Page 72 of Sugar and Skulls

Raffe’s gaze joins hers, his eyes twinkling with mischief. His dazzling smile mirrors hers. Could it be we all just needed a good night’s rest. Or, is it that we are finally where we belong?

I’ve been trying to sort this shit out in my head. Ever since I saw them together in the tattoo shop I can’t get the image of either of them out of my fucking head. Raffe has had an interest in me since we met but I wasn’t into guys back then and I’m not sure I am now but…god I can’t deny that there is something about seeing the two of them together. Man, I don’t know. I just don’t know.

Raffe and I have been friends, brothers for so long. Can feelings change? Can they grow or have I been in denial about who I am?

No. Fuck that. I know who I am. I’m the person who drags you away from your demons and then I devour those motherfuckers. That’s what I did for Raffe and that’s what I’m going to do for Jesse. It’s not that I have been in denial…it’s that I’m seeing Raffe in a different light. Him with her is a side of Raffe I haven’t seen. It’s sexy as hell.

From the day I met him he has been a playboy. Something that the traffickers conditioned in him. While I may have saved him from them, helped him overcome the larger obstacles, those deeply engrained ideas of himself remain.

But, this is new. Maybe seeing how Jesse has survived has changed him. Made him realize he is good for something other than his dick.

“She’s trying to teach me how to make pancakes.” His laugh is lighter than I’ve ever heard it.

“I’m going shower,” I tell them.

They both nod and go right into the next Hallmark scene.

As the water runs over me I let me head drop, staring at the ink I’ve encased myself in. It started on the playground when I was ten years old. Same age as Jesse when I met her.

The day we met I shared the lesson I learned at ten.Sometimes you have to get mean to protect what is yours.

My sister and I had been home for a week by ourselves. We needed out of the house, so I walked her down to our local park. Our parents were both working. Always working. I turned my back for two minutes…maybe less. Long enough to fill her water bottle. As I was walking back I realized she was gone.

The panic tingles up my spine even now. It’s never evaporated. It never will because I still don’t know where she is, what happened to her. So, I got mean. I will break, burn, and murder to protect what’s mine. I embraced the dark, lived it, breathed it…became it.

It’s why I became a Skull. The Rebel Skulls embodied what I wanted in life. Protect those who cannot protect themselves. Yeah, we are scary motherfuckers and now you know why. No different than a grizzly protecting it’s young.

The scent of pancakes and bacon greets me when I step out of the shower. Inhaling deeply, I check to make sure my heart is rock solid…I have more dragons to slay today.

But, when I step out the rock cracks. Raffe is sitting down stuffing his beautiful fucking face while Jesse hugs him from behind her arms wrapped loosely around his neck. She bites her perfectly pink bottom lip in anticipation, waiting for his critique of the pancakes. “Mmm,” he moans, closing his eyes for effect.

She squeals in delight at his appreciation. Her lips press against the blond stubble of his cheek before she turns back to the griddle. I clear my throat letting them know play time is over. Time to get to work. Two set of eyes land on me. Raffe shifts nervously. Jesse smirks. She points to a chair with her spatula. “Bout time, I thought you drowned,” she smarts off.

“Oh really, I didn’t see you coming in to check on me,” I flip back. I plop my ass in the chair she didn’t point at. She cocks an eyebrow at me. I return the look. She swallows slow her head dropping slightly. Yes, little girl, I’m still the one in charge.

She turns back around to finish the pancakes. When she returns to the table she has two plates one for me and one for herself. She sets mine down in front of me. Mischievous eyes do their best to hold mine hostage. She sits down between Raffe and I, reaching for the syrup bottle. Good god, the girl has a sweet tooth. She has more syrup than pancake.

Jesse, flips the syrup upright, running her thumb along the edge catching the excess sugary liquid. When she pushes her thumb into her mouth and her cheeks hollow I lose it. Jesus Christ I’ve never gotten hard so fucking fast in my life. I force my focus to Raffe to see if he’s watching the way this vixen is torturing me. He is. His lips are pressed into a thin line, caught between his teeth. His hand is pressing painfully down on the growing bulge in his pants.

I turn back to find her grinning at me. So, I toss my eyebrow up, tilting my head to the side. Instead of being intimidated like the look intends, she laughs and ignores me for her pancakes. This little shit.

Fine, she can have this one. I pick up my fork, ready to dig in…what? I roll my head back and forth. I don’t even need to look over to see her trying to stifle her laughter. I can feel it shake the entire table. She can’t hold it in. Her voice breaks past her lips. “Oh god. Your face. Priceless. Priceless,” she says through tears of laughter.

A snort escapes Raffe. Oh, I can’t wait until she turns eighteen. “You do know I’m keeping a tally,” I say, driving my fork into my hilariously dick shaped pancakes.

“You thought it was funny when I tattooed one on Bill,” she says, wiping her tears away with a napkin.

“Bill deserved a certain amount of animosity but me? Why pick on me?” I ask, taking a bite, stopping myself from moaning in appreciation like Raffe had done earlier.

“Oh, I pick on you for an entirely different reason.” Her cheeks turn pink as she shifts her gaze from me to Raffe.

“Why don’t you pick on him?” I point my fork towards my friend.

She smiles sweetly, reminding me of her innocence. “Well, I guess I kind of look at him as a partner in crime.” A cute little giggle finishes her sentence.

Raffe fucking straight up blushes, his beard unable to contain the effect her words have on him. What the hell? He wipes his mouth off with his napkin before speaking. “Yeah, we’re teaming up to see if we can crack you,” he says hesitantly, a small smile on his reddened face.

Her grin widens as she turns to face me. Both of them looking at me like I hung the stars and moon makes me…extremely uncomfortable. “Just eat your fucking pancakes,” I order gruffly. “There will be no crackingme.Today is aboutyou.” I turn my fork on her.

---