Page 18 of Lost & Found

The challenge ignited a spark of creativity in me, and my mind raced with possibilities. It would need to incorporate a skull.

“I’ll come up with something that’ll blow his mind,” I declared, my fingers reaching for the pad I kept near my station. “Something legendary.”

Alek reached over and grabbed the back of my head, and kissed the top of it. “I know you will. You’ve got that look in your eyes.”

He straightened and didn’t offer a glance at Megan on his way out. His mind was already on Kinsley next door. I immersed myself in the creative process, and a nervous anticipation built. This wasn’t just ink on skin. It was going to tell a story, leave a mark that he’d have for the remainder of his life.

“Legendary and epic in size,” I mumbled.

With every stroke of the pen, my confidence grew. The lion would roar, and not just on Pasha’s skin. It would be proof that he belonged to us. He was family.

The dance studio pulsed with energy. Kinsley had disappeared into the back with Alek over an hour ago. I finished a one-on-one intensive with a new student. He had real potential, and pouring into the next generation fed the parts of me that still desired a connection to the dance world. I bid the boy and his mother farewell and headed to my office to shower.

I couldn’t wait to see what Isabella had come up with. Her talent was astounding and, since she was now doing actual tattoos, a part of me relished the idea that I would be the first in the squad to get a tat from her.

She may have drawn and had input on all the ones the guys had, but Alek had done them. Of course, with the exception of his own. Aiden had done his. I finished up and changed. As I was coming out, Kinsley and Alek were in the lobby.

Her head was resting against his stomach. Whenever she stood next to one of them, the different size proportions stood out in the most hilarious way. It never hit me when we danced together, our own size differences. Her eyes were closed as he stroked her back.

Sensing me, she opened them. Poor girl looked like she was still in subspace. I had been training under Sebastian for several months, so I could easily spot it. My life shifted in a new direction the night we purchased Victoria and Leena at that auction.

It didn’t shift back.

I had to ask myself the hard questions, and once I started, I couldn’t stop. It helped to have six other men I could confide in and have genuine conversations about sex with. Alek notched his head in my direction, and a sheepish grin spread across his face.

“You ready?” he asked.

“I am. Just finishing up here and plan to head over. You should probably escort her over,” I said, grinning as Kinsley yawned. “Or better yet, take her home.”

“No way. I need to see this tattoo and I want to be there for you in case you need someone to hold your hand. Izzy can’t if she’s tattooing you,” Kinsley offered, her eyes shutting once more.

“I’m sure he doesn’t need you to hold his hand, kitten. He isn’t getting it today, anyway. He’s going over designs and aspects of what he’d like to see. And he’s right, home might be the best thing for you. A nap before Nik gets his turn.”

The sheepish look now made sense. He was breaking the rules. Not that any of them honestly adhered to it except for where she slept each night. That was nonnegotiable. They demanded it.

“I’ll go home straight after. I promise. I’ll text Marcus to pick me up, since I don’t know if Izzy will be ready to go. I could always come back here and nap, too.”

She pulled away and went to walk toward the door. Her legs looked wobbly. Dancing and then fucking had clearly taken a major toll on her. I bit back laughter as Alek scooped her up. He turned his body toward me as he hit the door. He opened it with his back.

“Have fun,” he offered.

I let the other dance instructor know I’d be next door and took off. Right as I stepped outside, my phone rang. I fished it out of my pocket and groaned at the name on the display. Hannah. She’d been on edge lately, and while I knew we were better off apart, there was a twinge of guilt in my gut. Against my better judgment, I took a deep breath and answered.

“Hey. I’m about to go into a lesson,” I lied.

Try as I might to keep the irritation from my voice, I winced as my greeting came out harsher than I wanted.

“Can we talk? I really could use someone. Someone that knows me. This is so much harder than I thought it would be.”

Her words tumbled out in an emotional rush. I glanced at the tattoo studio door. My impatience grew.

“Hannah, we’ve gone over this. I can’t be that person for you anymore. We’re in different places.”

She hesitated, and I hoped she was going to go into angry mode. I much preferred her that way. It was always easier to push her away when she got like that. I wasn’t in luck today. She started sobbing.

“I know…it’s…I miss you. Us.”

My eyes closed as exasperation set in. The back-and-forth thing hadn’t worked, counseling was an abject failure, and with each step of the way, I only realized how incompatible we were. I couldn’t understand why she didn’t see it.