10. Stacey

Chapter Ten

STACEY

I roll over and grab my cell off the nightstand, shutting off my alarm. With the noise stopped, I drop the phone back on the nightstand and stretch my sore body. I snuggle in closer to the heat radiating off of Peyton's body and he pulls me close, nuzzling his face in my neck.

"Are you sure you have to leave this morning?" he asks, hopeful.

"Sorry, early meeting today," I tell him, gasping as he kisses the sensitive skin behind my ear.

"How long do you have until you have to leave?" he asks, looking up at me.

I look back over to my phone to see what time it is. "I have to be there in an hour, so I need to be walking out of here in, like, thirty minutes to give me enough time to stop for coffee and a breakfast sandwich on the way."

"Damn," he grumbles against my neck.

"We can do whatever it is you were hoping to do this morning, tonight…that is, if you're free tonight and don't already have plans."

"No plans, and don't you worry your cute little self about monopolizing anything. I'll spend as much time with you this week as you let me. If anyone should be worried about monopolizing someone's time, it will be me with yours."

"I know how to handle you," I tease him as I slide out of bed and head to the bathroom to take a quick shower. I stop at the doorway and look over my shoulder at him. His hair is messy from me running my hands through it last night, and it still looks like a mixture of bed head and sex rumpled. He's got the sheets pulled over him just to the top of his hips and I can see the bulge of his erected cock as it attempts to jut out over the top of the sheets. My mouth waters at the thought of his cock and how it felt against my tongue last night when I sucked him into my mouth.

"You keep standing there, salivating about my cock, and I'm going to come pin you against that wall and show you just how much you love it."

I shake out of my daydream and disappear into the bathroom. I reach into the shower and turn it on to start warming up while I quickly brush my teeth and use the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later, I'm scrubbed, shaved, dressed, and back in the bathroom, doing my hair and applying some mascara and tinted lip gloss. The extent of my daily makeup routine.

"What time are you done today?" Peyton asks from the doorway where he stands, leaning against the frame as he watches me get ready.

"We try and wrap it up by late afternoon, but don't have an exact set time we're done. If we're in the zone on a song, then we usually don't want to stop that and mess up our flow. Other times, we don't even make it an hour, if things just aren't flowing for the day. Songwriting can be finicky sometimes. Do you want me to just call or text you once I'm done for the day?"

"Sounds like a plan. I'll probably just be at the house with my dad. Unless Ethan can fit me in for some ink today."

"What are you going to get done?"

"I've got a few things in mind, not sure what he'll have the time for yet."

"I'm thinking of having him draw up my first tattoo. I want some music notes, maybe floating off some sheet music."

"Where would you put it?" he asks, as I rush out of the bathroom and slip into my Toms.

"Not sure. Maybe my calf or my side. I haven't really decided yet. I know I want it somewhere that I can see it, but I don't think I want it on my arms. Unless I just do the music notes, and then I could see putting it on the inside of my wrist," I tell him, running the pad of my thumb over the area on my wrist I'd consider.

"It would look good there," he says, his own thumb tracing over my wrist as he pulls me in for a kiss. "Call or text me later. We can grab dinner or something tonight."

He smacks my ass as we walk out the door together, and I squeal. Shaking my head at him, I lock up before he escorts me to my car.

"Thank you," I tell him as he opens my door for me. "I had a great time with you and your dad yesterday."

"We had a great time with you." He drops his lips to mine for a quick kiss. "See you later," he says as I slide into the driver's seat and start my car.

"Morning!" Reese calls out, strolling into the studio, Starbucks cup and bag in hand.

"Good morning. I see you made the same stop as I did this morning," I say as I laugh and hold up my own cup and bag.

"You know it! I wasn't going to be able to function without the caffeine this morning. So, how was your weekend? Did you do anything fun?"

"Mhmm." I take a drink of my coffee, not able to hide the smile that fills my face.

"Spill," she says excitedly. "Something happened between you and that hottie at the bar Friday night, didn't it?"

"Yes," I finally admit. "Peyton and I have seen quite a bit of each other since then. We might have spent both Saturday night and last night together. I even spent yesterday afternoon and evening with him and his dad."

"Damn, girl! So, how was the sex? Don't lie to me and tell me it wasn't everything, not with the way you're glowing."

"Let's just say the guy is gifted and knows how to use it. And don't get me started on how good he is with his tongue."

"Yes, girl! I knew there were some sparks between the two of you at the bar on Friday night! So, is it just a weekend fling or something more?" Reese asks as she sits down on one of the couches and digs into her breakfast.

"It's… We're seeing where things go. He's active duty and stationed at Fort Campbell. He's in town to see his dad, and just returned from a six-month deployment."

"Wow. Well, at least it's only, what, an hour and fifteen minutes away?"

"Yep. He's in town until Sunday and I'm going to head up the following weekend to see him. Then, we'll just take it from there. He's been really reserved about serious relationships his entire life, so this is a little new for him, as well. His mom walked out on him and his dad when he was young, and the only woman he attempted to have a serious relationship with a few years ago cheated on him."

"That sucks, and it sounds like a bad country song," Reese says on a laugh.

"I know, right! I thought the same thing. I didn't express that to him, but I definitely thought it," I say, laughing, as well.

"Morning, ladies," Lee greets us as he pushes through the door.

"Morning, Lee!" we both call out to him as he settles in on the couch next to Reese.

"How was your weekend?" I ask him.

"Good, got some stuff done around the house. Joanne and Sean booked a couple college visits for us to go on in a few weeks, and Kelsey had her last soccer game of the season. Overall, it was a good weekend with the family. How were your weekends?"

"Good, I went ahead and flew out for Austin's game on Saturday, then flew back late last night," Reese tells us.

"No wonder you needed coffee this morning," I tease her.

"Hey, I've got to take advantage of every game I can go to. Once I start up another tour, it's back to only seeing my man via FaceTime."

"How about your weekend, Stacey?" Lee asks.

"It was good, really good," I tell him.

"Someone met a special someone this weekend," Reese sing-songs from across the seating area.

Lee gives me a quizzical look from over his coffee cup.

"Peyton, the guy that joined our group on Friday night. We hit it off and spent most of the weekend together. He took me out on a date Saturday night and then yesterday, I had dinner with him and his dad." I tell Lee the recapped, and PG-rated, version of my weekend.

"Good for you."

"So, what are we working on today?" I finally ask, once we've all finished off our breakfasts and coffees.

"I tweaked one of the songs from last week. I think both of you will like the changes. It makes things just click a little better for me," Lee says, as he pulls out his guitar.

He plays the song twice. First, how we'd left it last week, and then again with the changes.

"Yes! I love that," Reese says once he finishes.

"It really does work better," I agree.

With all of us in agreement, we make the final notes on that song and put it away.

"I had a song come to me while I was away this weekend," Reese tells us as she opens a notebook, then goes on to read us the lyrics she wrote down and her thoughts on what she was thinking as far as a musical vibe and feel to the song. The lyrics are a really good starting point and within a few hours, we've expanded on them and come up with the start to the music to go along with them.

"All right, ladies, I need to call it a day. Joanne needs me home a little early today for some appointment she's got scheduled," Lee says, just before three.

"We'll pick back up tomorrow morning. Does nine work for you guys?" Reese asks.

"That works for me," I confirm.

"Works for me, as well," Lee says. "See ya ladies tomorrow."

With Lee packed up and gone, Reese and I sit back on the couches in the studio. "So, do you have plans with your hottie tonight?" she asks.

"Yep. Well, I think so, at least. I'm supposed to call or text him when I'm done today. Since I didn't know what time we'd finish, I didn't want to make any specific plans. What about you, what are you doing tonight?"

"Just heading home and watching the game, probably ordering in some dinner. No getting jealous about my exciting night now," she teases. "But I will expect details about your night tomorrow morning, missy."

"No promises," I volley back at her.

"Ummm, no, I expect details. Especially with the smile that's been plastered on your face all day, and how that man rocked your world this weekend. So, I need deets tomorrow."

"We'll see," I tell her as I pack up my things. I pull my phone out and find a missed text from Peyton.

Peyton

Hey, beautiful. Hope your day is going well. I'm at Ethan's shop and will be here for a few hours. Text me when you're done, and I'll let you know when I should be done.

Stacey

Hey! We're done for the day. Lee needed to leave a little early, so we packed it up. When will you be done with Ethan? Is he inking you today or just drawing up your tattoo?

I slip my phone into my pocket and grab my purse, then follow Reese out to the parking lot.

"Tell Austin to kick ass tonight," I call out to her as she climbs into her car next to my own.

"Will do! Enjoy that man of yours tonight."

"I have every intention of doing just that!" My phone dings in my pocket and I pull it out as I start up my car.

Peyton

He's inking me now, we should be done in an hour, maybe an hour and a half. You want to drive over here and watch? Maybe talk to him about your tattoo?

Stacey

Sure! Can I bring either of you anything? I'm going to stop and grab something to snack on. We never got around to ordering lunch today, so I'm starving.

Peyton

We're good. See you soon.

I put my phone away and pull out of the parking lot. I grab some fast food on my way to Ethan's shop. Along the way, I think about the tattoo idea I have, that I'm going to finally get the courage to talk to him about.

Half an hour later, I'm pulling into the parking lot for Inker's Tattoo, Ethan's shop. I sit in my car and finish eating before I head inside the shop. The chime on the door goes off when I walk in and I hear a voice coming from one of the rooms call out to me, "We'll be right with you."

I take a seat on one of the couches and wait, sending Peyton a quick text.

Stacey

I'm out in the waiting room.

"Stacey, come on back," Ethan says a minute later, as he steps out of the doorway to his room.

I walk into the room where I find Peyton sitting with his back exposed and a detailed design covering his shoulder blades. It's about halfway inked.

"You can take a seat over here," Ethan tells me, pointing to a chair in the corner.

"Thanks," I say, shuffling around Peyton and over to the chair. I sling my purse over the back and take a seat, facing Peyton.

"Come here." He beckons me closer. I stand and close the few feet between us. "Kiss me, woman," he says, tugging on my hand. I bend down and swipe a quick kiss across his lips.

"How was your day?" I ask.

"Good, better now. Yours?" he asks as I take a seat again.

"Not bad. We made some changes to a song from last week and started a new one that Reese had an idea for over the weekend. I think that it's going to turn into something really big."

"That's awesome."

"Yeah, she said the inspiration hit her when she was flying to Austin's game on Saturday."

"She flew out for it, huh," Ethan says.

"Yep, said since she had no other commitments for the weekend, and they were playing somewhat close, she wanted to go see it, and him. You know how lovey-dovey they are. With all the time they're separated due to their schedules, it's no surprise that she travels to the games she does."

"Yeah, I guess so. So, this guy tells me that you're thinking of some ink for yourself. What do you have in mind?" Ethan asks.

"I have two ideas. One is some music notes in the inside of my wrist. The second is music notes floating off a sheet of music. Maybe a few lines of the lyrics to the first song I wrote that went number one on the charts."

"Both of those would be easy. We could do both and have the music notes coordinate. Are you thinking black or color?"

"Black, probably. Do you do watercolor tattoos?"

"I do, just know that watercolor tattoos tend to fade over time, so they need to be touched up to keep the vibrant colors."

"Then I'd probably just stick with black ink, then."

"Once I'm done with this, I can draw up some things for you. How big are you thinking for the sheet music?"

"Um…I don't know. Maybe like two inches wide by four tall?" I tell him.

"What about the size of the screen on your phone there?" he asks, pointing to the iPhone in my hand.

I flip the phone up so I can look at the screen. "That would be perfect. Will that be big enough for a few lines of the lyrics?"

"Should be. I don't want to make the text too small, as it will fade out and you won't be able to read it. But we can play around with the size. Where are you thinking for placement?"

"I think my side," I tell him, pointing to just under my rib cage and above my hip.

"That's a great location."

"Eek!" I say, clapping my hands as I dance in the chair. "I can't believe I'm finally doing this."

"I've got another appointment tonight already, so I won't be able to tattoo you today. But I can for sure draw up the designs, or at least get a start on them. Then, you can think about it. We can then either do both of them at one sitting, or if you want to start with one and come back for the other, we can do that, too."

"Perfect. Thanks, Ethan."

"Anytime. You talk to Cam today?" he asks.

"Nope, I won't see her until Wednesday when I have the assessment with one of her clients. Any specific reason I need to talk with her?"

"Nope, just wasn't sure if y'all got together today or not."

"Oh, no, later this week. It will be good to see her again. I've been so busy with Reese that I don't feel like I've seen anyone else but her and Lee lately. It was nice to get out on Friday night and let loose," I tell him.

"I bet. Plus, you got to meet this guy," Ethan says.

"That I did," I say, winking at Peyton as he sits still in the chair as Ethan works at inking his back.

"So, what do you think of the designs?" Peyton asks as we sit across from each other at a restaurant a few hours later. He insisted on taking me out to dinner once we left Ethan's shop.

"I love them! I think I'm going to have him do the wrist one first, make sure I can handle the pain, since it's smaller. Then, if I do okay with that one, I'll go back another time and have him do the bigger one on my side. I know the wrist is probably going to hurt like hell, though, so are you going to sit there and let me squeeze your hand?"

"Sounds like a reasonable plan. Just a small word of advice, they can become addicting."

"Is that so?"

"Absolutely," he confirms as our server delivers our plates.

"Can I get either of you anything else?" she asks.

"We're good," I tell her before she walks away, leaving us to eat.

"What wrist are you going to do?" Peyton asks between bites.

"I think my right. Since I wear my watch on my left, and I don't want it covered all the time by it."

"Good point."

We fall into an easy conversation while we continue eating, learning new things about each other. Even as comfortable as we both feel with each other, there's still so much we don't know.

"Ready to get out of here?" Peyton asks, once our server returns the check for him to sign, along with his debit card. He once again refused to let me pay, standing firm that when we're together and out, he will pay.

"Yep," I confirm, popping the P.

"Your place?" he asks once we're out in the parking lot.

"Sure," I reply as he pulls me in for a sweet kiss. "Unless you want to spend time with your dad tonight?"

He checks the time on his watch before replying, "He'll probably only be awake for another hour or so. We could stop by and say hello if you don't need to rush home."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll just follow you."

"Since we're so close to your place, do you want to go drop off your car, and then you can just ride with me?"

"We can do that. Does that mean you're coming back to my place later?" I ask, flashing him a coy smile.

Peyton pulls me closer, sliding his hands around my waist and resting them along my lower back, just above my ass. "Do you want me to come back to your place tonight?"

"I want you to come as long as it's what you want," I tell him honestly. I suck my bottom lip between my teeth as I wait nervously for his answer.

Peyton brings his hand up to cup my face, sliding his thumb across my bottom lip as he pulls it from my teeth. "First off, it drives me fucking crazy when you bite this lip like that. I'm the only one who should be biting it. Second off, I want to spend every single second with you that you'll let me this week. Don't worry about my friends or my dad. They're all big boys who can take care of themselves. They also don't need me warming their beds at night," he says before dropping a kiss to my lips again, ending it when he sucks my lip into his mouth and bites down on it, then quickly soothing the sting with a swipe of his tongue.

"Okay then," I reply. "Let's go drop my car off, go see your dad, and then…" I trail off, letting him fill in the blanks on what the rest of the night will bring our way.

"Good to see you again, Stacey," Robert says as I take a seat on the couch. He mutes the baseball game he has playing on the TV.

"You too. Did you have a good day?"

"Can't complain. Finally kicking this crap that's had me under the weather the past few weeks. I actually got out of the house today and went somewhere other than the doctor's," he says on a laugh.

"That's great to hear," I tell him as Peyton hands me a glass of water and takes a seat next to me.

"Let's see the tat," he says to Peyton.

"He still needs to do some coloring on it in a few weeks to finish it up. But he wanted to let this part heal first," he tells his dad as he pulls his t-shirt off over his head. I have to bite my tongue to keep from letting a small moan slip out when his rippling muscles come into view. Seeing him without his shirt on turns me on in seconds flat. He tosses me a quick glance and winks, knowing damn well he's making me hot, sitting next to me, shirtless, and the brat is enjoying it.

I help him remove the cover on his new tattoo so he can show his dad. It's an intricate set of wings that span across his entire shoulders. The details Ethan included in it are amazing.

"Looks good," Robert comments, after getting a good look at it.

"He did a great job with the idea I gave him," Peyton confirms.

I help him cover it back up and he slips his shirt back on over his head. After adjusting it over his torso, he places his arm around my shoulder and pulls me into his side, where I stay for the next hour or so as we visit with his dad.

When his dad calls it a night, Peyton heads into his bedroom and bathroom to grab a few things to bring back to my place with him tonight.

"Ready?" he asks, coming down the hall with a bag slung over his shoulder.

"Yep." I step back from the living room wall that's covered in pictures from when he was younger.

He grabs my hand and leads me to the front door, where we both slip our shoes on and head out to his truck. Once we reach it, he opens the back door and tosses in his bag. Before opening my door, he backs me up against it and kisses me. I immediately open to him as I wrap my hands around his neck and anchor myself to him. I can feel his hardness pressed against my lower stomach and know exactly what lies ahead for us once we reach my place tonight.