ASK ME NOT TO KISS YOU

Ethan’s chest was golden bronze, just like the rest of his skin. But that was not what shocked me. It was the fact that his entire chest was covered in tattoos. Painted with dark ink. Some of the tattoos looked messy, while somewhere write ups in different languages I couldn’t read. A few were written in English but I didn’t linger on them, because something else took my breath away. Beneath those tattoos were jagged lines. Almost like someone dragged a razor across his chest one too many times. Some were old and silvered, a tremor ran through my body and I shivered when my eyes landed on the others, they looked fresh and raw. My hands darted out unconsciously towards his chest. My trembling fingers brushed him, heat radiated from his skin and he stiffened at my touch, but at least he let me touch him. I traced through the bumps, going to both the new and faded bruises as tears trailed down my face. His face was tensed, his eyes squeezed shut, and his jaws tight like even my gentleness