Page 43 of Clint & Ivy
“What is this?” he asked, jogging over.
“Your woman has a tramp stamp, and we all want to see it.”
Clint smirked at this news while I remained trapped in Vanessa’s embrace.
“I’m fine not seeing it, if Ivy doesn’t want to share today,” Bebe said and smiled warmly at me.
“Huh, well, I wouldn’t mind getting a peek,” Shay said, winning a frown from her sister-in-law. “Clint should see it first, though. The unveiling of a tramp stamp is a rite of passage in any relationship.”
“Who has what now?” Pax called out as he strolled over with Ford behind him. “What are we missing?”
Clint smiled at me. “If you show me yours right now, I’ll show you all of mine tonight.”
“You haven’t run around shirtless in front of her yet?” Sabrina asked, appearing behind her dad. “Clint, you are such a romantic.”
Ignoring their taunting, he traced my lips with his thumb. “You don’t have to show me if you don’t want to.”
“I feel like you’re doing this wrong,” Vanessa said as she kissed the top of my head and hugged me back against her. Despite her affection toward me, she was speaking to Clint. “If you truly want to keep her for good, why slowly peel away her layers? You should push her to open up and reveal herself to us immediately. We’re going to be her family. Reeds don’t hide anything from each other. That’s why I know Sabrina had diarrhea last week and Elle’s starting her period in a few days.”
“My baby sister is so wise,” Sabrina announced and hugged Elle. “I would like to take advantage of your premenstrual bloating to win at soccer.”
Sutter frowned at Sabrina, who stuck her tongue out at him. Elle shoved her cousin away and smiled at her son.
“Ignore her. She’s still dehydrated from shitting her brains out the other day.”
Sutter narrowed his gaze at Sabrina, who frowned at the boy. Ford and Pax also seemed to be feuding. Meanwhile, Clint continued to brush his thumb across my lips.
“It’s up to you. No one else,” he insisted. “I’ll see it later when we’re alone if you want.”
I smiled at how Clint gave me permission to be a coward. My good girl side didn’t want to share my tattoo with all these people watching. When I got it, I was drunk and showing off to impress my cool online friend.
I was never certain if I should view that wild night as a positive or negative experience. The girl ghosted me afterward. It felt humiliating. I’d also been sick from the tequila, and the tattoo hurt. Yet, I’d lived more in that one night than I had in the years preceding it.
Now, my wild side wanted to show off its first big move. That part of me was proud of the tattoo. Right now, it refused to be denied.
After all, my wild side had been the voice to push me to grab hold of Clint yesterday. That part of me also demanded a kiss earlier. My wild side currently wanted to shove down my track pants and show off my tramp stamp.
“I want to show you first,” I told Clint.
Vanessa instantly clapped as she backed off and gestured for Clint to take her spot. He moved behind me. Everyone shuffled away as if I might yank my pants all the way down.
“As a teenager, I went through a Japanese manga phase,” I explained to Clint. “Luna is a cat from the ‘Sailor Moon’ series.”
I slid down my track pants enough to reveal the colorful cat tattoo. Closing my eyes, I didn’t consider the others watching me. Only Clint’s judgment mattered.
I shivered as Clint’s fingers traced the ink. His touch erased my fears. My earlier, insecure manic vibe faded away. I smiled at how his hands wrapped around my hips as he tugged me back against him.
“Color tattoos tend to hurt a lot. Was it hard to sit still?”
I rested against his hard chest and gazed up at him. “Yes, but I was very wasted. I think I even passed out.”
“I thought you never left your house.”
“I rebelled one night after my mom died.”
“How did it feel?”
I stared into Clint’s eyes, fighting against my urge to zip my lips and avoid sharing. His gaze was filled with soothing determination. He would get the truth out of me eventually. Why not just fess up now and save us the hassle?
