Page 16 of Ink

Matteo winked at me before standing up and offering his hand to help me to my feet.

“That’s between us men, baby,” he replied with a sexy wink that had butterflies swirling in my stomach.

I was in the middle of a motorcycle club clubhouse, with a hot biker talking about babies while I petted a dog. Even though Cerberus looked as intimidating as his name, he wasn’t at all what I would have expected for a pet that belonged to an MC. Then again, nothing had been what I expected since I walked through the door of Hellbound Studio. I was more okay with that than I probably should’ve been. Just incredibly tired from the emotional roller coaster.

“Do you mind if I lie down? Between pumping myself up for a tattoo that I didn’t even get and finding out that my uncle has stolen from me, it’s been a long day. I’m exhausted.”

“Whatever you need,dolcezza.”

6

INK

Iwasn’t sure what the fuck had come over me, but I’d been smug as shit when I told Cerberus that Annika would be sleeping in my bed tonight. Now, as I guided her over to the stairs, I tossed him another arrogant grin. Then I realized what I was doing and made a mental note to have one of the club’s doctors examine my head.

We made our way upstairs and down the hall until we reached my room. Being an enforcer had its perks when it came to living at the clubhouse. My room was a good size and had its own bathroom. Although it wasn’t permanently mine like the officers, so when I moved out, the spot would go to someone else.

Annika’s gaze was full of open curiosity as she looked around the room. “I wasn’t sure what to expect,” she said with a laugh.

“And?” I pressed as I shut the door behind us.

“I might have thought it would be a little messier,” she admitted with a giggle. “Single guys and all that.”

Laughing, I took her suitcase off the bed and moved it to a small couch in the corner. “Comes from being part of a big family, I suppose. You didn’t put your stuff away. It wasn’t your stuff anymore.”

Annika laughed and plopped down on the end of the bed. “You live here, or it’s just your room?” she queried, watching me open her bag and begin hanging her shit in my closet.

“I live here for now. The officers have what basically equates to an apartment, unless they live somewhere else. Then they still have a permanent room, but it’s more like this one. I haven’t needed more than this. There’s a huge communal kitchen downstairs, and most of the old ladies take turns cooking for the club.” I grinned and winked at Annika. “I do my fair share, though, because I couldn’t leave mymamma’shouse without knowing how to make her special dishes. I’d go through withdrawals if I had to wait until I went home for her cooking.”

As I’d hoped, her cheeks bloomed with pink, and her expression turned a little dreamy. “You cook?”

“My lasagna is fucking awesome,” I boasted as I hung up the garment bag she’d brought and shut the closet door. It hit me then that I had no idea when she ate last.

“Are you hungry, baby? I can?—”

She waved off my question and shook her head. “I know I should probably eat, but my stomach is in knots. And honestly, I’m so tired that I could probably go to bed for the whole night even though it’s so early.”

“Listen to your body,dolcezza,” I encouraged, walking over to my dresser. “You had a fuck ton of emotional shit dropped on you today.” After digging around in the top drawer for a few seconds, I found my smallest T-shirt and yanked it out. It would still be huge on her, but I needed to know she was sleeping in my clothes. “Go put this on, and I’ll let you rest.”

The last thing I wanted to do was tuck her into my bed and leave, but if I stayed, she wouldn’t get any sleep, and I could see the toll the day had taken on her.

“I have—” she started to argue when I handed her my shirt.

“Just go get changed, Annika,” I ordered.

She looked torn between doing as she was told and being stubborn, so I glided the pad of one finger along her jaw and inwardly smiled when she melted.

“Go on,dolcezza.”

Silently, she stood and kicked off her shoes, then padded into the bathroom.

I turned down the bed, and when she came back into the room, all of my good intentions nearly went out the window. But I stuck to my guns and helped her get settled on the mattress.

“Don’t go wandering outside the room without me, okay?” I pointed at her cell. “My number is in your phone. Text me if you need anything.”

“You’re not leaving, are you?” she asked, her tone betraying a hint of vulnerability.

“Just gonna get some work done while you rest. I’ll be right downstairs if you need me.”

---