Chapter Twenty-Two
About halfway through the session, the heavy hum of the tattoo gun became a background noise, and Darren broke the quiet. “So, how’s your hand holding up?”?
“Just a minor fracture,” I answer, leaning my head back against the leather chair. “The doctor bandaged it up for me.”
Darren let out a low, amused chuckle, not breaking his focus from my wrist. “The doctor, huh?”
“Bear,” I murmur, a soft smile tugging at my lips.
“Cute,” he comments dryly.
“If it makes you feel any better, Jason’s face is looking a hell of a lot worse,” I state, a small sense of pride bubbling up in my chest. “The clinic told Lillian his nose is officially broken in three different places.”
Lillian told my aunt who told me.
“Holy crap,” Darren says, pausing for a fraction of a second to look up at me with wide eyes. “Note to self: do not fuck with Danny.”
“That’s right,” I mutter with a playful smirk. “Keep that in mind.”
“How are you feeling otherwise?” he asks, stopping the needle to carefully wipe away the excess ink and blood from my skin.
“I’m good, honestly,” I murmur, glancing down. “I really thought it was going to hurt way more than this.”
“It’s never as bad as everyone makes it out to be,” Darren states, dipping his needle back into the ink cap. “Though you’re actually getting it in one of the more sensitive spots on the body. The wrist is no joke.”
I blink, a sudden wave of nerves hitting me. “Jesus. Good to know now.”
Exactly thirty minutes later, the sharp buzzing finally stops, and the studio went blissfully quiet.
“All done,” Darren announces, using a fresh paper towel to carefully wipe down the final product.
I lean forward, lifting my wrist, and freeze. I stare at the fresh ink in absolute, breathless shock.
“A bear,” I whisper, my voice barely audible over the sudden rush of emotion in my chest.
Etched permanently into the delicate skin of my wrist was the most stunning, detailed piece of art. It was a beautiful, small bear silhouette, rendered in clean, dark lines, walking gracefully through a dense, intricately shaded pine forest. The evergreen trees rose up around the bear, their branches sharp and perfectly detailed, creating a tiny, cold wilderness that wrapped beautifully around my skin. It was bold yet incredibly soft, carrying a quiet strength that felt profoundly intimate.
“Honestly, I was a little hesitant about doing it,” Darren confesses, nervously fiddling with his tattoo machine. “But you did tell me I could do whatever I wanted.”
“No... Darren, I love it,” I murmur, my eyes welling with thick tears as I trace the clean border of the fresh ink.
“I just thought it described Mitchell to an absolute tee,” Darren says, a soft, brotherly warmth bleeding into his expression. “A bear because of the obvious nickname, and the deep forest because it’s cold and guarded—just like his personality.”
A wet giggle escapes me, and I wipe my cheek with my uninjured hand. “Yeah. I get it. It’s perfect.”
“On the house, too,” Darren states, slapping a protective layer of ointment over the design. “Consider it a gift for letting me be the one to tattoo your virgin skin.”
“You Roberts brothers are honestly the absolute best,” I say, looking up at him gratefully.
“Yes, well, we are certainly a unique bunch,” he comments with a grin. “Let’s bandage this up properly, and then you can head home.”
Once he securely wraps my wrist and we said our goodbyes, I float out of the studio and head straight back to the apartment. The second I unlock the front door, I spot Bear. He was lounging heavily on the living room couch, staring blankly at the TV, his broad shoulders unusually rigid.
“Hey,” I say softly, walking straight over to the sofa and leaning down to press a sweet, lingering kiss to his lips.
“Hey,” he grunts against my mouth.
Without asking, I climb directly onto his lap, straddling his thighs and running my fingers gently through the short hairs at the back of his neck. Under my touch, his incredibly tense shoulders finally start to relax, and he let out a heavy sigh, letting his head fall back against the cushions.
“Bad day?” I question softly, brushing his bangs out of his eyes.
He just let out another low grunt, keeping his eyes squeezed shut.
“Do you want to see my new tattoo?” I chirp happily.
His green eyes instantly pop wide open, staring up at me in total disbelief. “You actually went through with it? You got a tattoo?”
“Yeah,” I smile, holding my breath.
He let out a rough huff, shifting under me. “Well... show me then.”
I slowly lift my right arm, presenting my bandaged wrist to him. Bear reaches out, his massive, calloused fingers gripping my arm with an unbelievable gentleness as he peels back the edge of the wrap. His emerald eyes stare blankly at the dark ink for a long, agonizing beat. I couldn’t read his face at all. Did he actually hate it?
“Why did you get this?” he asks quietly, his voice a low rumble.
“Well, I told Darren that I didn’t know what I wanted, and he said he had a good idea, so I just told him to run with it,” I ramble out nervously, the words tumbling out of my mouth. “And that’s exactly what he did. But Mitchell, I genuinely love it. It completely reminds me of you, and well... I love you, so—”
Before I could finish the sentence, Bear smoothly lifts his hand, placing his large palm gently over my mouth to cut off my frantic rambling.
“I like it, Daniella,” he says softly, his eyes darkening with an intense, quiet heat.
A massive smile broke out behind his palm. He slowly takes his hand away, his fingers sliding up to firmly grasp the back of my neck, pulling me down until his lips smash against mine in a deep, bruising kiss.
“Darren strictly told me I had to take a shower the second I got home,” I whisper against his lips, breathless.
A wicked smirk plays on his mouth. Before I could even protest, he tangles his strong arms securely around my waist, wrapping my legs around his hips as he stands up from the couch effortlessly. He carries my weight down the hallway and straight into the bathroom, setting me down gently on the edge of the marble sink.
He reaches for my fractured hand, his touch incredibly light as he carefully unravels the stiff medical bandaging. I look down, noticing that most of the angry swelling from my punch had already gone down. Next, he carefully peels away the temporary plastic wrap Darren had placed over my fresh ink.
Without a word, Bear reaches down and smoothly pulls my sundress completely over my head, tossing it onto the tile floor. He then strips off his own shirt and pants in one fluid motion, letting them fall to the carpet. I couldn’t help but notice he had gone entirely commando today.
I certainly wasn’t complaining.
He leans in, placing soft, burning kisses along my shoulder blades as his hands slid around to the back of my torso, unclasping my bra and pulling down my underwear until I was completely bare before him. He pulls away for only a fraction of a second to turn the shower dial, steam instantly beginning to billow out from behind the glass.
I giggle as he picks me up into his arms once more, stepping directly into the warm spray. He rains hot, desperate kisses across my wet skin while I ran my fingers through his damp hair. The cascading water ran over the two of us, holding each other tightly against the heat.
“Let me wash you,” I murmur softly against his chest.
He let out a low grunt of approval, pulling back just enough to let me move. I reach out, grabbing the bottle of body wash and my purple exfoliator, carefully working up a rich lather before smoothing it across the broad, tattooed expanse of his chest.
“Why exactly were you so tense when I walked in earlier, Mitchell?” I ask gently, looking up at him through the water.
He grunts, looking away from me. “It was nothing, Danny. Don’t worry about it.”
I stop scrubbing, placing my hands flat against his wet chest and looking him directly in the eye. “I thought we agreed you were going to be more open with me?”
He let out a heavy huff, his chest rising and falling beneath my palms before he finally cracks. “I got fired from Walmart today.”
I freeze, the exfoliator dropping from my hand. “What? Why?”
“One of the floor managers complained to corporate about the fact that they didn’t feel ‘comfortable’ working around an ex-con,” he mutters bitterly, his jaw clenching. “I didn’t exactly help my case, since I never talk to any of them anyway, but whatever. It is what it is.”
“Mitchell, I can easily help you look for a new job,” I whisper, my heart aching for the pure injustice of it. “We can look online tonight—”
“No, it’s okay,” he interrupts smoothly, a small, knowing look returning to his eyes. “I actually already have something else lined up.”
“What?” I ask, a wave of relief washing over me. I reach for the shampoo bottle, squirting a generous dollop into my palm before raising my hands to vigorously massage it into Bear’s dark hair. He instantly closes his eyes, letting out a low, deeply contented hum. The man absolutely loved it when I washed his hair.
“Mac found me a mechanic gig fixing up cars at a local shop down the street,” Bear grumbles, his eyes still closed.
“Mitchell, that’s awesome!” I squeal in excitement.
Bear physically flinches at my high-pitched voice, a small smirk playing on his lips. “Watch the ears, Danny.”
“Sorry,” I laugh. He steps directly under the heavy stream of water, thoroughly rinsing the white suds out of his hair until it slicks back away from his face. “When exactly do you start?”
“Next Monday,” he answers, stepping out of the spray.
I hand him the shampoo bottle to put away, but he didn’t even care, carelessly chucking it onto the shower floor before instantly claiming my lips with his. He slams my back firmly against the wet tile wall, a loud moan tearing from my throat as his large hand slid down between my thighs, his fingers aggressively rubbing against my dripping clit.
“Please, Mitchell,” I beg, my head hitting the tile.
He let out a dark smirk against my mouth, and I let out a massive sigh of pure relief as he lifts my leg, driving his thick cock deep inside my heat. He moves nice and slow, pacing himself perfectly. It felt exactly like he was making slow, worshipful love to me all over again. I wrap my arms tightly around his neck, burying my face in his throat as I press a frantic line of kisses against his skin. “I love you so much, Mitch.”
He let out a rough grunt, his pace never faltering. “I love you too, Daniella.”
“Put me down,” I whisper hoarsely against his ear.
He frowns slightly in confusion but complies, smoothly sliding out of my dripping wet body and letting my feet touch the tile. I reach down, grabbing his large hand while turning off the shower faucet with the other, leading his dripping body straight out of the bathroom and into his bedroom.
I push him onto the edge of his mattress, climbing directly into his lap and straddling his thighs. Leaning forward, I capture his lips in a deep kiss, using my hand to guide his thick dick right against my opening until I easily slid all the way down onto his length.
“I don’t want you to make love to me right now, Mitchell,” I murmur, my voice thick with a sudden, uninhibited desire. I leaned up, pressing my lips directly against his earlobe. “I want you to fuck me.”
A dark, primitive growl tore from deep within his chest. In one violent, fluid motion, Bear flips our bodies until he was towering completely over me on the mattress. He grabs my legs, throwing them high over his broad shoulders as he drove himself relentlessly into my body, pounding into me with a fierce, heavy force.
I had to desperately grip onto my own thighs just to keep from slipping away across the sheets under the sheer power of his thrusts, the indescribable pleasure completely consuming the room.