Obsession (Dangerous Love #1)

CHAPTER 26

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BENEATH HIS SKIN

AND IN HIS BLOOD

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I blinked a few times, still mesmerized by the fast, blood-colored car in front of me, as I realized what he was saying.

“What, mine?” I turned my gaze to him, confusion evident in my tone.

“Yes, yours,” he clarified with a satisfied grin, a satisfaction probably brought on by my reaction.

“What…” I frowned, looking at the car again, then at him and so on, “Harris, have you gone mad? How… where…”

My hands started gesturing through the air as if they had a mind of their own. How on earth did he come up with the idea of giving me a car like that? I tried to calm down and looked at him carefully to make sure it wasn’t some kind of sick joke.

“You don’t have to work as a bodyguard for it,” he winked at me.

I had no idea what he was talking about anymore.

“Are you serious about this? Do you really want to give me… that?” I pointed at the car, “Just because I told you I wanted one today?”

“No, not because of what you said today. I’ve been in the process of getting it ready for you for a while, but the custom wings took a while. I had to make sure they resembled your tattoo. I even drew the design for it.”

Once I convinced myself that he wasn’t actually joking, I was even more confused than before.

“Harris, it’s great, but you know I can’t accept that,” when he heard my words, his amusement was blown away.

“Why?”

“Why?!” I repeated the question, emphasizing that the reason should have been obvious. “Harris, it’s a car, for heaven’s sake! A very expensive one, I’m sure.”

He pulled his lower lip between his teeth and I realized that he was struggling not to laugh.

“Mmm,” he said, pressing his lips together to hide the laughter.

That was it? That’s all he could say? Now I was really losing it.

“Why?” I asked the simplest question, but the only one I wanted an answer to.

He hugged me and ran his fingers through my hair.

“Because I want you to have all the peace and comfort I can offer. A car was necessary. There will be days when I won’t be able to drive you to school or anywhere else. I don’t want you to be dependent on anyone else.”

I narrowed my eyes, because it seemed like he was subtly referring to Zac.

“You thought about getting me a car when Zac drove me home?”

He bit his tongue and evaded the answer.

“Unbelievable,” I sighed, and he finally let out his laugh.

“That was one of the reasons, but not the main one. I just wanted to give you a present.”

“I would have been happy with a flower, you know?”

He wrinkled his nose, not impressed by my statement.

“Something so cliché?”

I punched his shoulder.

“Flowers will never be a cliché, but I forgot I was having this conversation with a demon.”

He laughed.

“Honestly, baby, it’s no big deal. It’s just a car.”

His words sounded like a synonym for “So, I punched you in the face, it happens” in my head. To him, it really wasn’t a big deal.

An exasperated gasp escaped my lips.

“If you don’t like it, you can tell me, I have others and maybe one of them…”

“What?” I stared at him, shocked by his words.

That was what he had heard from my refusal, that I didn’t like the car.

“Harris, that’s not the point. I have already told you it’s great, but I can’t believe you bought it for me. I can’t accept something like that, not so fast.”

He smiled like he had me right where he wanted me.

“What if I told you I’ve had it for a long time? I never got it out of the garage because it’s not really my color, but it seemed perfect for you.”

“I’m not a redhead,” I arched an eyebrow, and he leaned over and touched his nose to mine.

“No, but you’re pure fire, just like this car. I never knew why I bought it, but now I do. It came here to be yours.”

I quickly typed in the six numbers and everything switched on. I couldn’t help but smile enthusiastically, especially when I noticed the red ambient lights.

The engine purred, seemingly sleepy, almost like a wild animal waking from hibernation.

I revved the engine a little, barely touching the pedal, but the monster roared and shook beneath us.

“Oh, my God,” a startled gasp escaped me and I clutched the steering wheel.

Harris laughed.

I revved it again, because the sound and the feeling were the purest drugs. I really wish I had this car today. Then no one would have caught up with me.

I looked at Harris and wondered if maybe he knew more about today’s incident than he let on, but it wasn’t the right time to bring it up.

“Come on, baby, show me what you’ve got. I’m curious how you managed to ruin the Opel.”

He was the worst temptation, and all I wanted to do was release the brake and step on the gas, but I stayed calm. For the moment.

“You’re offering me a monster to protect me when you’re not around, aren’t you?” I concluded, glancing at the steering wheel.

“Pretty much,” he replied seriously, “it’s a gift that I really want you to accept, but also a protector in case you ever find yourself alone. You’ll always be protected from the shadows, I promise you that, at least until we get these issues resolved, but I don’t ever want you to get into anyone else’s car, and I don’t mean Zac.”

He was talking about Adam, I knew that. I had gotten into his car and he had tried to take me out of town and we had been attacked.

Curiosity got the better of me as I looked at him.

“And you trust me to be able to defend myself when you’re not around?”

He leaned towards me and took my chin between his fingers, “I’d put my life in your hands any day, Katherine. I trust you that much. You’re stronger than you think.”

Slowly, I swallowed to stifle the tears that were threatening to fall. That was the true gift he was giving me: his trust.

“After everything that’s happened, after everything I’ve put you through, you’re still here, baby. You still accept me around and allow me to touch you. You’re still brave enough to be with me.”

“Because I love you.”

My eyes widened. He froze.

Oh, fuck, had I just said that out loud? It came instinctually, the first reason that came to mind in response to what he’d told me.

“What?” Harris whispered.

I could have sworn he was shaking with his fingers still on my chin.

It felt like I’d just swallowed my tongue.

Harris pushed his chair back and pulled me onto his lap faster than I thought he was capable of, and I realized we had a lot more room in this car.

“Baby, what did you just say?”

The need in his voice was so sweet, so euphoric. I could feel every barrier crumbling down inside him.

I leaned forward and took his face in my palms.

“How can it shock you to hear it? How could you not already know? What other reason could I have to accept everything? What do you think is keeping me here after everything that’s happened?”

He stopped breathing, and I could tell he was even more shaken up to hear it than I had been.

“I love you, Harris,” I whispered, pressing a soft kiss to his lips, “I love you so much that what I’m able to accept and do for you… scares me. My own feelings scare me.”

I whimpered over his mouth just before it crashed against mine.

“Katherine… Baby,” he whimpered, moaning my name as his arms held me close and he offered me all the fulfillment in the world with a single kiss.

He held me against his chest until we lost track of time, until nothing in the world mattered but us. We were in our own universe, and monsters couldn’t reach us there.

“When?” Harris whispered on my lips, “When did you know?”

“The night you took me to the cliff, when you healed me and helped me dance again, when you took away the hellish pain in my soul. I knew it then, but I felt it much earlier, I think when you almost ran me over in the parking lot.”

He laughed, seemingly charging me with the purest energy in the world. He kissed me, and I felt his love pouring into me. It was new, mesmerizing, and maddening. I didn’t need anything else when Harris was with me. I forgot about the danger, the pain and the drugs. He was a whole other realm that I escaped to in order to feel happy.

I remembered my mother’s words.

“When you love someone deeply, their presence fills your life with happiness. But the moment you lose that person, happiness turns into pain. Pain turns into acceptance, acceptance turns into memory, memory turns into forgetting and forgetting eventually turns into happiness. “

For her, there was a second chance for everything. Time could fix everything, and that was frighteningly similar to what Harris’ mother had said about beginnings and endings.

Our whole life was a geometric figure with thousands upon thousands of incomplete circles representing the beginning and end of every single thing we do, from the moment we are born to the moment we die.

There are circles of happiness, circles of sadness, circles of success, circles of failure… they all have a starting point and sooner or later an end, just like the snake that bites its own tail. A beginning starts when something else ends.

That was the course of life. It was fair, and we all lived it. I have lived it until now. Even after my mother left me – which was a circle of pain that almost destroyed me – I somehow managed to survive and found a new beginning in a circle of love with Harris.

But something told me that I would never find the end of this circle, because there is always a second possibility: when the circle wraps itself around you like a poisonous snake and destroys you for good. And that’s exactly how I felt inside Harris’ circle: sealed in, seemingly without end for me.

Nothing could tear me out of its center, not even the fear that I had fallen in love with a criminal.

Perhaps… only death.

***

We went back to his room, hand in hand.

As we walked up the stairs, I looked at the car again. It was absolutely stunning, and the two black stripes splitting the hood down the middle made it look really intimidating, like a strong bodyguard who seemed to be saying, “Just step on the gas, I’ll take care of the rest.”

It wasn’t just a gift, I knew that now. Harris was aware that other unpredictable situations will arise. Situations where I might be alone or where my “protectors” might be attacked or lose sight of me. He wanted me to have my own escape plan, to have another chance. This car was no guarantee of absolute safety, probably nothing will ever guarantee it again, but at least I had a contingency plan.

If I hadn’t experienced today’s incident, I probably wouldn’t have accepted it, but I had felt first hand what an old, useless car meant. His enemies – now ours – had big, strong, fast cars, and I needed my own weapons if I if I didn’t want to hide behind Harris forever.

I didn’t even want to think about what to tell my father, but that was a problem for later.

“Harris, you’re coming to the party with us, right?” Shouted V as we passed the living room.

We turned towards the door and Harris looked at his watch.

“What time does it start?”

“It’s already started, but I thought we’d go around midnight, when all the idiots have gone.”

Harris weighed his options and then looked at me, “Fancy a bit of fun?”

I tried to figure out if he was up for it, but I couldn’t read his face.

“A bit?” I asked, amused.

V jumped up from the couch and came towards me. “A lot of fun and of course he’s up to it. You can borrow anything you want from my closet.”

She looked so excited that even her purple hair seemed to glow.

“Okay,” I finally gave in and laughed.

She squealed and hugged me, careful not to ruin the white and purple manicure she’d just given herself. I wouldn’t mind a new manicure either, because my black color had already cracked.

“Wait, where are you two coming from?” she asked Harris, frowning, and he grinned. “You showed her?”

She punched his shoulder, and as little as she was compared to him, it sounded pretty painful. Harris rubbed his arm.

“Jay, Ty, he showed her the car without us,” she called out, seemingly annoyed by the fact, and Jay immediately turned his head.

He was sitting on the couch, looking exactly like a weasel.

“What?”

Ty had his headphones on, so he didn’t hear anything, and Jay threw a controller at him.

“I can’t believe you did that. You promised we’d show her together,” V scolded, wanting to hit him again, but this time he caught her.

I watched the whole thing, not knowing how to react, especially when Jay and Ty joined her, also furious with Harris.

He almost threw me over his shoulder and ran into his room to get away from them. We were both laughing as he locked the door.

“So it was a team effort.”

“Yeah, they helped me with the mods and custom tuning.”

There was a loud bang on the door.

“Asshole,” V muttered, then I heard her leave and chuckled.

Harris shook his head and looked at the door.

“I think they were just as excited to show it to you as I was, but I wanted it to be just the two of us.”

I understood him, and I also liked the fact that it was just the two of us.

“What’s this party I’m hearing about?” I asked, wanting to change the subject of “gifted cars”.

“At Mike’s house. He graduated last year, so you don’t know him from school.”

He’d mentioned him before.

“Is he one of the track people?”

“Of course,” he replied, as if it should go without saying.

I noticed him rummaging through his desk drawers and bit my lip as I wiggled my knee.

“So, is there going to be a race?” I asked, still not moving from the center of the room as I watched him pull out an iPad and a few other things.

“No. Actually, it depends on how drunk they get, but it should be a normal teenage party. You know, as normal as a bunch of crazy, hormone-driven kids full of drugs and alcohol can be,” he explained.

I liked the idea of a party like that, and I really needed it.

“Harris,” I said, continuing to bite my lip as I wondered what the hell he was doing.

“Yeah?” He turned to me, and I touched the spot on my arm where the red dot should have been.

I realized I desperately needed a fix, and with Harris being a constant drug around me, the desire for him mixed with the need for drugs created an even stronger demand.

He smiled and shook his head as he walked toward me.

“Tomorrow,” he said, and it took me a while to understand what he meant.

“Why? I need it, I haven’t taken anything since…” he pressed his index finger to my lips to stop me.

“You need to set yourself a schedule and then gradually stop completely. You’re not as addicted as you used to be and it won’t be as hard for you. I’ll give you some tomorrow, but for now you’ll have to make do with these,” he took a pack of cigarettes out of his back pocket.

I pouted immediately, but there was no point in arguing with him. In an hour I would be at a party where I would surely find a joint without his help. Still sulking, I took the pack and the lighter from his hand.

Harris carried on doing what he was doing and returned to his desk, this time pulling out a pair of rubber gloves and a small tube of black ink.

“Harris, what are you doing?”

He didn’t answer, but the corner of his mouth tilted up. I already knew what he was doing, but I wanted to hear him say it.

“Harris, what are you doing?” I repeated, but before he could answer, he pulled a tool out of the drawer that I recognized.

My stomach started to turn when I saw the tattoo machine in his hand.

He came up to me, smiling as he held the machine.

“You’re giving me the tattoo.”

It wasn’t a question, it was a statement.

“Do you want it?” he asked back sensually, stroking my neck with his fingertips.

Did I want it? I had no clue. I knew it would happen sooner or later, but… he had told me that I was different, that he loved me… so I didn’t want to end up marked like the others.

On the other hand, this tattoo meant something to him.

I swallowed and nodded.

“Really?” he smiled, seemingly surprised.

“Yes,” I confirmed, surprised at the determination in my tone.

He chuckled as he stroked my cheek and shook his head.

“Get on the mattress, baby,” he said, still grinning, and even though it scared me and I knew that what I wanted wasn’t going to happen, hearing those words from his lips turned me on.

I threw myself down on the mattress and started rubbing my neck with my palm. It was going to hurt. I knew it would.

I expected him to come to me, but he went back to sitting in his chair with his feet crossed on the desk, half-turned to face me while holding the iPad. I wanted to ask him again what he was doing, but that would have been the third time I’d asked him that in the last five minutes.

I lit a cigarette, stressed. The smoke no longer offered the feeling I craved. Harris began to work on the tablet like an expert, not at all like the drunk who’d tattooed me and misplaced three of the feathers on my wings. But wasn’t Harris already familiar with this tattoo? He probably could have done it with his eyes closed.

He handed me the ashtray on the desk.

“How many girls have you tattooed so far?” I asked without thinking first.

He seemed very focused on what he was doing as his hand glided across the screen with ease, drawing something that already seemed far too big for just one letter, but I couldn’t see any of it.

“Fourteen,” he replied, and I gasped.

More than I had thought. So that was that, I would be the fifteenth.

“Have you tattooed all the girls you’ve slept with?”

Where were all these questions coming from? I didn’t want to know the answer. He bit his lip to keep from bursting out laughing.

“No, baby, I only tattooed the ones who considered themselves to be in a relationship with me.”

Of course. As if he’d just slept with only fourteen other girls. I wished.

“And the others? Is there a number?”

He looked at me, amusement in his eyes.

“There’s an approximate number, but do you really want to know?”

“No!” I answered quickly, pleased that my mouth was speaking in unison with my brain for the first time.

“That’s what I thought,” he chuckled and returned to his work.

It was so unfair. I was so… new to this field, and he was probably bored already. Maybe that’s why he didn’t want to sleep with me.

Maybe you’re stupid , my subconscious kept mocking me.

There was no way for a man to be done with sex. He had other reasons, much more serious ones.

“Baby,” Harris snapped me out of my stupid thoughts.

“Huh?”

“You don’t have to think about what came before you. I told you, I didn’t love any of them. Some didn’t even last a month, and it was just sexual attraction. The ones I tattooed were the ones I wanted more than once, and so I protected them. It’s different with you.”

I nodded. Yeah, it was different with me, which was why I was going to receive the same tattoo as the others. Nevertheless, his drawing was intriguing. I was sure it wasn’t just a letter. Maybe he wanted to do it differently for me.

I smoked and tried to keep my cool. Soon the room filled with smoke, and I got up to open the window, where I remained for a few minutes. His neighborhood seemed quiet now, and a strong neon light burned outside the garage. Voices could be heard in the distance, groups of people laughing but out of sight. A honk, a car alarm going off, more laughter, followed by angry dogs barking.

I closed my eyes, let my head fall back and blew out the smoke, which quickly disappeared into the night. The rain had stopped, and the atmosphere felt fresh and cool, but goosebumps did not cover my skin until I felt his palms on my hips.

“Are you okay?”

He pulled me closer until my back was touching his chest.

“Yeah,” I answered quickly, then stubbed out the cigarette and threw it out the window.

“You seem tense.”

I giggled.

“Shouldn’t I be?”

“I’m still thinking about what you said earlier, and I can’t believe it really happened.”

I turned in his arms while we were both surrounded by the heavy black curtain and cupped his cheek.

“I love you, Harris Stone. How real does that sound?”

He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to mine.

“I should have told you right away, but you…. shook me up.”

He didn’t smile, just hugged me tighter.

“I haven’t said those words in years, and back then it was to my mother, it stood for something else. I admit I heard them often, too often, and they never meant anything to me. I almost started to hate the words, they annoyed me…. until I heard you say them.”

I swallowed slowly. It didn’t surprise me that Amber and the others before her had confessed their love for him.

“Now I really understand them, now they’ve shattered me,” he whispered against my lips, then kissed me tenderly.

After a few minutes of silence and tender kisses, we returned to the room. Harris left the window open but drew the curtain.

“Is it ready?” I pointed to the tablet.

The screen was off.

“Yes,” he replied, and I gulped, “come here,” he held out his arms as he sat back down on the chair.

I’m ready for this , I repeated in my head, trying to convince myself it was the truth.

I straddled him as he looked at me with a smile that betrayed nothing and burned me from the inside out. He maneuvered me to sit as I did in his car.

“You ready?” he asked, still grinning.

I nodded and swallowed again, for the hundredth time tonight. I desperately wanted to grab the tablet from his desk and look at the drawing, but I was sure he wouldn’t let me.

“I have a tradition before this,” he said, making my heart beat faster, “I usually had sex with the girl before and only tattooed her if I liked it and wanted her again.”

Was he serious?

“Oh…”

That was all I could say. I could only imagine what a stupid face I was making at that moment. He started laughing at my reaction, and I frowned.

“Instead, I want you to kiss your favorite part of my body, other than my lips.”

His words took me by surprise. Perverted demon and his twisted fantasies, I was the one getting tattooed and the one who had to give him pleasure?

My favorite part of his body, aside from his lips. I didn’t even have to think to know it was his neck.

I lifted my arm and touched his neck. He smiled, seemingly satisfied with my answer, almost as if he’d already known I was going to choose it.

“Kiss me on your favorite part of my neck.”

I had fantasies with absolutely every inch of his neck, as well as his whole body, but I bent my head down and kissed the right side, where I could feel his pulse pound against my lips and where his moans echoed like pleasure-thunder.

“Mark the spot, baby.”

He took a deep breath to stifle his groan, and I felt encouraged by his reaction, sucked his skin between my teeth and bit down on it so he could feel a little pain. That was probably why he wanted me to torture him, to make him feel better about what he would do afterwards. Or maybe he wanted me to mark him with a fucking bite while he would mark me with a permanent tattoo. A thick groan left his throat, making me tremble in his arms.

I let go of his skin before I caused too much pain.

He groaned again and touched his neck. He smiled as he felt the imprints of my bite under his fingertips. I managed to stop myself from licking my lips.

“Okay, so I’m getting the tattoo now?” I asked impatiently.

We had a party to go to in a little while, and I didn’t even know if he had enough time to get it done. Besides, walking around with a foil on my neck for the rest of the night didn’t sound fun.

He took my face in his palms and kissed me.

“Nope,” he broke away from my lips, “I’m getting the tattoo.”

He showed me the tablet.

It switched on and the image flickered in front of my face.

My heart stopped, and I froze in his arms when I saw the drawing.

It wasn’t what… it was supposed to be.

It was two angel wings similar to mine, with a letter sitting between them:

K

Blockage.

And nothing else.

“Oh, my God…” I stuttered.

He giggled, then kissed me on the cheek.

“Oh, no,” he suddenly jumped, startled, “Don’t even think about crying,” he scolded with a raised index finger.

I started laughing and struggled to hold back the tears.

“Why?” was all I could ask.

Was I dreaming?

Probably.

“I told you,” his face softened, “you’re different, I want everyone to know you’re mine, but I want you to know how much you mean to me.”

It was impossible for me to suppress my tears. He sighed deeply, quickly wiped the tear away and took my face in his palms.

“I love you, Katherine, and you have no idea what love means to me. We’re so different, baby, but I know how I feel.”

“We’re not that different,” I smiled, rubbing my nose against his, which made him giggle like a little boy.

“Yes, we are, baby. You’re an angel and I’m a demon, unfortunately, not just metaphorically.”

“But I’m not a nice angel,” I raised my eyebrows.

“Good, because I want a wild one,” his eyes darkened before he kissed my lips and pushed me backwards with the force of the kiss.

I laughed and wrapped my arms around his neck.

He stood up with me coiled around him, then he led me back to the mattress, pinched my butt, and ran off before I could return it. I liked this playful side of the demon, even if my skin didn’t like it so much.

Harris was truly bipolar, and I found his bipolarity absolutely delicious.

He returned to the desk, winked at me, and then focused on his work.

He pulled on the surgical gloves, the black rubber material molded perfectly to his hands and slid against his wrist with a sharp slap, then began preparing the ink. He looked so professional, like a real tattoo artist who was very good at his job.

“Did you tattoo yourself first?” I asked, as he checked the drawing again.

“Yeah, this was one of the first,” he showed me some text written on the inside of his left arm.

One of the first, not the first. Maybe he didn’t remember the first one, or maybe he wasn’t ready to talk about it.

I squinted and tried to read the words, and Harris lifted his arm so I could see better.

“Everything has a beginning and an ending. “

I recognized the quote immediately.

“The words on your necklace,” I said, and he nodded, then lowered his arm.

That affirmation scared me in a way, because it was a constant reminder that everything would end eventually, just like Harris and me. I just didn’t know when or how. At the end of a very long life together full of happiness and love, or after a few days, when his love turned out to be something other than it seemed. They were both endings, but completely different from one another. I shook my head and pushed the haunting thought away. He getting my initials tattooed, and I was doubting his feelings.

After he took off his T-shirt, I looked at the other tattoos on his body and thought that the sun would rise if he explained the meaning behind all the tattoos to me. A tiger with its mouth open took the place on his right shoulder. It was one of the largest, and it stood out, unlike most of the intricate things that dotted his skin. On the back of his right palm was something that looked like Chinese writing, and his left arm was covered with many images wrapped in a chain.

The wolf pups on his stomach made me curious, but I kept my mouth shut.

I noticed the tattoos on his right arm again, the ones around his mother’s birthday, and now that I knew more of the story, I could finally see the connection between them. The two roses, one alive, the other rotten, were probably for his mother and the man who had sexually abused her. The same with the pair of burning wings and the demonic eyes, representing the angel who was ruined because of a devil.

I swallowed and tried not to start that conversation. The creepiest tattoo by far was the one on the inside of his left arm, where his mother’s words painted his skin with the story of how Harris came to be. From a distance, I couldn’t read any of the sentences as they seemed to be just distorted lines, but even if I’d only read them once, I’d memorized almost every word.

I turned my gaze upwards to dispel the thoughts that sent a shiver down my spine.

“Isn’t it difficult to do it yourself?” I asked as I examined the tattoos on the back of his arms.

It must have been difficult to tattoo even his own abdomen.

The falcon on his chest was really fascinating.

“It’s a lot harder than on someone else, and it depends on the spot, but I can do it.”

I smiled appreciatively because I saw true talent in Harris.

He didn’t have any tattoos on his back because it was impossible for him to reach that part.

“Where are you doing it?” I asked, trying to find a suitable place for it on his stomach.

“On my neck,” he replied, as if it was obvious.

My eyes widened, “What?”

I couldn’t believe it. He wanted to get a tattoo for me, in the same place he usually marked his victims.

“Isn’t this your favorite spot?” he asked as he touched the reddened area on his neck.

I stood up and walked towards him.

“Harris, that is…” I began as he looked at me curiously, amused that I had stuttered my words, “I feel like I’m marking you.”

He laughed.

“You are marking me! What deviant words you’re spouting, Miss K.”

Okay, he was making fun of me, but I couldn’t help but laugh.

His lips suddenly met mine and took my breath away.

Desire exploded in both of us.

He lifted me up and wrapped my legs around his waist. I loved it when he did that and I clutched his hair, lowered my mouth to his neck and kissed his skin where my tattoo was soon to be done.

A strong moan escaped his throat.

“If you don’t stop, I might throw you on the mattress and ruin the schedule for tonight,” he gasped through his moans.

“Fuck the schedule,” I cursed, biting into his skin.

He could get that tattoo tomorrow and I didn’t want to go to any party anymore. I wanted him.

Was it normal to be so electrified when he was talking about throwing me on a mattress?

He sat me down on the desk and pulled away, but I didn’t let go of his hair.

He made a dangerous sound, and I wanted him back, but he raised his index finger, admonishing me to be good.

“You look so hot, shirtless and wearing those black gloves,” I bit my lip, my eyes traveling up and down without shame.

Those fucking black cargo pants, his bare stomach, toned and tattooed, black gloves, tousled hair. I had to fight with every fiber of my being not to drool. He shook his head as he watched me, then scooted his chair closer to me.

“If I were you, I’d shut up before I take you right on this desk,” he threatened.

My arms were wide open to the threat, as were my legs.

“What are you waiting for?” I baited him by opening my legs in a sensual way and placing them on the sides of his chair.

He looked straight at what was important, then shook his head again and blinked rapidly before fixing his eyes on my face, danger lurking in their depths.

“Be good,” it’s all he said, in a fucking threatening tone which made me laugh.

Fuck savoring every moment, I was losing my mind, and I clearly should have stopped smoking whatever was in those cigarettes.

“What have you given me so far?” I asked without giving it much thought, my legs still open in front of him.

How I wished I was wearing a skirt.

“Amphetamine,” he replied and took an oval mirror out of the drawer.

“Oh,” was all I said, because amphetamine explained the rush of energy and the desire to rip his clothes off, “is that what you usually go for, too?”

“Yes. That, ecstasy, cocaine, heroin, cannabis, LSD, PCP, and so on. I have tried them all, but I try not to get addicted to one particular drug. They’re all different from each other, and it’s quite difficult to get used to a flavor and become loyal to it if you keep switching them. This trick doesn’t work for everyone, some end up in the morgue, but it works for me because I know my body and recognize the signals it gives.”

“You have tried pretty much everything the white death has to offer, huh?”

“Yeah, you could say that.”

“Have you ever overdosed?”

He watched me intently.

“No, but I have come close a few too many times.

“But you never seem high,” I concluded, and he smiled.

“I haven’t used that much since I’ve known you.”

“Why?” I asked curiously, and he scooted closer until he spoke over my lips and his fingers reached between my legs, making me wince.

“Because I’m trying to abstain. If I were to get high now…” he left the sentence unfinished as his fingers stroked the sensitive area.

I swallowed and quickly understood.

“Oh,” I repeated, and an erotic smile played around his lips.

“Oh is right. I quit drugs and I’m at the gym every spare second I have to eliminate… what you are doing to me.”

His lips sank to my neck. He’d already told me he hadn’t touched anyone else since he’d met me, and I was only now beginning to believe him.

As if reading my mind, he whispered against my skin, “You know it’s all about you, right? Even though I’m holding back with you, that doesn’t mean there’s anyone else, not even for one night.”

Every inch of my skin seemed to catch fire.

“And how long do you think you can go without sex?”

My question made him smile as he continued to kiss my neck.

“I can go as long as I want without sex, I can control my body. But without you… that’s a different story,” his breath brushed over my neck before his kiss became insistent.

I shivered uncontrollably.

“I’m…”

“No,” he interrupted me, biting my skin and making me wince, “Don’t tell me you’re ready for this, don’t torture me any more than you already do, baby.”

I smiled and closed my mouth, because that’s exactly what I wanted to say.

He pulled back when he seemed to be a second away from giving in, rubbed his palms over his face, and muttered a curse.

I was still standing with my feet on the edge of the chair, and he grabbed my ankles and clamped them between his thighs to keep them closed, which seemed to calm him down.

He placed the mirror in my lap.

Oh, God, he wanted to it like that.

“Don’t move,” he warned.

I nodded, trying to be good, and leaned down to give him a quick kiss. He squinted, but then started laughing as I pretended to zip my mouth shut.

My skin prickled as he began to wipe his neck with a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol. He ran his finger over the spot and examined it, as the red mark I had left was still visible. I hoped the soreness wouldn’t bother him now.

I could feel my legs trembling as he picked up the tattoo machine. He had a few other tattoos on his neck, but not on the right side. Did that spot hurt a lot?

“Does this spot hurt a lot?” my mouth spoke again without my brain, and he looked up at me as he rearranged the mirror above my thighs.

“For me it’s the same as any other spot. It’s just more complicated because the skin is sensitive and it’s above the pulse line.”

I swallowed and nodded.

“You do it directly on the skin? Without sticking the sketch on first?” I pointed to the picture on the tablet and he giggled because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut.

“No, I don’t need it. I just drew it to sort out a few details, but I have drawn so many wings since I have known you that I’m sure it’ll turn out fine without a stencil.”

Right, I knew the thing had a name.

“Can I see them?”

“Some other time,” he winked.

I nodded and assumed the position of a holder, which I was. A happy holder.

The hum of the machine made every fine hair on my arms stand up.

It was as if I felt the pain of the prick as the needles pierced his neck, pumping the ink into his skin, into his blood.

He didn’t react, but I felt like he was tattooing me as my body was completely paralyzed. I felt like my head would explode if I moved.

The blood quickly spurted from his skin in fine droplets and Harris handed me the handkerchief and silently asked me to wipe it off. My hands trembled as if I were touching a deep wound, but I was happy to help.

He wasn’t gentle with his skin, and if he was in pain, he didn’t show it, even though blood kept coming out. The area around the drawing began to redden, and I expected him to do the wings first, but I smiled when I could decipher the K on his neck.

My heart began pounding faster and faster.

“You’re really doing it,” I whispered, still a little shocked.

He paused and gave me a smile, “At first I was tempted to write your full name, how would you have reacted?”

My eyes widened, and he had to bite his lips to stifle a laugh.

“Would you have liked it?” He cocked his head and looked at me, and I shook my head.

“The initial is much sexier. Besides, it’s the same style as your sign, only with my name.”

The eroticism in his eyes made me close my legs tighter, and he understood my gesture immediately.

“Although,” I continued, “the S is for Stone, so you should have made it a W,” I grinned, trying to tease him.

It didn’t work because he stopped and reached for me until his lips touched mine.

“You won’t be Wrise forever, baby,” he winked, and I froze.

Did that mean what I thought it meant?

He managed to leave me completely speechless, and he grinned before kissing me and turning back to the tattoo.

God, he made my head buzz.

I wondered how many days had passed since I’d told him he wouldn’t give me his tattoo? And he had told me that I would ask for it myself.

Drops of sweat formed on his forehead and I took another tissue to wipe them away, then I pushed back the strands of hair that had fallen forward and he smiled gratefully.

I looked down at him and kept bending backwards to see the tattoo better, as he leaned over my lap holding the tattoo machine like it was a pencil. He was constantly changing the cables, needles and ink tubes as he worked with black and different shades of gray. He didn’t tattoo the letter first, as I had thought, but a combination. The K was tangled up in the feathers, almost as if it was part of the wings. It was looking more and more realistic, and he had only just started.

He sat up and exhaled deeply as he leaned against the backrest when he was done with that part.

He took a deep breath, and just before he went back to work, my mouth spoke again.

“Why don’t you call me Kath?”

It was a question I’d been putting off for a while, but I didn’t think I’d ask it now.

“Because I love your name, your full name. It seems perfect for an angel who’s half devil.”

His answer made me giggle. Thinking back on it, I didn’t remember who first called me Kath, but I remember not liking the nickname much at first, it sounded like cat food to me. Then everyone called me that and I got used to it. Only my mother and father called me Katy and… oh, no ! Vince called me Kath the first time, he always said I had the reflexes of a cat, and instead of Kat he chose Kath to emphasize the h at the end like a cat’s purr. Before that, people called me Kate, but then I got stuck with Kath. Fuck, if Harris found out that the only guy I’d ever had a crush on was the first one to call me that, he’d ban everyone from using it again.

“Do you want me to call you Kath?” Harris asked.

“No,” I shook my head.

Hell no! “I just got used to everyone calling me that. I’m only Katherine when I’m in trouble, and when you are around, that’s all I get called.” I laughed and got the same reaction from him.

“Kath,” he crooned, emphasizing the damn h at the end in the sexiest fucking way possible.

I never thought hearing my name spoken by someone’s mouth would turn me on, but then again, we were talking about Harris’ mouth.

“You’re my trouble, Kath,” he said, moving closer to me as his thighs gripped my legs tighter.

I started laughing and leaned down to kiss him. His lips felt so hot and tasted so delicious, but he pulled away before my fantasy had even begun.

“Stop tempting me, I’m busy.”

I stopped pestering him and assumed the position of the statue. My legs went numb, pinned between his up to my knees, but I did not think to move them as they felt good there.

With every inch of the tattoo, my heartbeat increased, and I began to sweat more than he did.

We lost track of time as we stood there; I held his mirror and watched, mesmerized, as he created the most mesmerizing declaration of love ever.

Maybe it was minutes, maybe hours, maybe days. I was unable tell time anymore as I struggled with the avalanche of emotions and tears, knowing that no matter what followed, Harris and I would be eternal.

He let out a sigh of relief when the buzzing stopped.

Harris leaned back in the chair, his neck red. He took the mirror from my lap and proudly admired his work. Then he let go of my legs and pulled me onto his lap. I was paralyzed and started rubbing my numb feet.

“Well?” Harris asked with a smile, allowing me to look at the tattoo.

I raised my hand, but stopped it in mid-air before my fingers could touch the sensitive skin.

“You can touch it,” he encouraged me.

I gently pressed my fingertip against his painted skin. It felt so warm, hot and swollen. I leaned over his neck and gently touched my lips to my tattoo.

The black angel wings were perfectly blended around my initial and stretched across a quarter of the right side of Harris’ neck, down to his Adam’s apple and up to his ear. It was big enough and stood out, much more than his infamous S, and it looked so good on him. My initial looked downright sexy on his neck, especially as it was the only one in that area. The two wings were similar to the tattoo on my back, but there was more to them, something demonic. They were sharper, more dangerous.

“It’s… unbelievable,” I whispered, frighteningly emotional because I still couldn’t believe he’d done that for me.

“You made me fall in love with you. You deserve it,” he said with a smile and my cheeks caught fire.

He took my face in his palms and pulled me into a tender kiss.

“That’s the one thing I promised myself . Girls have always fallen in love with me, and I’ve marked them with my tattoo, but I promised myself that if a girl comes along that I fall in love with, I’ll be the one with the mark. She will be mine, but I will also be hers. It was a self-challenge, but also a wish, because I never thought it would happen. I didn’t think a Katherine Wrise would come into my life and blow my mind to pieces,” I giggled and took his face in my palms, “and I didn’t think it would feel this good to have my mind blown to pieces either,” he continued and I pulled him to my lips to stop him because he was going to make me cry again if he kept talking like that.

Our moment was interrupted by a knock at the door.

“You are still coming, aren’t you? It’s nearly midnight,” Ty called out.

Harris looked at his watch, the one he never took off. The screen turned on and we saw that there were seventeen minutes left until midnight.

The day had passed in a surreal way.

“Yeah, we’re coming,” Harris called back before standing up with me in his arms.

“Isn’t it too late to go to the party?”

“The best parties start after midnight,” he winked at me.

He tidied his desk, wiped and disinfected everything, then applied cream to his tattoo. He didn’t seem to think about putting a foil over it.

“I’m going to take a shower, want to join me?” his look became a little too interesting.

“Shower?” I repeated the word as if I didn’t know what it meant, then licked my lips, “Yeah, a shower would be good.”

Among other things.

He gave me a charming smile and pulled me into his arms. The tattoo looked so hot on him, he had become truly irresistible.

He leaned down to me, but before he could kiss me, there was another knock at the door, and an angry breath wafted from his nostrils.

“Harris, come out from between Kath’s legs. I need her. We need to pick out an outfit for tonight.”

This time it was V, and we both started laughing.

“Too bad you’re not between my legs,” I whispered devilishly against his lips.

“I was planning on getting there,” he pouted.

“I’m coming, V,” I shouted, trying to make her go away from our door, which earned me a devastating kiss.

Harris let me shower first and didn’t come with me because then we wouldn’t have gone to the party and we would have risked V barging in on us.

***

After nearly an hour of V buzzing around me like a bee during pollination season, I stood in front of a mirror, and did not recognize myself.

I was wearing a black leather dress. It had no cleavage and covered the entire length of my neck, but it was completely backless and showed the entire tattoo that V had supposedly fallen in love with. It was offensively short and tight, and it felt like a second skin.

The shoes were a pair of black, high-heeled leather ankle boots with a studded ankle bracelet attached. She had straightened my hair and tied it into a low ponytail, and my makeup consisted of black eyeshadow and eyeliner, which I had applied myself according to her instructions.

I applied red lipstick as a test, but she wouldn’t allow me to wipe it off.

It had been a long time since I had seen myself so dressed up… so sexy, because that dress had no other goal. It didn’t let a drop of innocence seep through, and V had chosen it on purpose.

“Oh god, you look stunning,” she bounced around excitedly, proudly applauding her masterpiece.

“Thank you,” I smiled sheepishly at her, “You too,” and pointed to her outfit.

It wasn’t as shocking as mine. She was wearing a dress that looked more like a long tank top that came down to her thighs, over a purple bra that didn’t leave much to the imagination, and black over-the-knee boots.

V could make anything sexy, even a tank top.

“Harris will die when he sees you,” her smile was almost diabolical and made me laugh.

The thought that Harris might not like it had crossed my mind. I was a little – more than a lot – too vulgar.

“Do you think he’ll like it?” I asked, a little unsure.

“Are you kidding me? Just look at yourself. I’m afraid he’ll take you to his room and we won’t go to any party tonight,” she laughed and handed me a wide silver cuff with small studs that covered my entire wrist.

I laughed too, pulling the dress down as if it would conceal even more, while V went on and on about the impossible miracle that Harris’ tattoo was.

His friends were just as shocked as I was.

I looked around. We were in Jay and V’s room, which was almost twice the size of Harris’ and full of color, just as I’d expected from them. Two of the walls were purple, the other two were dark yellow. I didn’t know if it was all the rage to match the walls to your hair, but it amused me. You couldn’t see much of the walls anyway, as they were covered in posters of rock bands and race cars. Their closet was much bigger than Harris’, a literal walk-in filled mostly with V’s clothes.

I started laughing as she grinned like a devil again, because I was starting to love her more and more, and neither of us opened the “Joshua” talk, because we didn’t want to open that can of worms and spoil our mood.

“Girls, there are others here who want to change,” Jay’s voice rang out from the other side of the door.

“Get changed in Harris’ room,” V answered him indifferently.

“Yeah, as if he would let me. The last time I knocked on that door, he hit me so hard I dreamed of blue demons all night. So, no thanks.”

We both started laughing hysterically.

“Deal with it,” V replied, still laughing.

“Oh, really? Harris, get your ass over here, we have a door to break down,” I heard him call out in the hallway.

“Is the door locked?” I asked V, trying to stifle the tears.

They were tears of amusement, but they had the power to ruin my makeup. V shook her head and another fit of laughter overcame us both.

“What? Is it stuck?” I heard Harris on the other side.

The handle soon moved and in came a version of Harris that weakened my knees.

V had said he would pull me into his room… no, I would pull him.

It was official, I couldn’t stop myself when he was wearing those fucking pants, but now it was even worse than before because he had a holster strapped to his thigh.

With a gun in it.

I swallowed, but not because I was scared.

He wore combat boots that ended above the ankle and a very tight tank top that showed all the tattoos on his arms, and the eagle on his check protruded from the neckline. His hair was wet and pushed back, while a few strands fell rebelliously over his forehead.

But the tattoo on the side of his neck was still… unreal.

He was beautiful, sexy and lethal, all rolled into one.

Even Jay was staring at him.

When I looked Harris in the eye, he stood frozen in the doorway, his hand still gripping the handle.

“Fuck,” he whispered, analyzing me from top to bottom without blinking.

His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.

“So, what do you think?” V asked with a cheeky tone as she pointed at me.

He released the handle and strode towards me.

God, hold me steady.

His shower gel mixed with his cologne lingered in the air, and he smelled so good. We were almost the same height now, and I liked that I could look him in the eye better in high heels.

He said nothing, and I bit my lip and began to get restless.

My patience was at an end.

“Say something, can’t you see the poor girl is tense?” V scolded him, and I agreed with her.

“She’s not a girl,” he whispered barely audibly as he took my hand in his, “she’s a goddess.”

Every muscle in my body quivered, and V winked devilishly at me from behind.

“Can you and your goddess go to your room? I’m kinda busy here,” Jay cleared his throat.

“Don’t ruin the moment,” V punched his shoulder.

I giggled, and Harris leaned down, picked me up bridal style, and carried me out of their room.

“You’re so beautiful,” he said as he kicked the door shut, still pressing his lips to mine, “so sexy,” he continued as he sat me down on the desk, “and you’re mine.”

The lustful groan that escaped his throat made me shudder as his tongue tangled with mine in a lethal dance, and I struggled not to shove my hands into his hair and ruin it. Somehow he managed to get himself between my legs as he pushed my dress up and slid his hands underneath.

“And you’re mine,” I whispered back, leaning down to kiss the tattoo he’d done for me.

His skin was still red and sensitive, but the swelling had gone down and it was getting more beautiful.

“I’m yours, baby,” he confirmed.

Those had become my favorite words, and I moaned upon hearing them.

“I love this tank top,” I said as I caressed his shoulders.

His teeth gritted next to my ear as his palms gripped my back so tightly I was sure I was going to bruise, but it was worth it.

“And I love this dress, but I still want to rip it to shreds,” his palm reached between my legs and I whimpered instinctively.

“You didn’t think I’d forgotten how you opened your legs in front of me earlier, did you?” he grinned.

I winced as I felt his fingers tugging at my underwear and literally cried out as he slid one of his fingers inside me.

I bit my lips and held on to his shoulders.

“You don’t have to prove anything to me anymore, baby. I trust you,” I began, unable to finish my sentence because his touch was driving me insane, “I want more from you, not just a finger.”

Harris gasped against my neck and pulled me closer to him. I was now sitting on the edge of the desk and would have fallen if he hadn’t propped me up.

“I know, baby, but I can’t. Not yet.”

I frowned, then winced. Maybe it was just a finger, but he knew the right way to use it to drive me crazy.

“When then?” I found the strength to ask and stay conscious.

Harris stopped and pressed his forehead to mine.

“Not when, but if,” I frowned, confused by his words, “if you still want to be with me after the secret segment is gone, I told you that.”

I breathed as fear crept in. He still insisted on that, even after I’d confessed my love for him, even after he’d gotten the tattoo.

All of that included, it seemed that our secret segment was so bad that it would be possible to determine me to leave him after I found out the truth.

When I wrapped my legs around him, the gun pressed against my skin.