by Vi Keeland
She glances over at them with disgust and adjusts her tiny blue dress. “I’m sure they won’t so don’t even bother. Damn shit faced morons. I just need to go. I can’t. I’m going to kill someone today.”
She stomps her way to the cooler, brushing past Kade, which is carrying a tray of freshly sliced fruit over to the bar.
When he steps behind the bar, he slams the tray down next to him and glares over at the group of guys, his jaw twitching. One of the guys, the one with short blond hair, gives him a look and Kade turns away. “Fuck! Today sucks. I get stuck here because these shit heads decide to hang around, being total asses.” He looks up as Dale walks past us and waves on his way out. From the look in his eyes, he’s relieved to see his dad leaving. They must have gotten into it about him having to stay longer. “I have places to be, you know. My shift was over a half hour ago.”
He keeps glancing over at the guys nervously. I don’t get what his deal is. He isn’t even the one working their tab. The more I watch him, I start to wonder if one of them gave him the black eye. I kind of hope so. Serves him right, being a jerk. “Is that what happened to your face?” I can’t help but allow a small smile to break free, somehow amused that someone can make Kade so jumpy.
He huffs and glares at me as if I’ve just hit a nerve. “No. And don’t even ask who it was. The more I think about it, the more it pisses me off,” he growls.
He turns away ignoring me. I’m almost glad for it. All I want to do is get him and these drunks out of here. It will probably be quiet tonight, so it will give me some time to think.
When I look behind me, toward the pool table, I see one of the men staring at me. The same one that made Kade nervous just a few minutes ago. When we make eye contact, he motions for me to come over by holding up his empty beer.
My stomach twists up into knots as I make my way over, all three of the men now looking at me, watching me intently. As I get closer, I recognize one of them as the strange man I noticed staring at me from the parking lot of the bar next to Kellan’s shop. His long hair is tangled and greasy looking. As I get a closer look, I see that I was right about the scars on his face. This guy has had his ass handed to him far worse than Kade did. Damn, that must have hurt!
When I stop in front of them, the blond takes a steps closer to me and smiles darkly. He looks down at me with creepy red eyes, probably from a pair of those colored contacts they sell. Why he would want to look like death, I have no clue. It looks ridiculous. He even has a rod of some sort pierced across his cheek, stretching the skin. I can imagine if it weren’t for the red eyes and hideous piercing that he might actually look normal and half way decent. More than the two men with him anyways.
“You’re a lot prettier than I expected.” He presses his beer bottle against my cheek and smiles, slowly revealing his yellowing teeth. “And you smell good as fuck too.” He sniffs the air and the hair on my arms stand up in rage.
His guys laugh, but he puts up his hand stopping them. The way they obeyed so quickly, stuns me. Who is this guy? Is he someone important?
Is this guy serious? He may be able to control his side kicks, but not me. I knock the bottle away from my face and then snatch it out of his hand. “If you want to keep your arm, I suggest you never do that again.” I smile and look over at his two friends to be sure they get the picture as well. “I’ll get you all one more beer,” I hold up a finger, “and then you’re out. I don’t tolerate people coming in here giving my staff a hard time and if you touch me again, you’re out before you finish.”
Before they can respond, I turn around, leaving them all staring at my backside. They better get a good look now, because they won’t be getting to stay in here much longer. I can already feel it.
Kade grabs my arm as I walk behind the bar. He looks worried as he studies my eyes. “What did he say to you?”
I yank my arm away and peer over my shoulder to see them watching us, with smug smiles. “Not much, Kade. Just let me do my job so I can get them out of here. You just take care of the group coming in the door.”
He turns around and grips the counter, before slamming his fist into it. He takes a long, deep, calming breath before walking over to help the smiling group of college kids that just walked in.
Taking my eyes from the guy smiling at me, I grab a few fresh beers from the cooler and walk back over to the pool table. The blond guy steps aside to let me through. As I approach, I slam the beers down onto the table. “Can I get you anything else?” I tighten my lips, hoping they get the hint that I’m pissed and won’t be toyed with.
The pierced guy, rubs up against me and leans into my ear as he grabs one of the beers. “I’m not sure yet, but I’ll figure it out soon, sweetheart. After seeing you, I don’t think I can wait two more days after seeing this beautiful little body,” he whispers. I jerk away and he grips my wrist squeezing it, hard. “I promise I will make our time worth it.”
I yank my wrist away and slap him hard across the face. My hand stings from the blow. This seems to please him more. He must be one of those freaks that gets off on pain. He smiles and licks his lips. “Get the fuck out!” I grab a beer, toss it across the room and it breaks against an empty table. “Now!”
All three guys laugh as the head douche-bag shoves them toward the exit, with a satisfied grin. He turns back to me one last time and waves his tongue at me as if tasting me with it. “I’ll see you soon.”
How fucking disgusting! I feel filthy at the gesture. I want to rip that tongue off.
Kade rushes over to me as soon as the door closes behind them. He bends down to pick up the broken beer bottle. “What the fuck did they say to you this time?” He barks out.
I look at him with my chest heaving up and down as I try to calm myself down. They definitely knew how to get under my skin. This is the last thing I need to end this crappy day with. Now I really want to scream. What did he even mean by the crap that came out of his dirty mouth? It made no sense. I have to admit, I’m a little freaked out now.
Not wanting to discuss it with someone that clearly hates me, I choose to brush it off for now. “Nothing! Just something perverted. Those guys are creepy douches.”
Kade nods. “Yeah, they seemed like it. I’m glad you made them leave.” He gives me one last look before heading behind the bar with most of the broken bottle in hand.
I quickly run to grab the broom and dustpan to clean up the rest of the mess. As I stand here sweeping, I feel a hand encircle my waist, and panic sets in before a soft set of lips press against my neck, soothing my worry. My heartbeat quickens from the feel of the ring, brushing over my skin and I almost stop breathing completely. I’m mush in his arms.
“Kellan,” I squeal. I spin around to greet his smiling face and my heart melts. He looks so happy to see me. “I thought you were gone.”
Cupping my face in his hands, he leans in and smiles against my lips before kissing me. “You look so damn beautiful right now.” He reaches for the broom, gently pulling it from my grasp. “Although, I wish you weren’t cleaning up glass.” He kisses my forehead and gently guides me out of the way. “I’ll finish cleaning this up. If you hurt yourself, I’ll be pissed.”
I take a step back, watching in admiration as he cleans up my mess. As I stand here searching his heavenly face, I feel overwhelmed. Between the surprise visit from him and dealing with those jerks, I can’t control my emotions. They’re all over the place.
A tear rolls down my cheek, but I quickly wipe it away before Kellan can see. At least, I thought. Guess I don’t have ninja quick speed like Zoe does.
Kellan sets the broom aside and places his forehead to mine, gently breathing against my lips. “Tell me what’s wrong, Phoenix.” He grabs my face, rubbing his thumb under my eye and I feel so wanted by him. My heart swells. “You look shaken up, baby. Did someone hurt you?” His eyes search mine and in that moment, I know I can’t hide anything from him. He knows me too well. He always has.
Afraid I could lose h
im at any moment, I slide my arms around his waist and hold him as close as I can. I just need this moment. I close my eyes as he runs his nose up my neck, waiting for an answer. “Some guys were just in here and one of them said some things that freaked me out.” His body stiffens and he nods telling me to continue. “He said, I was prettier than expected and he can’t wait to see me again.”
Kellan grips my arms and pushes me backwards to look at my face. “What did this guy look like?” He looks scared for me. That scares me even more. “Tell me everything.”
“Well …” I say remembering his weird eyes. “He had short blond hair, red contacts and some kind of piercing through his face. He kept looking at me weird and trying to sniff me. He really freaked me out. He had two guys with him and they were just as strange.”
Kellan’s jaw muscles tighten into hard steel as he grips the table behind him and picks it up off the ground before slamming it back down. “Fuckin’ bastards. I will kill them!”
I place my hand on his back, trying to show him it’s fine, but it doesn’t do crap to soothe him. He just tightens his hold on the table, breathing through his nose. “It’s fine, Kellan. I got rid of them.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you, Kellan?” Kade yells from behind the bar, causing everyone to stare. Of course he would have to jump in. “Can’t you see she’s working?”
Ignoring his brother, Kellan grips my arm and pulls me against his chest, rubbing his hands over my hair. “I’m taking you out of here for the night.” He kisses my head as if he’s afraid of losing me. “We’re leaving right now.”
I shake my head and look over at Kade who is watching us with a look to kill. “Kellan, that’s unnecessary. I have work to do. Kade is about to leave.” I reach for the broom but he stops me. I just look at him like an idiot. I don’t know what to say.
He pulls me across the room and over to the bar, trying his best to still be gentle. I know he would never hurt me. He pushes the bar door open and drags me behind it with him. “Kade can handle it. You’re coming with me, dammit. Where’s your purse?”
Not really sure what the hell is going on, my mind blanks. I can’t seem to say anything. This stuns me speechless.
“Never mind. We’ll get it later.” He pushes past Kade and holds the door open for me. “I’m taking her with me.”
“The fuck you are, asshole. She’s working tonight,” Kade growls.
Pointing a finger at Kade, Kellan pulls me next to him with his free hand and starts walking toward the door. “The fuck she is. You’re staying!”
Everyone in the bar is looking now, but none of them seem to want to get involved. Probably smart on their part. I wouldn’t jump between these two brothers either … or have I already? Shit!
Kade watches with guarded eyes, but doesn’t say anything as Kellan pulls me outside into the cool night.
Once outside, I pull out of his grip, but he pulls me tighter and tosses me over his shoulder. “Don’t even think about fighting me. You’re not staying here tonight. I want you safe, with me.”
I get ready to argue, but as soon as he says those last words, I lose all self-will to fight and my body goes limp in his strong arms.
Opening the door to his truck, he carefully places me inside and shuts the door behind him before jogging over to his side and jumping in.
Gripping the steering wheel in both hands, he leans his head back into the seat and starts repeatedly slamming his fist into the horn. It’s scary seeing him this way, but also hot in some weird, twisted way. After a minute, he finally stops and reaches over, linking his fingers with mine. “We’re going to the shop. I think it’s time you get that tattoo. I need this right now.” He looks over at me. “Can you handle that?” His eyes plead with mine and there’s no way I can ever say no to this man. I will forever surrender to his every command. Just as I thought when I first laid eyes on him at the shop. My body knew right there and then what my heart wanted. Him and every part of him.
Nodding, I smile small and squeeze his hand. He squeezes back and starts the engine. I guess I better get prepared.
* * *
Once at the shop, Kellan sends Tyler packing again and I wonder why. I start to wonder if maybe he can only manage to tattoo me in private. Is this hard for him? Hurting me.
I’ve been sitting at his station for the last twenty minutes and he still seems to be having a hard time getting everything prepared. His hands are shaking and he looks nervous. “Are you okay?” He asks the question without looking at me.
I smile and reach for his bouncing knee. It reminds me of the first day I came here and I couldn’t seem to stop my leg from bouncing. It seems like so long ago now. “Are you okay?” I quip back.
He scoots his chair in front of me and reaches for my face, pressing his lips roughly against mine. He pulls away, but keeps our foreheads touching as his eyes meet mine. “I’m only fine if you’re fine.” His face hardens. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
His worry for me makes me want to kiss him forever and never stop. God, I love this man. “I’ll be fine. It’s nothing I won’t recover from.” The tattoo that is. A broken heart caused by him will be a different story for later. “Just do it. I’m tougher than you think, Kellan.”
His eyes study mine for a moment before he nods, kisses my cheek and prepares to mark me for life.
Ninety percent into the tattoo and my skin feels on fire. The pain is so intense, I can hardly keep from screaming as the needle scrapes against my skin, etching the colors in its tracks. The only thing keeping me calm the whole time is watching his face as he puts his full concentration into his work. He looks so at peace doing this. A lot more calm than he did when he first showed up at the bar. He keeps stopping once in a while to kiss me and every time he does, my nerves subside just a little bit more. This man is perfect to me.
“I wish Adric was here to see how beautiful you make this peacock look.”
An unstoppable smile spreads across my face as I squeeze his knee. “You mean how beautiful the peacock makes me look,” I correct. “I’m sure he would be so proud of you for doing such an amazing job. This place is beautiful. Everything about it.”
Finishing up the last spot, Kellan sets the gun down and grabs my chin, turning me to look at him. “Not as beautiful as you are. He would be more proud to see the woman you’ve turned into. Nothing was more important to him than you. Trust me, he told me on many occasions. You were his pride and joy. The only thing he asked of me was to protect you at all cost. He knew you were going to be a beautiful peacock.” He smirks, nudging me.
He always did have a way with lightening the mood. That really turns me on and right now I need a distraction from this pain on my rib cage. Not to mention, he looks delicious in that snug white tee and ripped jeans. I want them off. And that damn belt he wears.
I laugh and run my fingers up his unfinished angel tattoo. “Why must you be so funny?” I pull him into my lap, rubbing my hands up the firmness of his chest. He smirks and sucks in his bottom lip, clearly turned on. “And so damn hot?” I kiss his neck, teasingly, hoping he will just take me right here in this chair. I want him so bad, my sex aches.
His hands grip around my waist as he straddles my legs. His brown hair falls over his face, hiding his lascivious eyes and my heart goes wild. “You don’t know what you’re asking for right now?” He runs his tongue over my bottom lip, tasting me. “You taste fucking amazing. If you keep doing this, I’m going to fuck you right here baby and I don’t want to.”
My heart sinks. “Why not?”
When he speaks, my heart soars. “Because I don’t want to make you feel dirty. I want to make you feel beautiful. You’re not just any other girl.”
Running my lips up his arm, I remind him of our rooftop experience. He didn’t seem to mind then. “What about when we had sex on the roof? What’s so different about right here?”
He lets out an exasperated breath and tangles his fingers through his hair. “That was before
I’d fallen too far.”
His words send my body into shock. Am I hearing things? “But …” I stop myself not wanting to question him in case I heard wrong. “Take me home then,” I breathe.
“To your home or mine?”
I look up and sigh, “To your home.”
It’s quiet for a second before Kellan whispers, “My home can be your home.”
Now my heart is really going crazy. Maybe it’s just me. “What do you mean?”
He places his finger to my lip, hushing me before grabbing my hand to help me up. The look on his face is as if he’s just said something he didn’t expect. If it was unexpected to him just imagine how I feel. “Let’s take a look at this beauty and see what you think.” He walks me over to the mirror on the back wall between his and Tyler’s stations. He holds my arm up and looks down at the tattoo with a look of pride. “Wow! It’s stunning. Adric was the most talented person I knew.”
Pulling my eyes away from his, I look into the mirror and tears spring to my eyes. It’s the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen in my life. The colors really make it pop and Kellan is unbelievably talented with the tattoo gun. I glance up at him teary-eyed. “You are the most talented person I know. This is better than I could have ever dreamed of.” I place my hand to my mouth and sob. I don’t mean to, but I can’t help it. Seeing Adric’s work on me, done by his best friend and the man I know without a doubt I love, sends my emotions into overdrive. I’m a wreck.
A tear slides down Kellan’s cheek and he does nothing to hide it. He just wraps his arms around me and pulls me as close as he possibly can. We both stay like this for as long as we can. This moment is special to the both of us.
* * *
Kellan gives me no option but to go back to his house. He pulls his truck into the garage and quickly shuts it behind him as if he’s worried someone is watching us.
“Are you all right?” My voice is soft as I watch him struggle with his seat belt.