with something this big and permanent…it has to be his decision and nobody else’s.”
“That makes perfect sense. What does he think now? At this age?”
“He’s seen my tattoos, and I’ve told him why I have them. Right now, he says he wants to have it. But he’s six.” Sailo shook his head. “It isn’t something he needs to decide on right now, and I’m not going to let him make the decision until he’s at least a teenager.”
“How old were you?”
“When I decided? Or when I go it?”
“Both.”
“I was fifteen when I told my father I wanted it done, and nineteen when we actually started the work.”
“That young?”
“It’s not unusual.”
“Wow. You’re a better man than me,” I said. “My daughter got a small tattoo that took like half an hour, and the thought of even that…” I made a face. “No thank you.”
He laughed. “They’re not for the faint of heart.” He gestured at the ink on his thigh. “Especially not something like this. If it hadn’t been such a big tradition in my family, there’s no way in hell I would have gone through that.”
“I’m not even sure I could if it was a tradition.”
“You’d be surprised.” He draped his arm over me and smiled. “It isn’t fun, but you just tell yourself it’ll be worth it when it’s over. And that it will be over. Eventually.”
I shuddered. “I’ll pass, thanks.” I glanced at the tattoos. “But the result certainly is amazing.”
“Thanks.”
Our eyes met, and we both smiled.
Silence settled in. Slowly, I made the connection that we weren’t just making idle conversation. We were making idle conversation in his bed. Naked. With sweat still on our skin and my body still tingling from the orgasm he’d given me.
Sailo’s thumb traced a soft arc on my ribs. “You okay? You got kind of quiet.”
“Yeah, I’m…” I hesitated. “I guess I was just thinking about what we’re doing.”
“Which part?” A cautious grin pulled at his full lips. “Talking about tattoos? Or sleeping together?”
“Both?” I rested my arm on top of his, curving my fingers over his elbow. “A month ago, I was still sharing a bed with my ex-wife. Then I was going to dip my toes in and see if I’m really into men. And now, we’re together every chance we get.”
His brow furrowed. “Is that a bad thing?”
“I don’t know. I’m enjoying the hell out of it.” I paused, trying to gather my thoughts. “So this isn’t, um, weird, is it? Meeting up again just to, well, hook up again?”
“Weird?” Amusement curled his lips. “Why would it be weird? We enjoy it, so why not enjoy it twice? Or more than twice?”
“So it’s not…moving too fast?”
“In what direction?” Sailo touched my face, then lifted his head and kissed me softly. “We’re doing exactly what I think we should be. We enjoy what we’re doing, so we do it again. If we stop enjoying it, we stop doing it.” He shrugged, settling back onto the pillow. “Doesn’t have to be any more complicated than that.”
“Fair point.” I laughed self-consciously. “I guess this is all just kind of new. I mean, I told you I’ve never been with a man before. I haven’t even dated anyone in almost thirty years.” I winced. “Christ, I just made myself sound old.”
He chuckled. “Well, you did marry young.”
“I did.” Too young? Starting to think so. “So, with all of that being said, I just want to put it out there that I have no idea what I want out of this.”
“Neither do I.” He traced my cheekbone with this thumb. “Let’s just take it a day at a time, and we’ll see what happens. For now, you seem to be enjoying the sex.”
“Oh yes. Very much.”
Sailo smiled. “Me too. So it doesn’t have to be more than that. If it is, well, we’ll deal with that when we get there. But this is good for now.” He slid his hand into my hair. “You’ve got a divorce to deal with. I’m juggling a lot of unpredictable gigs in
“That makes perfect sense. What does he think now? At this age?”
“He’s seen my tattoos, and I’ve told him why I have them. Right now, he says he wants to have it. But he’s six.” Sailo shook his head. “It isn’t something he needs to decide on right now, and I’m not going to let him make the decision until he’s at least a teenager.”
“How old were you?”
“When I decided? Or when I go it?”
“Both.”
“I was fifteen when I told my father I wanted it done, and nineteen when we actually started the work.”
“That young?”
“It’s not unusual.”
“Wow. You’re a better man than me,” I said. “My daughter got a small tattoo that took like half an hour, and the thought of even that…” I made a face. “No thank you.”
He laughed. “They’re not for the faint of heart.” He gestured at the ink on his thigh. “Especially not something like this. If it hadn’t been such a big tradition in my family, there’s no way in hell I would have gone through that.”
“I’m not even sure I could if it was a tradition.”
“You’d be surprised.” He draped his arm over me and smiled. “It isn’t fun, but you just tell yourself it’ll be worth it when it’s over. And that it will be over. Eventually.”
I shuddered. “I’ll pass, thanks.” I glanced at the tattoos. “But the result certainly is amazing.”
“Thanks.”
Our eyes met, and we both smiled.
Silence settled in. Slowly, I made the connection that we weren’t just making idle conversation. We were making idle conversation in his bed. Naked. With sweat still on our skin and my body still tingling from the orgasm he’d given me.
Sailo’s thumb traced a soft arc on my ribs. “You okay? You got kind of quiet.”
“Yeah, I’m…” I hesitated. “I guess I was just thinking about what we’re doing.”
“Which part?” A cautious grin pulled at his full lips. “Talking about tattoos? Or sleeping together?”
“Both?” I rested my arm on top of his, curving my fingers over his elbow. “A month ago, I was still sharing a bed with my ex-wife. Then I was going to dip my toes in and see if I’m really into men. And now, we’re together every chance we get.”
His brow furrowed. “Is that a bad thing?”
“I don’t know. I’m enjoying the hell out of it.” I paused, trying to gather my thoughts. “So this isn’t, um, weird, is it? Meeting up again just to, well, hook up again?”
“Weird?” Amusement curled his lips. “Why would it be weird? We enjoy it, so why not enjoy it twice? Or more than twice?”
“So it’s not…moving too fast?”
“In what direction?” Sailo touched my face, then lifted his head and kissed me softly. “We’re doing exactly what I think we should be. We enjoy what we’re doing, so we do it again. If we stop enjoying it, we stop doing it.” He shrugged, settling back onto the pillow. “Doesn’t have to be any more complicated than that.”
“Fair point.” I laughed self-consciously. “I guess this is all just kind of new. I mean, I told you I’ve never been with a man before. I haven’t even dated anyone in almost thirty years.” I winced. “Christ, I just made myself sound old.”
He chuckled. “Well, you did marry young.”
“I did.” Too young? Starting to think so. “So, with all of that being said, I just want to put it out there that I have no idea what I want out of this.”
“Neither do I.” He traced my cheekbone with this thumb. “Let’s just take it a day at a time, and we’ll see what happens. For now, you seem to be enjoying the sex.”
“Oh yes. Very much.”
Sailo smiled. “Me too. So it doesn’t have to be more than that. If it is, well, we’ll deal with that when we get there. But this is good for now.” He slid his hand into my hair. “You’ve got a divorce to deal with. I’m juggling a lot of unpredictable gigs in
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