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I secure the wrap over her skin, protecting the area, and she slowly turns to face me.
“Is that for real or are you just giving me some bullshit?” she asks with her eyebrow raised, and I hold up my palm like I’m facing a jury.
“On my life.”
She smiles and launches herself into my lap. Her knees drop on either side of my thighs as her arms tighten around my neck. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For being you.”
I band my arms around her waist, taking a moment to absorb every inch of her. The song changes into another, and another, before I finally lean back and meet her gaze.
“So. Do I get to have this tattoo as well?”
She tilts her head to the side as she assesses me. “Do I get to be the one to do it?”
I can’t tell if she’s being serious or teasing, but I shrug all the same. “We’ll see, but this is your thing with Gray first. I want to watch his face when he sees this on your skin without taking that moment away from him.”
“Do you see that, Emmett? Such a caring Viking.” She strokes her thumb down my cheek, looking at me with such love in her eyes that I might pass out from the intensity of it.
“It’s my speciality.”
“Wanna go find him now?” she asks, buzzing like it’s not almost two in the morning. Some people get a buzz after a tattoo, and I think she may be one of them.
Despite her excitement, I shake my head. “He’s on a ride out with Ryker and some of the prospects.”
“What do you mean?”
“When you were going through college stuff with Emily, Gray got continuously irritated with Declan, so it was either get him out of here or let him inevitably hurt the fucker. I know we all want the latter, but we—”
“Have to bide our time,” she finishes my sentence, and I nod. I can tell it pisses her off; it’s driving me insane too. But she wasn’t wrong when she declared we should go down this route, it’s just sucking major ass right now. “Should I be concerned that no one told me?”
“I didn’t really consider that, Snowflake. I’m sorry. You were having a stress-free time, and we wanted to keep it that way. When they left, I came and hid in here to wait for you, and Axel is staked out in the bar area with a fuck-off glare on his face that has me expecting everyone to be in bed already because not many people can handle him.”
Scarlett grins, a knowing glint in her eyes. She can handle him perfectly. This is exactly why she was made for us. Ryker, Axel, Gray, and I are all completely different people. Even though our core values may be the same, our passion and love for the club is undeniable. We’ve all lived different lives that have transformed us into different people, yet she holds us together tighter than we’ve ever been.
It doesn’t make sense, it shouldn’t be possible, but here we are.
She yawns, her eyes drooping with tiredness as she peers up at me. “If we’re not joining the others on their little mission across town, then do you want to be the big spoon while I pass the fuck out? Apparently going to college is more work than it looks and it’s been a long-ass day. I’m exhausted,” she admits, nestling her head on my shoulder.
My heart swells as I hold her even tighter. Behind her walls and tough exterior, which is way more than just a facade, is the softest, most lovable fucking woman that will ever exist.
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, Snowflake.”
EIGHTEEN
Gray
Irritation coils in my gut.I needed a distraction from that motherfucker back at the compound. We’ve been out here for hours, trying to catch even a glimpse of information on the Devil’s Brutes and we've got nothing, which is only serving to piss me off even more.
Dragging a hand down my face, I sigh. The sun will be rising in an hour or so, but our world thrives in the darkness. The rowdy bar we’ve been at for the past ninety minutes is playing the worst fucking music and is filled with sticky surfaces.
I was close to calling bullshit on the prospects when they kept coming home empty-handed, but seeing it for myself is even more eye-opening. What is our next move supposed to be if there’s no one willing to offer up information or murmur about them in the shadows so we can catch a hint of their conversation?
“I think this is a bust,” I grunt, glancing at Ryker. I clearly spoke the truth he was avoiding, but it’s not likely to change now. We may as well call it time.
“Let’s go,” he mumbles, rising from the booth, and I follow after him. The prospects catch our movement but don’t immediately tail after us. They’re showing their worth more than ever. Their ability to listen, take orders, and put the club first is setting a good vibe throughout. They’ll likely hang around for another thirty minutes or so, then follow Ryker’s next order.
