he thought.

He put a bandage over it, then reached in a nearby drawer to pull out a sheet of paper with aftercare instructions. “Quick overview. Wait at least two hours before you take the bandage off, then wash it with antibacterial soap. Generic is fine. No Neosporin, but coat it with Bacitracin. Keep it thin. No baths or swimming or hot tubs for two weeks at least. And, I’m just saying, if the lucky guy happens to come along in that time, be creative. You don’t want any persistent rubbing and you damn sure don’t want anyone else’s sweat on it until it’s healed.”

She blushed fast and furious, stopping short of blurting out that that definitely wouldn’t be a problem. “Got it.” She took the paper from him and folded it in half, hoping he didn’t notice if her cheeks were as red as they felt. But he had busied himself with cleaning up. She slid off the table and buttoned her jeans as fast as she could while his back was turned. All the while three little words kept playing in her head: I did it! I did it!

Man, she could see how this could become addictive.

“So what do you want next?” Brian asked with a grin. He closed the last cabinet and turned to face her, crossing his arms and leaning against the counter. At that moment, with his dark eyes twinkling at her, she wanted to maul him. She’d never really noticed before that he had dimples. They took the edge off what ordinarily was a fairly intimidating appearance. How could a guy who smiled like that be in any way bad for you?

But she bet even a guy with dimples would have no qualms about planting her back hard against the wall and…

“Are you reading my mind?” she asked. Oh, wow. That had sounded way too flirty for her own ears. “I was just thinking it could be addictive.”

“No need to read minds, you’ve got the look. And I know how it feels. How do you think I ended up like this?” He tugged up one sleeve, flashing a precious glimpse at his artwork.

“I love your tattoos,” she said, a moment of boldness sweeping her away. “And your piercings too. It’s a shame you took them out.”

Was that a darkening in his expression? Suddenly, there seemed to be a shift in the air between them, and chill bumps skittered up her spine. She promptly hugged herself.