Page 39 of Soul

“Um, no actually, see the sign above, on the second floor?” I point at the white, red, and black logo in swirling letters.

Chase takes a breath. “You’ve got to be kidding me?”

I grin wide and tug on his hand. “Nope. Not at all.”

“Baby, you don’t need to mark this pearly skin. I love it just the way it is.” He rubs his thumb over my bare shoulder. I wore a tank top so that it would be easy for what I have planned.

Without responding I grip his hand and open the door, and walk up the stairs. A petite woman with purple spiked hair and more rings in her face than I thought would be possible greets us. If she didn’t have that jewelry hiding her features, she’d be a really beautiful woman. As it stands, she’s still pretty and probably a knockout to a man who likes that type of flare.

“I have an appointment with Raven. My name is Gillian Davis,” I say matter-of-factly, and Chase grips me from behind nuzzling into my neck.

“Love hearing your new name, baby. Makes me hard all over again,” he presses the sizable proof of his statement into the crack of my ass. I can feel the heat of his meaty length through my jeans and it makes me wet. I press back quickly, giving him a shove back so he’ll get the hint. He totally doesn’t get it.

“Not now.” I warn and he chuckles as I scan the space to see if anyone can see what he’s doing.

Jack has followed us into the tattoo parlor but not said a word. He looks out the window, scans the area, basically presenting a menacing front to anyone who dares look his way.

A large hunk of a man enters from a back room. His hair is dark as night and curly, reminding me of Maria’s ebony waves. He’s tall, taller even than Chase and that’s flippin’ tall. Guy’s at least six foot four or five. His eyes are as black as his hair and shoot right through me. I shudder at the intense gaze. Within less than a second Chase is sliding an arm around my waist and claiming his woman in front of this god-like man. There’s muscle upon muscle visible through the thin cotton of his white t-shirt that would make any woman openly drool.

“You Gillian?” The man asks with a grumble that reaches through my chest and spirals right down to curl my toes. Damn, this guy is crazy hot. Not as hot as my husband, but he’s a fine second.

Chase steps forward. “This is Mrs. Davis.” He clarifies and holds out a hand. “I’m her husband.”

“Raven,” he holds out a strong hand. A hand that is surprisingly free of any ink. Makes me wonder where all his tattoos are.

“Well, apparently my wife made an appointment with you. Though I’m not sure why.”

“What we talked about on the phone?” His eyes sparkle when he addresses me and I nod.

Raven’s eyes go from Chase’s who are icy steel as he clutches my hip possessively and then grins. “I see. Hey man, if I had a wife who looked like her, I wouldn’t have been married and divorced twice already.”

That bit of unwarranted personal information, however, did not make Chase loosen his grip. “Are you certain you want to go through with this?” Chase asks me.

I nod quickly. “Can’t wait,” I bounce on my wedges and give him a luxurious kiss. He takes the opportunity to palm my ass, grinding his now softening erection into my pelvis. I push away. “Okay I’ll be back.”

“Should only take twenty minutes, come on beautiful,” he gestures to me, and Chase positively growls.

“I’m going with you.” His jaw is locked tight and the muscle I love so much is ticking away like a time bomb.

I stop mid-stride and turn around on a toe, my hair flying behind me. “No! It’s my gift to you. I want to surprise you with it.” I catch his gaze with my pleading one.

He speaks through clenched teeth. “Tell me you’re not taking off your pants or even unbuttoning a single button.”

I cross my heart for his benefit. “I swear.”

“And you’re keeping your shirt on.” His tone is a low warning.

“Um, completely on, yes.” I smile and he groans.

“Gillian, I will not have another man’s eyes or hands on my wife.” He grips my hips, fingers digging in. Usually this move would excite me. Now, it’s positively annoying.

Taking both his cheeks in my hands, I lean very close. “Trust me.”

He closes his eyes and takes a breath. “Jack,” he says on a growl. “Go with her.”

I cringe and open my mouth to dispute it. He places two fingers over my mouth. “It’s my only compromise. Anything else, non-negotiable.”

Grinding down on the back of my teeth I look into his blue eyes and see that they are pure white-hot fire. He’s not happy about this idea. I can only hope he’s happy with the end product. “Okay, deal.”

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