Page 6 of Ink

Ugh of course he would never forget that.

“I also didn’t know if Lucia was asleep and since I was tweaking my exhaust pipes earlier today they are even louder now.” He shrugs his shoulders as if it was enough explanation.

“Ok, well that doesn’t explain why you wanted to come by tonight.”

He exhales long and deep. “I came here because I don’t want you to rent a car. Keep using my truck as long as you need to.” He pauses looking at me. “Stop shaking your head and let me finish.”

He is right. I am already shaking my head no because I can’t take advantage of him like that. He doesn’t owe me anything and if he thinks ghosting me and ignoring me for months warranted him to now give me his mode of transportation as some kind of amends—it isn’t. He doesn't owe me anything. The fact that he is willing to work on my car and not charge me for the labor is more than enough already.

He continues, “I just like to know that you're safe and I know that you and Lucia will be in that truck. It’s like a tank. Plus, it’ll give me a reason to come by and see you. If you feel like it you’ll have a mode of transportation to come see me too.”

I toe the concrete with my shoe and avoided his gaze. I start to get that funny feeling in my chest again. The same feeling that I had the other night in the tow truck when he tried to explain himself. I want to believe him, I really do, but I have been burned in the past and not just a little burned but full-on third-degree burns. I am skittish, to say the least. What makes me frown a little is the thought that when I first met Ink, I wasn’t skittish at all. I felt attracted to him instantly and our chemistry was off the charts. It wasn’t until he completely disappeared on me that caused the doubts and the fears.

“Hey. What’s the frown about?”

“Nothing. I was just thinking.”

“Carmen, don’t lie to me. I can tell by your facial expression that something upset you. Do you not want me coming around? I get that I might be coming on a little strong since the other night but I do want us to spend time together. I want us to get to know each other again and see where this can lead.”

I don’t want to tell him my innermost thoughts on the matter but I will be honest, basically to a fault so I don’t see the point in beating around the bush. “Ink… I do want to hang out with you. I really liked you when we first started hanging out but then when you stopped talking to me it brought out a lot of my insecurities. It also hurt my feelings. I’m just… I’m just nervous that I’ll open up to you again and then you’ll vanish again if something happens that you don’t like or get nervous and bail and then I’ll be right back where I was in December when you first basically dumped me.”

He is quiet for a minute. Letting my words either sink in or thinking it over. I’m not sure which. He puffs his cheeks out and lets the air escape his lungs. He takes a tentative step towards me and reaches down to hold one of my hands in his. “Baby, I am so sorry that I hurt you. If I could go back in time I’d kick my own ass but I can’t. All I can do is try to right my wrongs and prove to you that I want to be here with you and keep showing up. Just give me—give us a chance. I fucked up. I didn’t know what I wanted then and now I know. I know a hundred percent, I want you.”

I swallow and it feels like a lump in my throat. The raw honesty in his words and the intense look in his eyes tell me that Ink means every word he says. I have to go with my gut because my gut has never let me down. I look down at our hands connected and give him a squeeze. “Okay.”

He bends down to look at me to meet my eye. “Okay?”

I nod and say it again. His blue eyes light up like I haven't seen before and the smile that takes over his face almost takes my breath away. He is so masculine, so attractive. His perfect white teeth and all that dark ink on his skin were in contrast. He leans a little further and surprises me by pecking his lips to mine. He does it once, then twice and then I find myself wrapping my arms around his neck with our lips locked in a deeper kiss. I can hear our heavy breathing filling the space around us and when I feel his thick bulge against my stomach I pull away. I shoot a look over my shoulder and around the street to see if anyone has caught our heavy make-out session but it looks like the coast is clear.

He chuckles softly. “Afraid to get caught with me?”

I can feel my cheeks get warm. “No. It’s not that. I sorta snuck out and Lucia is asleep upstairs.”

“I’m just kidding. I know your dad probably remembers me and I’m sure I didn’t make a good first impression high tailing my ass out of here with his shotgun pointed at me. Maybe I can meet your mom another time. I smell like cigarettes and beer from the clubhouse and I’m sure I’m not what she expects her daughter to bring home.”

“No. No, it’s not that. I don’t need to explain myself to them but I am living in their house. I do rely on them to help with Lucia so I need to be respectful. I just want to keep this” —I gesture with my finger pointing between us—“to just us right now. I’ll have to ease them into any idea of you being a permanent fixture in my life and Lucia’s.”

A moment of disappointment briefly flashes across his face, but it’s gone before I can comment on it. “I get that and I respect that. I don’t want to make anything harder on you baby. Whatever pace you want to take your family at is between you and them. I’ll go along with the ride for however long you want to wait to introduce me but I do want to see Lucia again sooner rather than later. Hopefully, you and her can come to my place and get to spend some time with me.”

“I can do that. I’d like that.”

The smirk he gives me is like I had given him everything he ever wanted. I want more of that look from him. “Baby, get inside. Lock the door and text me before you go to bed. I wanna be the last person you talk to before you fall asleep because I know you’ll be mine. I’m possessive like that and I love the idea of you laying in your bed in your mommy and daddy’s house thinking of me.”

I fan myself playfully at him and his hot words. “I’ll do my best but okay. I’ll text you. You drive safe on that motorcycle of yours.”

“Babe, I’ll be fine. Don’t you worry about me. Now go on. Get some sleep and get off your feet. You spend enough time on them during the day.” He playfully swats my butt in an attempt to get me to go back up to the house.

He leans down and gives me a quick kiss on the lips. Then he is turning me around with his hands on my shoulders and nudging me along towards the front steps. I go with a smile on my face and feel lighter and happier than I have in a long time.

Sweet dreams baby is the last thing I hear him whisper as I go up the steps and inside the house. When I get in bed, I send him a text as instructed. I am so caught up in my daydreams about him that I fall asleep on top of the covers in my leggings and sweater with a smile on my face.

Ink

Fuck me I want a cigarette so bad. It has been a long ass morning and it isn’t getting any better as far as I can see. I spent the first hour of my morning dealing with Griz’s grumpy ass and then because I was in a rush, I smashed two fingers in a door because I was moving too fast and not taking enough time to pay attention to my own safety. Now I’m working on my Carmelita’s car and getting more and more frustrated. When I think I have something fixed it just creates another problem. Her car is the worst piece of shit but I know I have to fix it.

Carmen won’t just take my truck, hell at this point I’d buy her a car if she would let me. I know that she wouldn’t if I offered. That gave me pause. I yell out to Rider who is working two bays down on a custom Harley that had been brought into the shop. “Hey! You think if I took this car to the junkyard and showed up at Carmen’s with a new car she’d freak?”

Rider pops his head out enough for me to see. “Um…yeah.”

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