8. Levi
Levi
Ilove a good technical tattoo session.
Colt's arm is braced on the rest, muscles flexing every now and then when I hit a sensitive spot. He doesn't flinch, though. Of course he doesn't. Guy's built like he wrestles fire for fun.
Which… he does.
One of my earbuds hums low, the beat of the rock music threading through my head while the other hangs loose, just in case Colt has something to say during our session.
The shop smells like ink and antiseptic, clean and sharp and just the way I like it.
The TV mounted in the corner flashes, making me look up as I lift the machine from Colt's skin.
A bright red banner cuts across the screen.
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH.
"You think this'll be as bad as they're saying?" Colt asks.
I focus back on his arm. "Hold still."
"I am still."
I set the machine against his skin again. "Then stop breathing."
He snickers. "Yeah, that'll go well."
Liz, the woman who works the register in my shop, heads over to the television. She turns it up, and the map of angry colors filling the screen comes with a voice.
"This storm system pushing in from Tornado Alley is expected to hit the Appalachians full force here in the next twenty-four hours," the weatherman says. "If you are in the red-shaded areas, expect several days of sustained rainfall, power outages, and flooding."
I hate how my mind drags straight to her.
Nelly.
Probably out there in this mess, covered in mud, not giving a fuck about the weather. Fighting with that house like she's staked her reputation on it.
That pulls a smile out of me.
Nelly's probably the only person in this town not concerned with what others think of her.
"Worried about some rain?" Colt asks.
I cast him an easy grin and plug both of my ears with my earbuds. "Ready for the last of this outline?"
It's not hard to read Colt's lips. "Sure you don't want to start on shading today? I've got the energy."
I look down at his angry red arm. "Once the outline takes."
I sink back into the tattoo, but it does nothing to get Nelly out of my head. I've been such a creep these last couple of days, walking by Nash's place just to scent her. I can't sleep without smelling it. I can't go ten fucking minutes in my day without finding a reason to think about her.
This crush is getting under my skin in ways I don't like.
You know it's not a crush.
Something bats my shoulder, and I look up to find Colt narrowing his eyes at me.
I pluck out one of my earbuds. "What?"
"You good?"
I blink. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"You zoned out there for a moment. That's usually when people mess up tattoos."
I look down at the pristine outline. "You'll survive."
"Comforting."
"Now, hold still. Just got a little more left to do."
"If you don't zone out."
I shoot him a look. "You done whining? Because your whining is moving your arm."
He flexes his forearm. "Like this?"
I give him a deadpan stare and he bursts out laughing.
"You know," he says as I get back to work, "the timing of this storm isn't terrible. At least we'll get it over with."
"Better now than during Solstice," I murmur.
"Exactly. But the Water's Edge Games are screwed," he says. "Fire department's been training all spring for it. Rain'll drown it out."
"They'll reschedule. They always do."
"Town's going to be a mess either way."
He's gearing up for gossip. Living in a place like Honeysuckle Grove my whole life makes it easy to spot when someone's about to strike up a session. I couldn't care less about what this town talks about, honestly, as long as it's not me.
But I don't expect him to drop her name.
"You see Nelly out there yesterday?" Colt asks. "With that rundown, beat-up house by your place?"
"If I didn't see her, I'm sure I heard her."
"Can't believe she's working through all this rain like it's not even happening. Girl's relentless. Her family never stood a chance of turning her into a proper Omega. You ever met someone like her who doesn't know how to quit?"
It takes everything I have not to jam my machine into his eye. "Yeah, I'm tattooing one right now."
"Hey, I take breaks," Colt protests.
"In between your back-to-back-to-back shifts at the fire department? Might as well pay that place rent."
He laughs and I pause the machine long enough for him to get it out of his system. I'm glad he doesn't pick the conversation back up, though. No one's talking about Nelly like that in my fucking shop.
Or anyone, for that matter.
I finish up Colt's tattoo and wipe him down. I get it wrapped, send him off with instructions, and then decide to shut the parlor down earlier than usual. Nothing's scheduled, and with how dark it's already getting outside again, no one's walking in for service.
"Stay dry," I say as Liz leaves.
"You, too, Levi. Let me know if you plan to open tomorrow and I'll be here."
I cash out my tips for the day and lock the door behind me. The air outside hits me like a wall of water, damp and thick with every breath I take. Everything smells like wet dirt and summer trying to fight its way through.
I stick my earbuds in and start the walk home.
About four blocks away from my complex, I smell it.
Or her, rather. It stops me in my tracks and I close my eyes as the Alpha inside me rattles around.
It turns my footsteps toward the scent. It moves my body without permission.
My instincts drag me to the sidewalk in front of the house Nelly's working on.
Like her scent is a beacon my body has to follow.
I pluck out an earbud just in time to catch a muffled curse.
There she is, sweating up a storm, halfway up a ladder with one of her feet braced against the side of the house. She's gripping the gutter like she's in a WWE match, ready to fling it over her shoulder into a Samoan Drop.
And no one's there to have her back in case she tumbles.
I should keep walking.
I need to keep walking.
But my instincts win out.
"Damn it," I grumble as I step into the soaked grass.
"Come. The fuck. On," Nelly grits out.
"Need a hand?" I call out as I get close.
She yips and releases the gutter, her arms windmilling to keep her on the ladder. I rush toward it, slamming my foot against the lowest rung and hoisting myself up. My hand catches against her back, steadying her so she doesn't fall.
Her heat bleeds through her clothing and into my palm.
"Levi?" she asks breathlessly. "That you?"
She's covered in sweat, and my nostrils drag in her scent. "Yeah, it's me. You good up here?"
"Yeah, yeah," she says as she wipes at her forehead. "Just trying to figure out why this one piece of gutter is held on by tape strong enough to keep God in place."
I huff out something close to a laugh. "So, I'll ask again: need a hand?"
She peers over her shoulder. "You know how to fix gutters?"
"Nope."
"Then what good are you?"
"I can hold shit real well. That count?"
That earns me one of her laughs. "All right, move up the ladder a bit and reach up. I need this gutter stabilized so I can find this finicky fascia bracket."
Got no clue what a fascia bracket is, but my stupid instincts are eager to help. I move up a couple of steps, closing the distance between us, and her ass presses right into my chest.
Fuck.
"Don't let this thing move," she says as I reach up.
"Got it."
"Thanks."
She gets back to work, and a few minutes pass before I break the silence. "Been at this all day?"
"Since yesterday," she grunts out. "Oh, damn it. It's rusted. No wonder."
"Gotten much done?"
She turns to reach for something in her tool belt and her ass brushes along my chest.
I have to stomach the growl trying to rip its way out.
"Storm tried drowning my foundation the other day, so I'm fighting back. Got gravel graded along the sides of the house that hold water when it rains, and now I'm fighting with the gutters so they can drain properly into these rain barrels I've got set up."
"Not bad for a couple days' work."
She snickers. "That's high praise coming from you."
I force my gaze anywhere but her ass. "New porch lights?"
"Got that done this morning," she says with a grunt. "Old ones were shot. Couldn't just change out the bulb, had to completely replace the light fixtures."
My gaze keeps drifting along the front of the house. "Figured out the porch sag yet?"
"Nope. But it needs to be redone anyway, so I'm not focused on that."
"Sounds fun."
"Oh, yeah," she grunts as she gives the gutter another tug. "Living the dream."
My gaze crawls back to her ass.
She's got such a nice one.
I close my eyes and bow my head. Nope. We are not doing this. I don't give a fuck what my instincts say. Scent match or no scent match, I'm not an Alpha who should be tied down.
I can barely commit to my apartment lease as it is.
The gutter finally gives and she sighs with relief. "There we go. Finally."
"Whatcha need?"
"Keep holding. Got one more fascia bracket to work loose, then I can re-situate it the way it should be."
Her scent hits me again while she works, and focusing gets hard. I'm glad she's fine with giving orders, because I can barely think through the warm scent of vanilla that drips over my clothing. Yes. More. I need more of it.
I want to press my nose against her neck and drown in it.
"Levi?" she asks.
"Uh huh?" I manage to grunt out.
"We're good now. You can get down."
I move quicker than I should, hopping onto the grass without so much as touching the rungs. I hold my hand out toward her back, just in case she stumbles, but she's a professional and she climbs down with ease.
Her shirt is soaked through with sweat, clinging to her curves in a way that makes me salivate.
I want to bury my knot in her.
"You got enough energy for another project?" she asks as she wipes her hands off on her shirt.
No. I need to go home. I need to shower and wash her scent off before my instincts steamroll over me.
Or worse, trigger my rut.
"Sure, what's next?" I ask instead.
Her smile is all the encouragement I need. "I need to check the gravel slope in the back again, make sure it's holding. Come on."
And I follow like I'm on a leash.
Within minutes, we're both soaked in sweat. The sun dips lower and my stomach growls, ready for a hot meal. We work for almost three hours, bouncing from one thing to the next.
I'm starting to think Nelly has no clue how to slow down.
"You ever stop?" I ask as I pull my shirt up and wipe off my face.
I ignore the way she stares at my torso.
"What's that?" she asks.
"I said," I say as I drop my shirt, "do you ever stop?"
Her gaze whips up to me. "Sorry, don't know that word."
I snicker. "Yeah, right."
A loud growl cuts through the air, making both of us pause.
But then, she groans. "Oh my god."
I smirk as I cross my arms over my chest. "That your stomach?"
She shoots me a look. "Shut up."
"Sounds aggressive."
"I forgot to eat lunch," she mutters.
My smirk grows. "Shocker, coming from the workaholic."
"Says the guy that spends more time at his tattoo shop than his apartment."
"And how do you know that? You tracking my movements?"
"You wish."
Actually, it wouldn't be terrible.
It would make me feel like less of a creep for walking by Nash's door in the evenings just to get a whiff of her scent.
Her stomach growls again, only this time it's accompanied by mine. The two of us look at one another before she starts giggling, and I can't help the laugh that follows.
"I heard that, you two."
Nash's voice cuts across the yard, making both of us turn. He stands near the front edge of the house, his cell phone already in his hand.
"Come on," he calls to us, "I'm ordering pizza. Get your asses over here and tell me what you want."
Hey, no one's got to tell me twice when it comes to pizza.
I look over at Nelly, and a bead of sweat drips down her neck.
Her cheeks are flushed and her hair's a wild mess around her head.
The bun she had secured off her neck hangs at the middle of it, with wispy little hairs stuck to the sides of her face.
"Well?" Nash calls out. "You two coming, or what?"
I waggle my eyebrows at her. "You gonna survive the walk? Sounds like a pizza party to me."
She rolls her eyes. "I'm fine, Levi."
But when she takes a step, she stumbles.
"Jesus, Nelly," Nash says as he comes rushing toward us.
I reach out and grab her arm to help steady her. "You sure about that?"
She shrugs off my touch, and I hold my hands up in mock surrender.
"I'm fine. You two worry like mother hens," she murmurs.
"Come on," Nash says as he jogs up to her other side, "let's get you inside. We'll figure out pizza once we get there."
And as lightning flashes across the sky in the distance, the three of us start toward the apartment complex.
So much for that shower to wash off her scent.