Claddagh: Love, Loyalty & Friendship

Chapter 3 of Doggy Dating

~written for EndoRead – Authors for Endometriosis~

Seeing Bella admiring the stencil on her sternum is surreal. Ever since we got together I've been thinking about putting this particular tattoo on her. I spent hours working on the design, tweaking and adjusting my original rough sketch. I wanted it to be absolutely perfect for her. Knowing she'll be wearing my artwork for the rest of her life stirs something primal in me. In addition, the design incorporates my Irish heritage, so it's almost like marking her as mine. Still, I need to switch off as her boyfriend for a while, and try to maintain my professionalism while doing my job on the tattoo. She deserves nothing but my best.

Having already prepared my station, I walk over to her and slide my hand along her lower back.

"You ready?" I ask.

She smiles up at me with a mixture of nerves and excitement in her eyes. She takes my hand and I guide her over to the padded bench. Bella hops on and settles on her back. I make sure she's comfortable and adjust the sarong some more. It's important that I have free access to the area of the tattoo, while she should also be sufficiently covered. I can't resist letting my fingers linger for a moment around her ribs and breasts, and secretly relish in noticing how her nipples pucker at the contact under the thin sarong.

The tattoo machine has already been prepped, the inks I need are set out, and my gloves are in place. Bella inhales sharply when the needle first touches her skin, but quickly remembers to breathe evenly. I start the line work in the middle of the design, working to the outside across her ribs. Knowing the area is tender, I try to work quickly without compromising the quality of the work. Rosalie comes to check on Bella and chat with her a few times, which seems to help in keeping her relaxed. Once the outline is done, we take a break and join Emmett for a snack while Rosalie is walking the puppies. Bella can't resist running to the door to pepper kisses on them before Rosalie takes them upstairs.

Since he doesn't have a client for a while, Emmett joins us for a bit after our break. He proves helpful in keeping Bella distracted, because shading can be rather sensitive in that area, especially after the hours I already spent on it. He also likes to watch me work. We both have slightly different styles and techniques, so watching each other's process can be a learning experience.

"It's gonna look so awesome, B," Emmett gushes, causing a strained smile to appear on Bella's face.

"You're doing good, Ed," he continues, encouraging me.

I grin up at him and take the opportunity to caress Bella's arm, before focusing back on the task at hand.

Another hour later I'm shutting down the machine and wiping off some blood and excess ink.

"All done," I announce. "Do you want to have a look?"

Gently, I help her off the bench and guide her over to the full length mirror. Her fingers hover over the fresh ink, a beautiful smile breaking out on her face.

"It's so beautiful," she whispers, almost reverently.

"I'm glad. Let me put some lotion on it and get you covered up."

She shivers while I apply the lotion, and I have to restrain myself from groping her on the spot. The way she's looking up at me, all full lashes and seductive eyes, isn't helping either. Gently, I peel the tape off the sarong and help her pull her tank back on, before removing the sarong entirely. While Bella shrugs into her hoodie, I start cleaning up my station.

"Shall I go up to the apartment and order us some Chinese while you finish up?" she asks.

"Sure. Just order whatever you like," I reply while dismantling the tattoo machine.

Her shoes appear in my line of vision, so I look up to find her in front of me, smiling sweetly.

"Hey."

"Hi," I reply, putting the machine aside and pulling her to stand between my legs.

"Thank you for the wonderful tattoo," she says, sliding her hands up my arms to wind around my neck.

"Thank you for letting me put it on you," I answer honestly, pulling her in for a kiss, my hands on her hips.

I'm just about to deepen the kiss when an unexpected intrusion pulls me from our bubble.

"Aw, how cute," a saccharine voice titters from the doorway.

"Fuck," I mutter under my breath, still holding on to Bella.

I do not want to deal with this right now, but it was only a matter of time.

"I see you've found someone else to fuck and ink," the unwelcome visitor taunts.

This catches Bella's attention, and she turns toward the entryway.

"Excuse me?" she challenges. "Who the fuck are you?"

"No one," I say at the same time that Rosalie says, "Nasty skank."

"I'm Irina. The previous you," Irina says scathingly, making me throw up in my mouth a little at the implication.

Bella looks to me.

"Edward?"

"It's not important, baby," I say in an effort to diffuse the situation. "Why don't you go on upstairs and I'll finish up here quickly?"

"Like hell I will," she bites out, taking a step away from me. "I deserve to know who this is and why she's here."

In my peripheral vision I see Irina smirking in satisfaction. Already fed up with the situation, I round on her.

"I thought I made it crystal clear to you last time. You're not welcome here. Get your ass the fuck out of my shop and out of my life!"

"But Eddie, we were so good together…" she tries, but I cut her off.

"You were nothing but an easy lay, which I got over a long time ago. Last warning: get out."

"Fine," she huffs. "I only fucked you for the free ink, anyway."

At this, Rosalie gets up from behind her desk. She is already statuesque, having a few inches in height on Irina, but in her stilettos she towers over her. Her icy glare is enough to make Irina shrink back a little.

"No artist at this shop has ever given you free ink. Don't you dare insult my fiancé and my friend that way. We reserve the right to refuse service at our own discretion. So I suggest you remove yourself from these premises before I contact our attorney to obtain a restraining order."

Blushing and flustered, Irina hurries out the door.

The whole thing happened so fast, I am tempted to believe it was all in my head. My racing heart and the girls' expressions tell a different story, though. Rosalie looks murderous, but Bella is unreadable, and that scares me. When I reach for her, she steps out of my reach and turns toward the door.

"Bella?" I ask softly.

She pauses with her hand on the doorknob and sighs.

"I'm going upstairs."

Relief surges through me. She's not leaving.

"Call me if you need to talk, Bella," Rosalie offers, to which she nods.

I'm left sitting at my station, reeling from what just happened.

"Fuck!" I yell, pounding my fist on the bench in frustration.

Rosalie gives me a disapproving look.

"You could've handled that better, Edward."

"What do you mean? It's not like I invited the bitch."

"Not Irina, stupid. I couldn't care less about her. I mean Bella. She was really upset. You should go upstairs now and talk to her. I'll finish cleaning up your station."

I don't hesitate. After quickly kissing Rosalie on the cheek, I hurry up the stairs to my apartment.

I find Bella in the kitchen, petting the puppies while she sits on the floor. They're crawling all over her legs and lap, with Jazzy occasionally jumping up to try and lick her face. She looks up when she hears me come in, but quickly looks away, a scowl marring her pretty features.

"Bella…" I start, but she doesn't let me speak.

"Don't," she bites out.

I raise my hands in deference and resolve to wait until she addresses me. After a few moments she gets up off the floor and fills the puppies' bowl with kibble. She then moves into the living room, where she rounds on me.

"What the hell, Edward?"

What the hell, indeed. I have no idea what exactly I did that caused her to be this upset with me.

"You have no idea, do you?" she asks, laughing bitterly.

There is nothing for me to do but shake my head.

"You completely undermined my position in front of her!"

"I… I don't understand, baby."

"You dismissed me, right in front of her. You gave her exactly what she wanted!"

I'm confused. All Irina has ever wanted was to trick some poor sap into paying her way.

"You don't get it, do you? She wanted to get a rise out of you, out of the both of us. And then you sent me away, like I meant nothing to you…"

"I only wanted to protect you from her antics!" I yell, getting frustrated.

"Well, I had to deal with it anyway, didn't I?" she cries.

Shit. Rosalie was right. I really messed up there. I need to make this right, sooner rather than later.

"Bella, I'm sorry. I absolutely did not want you to feel dismissed. Please say you know me well enough to know I'd never intentionally hurt you," I plead, reaching out to her.

She doesn't let me wrap my arms around her, but does allow me to hold her hands in mine. I rub my thumbs over her knuckles, desperately gazing into her sad eyes.

"What is her deal anyway?" she asks, having calmed down somewhat.

I shrug, "As far as I can tell, she's a freeloader who likes to play games. She probably heard about you and me and wanted to stir up some trouble."

"But why? What's in it for her?"

"Beats me. Maybe in her mind you're getting from me what she wants. She's messed up!"

Bella mulls this over for a few moments.

"Is there any truth to what she said?" she eventually asks timidly.

"I wish there wasn't," I admit, hating to see her face fall at my words. "But it's not the way she suggested. Will you let me explain?"

When she nods, I guide her over to the couch to take a seat.

"She came in for a tattoo when the shop was still Garrett's and I was an apprentice. She wanted something from the stencil books, so Garrett sent her to my station. I was never anything but professional with her, but she made a pass at me. You know that I've never dated clients, so I politely declined her offer," I explain.

"But something happened later on?"

"Well," I start, rubbing the back of my neck nervously. "A couple of weeks later I was out with Emmett, Garrett, and a bunch of other guys. She was there as well. In hindsight I think she sought me out on purpose. I was pretty drunk that night and she took advantage of that. We hooked up a few times after that. I ended it when I realized she was mostly into me to get freebies, which I don't do. When Garrett found out, he banned her from the shop."

"Oh, that's what Rosalie meant?"

"Yeah, her brother is a lawyer and made sure we were in a legal position to ban her," I reply, grinning. "But seriously, I haven't seen her in ages, but she does try to get a rise out of me from time to time. And I always make it clear I want nothing to do with her."

Tears filled her eyes at my explanation and my heart breaks a little at seeing her so distraught.

"You're the only one I've ever given a tattoo. You're the only one I've ever loved," I vow. "And I'm so sorry she's made you question that."

I wait for what feels like an eternity, almost afraid to breathe, for Bella to process my explanation. When she squeezes my hands and I look up into her eyes, I realize I had been looking down at our clasped hands.

"I know," she says, smiling gently, and a relieved breath escapes me.

One of her hands moves to cup my jaw, pulling me closer to her. Tentatively, her lips touch mine, their softness molding against me. Her next kiss is a bit firmer, her other hand slipping into my hair. I reach one of my hands up to her face, snaking the other around her waist, pulling her onto my lap. My tongue delves into her mouth, seeking out hers. She sighs as I groan at the contact. I tear my lips away from hers, peppering kisses along her jaw and down her neck. She shivers when I ghost over the sensitive spot just below her ear.

"I love you," I whisper huskily.

The hand in my hair tightens, pulling deliciously.

"Show me," she pants. "Make love to me."

I'm conflicted. I desperately want to show her with my body what's in my mind and heart. But I don't want to risk damaging her fresh tattoo.

"We can be careful," she reasons, recognizing my internal battle. "But I need to feel you."

Conceding – what else can I do? – I pull her to her feet and walk us over to the bedroom, not stopping the assault of my lips on hers. After closing the door, I carefully undress her before nearly ripping off my own clothes. I gently peel of the protective foil from across her sternum. The tattoo still glistens from the lotion I put on it earlier, and I take a moment to appreciate the view. Bella is impatient, though, and doesn't hesitate in helping me out of my underwear. A shudder runs through me as her hand wraps around me tightly. She pumps me a few times while sucking on my neck and flicking the barbells in my nipples with her other hand.

After a few minutes of this pleasure, I gently remove her hands and instruct her to get on her back on the bed and try not to put pressure on the fresh ink. Crawling over her, I kiss my way up her legs until I reach that sweet spot where she's already hot and wet for me. I skim over that most sensitive part of her, instead kissing the inside of her thighs and moving up to her hipbones. She is already writhing on the bed, anticipating my touch. I relish it.

When I reach her belly button, I slowly kiss my way down until my lips hover over her clit, only barely touching her there. With one of my arms I hold down her hips to prevent her from bucking up into my face, while the fingers of my other hand tease her opening. I already feel her inner muscles clenching around the digits. She sighs, which turns into a moan, when I fully lower my mouth onto her perfect pussy. She likes it when I flick her clit with my tongue, so I set to work doing just that. Her moans grow in intensity and her legs start to tremble. One of her hands is clenching a pillow, the other is buried in my hair, holding my head firmly in place. Knowing it'll push her over the edge, I slide two fingers inside her, curling them up and stroking the small textured spot just within my reach. It has the desired effect: her back arches high off the bed, her legs lock in place, and she lets out a long, drawn out moan. I slow the movements of my tongue and fingers, trying to make her orgasm last as long as possible.

When I eventually remove my fingers from inside her and place a small, soft kiss just above her clit, she surprises me by yanking me up her body. Not wanting to crush her under my weight, I catch myself on my arms on either side of her head, effectively planking over her. She pulls my face down to hers for a passionate kiss, humming into my mouth. She tilts her hips up, brushing against my cock, which has been almost painfully hard this entire time. It is aching to be inside her, but I don't want to risk damaging the fresh ink or hurting Bella by accidentally rubbing against her while I'm caught in the moment. Throwing her legs over my shoulders would work, but it would limit kissing and touching her. Thankfully, Bella comes up with a position that should allow for the intimacy we both crave.

"Get on your side next to me," she instructs me in a breathy voice in between kisses.

I do as I'm told, sliding my left arm under her upper back while resting my head on her right arm. She lifts her legs over mine, so she's almost sitting in my lap lying down. My cock is in the perfect position to easily slide home, so I don't hesitate in guiding it in and pushing my hips up into hers. We fit together perfectly like this, with her all hot and snug around me. Her inner muscles are still quivering from her earlier orgasm, squeezing me as I thrust slowly. I want to savor our connection, make it last until I can no longer hold back. We kiss lazily until the sensations become too much; then we share our breaths, moaning into each other's mouths. My right hand plays with her clit, bringing her to the brink of another orgasm.

"Edward," she pants.

"Hmm Bella," I groan.

We're entangled as much as possible. My arm is around her shoulders, my tongue in her mouth. Her fingers first in my hair while her other hand clutches my shoulder. I'm sure her fingers would leave their marks, if it weren't for the ink already on my skin. I keep moving at a steady rhythm. She starts to clench around me, lightly at first, then stronger.

"Yes, Edward, yes," she chants in my ear.

I feel the telltale tightening in my balls, radiating out and up. I focus on the feeling of her around me, pulling me in, holding me close, moaning, coming. Her second orgasm triggers my own, and I come jerkily, pushing up into her until there is nothing left to give. I collapse onto my back with Bella sprawled over me, both of us breathing heavily.

I'm absentmindedly playing with a strand of her hair, thinking over our earlier fight.

"Bella?" I ask. "Are we okay?"

She smiles at me lazily, reaching up a hand to stroke down my jaw.

"Of course we are, baby. We just had a fight. It happens."

"Then why do I feel like shit?"

"Because you're sorry," she says, giggling.

The way it makes her breasts jiggle is distracting, and my hand moves down to massage one of them, playing with her nipple and making her moan.

"What matters is that – oh!" she exclaims when I wrap my lips around it and suck.

"You were saying?" I tease her.

She swats at me halfheartedly, giggling some more.

"I wanted to say that what matters is that we talked it out. Besides, if I didn't love you, it wouldn't have hurt so much."

He voice wavers towards the end, revealing her deeper emotions. The whole thing hurt her more than she wants to admit right now. I hate that I caused this.

"I get what you mean," I reply. "But I don't ever want to hurt you like that. I promise I'll try to do better from now on."

I seal that promise with a deep kiss. I'm not sure if it makes her toes curl, but mine sure do.

"We still need to clean your tattoo," I remind Bella when I notice her dozing off in my arms.

She startles awake, then smiles at me mischievously. She gets up out of the bed, still gloriously naked, and reaches out a hand to me in invitation.

"Want to help me shower?" she offers.

I'd be a fool to pass up on that invitation. Without hesitation I follow her into the bathroom. Cleaning her tattoo is quick and easy enough. It's the rough shower sex that causes the hot water to run out.

A/N: The lovely Mina Rivera made the banner for this chapter. The image she chose for the tattoo actually perfectly captures the way I saw Edward's design for the Claddagh sternum tattoo in my mind. Thank you so much!

Playlist for this chapter

Every Rose Has Its Thorns – Poison

(I Just) Died In Your Arms Tonight – Cutting Crew

I Want To Know What Love Is - Foreigner

Living In Sin – Bon Jovi

Can't Fight This Feeling – REO Speedwagon

Crazy – Aerosmith

More Than Words - Extreme

Babe – Styx

Born To Be My Baby – Bon Jovi

Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd

Love Will Keep Us Alive - Eagles

I Don't Want To Miss A Thing – Aerosmith

Whole Lotta Love – Led Zeppelin

Bed Of Roses – Bon Jovi

You Shook Me All Night Long – AC/DC

Are You Gonna Be My Girl – Jet

Lady – Styx

Hotel California – Eagles

Nights In White Satin – Moody Blues

Waiting For A Girl Like You - Foreigner

(You Want To) Make A Memory – Bon Jovi

Sweet Child o' Mine – Guns 'n' Roses

Private Dancer – Tina Turner

Wild Horses – The Rolling Stones

You're The Inspiration – Chicago

Comfortably Numb – Pink Floyd

I Believe In A Thing Called Love – The Darkness

Never Say Goodbye – Bon Jovi

Thank You – Led Zeppelin

Your Song – Elton John

Faithfully – Journey

Always – Bon Jovi