The sound surrounding me was familiar. It was a relief against the constant silence that filled the house.

My body still throbbed from the abuse it suffered the night before. The dinner I made hadn't been up to his standards. It was my own fault because I'd hurriedly cooked it so I could finish my projects to hand them in early. I was fully booked at the tattoo studio so I wasn't planning on going to class.

Missing a few classes won't do any harm but a drop in my grades might cost me my scholarship and I couldn't risk it. If I lost my scholarship my plan to destroy them would fall through.

"Hey kid, your 4 o'clock appointment is here," Jarrod called from the doorway.

I glanced up and gave him a nod. "I'm ready."

Grabbing the drawings, I stood and walked over to the chair in the middle of the room. I placed it down and moved around the room to get everything else I needed. I double checked to make sure I had the right coloured ink.

The person who entered the room was not someone I expected.

"Hey," Eva greeted as she hovered in the doorway.

I swallowed and gave her a stiff nod. If I'd known that it was going to be her, I would've declined but Jarrod said that the woman had specifically asked for me.

"Where do you want me?"

"Take a seat," I ordered.

I washed my hands and then pulled on a pair of clean latex gloves before I turned to face her. She looked more put together than she had been the last time I'd seen her a few weeks ago.

Her brown hair was tied back neatly and her clothes clean and wrinkle free.

"Where do you want it?"

Eva's eyes snapped back to me. "My sternum. I want the Dandelion here"—she pressed her fingers to a spot between her breasts—"and the birds to move up over here and stop on my shoulder."

I smirked at her. "Is this your first tattoo?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure that you can handle the pain?"

Anger flashed through her eyes. "I'm not a wuss!" she hissed through clenched teeth. "I can handle the pain."

"Okay," I said softly as I grabbed the bottle of disinfectant.

I had no doubt that she could handle the pain of a needle repeatedly stabbing her skin. She wasn't human after all.

Taking a seat on the chair next to the one she was sitting on, I placed the bottle down.

"You're going to have to take off your shirt and bra. When you're done, lie down for me."

I gripped the leaver of the chair and pushed it down to lower it. Eva hesitated before she followed my order.

It was hard to focus on my task. One glance from beneath my lashes and I'd get a glimpse of her bared breasts.

"If at any time it feels like the pain's too much or you want to take a break, just let me know," I told her. "I'll be doing the black ink first and then add the colour."

"Do you give that speech to all your customers?"

My eyes shot up when I heard the quiver in her voice. The angry colour that had flooded her cheeks a few minutes ago was gone, leaving her pale.

I'd watched her just like I'd watched Ariana so I knew that the girl sitting in front of me was a side she'd never shown to anyone. Eva was always smiling. She was a ball of energy and always up to do all kinds of shit.

For some fucking reason, the protectiveness I'd felt that first day when Ariana looked at me, was filling me now as I stared at Eva. Does it have something to do with what happened the other day when we touched?

"No," I finally answered. "They already know everything."

Silence filled the room again.

"Right. Are you ready?"

Eva sucked in a deep breath and blew it out before she gave me a nod. I waited until she laid down and then picked up a paper towel and the bottle of disinfectant. For a moment my attention was grabbed by her chest. Eva had used her shirt to cover herself as best as she could.

"You act like you've never seen a woman's tits before."

Colour flooded my cheeks. Clearing my throat, I focused on the task instead of the decent sized globes. Her breasts were the same golden tone as the rest of her body. For a moment I wondered if every inch of her body was tanned too, but I instantly pushed the thought away. I shouldn't be fucking thinking about her like that.

"Have you?"

"Have I what?" I asked her as I placed the stencil against her skin.

The gloves I wore prevented me from feeling the tingles but it did nothing to prevent me from feeling the heat of her skin.

"Seen a woman's tits before."

I smirked at her. "You'd be surprised where some people want tattoos."

Her breathing sped up when I opened the needle and inserted it into the tattoo machine. Placing it aside, I picked up the picture I had printed to make sure that it was right.

"I'll add the rest"—I brushed a finger over the top of her breast to her shoulder—"once this part is done."

"O-okay."

I pointed over to the mirror. "Take a look to see if it's in the right place."

Eva hesitated before she got up.

My eyes darted over her body as she studied herself in the mirror. She had a birthmark a few inches above her ass.

"It's perfect," she said. "Just perfect."

***

I could feel the erratic beat of her heart beneath my palm. Adding the last splashes of colour, I wiped the excess ink from her skin and sat up. For a few seconds my eyes darted up to her face.

Eva had barely squirmed in pain. She hadn't even asked for a break which was a surprise. She was tougher than she looked.

My smile turned grim. A tattoo was a lot different than what I had planned for her. We'd see how long she'd last then.

"All done."

Eva got up and walked over to the mirror. I pulled off my gloves and threw it into the trash along with the needles and paper towel I had used. It was a relief to get away from her.

Being so close, touching her and breathing in her spicy scent, was doing strange things to my body.

"You blended the colours so well," she muttered.

I looked up and instantly regretted it. Eva was no longer using her shirt to cover herself. Her breasts were on full display for my eager eyes. They weren't big nor too small—just the right size to fit perfectly in my palms—with pale pink nipples that were puckered from the cool air of the air-conditioning.

She moved, making my eyes snap up. I quickly turned around but I knew that she'd seen me looking.

"I thought you'd seen a woman naked before."

"I have."

"Liar," she breathed close to my ear.

Goosebumps broke out over my skin and pleasurable shudders raced down my spine. The air got locked in my throat and my body tensed when she traced a path down the back of my neck with her fingertip.

My eyes fluttered closed as I felt the tingles.

"You blush like a virgin."

Swallowing, I gave my head a shake and turned to hand her the list of aftercare instructions.

"Keep it clean and wear loose clothes. If you see any sign of infection come to the studio so Jarrod can take a look at it."

I was about to walk out of the room when she stopped me.

"A friend of mine is having a party this weekend," she said. "Would you like to come?"

My lips slowly curled up into a smirk. "I'd love to."

The moment I was out of her earshot, I pulled my phone from my pocket and called Oliver. "It's time to set part three in motion."