chapter 16

I'm done, I think, looking down at the shattered screen of my phone. I needed a better distraction. My entire body craved Ryan's. I was finding it harder to reject my mate bond. Deciding I needed to find Jeremy. I run down the stairs to see him. I knew
This is going to be easy enough; all it will take is one mention of him finally getting the tattoos and piercing that he has been after for years and that I had been too hesitant to get. I knew It would make me forget everything else and focus only on the moment.

With one look at my joyful face. He says, "I don't think that's a good idea, baby girl. It isn't something you do when you aren't thinking straight. "He's looking right into my eyes as he says it without letting me speak. No happy-go-lucky tone was to be found in his voice now,

"where's that place you told me about the other day, granny's? Either I'm going with you or without you you choose but either way, I'm doing it so are you coming. "I say as I cross my arms at him. He can fuck off with his psycho-analyzing bullshit. I will not have it, not today, not ever. I needed a distraction, and this is it. He will not stop me—no way in hell.

Jeremy is pretty silent when we first get in the car after leaving the house. He is probably still playing back strange encounters that I had just created in the house. He knew me better than I knew myself, and for the first ten minutes, He sits silently, his eyes on the road as I listen to the soft pop playing through the speakers of the brand new tesla; when He finally has enough, He clears his throat.
"Alright, tell me what's this about, Em. What's going on up there?" His eyes stay on the road, and his voice cracks. I can tell he's beginning to panic for me.


"Nothing is going on up there, Jeremy. I'm sick of everyone thinking I am some unfixable toy that keeps falling apart. I'm sick of being that girl. I want to do something for me, just me, no one else."

"Who exactly are you trying to convince, Em, Me, or you?" He says softly as the hard pissed exterior that he was trying to keep up, but it wasn't working. It wasn't who he was.


"I don't need to convince either of us. I have to handle this on my terms." I let out a frustrated sigh, and I'm so tired from this week of dodging everything. I just wanted it to be over; I wanted to wake up from this nightmare.

"Okay, Em. I get it, or at least I'm trying to. I don't like seeing you hurting, and I don't like seeing you and Ryan fight. You know he's got to be hurting too. He would do anything to take your pain away. You know that. Don't think he is being pushy to be a dick."


I don't reply. What's the point? I don't know what to think about Ryan. I understand that all Jeremy wants is for me to be happy, but at what cost?
We pull up in front of Granny's a few minutes later, park and get out.

We walk into the brightly lit building. The walls are painted a deep black with white stripes like something out of a Tim Burton movie, and the ceiling and the tile are deep red. They have three chairs set up along the walls, there is a room against the back wall,

There is a young, heavily tattooed Latin woman standing behind it. Her long curls stuck out in random directions and dyed a gorgeous pastel pink. Her eye shadow is as dark with electric blue eyeliner, and her lips are painted red.


"Welcome, guys! I'm Cassy. Welcome to Granny's. What's the plan tonight. It looks like both our tattooist and piercer only have one client each tonight. "She asks with a cheerful smile.

"I'm getting a piercing and possibly some ink," I say to Cassy.
I look over at Jeremy. "We are getting matching stars if you don't mind," Jeremy says, smiling at me. I begin to smile myself a slight buzz of excitement starts to grow in my stomach.

"Awesome, guys, that sounds great. The stars should take about an hour each if they are the 8 by 6 cm style. Do you know what type of piercings you want.?" she says.

I ponder for a moment looking around at the walls, when my eyes land on a set of gorgeous nipple piercings.
Wow!
"nipple, please," I answer her.

She hands both of us a clipboard with two forms on it. "After you fill these out, I just need a copy of your licenses." She looks at Jeremy again before walking down and disappearing into the back room.

Jeremy grabs my arm and pulls me over to the couch; we pull our licenses out of our wallets and walk back over to Cassy.

Handing everything over for her to do her thing with. Jeremy and I sift through the books of fantastic artwork pasted on the skins of people; then, I see the gorgeous variety of piercings that they do. I knew I must have been looking at them for a while, zoning on someone else's tits. "Seriously, Em? Nipple piercings?" Jeremy whispers, astonished at my choice.

"just something pretty to look at for a while. Plus, I think my tits will look hot with studs," I say casually as he flicks through one of the tattoo books. He looks away, embarrassed at the thought of his essentially adopted sister's tits.

"If this isn't something you want, don't feel like you have to do this just because I am." He has his happy smile back on his face,


"It's all good. I wouldn't get it if I didn't want to." He laughed at me for being a dumbass in his eyes, but I knew I would always be his dumbass. So it was okay.

We laugh hard at each other as two good-looking guys walk up and ask which one of us is up first for the tat and who wanted the piercing. For some reason, I expected the person who would be shoving a needle through my fun bags to be a female. I smile as Jeremy walks off to be tatted up first.
"Emily would be me," I say, standing up.

"Xee, nice to meet you. Are you ready?"
"all set."
We set off for the backroom; I hear Jeremy laughing with the artist through the wall; it makes me smile, knowing he is having a good time.

We walk into the room with a single black tattoo chair in the middle of the room and a long metal table against the back wall. He starts to set up things he will need on the little tray next to the chair.
"First piercings?" Xee asks while motioning me to jump up on the chair.
"First time for nipples. I Had my tongue done for a while, though."


"Ah, perfect. " He smiles over at me as he walks over. I had to admit He is alluring to look at. He has short straight black hair, and His eyes are a pale grey blue and bright with mischief. He must be assuming this is some kink I have.

"Haha, I'm sure you do that a lot. So, tell me, what do you me to do?"

"Strip please, hun, sweetheart. Shirt and bra, Get comfortable and recline on the back. I need to mark you first to ensure I get these bars perfectly. I wouldn't want to mess up those perfect tits of yours."
I reach down for the hem of my grey tee and pull it over my head. I reach behind me and flick the bra strap off. Putting my back flat on the chair, I can see the lustful look take over his face.
Xee helps me to lean forward so he can mark my nipples properly. He does quick work with the marker. He squeezes me before releasing the swells of my breast. I smirk, knowing that was probably more for his enjoyment than the alignment of my holes.

At this point, I don't even care. It's been a long time since anyone has touched my tits, and his touch isn't exactly a turn-off for me.
"Are you ready, hun?" He asks.

I nod, taking a deep breath in. I can feel the bite of the needle entering against my right left nipple. It isn't a painful pain, more like a burn that walks the fine line of pleasure and pain. I could feel myself getting more turned on.
I let out the breath I was holding...not too bad. The pain of a weird burning numbness is starting to take over.


"Not as bad as you thought?" He asks while walking around the chair to the other side. He says with a quick wink. Okay, so maybe not all the flirting has left his system.
"No," I laugh,
I close my eyes tight again, and the process is repeated. I feel him finishing up with the tightening of the little ball at the end of my new piercing.

Suddenly the door is jerked wide open. Xee throws some blue roll over me quickly in an effort to protect my modesty.

"Move. Right fucking now."

I hear the growling command, Ah fuck. I squeeze my eyes shut again. Please, please, please, god, let me be wrong.