He's the first man to mark me.
He's the last man I'm allowed to want.

When Ivy Langley walks into Black Vow Ink for a simple shoulder piece, she doesn't expect Rowan Cross—the tattooist with a sinful jaw, a past he won't discuss, and a hand that turns a first tattoo into a first mistake. He's her brother's ex–best friend. He's off-limits. And he looks at her like fire looks at paper.

Each session blurs a boundary: the buzz of the needle, the heat of his breath, the quiet word that feels like a claim. When a private mark blooms along her ribs and rumors start to spread, Ivy must choose between the life that keeps her "good" and the man who finally sees her. Rowan swore he wouldn't touch what he couldn't keep—until ghosts from his old crew crawl back, threatening his shop, his name, and the girl he's dared to love.

Desire isn't their only danger. Loyalty, family, and a past with teeth close in, and the line between ruin and rescue narrows to skin. In the dark after hours of a tattoo studio, Ivy and Rowan gamble everything on a forbidden promise: if they burn, they burn together.