Chapter 21
KC
How long would Ren keep glaring at me? For the last two days, I hadn’t gotten any peace. He hovered worse than Pa would’ve. Whenever I even mentioned a smoothie, he growled fiercer than a rabid dog.
This afternoon, I was sitting in his tattoo parlor behind the counter in the naughty corner, ignoring the narrowed stares he sent my way.
Oli was practicing on fake skin, which was really bizarre and gave me flashbacks to horror movies I used to watch as a kid.
He kept giving me sympathetic smiles, but he also didn’t argue with Ren.
Maybe he thought Ren had a right to be mad.
Oli was wearing my football jersey again, and while it was big on him, it looked really fucking cute. There was something delicious about the way it fell from his slim shoulders.
And how it marked him as mine.
Ren, on the other hand, had on a tank top, jeans, and boots, all in black, and goddamn it, he had my mouth watering.
His ink was even more vibrant under the parlor lights, and I didn’t miss the way the woman he was tattooing kept eyeing him hungrily.
I didn’t blame her, either, but if I staked my claim, then what was she going to do?
“I’m sorry.” I pouted toward Ren. “How many times do I have to tell you that? Give me a kiss?” I pursed my lips.
“No,” Ren said simply, his tone leaving zero room for argument.
He pushed up his reading glasses with the back of his hand.
It’d been two days of controlled silence, where he loomed at my back and watched me like a hawk.
I’d come to work with him and Oli yesterday because I was officially on medical leave for a week from practice, and Ren was adamant about keeping a close eye on me.
I was damned lucky Pa was prepping for another work trip that was coming up soon, which meant he wouldn’t have time for football gossip, or my ass would be grass.
As it was, I kept waiting for him to track me down and demand to know what had happened.
New Gothenburg was just small enough for football news to be everyone’s business.
But Ren was as bad as Pa. Every half hour, Ren brought me a glass of water and watched me drink at least half before he retreated. He had the intensity of a military commander, and I hated how hot he was when he was this way.
“I’m sorryyyyy,” I sang, grinning at Oli when he ducked his head and chuckled into his hand.
Wylie and Flint laughed from where they sat packing up their gear.
It was near the end of the day, and they’d both finished with their last client.
The shop was busier than I’d expected, especially considering it’d only opened this week, but then I’d already seen advertisements around the city.
At some point, Ren had bought space to promote.
It was clear the former clients were models and definitely from LA because they were gorgeous and had that too-perfect Californian look.
“Be nice to him, will ya, Boss?” Flint winked at me, offering his support. His Texan accent was nice. “Rumor has it this city loves their football as much as their hockey and this kid is a hometown hero.”
I rolled my eyes, but he wasn’t wrong. New Gothenburg got behind their college sports and the stars. “I’m not a kid. I’m turning twenty-two soon.”
Flint held up his hands. “Well, I’ll be, you’re nearly a full-grown adult. Quick, call the authorities.”
“Fuck off,” I grumbled, which elicited a loud laugh from him.
Ren shook his head, but the corner of his mouth quirked up.
Obviously, he enjoyed that Oli and I got along with his friends.
From what Oli had told me about his first day, Flint and Wylie were nice and I had to agree.
I could see why they were friends with Ren.
They had similar traits, though Ren had more of a domineering presence than the other two.
He was the leader and they followed. I wondered if they owed him for something because they weren’t submissive types.
They were both big guys with huge personalities.
Ren fell into a meditative silence as he finished off his work on the woman, and when he was done, he wrapped her upper arm and gave her care instructions before he gestured for her to approach me at the counter.
I gave her a card with the same instructions Ren had told her and booked her in for her next session like he’d taught me to do yesterday.
“Have a nice day,” I said cheerfully, and her giggle ricocheted around the room.
“You too! I hope you’re forgiven sooner rather than later.” She twiddled her fingers at me in a wave as she left the shop.
You and me both, lady. I slid a hopeful glance toward Ren, but he was spraying the leather seat the client had vacated and was actively ignoring me by wiping it down. Fuck, he was cute in his glasses. Could I get him to wear them to bed?
Oli cleared his throat and looked up from his work. “KC, baby, do you want to come check this out? Tell me what you think?”
Baby. That was new, but I wasn’t going to complain. My stomach swirled with warmth as I crossed the room to check out his ink. I didn’t know anything about tattooing, but I’d seen his drawings and they were impressive.
Unfortunately, his artwork didn’t translate as well as I’d expected onto the fake skin. It wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t great.
My face must’ve given away my thoughts because his eyes watered in frustration and he slammed down the tattoo gun on the tray beside him.
“It’s bad, isn’t it?” He slapped his palms over his face and groaned. “I’m never going to be a tattoo artist, am I?”
Ren grunted somewhere behind me, and when I turned, he was somehow at my shoulder, laying a comforting hand on Oli’s back. “You’re still in school. You have plenty of time to learn and grow. This is your first week of working under me. Give yourself time and I promise you’ll be better than me.”
“Ugh, I doubt it.” Oli wiped at the corner of his eye with the heel of his hand. “I’ll end up wasting all your ink. I’m so talentless.”
“Don’t talk about one of my boyfriends that way.” Ren crossed his arms over his broad chest and spread his legs, cementing his authority. He wasn’t being cruel, but he wasn’t going to accept arguments, either. His posture dared me or Oli to try.
“One of your boyfriends?” I whispered, his words echoing in my mind. Boyfriend. A knot of excitement formed in my chest and it took everything in my power not to throw myself at him. “We’re your boyfriends? Both of us?”
“Yes.” His dominance softened to something sweeter. He dropped his arms and sighed. “I care about both of you brats. You’ll probably end up giving me gray hair by the time you’re done with me.”
“You’re only twenty-six,” Oli said, but Ren ignored him.
“I won’t have either of you making yourselves sick. Whether it’s with protein smoothies—” He shot me a pointed look, then switched to Oli. “—or by saying nasty shit about yourself. You’re both mine, and I will protect you by any means necessary.”
I melted. I hated how fast it happened, but I was nothing more than a fucking popsicle in a heatwave.
“Careful, Boss, you’re going soft,” Flint said from near his workstation.
“Or he’s getting hard,” Wylie hit back, and they both laughed like they had the front row seat at a comedy club. Flint fist-bumped Wylie.
Ren rolled his eyes, the corners of his mouth twitching. “Both of you get the fuck out. You’re done for the day.”
Wylie and Flint laughed their way to the exit.
Ren grumbled something under his breath before his attention returned to me and Oli. He brushed a hand over Oli’s head and pressed a kiss against my cheek.
“What we have here is working. We could be good together,” he said, the usual dominance missing. There was a subtle vulnerability in his posture that also lingered in his words and the tone of his voice. I couldn’t help but smile. It was nice to see a version of him that wasn’t an asshole to Oli.
“I agree.” I leaned into his warmth and pressed my lips against the pulse in his neck. Then, I held out a hand to Oli, who intertwined his fingers with mine. “Let’s be together.”
Oli nodded eagerly. “Yeah. I mean, I’d enjoy that, too.”
“It’s decided. We’re in a throuple.” I snaked my arm around Ren’s shoulders and squeezed his bicep. “Oli, Ren, and KC.”
Oli licked his lips, eyes shining up at us, and despite this being new, there was something calming about it. About being with them both. They each had their own strengths and weaknesses, and we connected. We were the organs that kept our relationship running.
Oli was the heart because he’d always had a big one. He acted with kindness and was the sweetest.
I was the lungs, an integral part of our system. The organ that transported oxygen to every part of our link and removed the poison from our bond.
Ren was the brain. He told us when to breathe, when to beat, and when to live. He kept us alive. He was the driving force of our existence. Without him, we didn’t work.
It was a funny thing to think about, especially now, but the visual made sense. We made sense. We were stronger with one another.
The door to the shop flung open, and we stepped away from each other, glancing in the direction of the new visitor at the same time. I frowned when my gaze landed on Barber. I hesitated, then stepped forward.
“Hey! What are you doing here?”
Oli shot to his feet and sidled up beside me, so close that he was clearly seeking reassurance.
Barber eyed us carefully, lips pressed in a thin line.
“What are you doing here? I came to see who stole Oli. Are you telling me he stole you, too?” He threw his hands up dramatically in a way only Barber could.
If he wasn’t a biker and barber, I imagined he’d have made an awesome Broadway actor. “Oh fuck, is this your new boyfriend?”
He ate up the distance between us and peered over my shoulder, which wasn’t easy because he was shorter than me. Ren shifted, moving to my other side to give Barber the perfect view.