Touch of Innocence

28

The needle worked into the skin on the inside of her bicep. The pain wasn't too intense, but it wasn't pleasant.

"You okay?" Hazel asked from beside her.

She nodded, but grit her teeth when the needle ran over a particularly sensitive spot. "Yeah. It's not that bad."

"You're almost done. Just a few more lines."

A few minutes had ticked by when the tattoo artist finally pulled away. Hadley looked down at her arm and fell in love with the piece of artwork that was permanently etched into her body.

"I love it," she said, beaming over at the girl who had done her tattoo.

"Perfect. I'm super proud of it. Thank you, Princess Hadley, for giving me this opportunity."

She cringed at the formality of the title. After she and Clay had consummated their mate bond, Ulric deemed her an official princess. She wasn't too keen on being called 'Princess' though. It was much too formal for her. She was not one for royal formalities, she preferred casual greetings and conversation.

"You don't have to call me that, Hadley works just fine," she said with a small laugh.

"Well, Hadley, thank you for the opportunity." She wiped the remaining ink off her skin and then applied a gel to the tattoo and wrapped it.

She paid the artist for her work and left her a hefty tip. The tattoo was gorgeous and she deserved to be compensated for her talent.

The beaming smile would not falter from her face as she and Hazel left the studio. "I love it so much!"

"It's so pretty. I think Clay will like it too."

****

Hadley breathed in his delicious scent as his arms wrapped around her back.

"I've missed you, my love."

She pressed a quick kiss to the side of his neck, unable to control herself around him. "I've missed you too."

"I get you all to myself, for five whole days."

She smiled at his words, happy to have him to herself for five whole days as well while classes were canceled for a short break in the middle of the semester.

"I have so many plans for you, baby girl."

"Clayton, I just got home. You cannot already be thinking about sex."

"Sex is one of the main things I think about."

She rolled her eyes and pulled away from him.

"I have a surprise for you."

He arched his eyebrows and waited for her to reveal her surprise.

Rolling her sleeve up, she extended her arm out to the side to show him the tattoo she'd just gotten a few days before.

"When did you get this?" He asked, his hand reaching up to touch the skin next to the tattoo.

"A few days ago, on Sunday."

His eyes traced the pattern of the tattoo. It was a minimalist piece, with black lines forming a clay plot with a few flowers growing from it.

"Did it hurt?" He asked, his eyes concerned.

She shrugged. "A little, but it wasn't too painful. Hazel went with me."

"I like it."

"Thank you. It represents us."

"Us?"

"Mhm. The clay pot is you. When I first met you and you told me your name, I asked if it was Clay, like the stuff in the ground. So it's not exactly the same, but it's a clay pot. And the flowers are me. From you, I grew and developed into the person I am today."