Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
ANDIE
I bite my bottom lip at the sharp, incessant sting of the tattoo needle as it scores the sensitive skin of my lower back, my eyes glued to the colorful drawings and images hanging on the wall as I sweat through the pain. Bastard wipes the area he just did, then continues. Holy mother of hell. This hurts. And because the piece will cover most of my back, it has to be done in multiple sessions. I’m glad he did the guys’ names on my fingers first.
“Going to finish the outline of the phoenix, then we’ll call it a day,” Bastard says.
I’d never met the man before today. He looks like a cross between an MMA fighter and a member of a motorcycle club. He wears silver skull rings on his fingers, is covered from neck to thigh in colorful ink, and has a long, black beard. He reminds me a little of Rafe’s uncle Luis.
“Good. My butt’s falling asleep.”
I thought I’d be lying down on my stomach for this, but nope. I’ve been sitting backward in a special chair that stopped being comfortable an hour ago.
“Feel free to name drop any hot celebrity you’ve inked,” I tell him.
I’ve been dropping those not-so-subtle hints the entire time I’ve been here. Bastard is the on-demand tattoo artist for a lot of high-profile musicians and movie stars. I’m surprised he had an opening to fit me into his schedule so quickly after I was a no-show the other day.
“Still not telling you, babe. I don’t care if you’re a big badass mafia queen. Celebrities can be much scarier, and they love to sic lawyers on you if you break NDAs.”
“Looks good, bella ,” Liam says as he comes in, holding a to-go cup with the local coffee house on it, and sits down right in front of me.
I eye the cup in his hand with greed. “You going to share?”
He takes a sip and leans in to kiss me. I can taste the icy cinnamon on his lips.
“Did you get me a cinnamon roll iced coffee?”
My angel-turned-devil actually blushes. “I may have overheard Rafael mention it was one of your favorites, then bribed a certain barista to make my order first so I could bring it to you before he did.”
Speak of the devil. Rafe saunters in, holding a matching to-go cup, and scowls at Liam. “You’re an asshole, you know that?”
Liam shrugs. “Brownie points get me extra blowjobs,” he quips.
“You know you can suck it.”
“That’s her job,” Liam replies, and Rafe curses.
“Damn it! I always walk right into those.”
Bastard quietly chuckles as he continues to work. Rafe shoves his cup into Liam’s free hand and walks around to see the progress Bastard has made.
“That looks fucking phenomenal.”
If Rafe says it looks good, then it must look fantastic. It’s his design.
It’s been three days since we came back from Mexico, and things have been so busy that, with the exception of Liam, I haven’t seen much of the guys. Because Liam isn’t comfortable sleeping in the same bed at night with me and the other three, I’ve been doing a little bed hopping, switching off between the two. One night with Liam. The next with Rafe, Jax, and Keane. Thank God for California king beds. We’ll need to get a custom one made soon. I love the guys but being smooshed between three very large men who are all bed hogs is a little much. I woke up this morning on top of Jax because Keane encroached on my sliver of sleep space. Rafe was sleeping soundly on his other side.
Bastard finishes up, puts the tattoo gun away, and rips off his nitrile gloves. I’m able to take my first true breath that’s not sucked in between gritted teeth. He puts on a fresh pair of gloves and applies ointment and protective tattoo film over the area he worked on.
“Sit tight, sweetheart. I’ll be right back, and then we’ll go over your aftercare instructions and set up your next appointment.”
“Thanks, Bastard.”
He winks at me. “Anytime, sweetheart.” He bumps fists with Rafe as he steps out.
Stretching my arms up high, I roll my head from side to side while ignoring the stinging burn on my back. Taking a shower and cleaning the tattoo every day are going to be major pains in the butt, but at least I have four men who will be more than happy to help.
“Jax is going to lose his mind when he sees it.” Rafe’s finger trails down my neck, then back up again.
“Are Jax and Keane on their way?” I ask.
“Um, no. We’re meeting them.” Rafe gets distracted when an incoming text message chimes on his phone.
Liam nudges Rafe out of the way and slips the sleeves of a loose men’s long-sleeved shirt over my arms, then spins me around and does up each small button, one at a time.
“You know, I’ve been able to fasten my own buttons since I was three.”
“I know.”
I pop up on tiptoe to kiss him.
Bastard returns to go over my aftercare instructions, and we schedule my next appointment.
“What’s that look for?” Bastard asks me, when he notices me staring at him and not the sheet of paper he handed me.
“You have a woman?”
“For fuck’s sake.” Rafe’s hand flies over my mouth.
I bite his palm, and he removes it. “But Tessa would love him.”
“Baby, you gotta stop pimping out your best friend.”
“But—”
“Ignore her.”
Not giving up, I tick off on my fingers Tessa’s amazing qualities like a used car salesman. “She’s gorgeous. Blonde. Genius-level smart. Can do anything with a computer, and I mean anything. Got accepted to MIT. Has a sexy British accent…”
“She does not,” Rafe interjects.
“Yes, she does. She’s from England.”
His head cocks slightly, brow pinched. “She says, y’all .”
“Doesn’t negate the fact that she was born and bred in the UK, babe. And her accent is most definitely as English as they come.”
“Huh,” he grunts.
Bastard throws his head back and laughs, then gives my shoulder a squeeze. “See ya soon, sweetheart. Call if you have any questions or concerns. The guys know what to do. I gotta set up for my next appointment.”
“Thanks again, Bastard,” I tell him.
“And give your friend my number,” he says, walking away, still chuckling.
Feeling triumphant about that, I do a celebratory shimmy and smile up at my guys.
Liam taps the tip of my nose. “Woman, you are trouble with a capital T.”
“Damn straight.” I take the iced coffee he offers me.
As soon as we step out of Bastard Ink, we’re greeted with the blacked-out SUV that’s waiting for us alongside the curb, engine idling. Even though there’s no longer a threat from Alejandro or Julio, we’re still cognizant of our surroundings. If the past month has taught me anything, it’s that we can’t afford to ever let our guard down.
Mickey opens the back passenger door for us when we approach. Rafe climbs in first.
“Miss Levine,” Mickey says as he takes my elbow and helps me in.
“You’re so full of shit,” I tell my cousin. He likes to call me that to get a rise out of me.
As I get situated in the middle seat, Liam settles in on my other side.
“Why are you fidgeting?” he asks when I can’t get comfortable.
I huff in annoyance. Sitting with my back touching the seat is making my tattoo burn like crazy.
“My back,” I reply, then give up and unclip my seat belt. I crawl into his lap. “Much better.”
Liam is careful to only put his hands where it doesn’t cause me discomfort. They settle on the curves of my ass. My forearms bend around his neck, so my fingers can play with the ends of his hair.
“Where are we meeting Keane and Jax?” I ask Rafe.
He reaches over to rest his open palm on my thigh. I love the easy intimacy I have with the guys. Spontaneous touches or kisses. Little things that come naturally, but mean so much to me.
“It’s a surprise,” Rafe replies, tipping his head back against the headrest and closing his eyes.
The past few days have been rough for him. A couple of issues had to be dealt with in Mexico, but they weren’t anything his uncle couldn’t eventually handle. Pearson is working the contract negotiations with the Sinner’s Fury MC, while Keane and I are negotiating a contract of our own: how to combine the Rossi and New York families together under the house of Levine. It was an easy decision to make. One that will expand our territory and reach, while also allowing us to work together, not separately.
“I hope this surprise includes food, because I’m hungry.”
“It does now,” Rafe says, rousing to take out his phone.
I yawn and settle into Liam, the back-and-forth strokes of his hand through my hair making me sleepy.
“If you’re doing a DoorDash, order from that place that sells burgers with sweet potato fries.”
I must have passed right the fuck out after I said that because the next thing I know, the car door is opened wide, and Jax is helping Liam lift my dead weight.
“Her back is still tender,” Liam tells him.
“I got her. Wrap your legs around me, Angel.”
“What’s going on?” I slur, still half asleep, but doing what he said.
“Welcome home, princess,” Keane says behind me.
I hate those two words as much as I hate it when they call me by my full first name.
I force my eyes to open when I hear the calls of nature, not the hollow echoes of an underground parking garage.
What the hell?
We’re standing in the middle of an open, grassy field surrounded by thick forest. And I swear I hear running water, like the burbling of a nearby creek. Several swallowtail and sulfur butterflies flit around the scattering of red and white wildflowers that are in bloom.
“Where are we?” I ask, absentmindedly kissing Jax and dropping my feet to the soft grass.
The men gather around me as I take everything in. Or lack thereof, because we’re in the middle of nowhere with nothing but summer foliage and pristine natural beauty as far as the eye can see.
“Home. Or what it will be once we build it,” Keane says, threading our fingers together as he takes my hand.
Home.
“You’re building me a house?” A lump forms in my throat and emotion swells my chest.
Jax hooks his arm around me. “ We’re building a house. Your dream house.”
I look down at the wavy green grass and weeds, picturing us standing in our future kitchen as I make homemade biscuits, our kids sitting and laughing at the counter island. I can see the enormous Christmas tree we’ll put up every year, decorated with silly ornaments crafted by our children’s hands. The large, expansive backyard our kids will chase the dogs in. The garden I’ll plant to grow vegetables. The rocking chairs on the wraparound porch I’ll spend countless mornings in, sipping coffee and watching the sun rise. And in every one of those wonderful images, I see a lifetime of happiness with these four men.