Page 4 of Ink & Reina

I nodded, smiling at him. Ink flashed me a small smile before he followed my brother inside, leaving his leather jacket behind. I grabbed it for him and hung it up, blowing a fan on it to try to dry it as much as possible. After, I changed into a pair of black sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt, sighing as the comfortable, loose-fitting material settled over my skin.

Ink and Johnny were downstairs in the living room when I finally emerged from my room. I looked at Ink, but he didn’t lift his head, saying something quietly to Johnny instead. I set about making coffee, wondering what it would be like to be with Ink.

He seemed so sweet and kind. He wasn’t very cocky—not like I imagined he would be. I knew he was a bad boy—could tell it just by the way he carried himself. But he was the kindest person I’d come across in a long time.

And I craved that kindness. I craved his attention even more. When he looked at me, I felt special. There was something about his gaze that made me feel like I was the only person that existed for him.

But I knew Ink would never feel the same. Not only was I younger than him, but I was also Johnny’s little sister. Not to mention, I was a geek.

No one wanted to be with a geek.

Mom surprisingly emerged from her room as I was setting out mugs, drawing my attention to her. Her eyes were bloodshot, a clear sign that she wasn’t getting any sleep. She didn’t say a word to me, not that it wasn’t normal. Instead, she just grabbed a water from the fridge, a bottle of sleeping pills, and went right back to her room. I frowned, my chest squeezing.

Neither of my parents ever paid me a bit of mind. And I knew Mom was mentally ill, but still. It sucked. Johnny had always been the one to take care of me, even when we were little. He was more of a parent than Mom or Dad ever had been.

It was a sad, hard reality—one I hated.

But it was also why Johnny always apologized so much when he didn’t do something he promised he would. He felt like he let me down. But Johnny was just a teen. He wasn’t my dad or my mom. It wasn’t his job to take care of me. So, I never held anything against him when he didn’t do things like he promised.

It wasn’t his duty to. He was already doing way more than he should have to as just my older brother.

“Guys, coffee is ready,” I announced once Mom had disappeared back into her room. I didn’t think Ink had seen her. She was pretty good at moving around unnoticed and unseen. They both instantly got up from the floor and came into the kitchen. Johnny gently squeezed my shoulder as he passed me, instructing Ink on where to find everything.

I’d noticed Johnny had taken to calling Drew Ink as well. Something had shifted between the two guys today while on the porch. I wasn’t sure what it was, but it had happened when Johnny had come home—had happened sometime during their standoff.

“You really going to prospect for the Savage Crows MC when you graduate?” Johnny asked Ink as Ink poured a cup of coffee.

I almost dropped my own mug in shock as I stared at Ink’s back. Ink nodded as he poured some creamer into his coffee. “Yeah; college isn’t in my future. Don’t know what I want to do with life. But I like structure. And the SCMC has been my family for a while now.” He shrugged as if that explained everything.

And I guessed in Ink’s own way, it did.

Johnny laughed. “Wonder what it’s like to have parents that don’t give a fuck if you go to college or not,” my brother mused.

Dad had high hopes for both of us. He expected excellent grades, college, and a steady, reliable job with great income once we were adults. Ever since I was a little girl, schooling was a priority. Dad had forced me to watch informational videos as a child instead of the normal cartoons other kids my age were watching. Johnny had been put into numerous sports on top of having to watch those same, stupid videos.

Ink grunted, not saying anything. I frowned at his back. Johnny had been joking, but something in Ink’s stance, in the way he shifted, alerted me that it wasn’t such a joking matter—not for him.

Johnny obviously picked up on it, too. He clapped a hand to Ink’s shoulder, breaking the tense silence in the room. “Come on; let’s go get some more of this project done. It’s still raining like hell outside. Don’t know how I feel about letting you ride that bike home.”

Ink smirked at my brother, the tension bleeding from his shoulders. “Worried about me, Johnny?”

Johnny barked out a laugh. “My sister likes you.” My cheeks flamed red. Ink winked at me when Johnny wasn’t looking, and my blush darkened even more. “As a friend,” Johnny quickly added, stressing his words. I quickly turned my back to them, my face so red that it was embarrassing. I liked Ink way more than just as a friend, but I wouldneverlet Ink know that. “She’d be upset if I let you ride off from here in that storm.” Just as he said that, thunder clapped outside, making me jump.

I heard the guys walk out of the kitchen a moment later. I drew in a deep breath before drinking a sip of my coffee. I turned around, squeaking in shock when I saw Ink standing there. I thought he’d left with Johnny. How long had he been standing there watching me?

He flashed me a smirk. “Thanks for the coffee, sweetheart.”

My blush came back full force. He laughed softly and walked out of the kitchen completely, leaving me standing there like a dumb, love-struck fool.

Chapter Three

Ink

Inever thought I’d see the day that I admitted Johnny and I had become friends, but we had. He was actually a really cool guy beneath that asshole exterior he always wore. But then again, after overhearing him fight with his dad one day, everything made a lot more sense to me.

Who understood shitty family dynamics better than me?

But hell, at least his dad was working to put a roof over his kids’ heads. All my dad had done was stay drunk ninety percent of the time, treating all of us like shit. And the other ten percent was when he was sober, which was even worse. Because it normally meant we were out of money, and he couldn’t get shit-faced.

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