The Tattoo Artist and the Girl from the Coffee Shop Read online

  "Tomorrow at eight? I’ll pick you up."

  Tessa nodded and waited for the kiss they’d almost had several times already.

  His eyes dropped to her lips again and her hopes resurfaced. Do it, just go for it, she coached herself. But couldn’t bring herself to be so bold.

  "Goodnight, Tessa." Without another word he turned and made his way down the front steps and to his car.

  With a loud groan Tessa fell against the doorjamb and felt like sinking to the floor as she watched him drive off, the taillights of his Jeep disappearing around the corner, cursing herself for being so damned inhibited.

  Chapter 3

  Chase

  The next night Chase showed up as promised, exactly at eight. As much as he'd wanted to kiss her the previous night he was pleased with himself for refraining. He didn't want to push things with her, considering what she'd been through the past couple of years. He sensed that she needed a man who was willing to be a friend first, a sexual partner second. He knew he needed to gain her trust before he made such a move. So he was willing to move at a glacial speed if that was what was necessary – regardless of how many cold showers he’d be forced to endure or nights jacking off in the process. He had a feeling the wait would be worth it in the end.

  Chase was confident when he knocked on her door this time, until she swung the door open and smiled up at him. She looked like an entirely different woman than he'd seen the previous night and at the shop. Her dark hair shone as it cascaded down her back. And she wore a black form-fitting, off-the-shoulder bandage dress that reached almost to the knees, emphasizing her curvy hips and ample breasts. The thin sleeves partially covered her tattoo. While she was beautiful without the makeup and sporting a ponytail, as she was currently, she was absolutely breathtaking.

  "I think I underdressed," he joked, motioning to his typical faded blue jeans, button-down salmon-coloured shirt and leather jacket.

  "Then consider it even for me wearing pajamas last night." Tessa stepped out of the house, closing the door firmly behind her.

  He took her hand, which was tiny with skin as soft as satin, within his and led her to the Jeep. He reached past her to open the door, but she refused to budge. Brow furrowed, Chase glanced up to catch Tessa's eyes and was surprised to see a look of determination in her forest green depths.

  Fisting the lapels of his jacket, Tessa pulled his lips down to hers. Stunned by her brazen gesture he lost balance, reached out and caught himself before he fully crushed her body between his and the Jeep, bracing his hands on the roof of the car on either side of her head.

  Her lips brushed against his, ever so lightly. Teasing him, coaxing him to take it further. Chase responded, nipping at her lower lip, his desire for her beginning to rise up within him. She sighed softly against his mouth, her lips parting slightly. Needing to taste more of her, he deepened the kiss, his tongue slipping between her parted lips and lashing at hers. The taste of spearmint mixed with sweet strawberries greeted his tongue as it caressed hers.

  She moaned against his mouth, her hands tightening on the front of his jacket as she pulled his body tighter against hers. A bolt of desire rushed through him and his cock jerked to attention, slowly rising as he pressed his groin against her. This was dangerous, challenging his decision for moving at a glacial pace. He was tempted to say to hell with the date, take her into the house and explore every inch of her body. Had it been any other woman that’s exactly how this scenario would have played out.

  Just when he was about to give in to his urges and walk her back to the house, she placed the palms of her hands on his chest and gently pushed him away, ending the kiss. He reluctantly took a step back.

  "I've been thinking about doing that since last night." She looked up at him through her lashes, giving him a sheepish smile. “Hope it wasn’t too… You know, too much.”

  Chase was unable to speak for the span of a couple of beats; his arousal fought with his surprise over her declaration. She was certainly full of surprises, no doubt on that. Maybe he’d misjudged her? Maybe there was a fiery vixen hidden behind her shy girl exterior. Straightening up, Chase ran a hand through his hair and attempted to regain his composure.

  "Was it what you were expecting?" he couldn't help but tease.

  "Hmm." She leaned into him, her hands fisting the lapels of his jacket, and pressed her body against his. His heart rate accelerated as he anticipated another kiss, and indulged in the feel of her body against his. Her lips grazed the side of his neck and he groaned involuntarily. "It did. Can't wait for the next one."

  With a saucy smile and wink she moved out of the way so he could proceed with opening the door for her.

  A little shaken, yet excited over her change in demeanour from yesterday and the day at the shop, he opened the door and ushered her into the vehicle. Tessa was getting more and more interesting by the minute. He loved it.

  ~*~ TT ~*~

  Tessa

  As they drove to wherever it was that Chase was taking them Tessa gave herself a mental pat on the back. She'd spent the past half an hour before Chase arrived gaining the courage to make a move on him when he showed up. She missed the chance when she met him at the door, but by the time they'd made it to the vehicle she'd thrown caution to the wind and simply gone for it.

  By the expression on his face when the kiss ended and the fire she'd felt for the brief moment that she'd been in his arms she knew it had been a good call on her part. He seemed a little out of sorts since her move on him and she had to say, she liked seeing she had that effect on such a strong, sexy man.

  "So where are we going?" Tessa asked, breaking the silence.

  "It's a surprise. But, you won't have to wait long because we're almost there."

  "Oh?" Tessa sat up straighter in her seat. They were entering the arts district of Portland, Me. Portland wasn't exactly a screaming metropolis, but it was a decent-sized city. It had everything Tessa could ever want and need and despite the fact she no longer had any known living family in the area, she couldn't imagine living anywhere else.

  They drove another five minutes and Chase pulled into a parking lot that was dimly lit and virtually abandoned. Looking around she didn't notice any open restaurants.

  She scrunched up her nose, confused. "So... Where are we going?"

  Instead of answering, Chase got out, rushed around the front of the Jeep to her side and opened the door for her. "Across the street."

  Tessa slipped out of the vehicle, taking care to ensure the hemline of her dress didn't creep up too far on her thighs and expose to Chase that she wasn't wearing underwear. The dress she was wearing was too tight in the hips for panties. Each time she looked in the mirror to inspect herself she'd see the panty line at her hips. She'd finally gotten sick of the lines and said to hell with the panties and removed them. It also had an additional effect on her, making her feel sexy and a little bit of a bad girl; perhaps it was part of what gave her the confidence to kiss him.

  Tessa placed her hand on his hard stomach as she stood and as he glanced down at her and as their eyes locked she could feel the intensity of the attraction between them; the kiss they’d shared seemed to have fuelled that original attraction. She caught her lower lip between her teeth and fought the urge to kiss him again. His eyes lowered to her lips and she could see he was fighting the same urge. Gathering up every ounce of restraint she had in her, Tessa stepped out of his embrace and out of the way of the door so he could close and lock it behind her.

  "Come on." Taking her hand Chase guided her across the street and to the Horizon Gallery.

  "They’re closed..." Brow furrowed, Tessa looked up at Chase.

  Chase paused and gave his head a shake. "Hmmm. Yeah. Appears that way. Good thing I have a key." Dropping her hand he fiddled with his key ring until he found the one for the gallery.

  A grin spread across Tessa's face as she waited for him to unlock the gallery. She'd never been one for art, so she'd never been to the gallery befor
e. However, knowing that Chase was so passionate about it made her anxious to see what was inside. Some of his art? She hoped so.

  "Do you know the owners?"

  Chase chuckled as he opened the door, but didn’t answer. As the door opened a faint beeping to sound. Chase quickly made his way to a pillar with a locked box hanging on it. He inserted a key into the box to display a keypad and within seconds the beeping stopped and lights above each of the hanging paintings turned on. The lights over the paintings glowed softly, and gave just enough light to give the gallery a romantic feel. He pressed another set of numbers and a soft, sultry melody began to play from the overhead speakers.

  Tessa was even more bewildered as he closed the control panel and turned to face her, completely at ease in the gallery. "Come on, I'll show you some of my favourite pieces." He didn't move from his spot, but outstretched his hand for her to come to him.

  "You didn't answer my question." She tried to keep her tone teasing and nonchalant, but her curiosity was killing her. Walking over to him, she took his hand, loving the feeling of his hand eclipsing hers.

  "Nope. I didn't. I assure you, we're allowed to be here." He smiled down at her, his gorgeous eyes gleaming with amusement and gave her hand a tug as he led her to the left-hand wall of the gallery.

  Why was he being so cryptic? Could he own the place? She looked around them. She knew nothing about paintings, or their worth, but the gallery itself screamed class, refinement and money. But if he owned the gallery why would he be working at a tattoo shop? He’d claimed that painting was his passion. It made no sense.

  Feeling his eyes on her, she looked up and met his gaze. His grin widened. "I can't tell you all my secrets straight away now can I?"

  "No fair, I told you mine!"

  Laughing, he led her over to the first painting on the wall. It was of a dark-skinned female angel, naked, with her massive black wings wrapping around her covering her nudity. What appeared to be demons circled the woman. It was dark, almost disturbing, but it captivated her. The woman's dark eyes seemed to be staring back at Tessa and it sent a chill through her.

  "What do you think?"

  Tessa fought the urge to step up to the painting and touch it. "I do... It's so... fascinating. I want to know her story." She looked up at Chase. "Is it yours?" Tessa tried to read the signature at the lower right-hand side, but all she could make out was an L and then a bunch of squiggles. Could be his.

  "She's been misplaced."

  "Misplaced?"

  Chase nodded, but didn't look down at her. "She was destined to be an angel of God, but got lost in the shuffle between life and death, and found herself in a place she isn't supposed to be. But she's a fighter. She refuses to accept the situation she was thrown into and she's determined to find her way. To go where she belongs, despite the temptations to stay."

  "Come on." He gave her hand a tug and she followed along, her eyes darting back periodically to the first painting. Each painting that she showed an interest in he'd take a moment to describe the story behind it before moving on to the next, refusing to tell her which ones were his – if any.

  Her tour ended at the back of the gallery where a small table was set up for two. Leading her to the table he dropped her hand and pulled her chair out for her.

  "I'll be right back."

  Tessa nodded and watched him disappear into a room across from her. She took the time alone to pull her compact from her purse and examine her makeup and hair. Upon hearing his footsteps coming close to the doorway she closed the compact and thrust it into her purse, not wanting him to catch her checking herself out.

  She smiled as Chase emerged with a large tray poised on his shoulder. The delicious aroma of their dinner drifted to her from across the room and her stomach grumbled. She silently thanked God that the grumble was inaudible. She hadn't known what he had planned for her for the evening so she'd skipped eating anything past noon – just in case.

  "You look like a professional server," Tessa teased as he approached, the massive tray perfectly balanced on his shoulder.

  "I've carried a tray or two in my day," he countered, giving her a wink as he approached the table and began to unload their meal, complete with wine.

  "You were a server?"

  "Something like that." Once the tray was unloaded he set it against the wall and proceeded to open their wine.

  Tessa wanted to groan out loud in frustration at how closed he was being tonight. She wanted to know his stories, everything. And she was dying to know about his college years. They hadn’t had a chance to discuss that at the shop; the conversation seemed to have taken a detour from that topic.

  "What's wrong?" Concern was evident in his eyes as he poured her a glass of white wine.

  "You just seem so closed about some things. It's frustrating."

  "Fair enough." He poured himself a glass, shrugged off his jacket, placed it over the back of his chair and sat down across from her. "It's not necessarily my intention. In regard to the painting, yes, that was mine. I wanted to see your reactions to my work so I could get an honest, objective response from you over it. There's a difference between liking a painting because it moves you and liking it because you like the person who painted it."

  Tessa was about to protest, but snapped her mouth shut. He was right. Whether she liked it or not, he was right. She wouldn't have been so candid about her opinions on some of the paintings had she known they were painted by him.

  "And the gallery?"

  "I'm a partial owner." He pointed to her chicken Parmesan, on a bed of fettuccini. "Now eat up and tell me what you think."

  "How did you know this is my favourite?" she asked as she cut a piece of chicken and popped it into her mouth.

  "You told me at the shop. I try to remember important details." He grinned at her, the smile sending her pulse racing. How could something as simple as a smile fluster her so much?

  "How is my favourite food an important detail?"

  "Because, you never know when you might want to ask the girl you're tattooing out to dinner."

  Tessa laughed. "So you regularly ask out your clients?"

  He shook his head. "You'd be the first that I've tracked down at their home without their consent."

  She wanted to ask what was so special about her that made him decide to take a chance and show up at her doorstep, but she refrained, scared the question even if asked in jest would sound like she was fishing for compliments. "For the record, I'm really glad you did."

  His eyes met hers. Was it wanton of her to want to skip the delicious meal he'd prepared so she could explore his rock hard, tattooed body under the layers of clothing? She wanted to examine every inch of him, and hear the stories behind each of his tattoos.

  "What's on your mind?"

  Tessa looked up to meet his eyes, feeling her cheeks grow hot, as if he'd been able to read her naughty thoughts. She chewed at her lower lip, looking up at him through her lashes. "I was wondering about what other tattoos you may have hidden."

  Setting his fork onto his plate he sat back in his chair, his left hand rubbing his chin as his eyes dipped momentarily to her cleavage. Heat rose up within her and her pussy clenched, a dampness between her legs making her feel slightly uncomfortable. She shifted uncomfortably in her chair, attempting to relieve the tension building between her legs.

  He gave her a heated look, his lips curling up into a wickedly sexy smile. "Well, if I told you, then wouldn't that take away from the fun of you discovering on your own?"

  Tessa gulped down the lump forming in her throat. Was she ready, after all these years, to explore? Was he offering, challenging her to find out? She wondered what her co-worker Samantha would do and couldn't help the soft giggle escaping her lips. Samantha would stand up, walk over to Chase and fuck him on the table, the meal fully forgotten. And that's what her body was screaming for her to do.

  But she wasn't Samantha. However, she suspected Chase could just well be the man to pull her out of
her shell.

  ~*~ TT ~*~

  Tessa

  The rest of the evening with Chase went by way too quickly for Tessa's liking. As he escorted her up the front steps of her house she fiddled with her keys, wondering how she could extend the evening without making it seem too apparent. She could feel him behind her and had a strong desire to fall back into his arms. She was about to put the key into the door when she stopped and turned to face him.

  "I could use a coffee..."

  Relief washed over her and she nodded as they exchanged a smile. "Yeah."

  Spinning back around so she faced the door she found her hand shaking ever so slightly as she attempted to insert the key into the lock. She felt stupid for feeling this way. She was a grown woman for heaven’s sakes, Chase was hardly the first man she’d been with or wanted to be with intimately. But it had been so damned long and he was so intimidatingly sexy. Reaching around her from behind, he took the key from her and unlocked the door. The warmth of his breath against her neck sent a pleasurable chill through her and she couldn't help the soft moan escaping her lips as she allowed herself the indulgence of leaning back against him.

  Chase pushed the door open and still standing behind her, hooked his index finger under her chin and tilted her face up so she was looking to him over her shoulder. He then lowered his lips to hers as his other hand slipped around her waist and pulled her back tight against him.

  She moaned a little more loudly as his cock began to harden against her ass and he deepened the kiss. His tongue caressed her, igniting her desire. She could faintly taste the wine on his lips and tongue. So delicious, so alluring. She couldn't remember wanting a man so intensely, or so quickly in her life.

  But it had been so long...

  "Chase," she whispered as their mouths parted.