Chapter 35
MINE
KOEN
Then…
I want to give her a dare I know she’ll never do. My eyes roam over her perfectly tan skin.
“I dare you to get a tattoo.”
“A tattoo?” She gapes at me.
I lean back in my seat to fully appreciate the shocked look on her face.
“Right now?”
I tilt my head in a way that says, obviously.
“But don’t you have to make an appointment? It’s the middle of the night!”
I can’t help but bark out a laugh, which earns me a glare from Rose.
“I know a guy.” Leaning forward, I start up my bike, watching and waiting to see if she’s going to climb on the back.
She eyes the bike then looks at me, chewing her bottom lip.
“Having second thoughts, love?” I grab the helmet hanging from my handlebars and hold it out to her. A silent dare in my eyes. “It’s okay to chicken out.” I shrug, folding my arms across my chest and trying not to smile when Rose’s cheeks burn pink.
Her eyes narrow and her mouth drops into a slight frown. “No I—I’m just thinking about what to get.”
Likely story. “Oh that’s easy. I get to pick for you.”
“What?”
“Mhm.” I’m sure she’s about to back down any second.
To my surprise, a wicked gleam enters her eye and I start to get the feeling I’ve done it now.
Rose leans back on her heels, drumming her perfectly manicured fingers atop her arm. “Truth or dare, Rí?”
My eyes narrow and I approach this one with caution. I know she knows my game now. I’m not going to pick truth. I let the tension drag out a little longer between us before I speak.
“Dare.”
She smiles. “I dare you to get a tattoo, too.”
I glance down at my body. I’m already covered on most of my chest and back, and a full sleeve on my right arm. I can’t think of why she looks so excited, so I shrug again.
“Fine. What’s one more?”
Seemingly satisfied, I arch a brow when she suddenly struts forward, taking my helmet out of my hands and pulling it over her head, remembering how to do the straps.
Swinging her leg over the back, she settles in and leans up against me.
“Alrighty then, but remember I get to pick for you.”
Bloody hell.
“Ay, Rí!” Jace shouts over the loud metal music blasting in his tiny shop, spotting me as we walk in, and I’m holding the door open for Rose. “What can I do for you?” He closes the distance and I’m greeted with a familiar palm slap, pulling me in close and clasping me tight on the back.
I feel Rose poke her head out from behind me. When my cousin’s eyes drop down, before meeting mine again with the addition of two raised brows, I narrow mine, silently telling him to keep his fucking mouth shut and he nods in understanding, holding out a hand to the girl at my back.
“I’m Jace. Rí’s cousin. Nice to meet you.”
“Rose, and likewise.” She takes his hand, giving it a solid shake, and looking him in the eye when she gives him her name, which says so much about her, since Jace is an intimidating motherfucker.
He’s just as tall as me, short hair bleached silver, tattoos and piercings as far as the eye can see.
Well, she gave him her fake name; that is, I know Rose isn’t her real name just as well as she knows Rí isn’t mine, but it’s part of the game.
I don’t know her, she doesn’t know me, we can just be us without any of the expectation. A novelty I didn’t realize I needed.
“What can I do for you guys?”
“Sorry to bother you, but err—” Rose’s eyes flick up to mine and I help her out.
“Rose here has got a dare to complete.” I take off my motorcycle gloves, sliding them into my back pocket.
A grin spreads across Jace’s face. “Is that so?”
She glares up at me, cerulean eyes bright with challenge. “So does Rí.”
“Interesting.” My cousin smirks but one look from me and he spins, motioning us to follow him back to his chair, stopping to turn down the music a fraction along the way. “Let me guess, it involves a tattoo.”
“If it’s too late—” Rose hedges and I give her a look.
“It’s never too late to tattoo,” Jace says, and he means it. The guy doesn’t have an apartment above his shop for nothing. I’ve spent the night here more times than I can count. He does his best work after midnight.
“But if you want to back out…” I offer, not wanting her to do anything she doesn’t want to, as much as it gets me off to push her outside of her comfort zone.
“Never.” She lifts her chin defiantly. A surge of heat travels south and my fingers flex at my side, resisting the urge to grab that chin and tug her closer.
“Ladies first.” I gesture to the open chair beside us, ignoring the shit-eating grin on Jace’s face as he pretends to be busy prepping his tools. My keen eye picks up how Rose’s gaze lingers a little too long on the needle.
“Is this your first tattoo?” Jace asks.
She nods and he, too, gives her another out. “Tattoos are forever,” he says seriously. “No one’ll blame you if you don’t go through with it.” He points to me. “I’ll even kick his arse for ya.” He winks and Rose laughs. The sweet melodic sound drowns out everything else. I want to hear it again.
“No,” she pauses, her brow furrowing before she replaces it with a small smile. “No, I want to. Let’s do it.” Her words bring a smile back to Jace’s face.
“Alright, I ain’t gonna argue with that. So what’ll it be?”
I clear my throat. “That,” I say, “would be up to me.” I pull out my phone, typing out a quick text addressed to him before holding up the device and giving it a little shake.
Jace’s phone chimes and he gives it a look, earning a shake of his head before he looks back to Rose. “You sure you want to give him this kind of power, lass? It’ll only go to his head.”
She looks between the two of us, and I raise a single brow, awaiting her answer.
“What the hell?” she breathes out finally, settling deeper into the chair, gripping tightly to the arm rests. “Let’s do it.”
Jace looks my way and I nod. He picks up his tattoo gun, rolling his chair closer. “Alright, where’s it going?”
Rose’s eyes slide to mine and she slowly hooks a thumb into the waistband of her skirt, dragging it down and pointing to the soft swatch of skin just south of her hip bone.
Jace sets about prepping the area, lowering the chair back so she’s more comfortable.
Her eyes never leave mine.
I need to take a walk. I need to do something, but instead, I stay, holding her gaze, watching her hold mine. Another challenge, the thrill of it awakening something primal in me, begging to be let out to play.
“Ready?” Jace’s voice breaks the tether between us, reminding us where we are, and Rose nods once, swallowing a lump in her throat, “Ready.”
I lower myself into one of the chairs, sitting on it the wrong way so I can lean my arms over the chair back while I watch.
Jace lowers his gun to her skin, and I can see the instant he makes contact. Pain flashes through her beautiful face and her grip tightens on the arm rest, eyes squeezing shut for all but a second before they fly open again, seeking me out.
Breathe, I mouth to her, and she does, slowly getting used to the annoying scratching of the tattoo needle.
She doesn’t look down to check Jace’s work.
Doesn’t try to peek and see what it is I’ve chosen for her.
Instead she watches me, letting me be her anchor through the pain, trusting me, in blind faith, that I haven’t decided to mar her with an infinity symbol, an anchor, or some other stereotypical generic tattoo.
The tattoo I’ve chosen for her is simple and small. Jace makes quick work of it and it’s over before she even realizes.
“All done,” Jace confirms, wiping the last of the blood away before she sees. “What do you think?”
There’s a nervous rhythm to my heart as her gaze falls, skimming over the new and permanent dark mark upon her skin. Her attention drawn to the black club, like that on a playing card, and the letter “K” that sits just above it and just under a small crown.
“It’s actually cute.” She lifts her head, approval glinting in her eyes, and Jace has to walk away to hide his face.
I smile too—because she doesn’t realize… I’ve just branded her as mine.
That smile falters, however, when I catch the shift in her expression. A wicked spark flickers there and her smile turns sinister.
“Your turn.”