Under the Skin
- Reads 59
- Votes 0
- Parts 3
Ongoing1h 23m
Last published Sun, May 18, 2025
She inks pain into beauty
Ivy doesn't talk about what happened. Not the accident. Not the grief. And definitely not why she ended up in a wheelchair. At 26, she keeps her head down, her heart guarded, and her hands steady behind the tattoo gun at a small shop on the rough side of Stockton, California.
Her ink is honest-delicate, soulful-but she never lets it speak for her.
To most, she's just the quiet artist in the chair. No one asks why she flinches when the past creeps too close. No one sees how hard she's working to stay invisible.
Then he walks in-new to town, soft-spoken, carrying the kind of secrets that feel a little too familiar.
And when a routine appointment turns into something more dangerous, Ivy's carefully built life begins to shift.
Every person she tattoos carries a story.
But hers?
That's the one she's still trying to outrun.
A raw, emotional story of survival, grief, and the truths we bury beneath the skin.
Romance/Thriller/Mystery
All Rights Reserved
#146
singlemom
Join the largest storytelling communityGet personalized story recommendations, save your favourites to your library, and comment and vote to grow your community.
You may also like
HIS LIGHT ELEMENT
[***WARNING**18+] This story contains abusive contents such as dark romance, torture,violence, abuse, and etc. If you are not comfortable with these type of things feel free to leave. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is my first book... I'm still learning but I hope you enjoy xoxo. -Author •Ivy Jade Harper• A woman who doesn't take disrespect from nobody and will put you in your place. Being a hard working lady and hoping to meet hers goals will all be stopped by the devil himself. •Dimitri Russo• A dangerous mafia king who could kill you with a word that comes from his mouth. Once he comes across Ivy Jade he knows that she will be his no matter what. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ " What did I tell you Ivy?" he asked while wiping of the blood from his knuckles. " Y-you killed him." I whispered, my voice being to scared to say it out loud. " That's not the answer to my question." He said darkly, making me shiver at his words. " Now what did I tell you?" " Th-that I am yours." I answered. "And what else?" He asked. " And that I should not let nobody touch what's yours." I answered cowardly. "And what do you go and do my love?" He asked once again. " I went and let somebody touch what's yours." I said. He chuckled and looked at me evilly. "Now I have to teach you a lesson." He said ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A BWWM STORY HIGHEST RANKINGS #1 in obsession #1 in intense #1 in blackwoman #1 in psyco #1 in sadistic #1 in crazy @theteahoney ©️ALL COPYRIGHTS RESERVEDComplete
Confessions of a Queen Bee
STORY 1 Ivy James loved being top of the school; she could click her fingers and get anyone to fulfill whatever her heart desired. She was happy enough with her equal, top jock, bad boy boyfriend, and there was nobody that could bring them down. Apart from a tiny rumor that people had seen Ivy and her boyfriend's best friend going into a room together at a party. What nobody knows is the evil that happened that night and the ways in which the queen bee's life changed accordingly. Trying to navigate the aftershocks of assault, Ivy captures the interest of another member of the 'golden group'. He is fascinated by her and the way she acts around people. And before they both know it, not only are they navigating their own secrets, they find themselves engulfed in each other. It's funny how we fall in love with the most unexpected person at the most unexpected time. *Disclaimer* this story includes scenes of a sexual nature and reference to sexual violence. It will also include descriptions of symptoms of mental illness.Complete
Everything After You
Five years ago, Ivy Brooks left Alder's Edge with a one-way ticket and a heart full of unfinished stories. She swore she'd never come back - not after Cal didn't show up at the station, not after the dreams they built together dissolved into silence. The city was supposed to fix her, to make her someone new. But when Sadie - her childhood friend, the light of the town - dies unexpectedly, Ivy is pulled back to the place she's spent years trying to forget. Now Alder's Edge feels both familiar and foreign: the rain-slicked streets, the café her mother still runs, her younger brother suddenly grown, and Cal - still behind the counter at Brennan's Records, still carrying the quiet weight of everything left unsaid. As Ivy navigates grief, guilt, and the ghosts of who she used to be, she's forced to confront what really drove her away - and what might still be waiting for her if she dares to stay. Because sometimes, the hardest person to forgive is yourself. And sometimes, love never really leaves - it just waits for you to come home.
Safe With You
Ivy never expected to fall for her brother's best friend-especially not after everything she'd been through. Shipped off to live with the father who never wanted her, Ivy spent years learning how to survive. But when she returned home broken and bruised, it wasn't her family who saved her. It was Tyler. Her protector. Her safe place. Her Daddy. Now living under the same roof, Ivy and Tyler navigate a fragile, healing love rooted in deep trust and the softest, sweetest version of dominance and submission. Tyler gives Ivy everything she never knew she needed: gentle rules, bedtime snuggles, and unconditional care. In return, she gives him her heart-and her whole self. But the past never stays buried. When a ghost from their history reappears, it threatens everything they've built. Together, they'll face old scars, reclaim their power, and prove that love-especially the kind that's chosen every single day-is the most healing force of all.Complete
(Daryl Dixon x reader) Some Kind of Shelter
Y/n a single mother in a world that doesn't care if kids survive. He's a hunter with nothing left but instincts and scars. She's trying to build something soft in a world gone sharp. He's not sure he remembers how to hold anything without breaking it. A slow slow-burn starting in Season 2. Featuring found family, emotional healing, and a young girl who doesn't stop asking questions. Note: This fic contains violence, gore, and themes consistent with The Walking Dead. I'll do my best to include specific warnings at the start of chapters that contain more sensitive material. I do not own The Walking Dead or its characters. This story, including Ivy, Meg, and this interpretation of Y/n, are my original creations. Most of the images I use are AI-generated. 2025 Previously ranked: #1- normanreedus #1-hurt-comfort #1-Daryldixonxreader #1-thewalkingdead #1-readerinsert
Weathered Love
"You're not a burden," he said. "OK," I said, again, trying to play it off like I didn't care. I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep up the façade. I could feel the tears banging against the barricade just behind my eyelids, the sobs clawing at the walls of my throat... they were demanding to be let out. "Don't shut me out," he begged in a desperate whisper. *** If only the guys in Ivy's life could be as in love with her as she is with them. Ever the tomboy to keep herself from getting hurt, Ivy knows it's safer to yearn from afar than it is to love up-close. What happens when a new guy shows up at her high school and starts to treat her as more than a friend? What happens when she goes off to college? Will she be liberated? Loved? Or is she condemned to a life on the sidelines, always the buddy, never THAT GIRL?Complete
Disha's Diary
Disha's Diary At fifteen, Disha's world shattered. Losing both parents in a single stroke, she was forced to leave behind the only life she knew and move in with her Aunt Summer. For a while, it felt like a new beginning-until Summer fell for Frank, a charming man with a dangerous secret. What seemed like love quickly revealed itself as manipulation. Frank wasn't just after Summer's stability-he had darker intentions that would change Disha's life forever. Behind closed doors, Disha faced torment, betrayal, and a silence too heavy for her young shoulders to bear. This is not just the story of loss. It is a story of resilience, survival, and the scars that shape us. Through every page of Disha's Diary, you'll step into her world-her fears, her friendships, her stolen joys, and the fight to reclaim her voice.
BORDERLINE (18+)
ᴡʜᴇɴ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴꜱ ᴡʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ ꜰᴀʟʟ ɪɴ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴡʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ꜱᴛɪʟʟ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ? 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐄𝐝𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 is officially at rock bottom. Her moods are unpredictable, her impulses reckless and healing feels like a mountain too steep to climb. She's forced to leave her wild and carefree university student life behind. June struggles to come to terms with her diagnosis. Finding herself living with estranged mother in a quiet and unfamiliar seaside town, where the silence makes everything louder. 𝐎𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞 knows what it means to lose someone slowly, and then all at once. Grief sharpened him into something rough. His tattoos are his armour, humour and charm his defences. He learned the hard way that loving someone sick can destroy you. Together they are a wildfire. Intoxicating and comforting, finding refuge in each other. As their lives collide, the line between love and self destruction blurs. Healing and falling into old pattens are balancing a tight rope. And some wounds refuse to heal quietly. "By the time you are reading this, I'm gone." 𝐴𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑙, 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑖 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑? A story about loving someone at their worst, and what that might cost. - Slowburn angst - Smut warning (and kink) (𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞). 🏅1 in Moving Forward 🏅5 in Love & Loss
House of Balloons
Rowan Smith has a knife, a blunt, and a God complex. She's trying to keep her siblings alive, dodge emotional collapse, and maybe not fall for a boy who'd literally hide a body for her. There's family trauma, a drug dealer, a murder (or two), and a girl who keeps laughing through it all. This is a happy house, we're happy here in this HAPPY HOUSE. Faith, love, and survival - welcome to the House of Balloons. ⚠️ Trigger Warnings: This story contains domestic violence, child abuse, physical violence, drug use, drug addiction, death, murder, self-harm, suicide, trauma, strong language. ADVISED FOR MATURE AUDIENCES.Complete
Flirting With Fire ✅
Ivy has been groomed to be the first female Don of the Greyson mafia since she was little. Her whole life revolves around preparing herself for the role. From all the combat training she had endured, to pursuing business in college. It was all in anticipation for this role. But fate had another plan for her when she met Luke, a man who saved her and ultimately showed her what she's been missing in her life. Now, she has to decide if her ambitions are worth letting go for a shot at love. * * * "I'm sorry I hurt you." I choked out the words. I truly am sorry. I'm fighting against myself so hard by now to not show him how much I yearned for his approval. He takes two step forward, closing the gap between us and his hand reaches up and seize my throat, forcing me against the wall. His grip wasn't soft and loving, but filled with pain and bruising truth. He leaned closer and I felt his hot breath fanning my ear. "Not good enough, princess." My hands started shaking, I fisted my skirt, trying my best to compose myself and stop that lone tear that's threatening to escape. His rough palms gripped my face up to meet his raging eyes. I can see the bottled up rage and frustration bubbling to the top, threatening to spill over. But I also see that burning desire, the same one I'm fighting against. He wants me. But he also hates me. Two conflicting emotions together, battling inside him. "You're angry." "No shit, Sherlock." I can tell he wants to hurt me, physically, emotionally, just as much as I have hurt him. And yet, whatever remnant of care that he possessed for me is holding him back. Forcing him to push back that need to inflict pain. "Use me." "What?" His harshness falters a little, surprised at my words. My trembling hands slide against his hard chest, feeling the heat of his boiling rage. I lean closer, my lips brushing lightly against his ear and I whispered. "Let it out. Punish me." • MATURE THEMES 18+ • Started: Oct 10, 2021 Finished: ???Complete
[***WARNING**18+] This story contains abusive contents such as dark romance, torture,violence, abuse, and etc. If you are not comfortable with these type of things feel free to leave. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is my first book... I'm still learning but I hope you enjoy xoxo. -Author •Ivy Jade Harper• A woman who doesn't take disrespect from nobody and will put you in your place. Being a hard working lady and hoping to meet hers goals will all be stopped by the devil himself. •Dimitri Russo• A dangerous mafia king who could kill you with a word that comes from his mouth. Once he comes across Ivy Jade he knows that she will be his no matter what. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ " What did I tell you Ivy?" he asked while wiping of the blood from his knuckles. " Y-you killed him." I whispered, my voice being to scared to say it out loud. " That's not the answer to my question." He said darkly, making me shiver at his words. " Now what did I tell you?" " Th-that I am yours." I answered. "And what else?" He asked. " And that I should not let nobody touch what's yours." I answered cowardly. "And what do you go and do my love?" He asked once again. " I went and let somebody touch what's yours." I said. He chuckled and looked at me evilly. "Now I have to teach you a lesson." He said ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A BWWM STORY HIGHEST RANKINGS #1 in obsession #1 in intense #1 in blackwoman #1 in psyco #1 in sadistic #1 in crazy @theteahoney ©️ALL COPYRIGHTS RESERVED
More detailsContent Guidelines