Damon was listening to Talia admiring Kalina's tattoos and his mood was falling by the second.
How can she praise someone else openly? He was right there!
Damon hid his frustration behind a stiff smile because Alphas don't throw tantrums. Well, at least not in public.
Zina gingerly approached the group and Damon waved impatiently at her to hurry the moment his eyes landed on a Sharpie in Zina's hand.
Zina didn't see how Damon snatched the marker from her hand. The movement was so quick that she suspected Damon has the ability to teleport objects.
With Sharpie secured in his tight grip, Damon cleared his throat to get Talia's attention. "Do you like tattoos?"
"I find them fascinating.", Talia responded honestly. "People can memorialize their favorite things, people, or precious moments right on their skin."
Kalina told her that she got a tattoo of a bird leaving the cage on the day she left home to travel through Europe, and a big rose to always remind her of her mother's garden. Every image on Kalina's body had a special meaning.
"And it looks beautiful." That was Talia's opinion. Tattooists must practice for many years to make such delicate artwork.
Talia looked at Damon curiously. "Why did you ask?" Damon never asked things just to start a chit-chat.
Damon squeezed the Sharpie. "I was thinking about getting some ink on me."
Talia blinked. "You did?"
Talia thought about tattoos as fascinating because she was deprived of seeing such things while growing up, but Damon's body was perfect. No matter what tattoo he picks or where it's placed, it will only spoil his flawless visual.
Seeing Talia's confusion, Damon's expression darkened. How come Kalina's tattoos are beautiful while Talia didn't approve of Damon getting some? And Damon didn't forget the way Talia looked at the tattoos of that nobody soccer player (aka Liam).
"Does this mean you like tattoos only when they are on someone else?"
Talia was not sure from where that comment came. What did he mean by, someone else? It was just Kalina, alright? OK. Maybe she secretly peeked at some other people, but she never approached any of them! (Talia forgot about Liam) And Kalina was her girlfriend! Was there something wrong with complimenting a friend?
It took Talia a few moments to feel insecurities behind Damon's dejection and her heart softened at the thought that he was doing this for her.
Talia guessed that in twenty-seven years of his life if Damon liked tattoos, he would get some. She was not sure what's the process of getting tattooed, but she assumed it was not simple and it definitely shouldn't be done for the wrong reasons.
She inched closer to Damon and placed a gentle kiss on his bare shoulder.
"The question here should be if YOU like tattoos.", she said.
"I want you to look at me and not someone else.", he responded with a pout.
Talia was not sure how to deal with her man-baby. Less than an hour ago he was wantonly ravishing her insides in the lake under the cover of willow trees, yet now he was sulking like a child who got denied a second round of dessert.
Wasn't he aware that there were people around them? Maya was resting on Caden and watching them outright, while Tony and Kalina fed each other fruits. None interjected into Damon's and Talia's conversation, but Talia was confident they were listening. After all, they were right there so unless they stuffed their fingers into their ears and shouted 'la-la-la', they could definitely hear everything.
If they were in private, Talia would snuggle on Damon's lap and kiss him until he stops moping, but this was in public, and she wanted to know what will pacify her Alpha.
"So, what should we do now?", Talia asked.
"Here", Damon said while putting the Sharpie into her hand. "Draw something on me." And then he will go to a tattoo parlor to make it permanent.
Talia was flustered while looking at the marker in her hand.
"I don't know how to draw." This was the truth. As someone who barely got any education, after coming to the Dark Howlers pack, Talia focused on learning basics with the goal to get a high-school degree and since arts were not mandatory, she didn't even look at those.
"Whatever you draw, it will be perfect.", Damon encouraged her.
"If you are so set on it, do it yourself. Or ask someone else.", Talia gave him the Sharpie back.
Damon frowned and stuffed the Sharpie back into her hand. "I want YOU to do it."
"My crooked doodles will only ruin your perfect appearance.", Talia said with all the sincerity in the world.
Kalina burst into giggles. She was obviously watching the Damon-Talia bickering show.
"Lia…", Kalina called. "Do you really want someone else to come so close to Alpha Damon in order to draw on his skin? Just do your best. It will wash off eventually. We came here to have fun, so have fun and draw on him. Get a napkin to practice first if it will make you feel better."
Talia thought that it made sense. She looked at Damon. "Where do you want it?"
Damon suddenly realized that Kalina was pleasing to the eye. She was much better than Mindy who talks rubbish and gifts dildos.
'AHOOO!'
A sneeze was heard from the side.
"Are you catching a cold?", Talia asked Mindy with concern. Can werewolves catch a cold?
Mindy rubbed her nose with her index finger. "I don't think so. It might be someone talking shit behind my back."
'It's not behind your back. I'm right here!', Damon thought. He believed that those random sneezes when someone thinks bad of you were empty superstition, but now he suspected that it's not so random and there might be some truth there.
Damon patted his shoulder and spoke to Talia. "You can start from here and work your way down. Or would you rather draw on my chest first?" He was already lying on the towel with his arms behind his head, ready for Talia to start doing her magic.
Talia's lips twitched. She was thinking to draw something small and simple, yet it seems that Damon had a much bigger project on his mind. How much did he want her to draw?
"Is there a problem?", Damon asked when he saw that Talia was not moving.
"I'm planning." That was not a lie. She was planning how to get out of her current predicament.
Eventually, she spoke, "Do you really want to do this?"
"Yes.", he responded with confidence. He was not really into tattooing, but since he gave Talia the Sharpie, she was focused on him instead of on random people, and that was perfect.
Talia puffed her cheeks while scrambling her mind for something... anything. "What would you say if I tell you that I want to get a tattoo?"
Damon was alerted. An image of a massive bearded guy sticking needles into Talia's body suddenly popped into Damon's mind and it was not good.
"Where do you want it?"
Talia shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe…"
"Aww…", Kalina swooned. "You can get matching tattoos! Tony and I are planning to get some. I already checked, there are some decent tattoo parlors in your area…"
Talia loved the idea of her and Damon having something permanent and matching.
"What do you think about that?", she asked Damon enthusiastically.
He couldn't say no to Talia, but he didn't want to agree to her poking her body either.
"How about you draw something on me first, and then we will talk about it?"
"Alright", Talia agreed. "But sit up. I will draw something on your shoulder."
If Damon was lying on his back, Talia would need to lean over him and that introduced the possibility of her forgetting there were people around them.
