Under His Ink

by Maya Hughes

  The viper’s den was where he was now, and he didn’t have anyone he could trust one hundred percent in his corner. But he’d made it clear that looking after Dahlia and Elena were my responsibilities now. Keeping them safe was the only thing that mattered, and he’d handle the rest.

  “You know I’ll be there for you if you ever need me.”

  “I know, but I’ll handle it. You’ve done all you could for me, but I’ll either change the direction of this family or die trying. I hope to see you on the other side, but if I don’t…” He trailed off. I tugged him in for a hug.

  “Take care of yourself, Alexei.”

  “You too, brother.”

  The sacrifices we’d made for the people we loved would not be in vain. As I sat with Dahlia on my lap, running my fingers through her hair and inhaling her strawberry scent, I knew I’d do it all again. Every scar. Every nightmare. All the pain and loss in my life was worth it when she was in my arms, and I’d work the rest of my life to do whatever I needed to ensure she never regretted it. That there was never a day she didn’t know I loved her more than anything in this world.

  26

  Epilogue

  Dahlia, I’d like to introduce you to my sister, Elena.”

  Elena looked so much like the two of them; it was obvious they were siblings. She had gray eyes like Ivan and the delicate features of Alexei. Her light brown hair was braided in a single braid over one shoulder.

  “It’s nice to finally meet you,” I said as Elena threw her arms around me.

  “It’s nice to meet you too.” Elena patted the chair next to her. “Please sit. You’re the only person they’ve even let me meet since I arrived. For some reason I thought things would be different once I got here, but my brothers are almost as bad as Erik.” She gestured to the large man standing sentry behind her.

  “I understand what you mean.” I rolled my eyes and tilted my head toward Ivan.

  “Erik, would you please sit? You’re making people nervous,” she said, gesturing to the seat across from her. Erik looked to Ivan, who nodded his head. Erik took the chair from the other side of the table and put it on the other side of Elena’s.

  I quirked my eyebrow at Ivan, and he only let out a sigh. Elena ignored the entire exchange.

  “Are you excited for your show?” she asked, scooting her chair in. My show. I still couldn’t believe it.

  “I am. My first solo show. It’s pretty exciting. I’m so nervous I might puke.”

  “It will be amazing. Of course everyone loves your stuff.” The auction bids from the last show had made more than enough to rebuild the shop and open a new branch. “LA, right? That’s exciting!” Elena said, practically vibrating, drumming her fingers on the table. “I can’t wait to go.”

  Erik made a noise that sounded somewhere between discomfort and distress, and Elena dropped her hand into her lap.

  “LA will be exciting. As long as I don’t pass out tonight.”

  “Almost all the portraits have already been bought. You worry too much.” Ivan pressed his lips to my head. I hadn’t gotten used to it yet. Being out in public with him. Living a normal life with him. The shop was almost completely rebuilt. Axel would take over the NYC location, and I was headed to LA with Ivan. It would be a fresh start for the both of us. One that wasn’t without its painful moments.

  Rachel had only just moved back to the city, and I’d be leaving. She’d been furious when she found out about my shop burning to the ground and that I hadn’t told her. Worrying her wasn’t something I’d needed to do. And what was I supposed to say? My first love is actually the heir to a Russian crime syndicate, but he’s trying to give it up for me, and oh, my shop got blown up. There wasn’t much she could have done from halfway across the country.

  The server came out with a plate and set it down on the table.

  “We didn’t order…” And then I saw the plate. I saw what was on the plate. The crispy outside of the pelmeni that I’d recognize anywhere. There was one secret he’d been holding out on. My eyes got wide as I peered over at him.

  “Yes! Finally!” I practically shouted and didn’t even wait for a fork. I grabbed one of the piping-hot dumplings and dipped it into the sour cream and popped it into my mouth. The crispiness of the outside was perfect. So fresh. The flavor filled my mouth and made me swoon. If I hadn’t already loved this man…

  I finished my first one and stood, leaned over the table and pressed my lips to his. “I love you.” Out of the corner of my eye I saw his hand move. I slapped it away, sliding the plate closer to me and Elena.

  “You’ll share with her but not with me.” He chuckled, shaking his head.

  “Girls have to stick together.” I shoved even more into my mouth.

  With a stomach full of deliciousness, we piled into a taxi and headed to the gallery. I waved to Rachel out of the taxi window. She ran over and hugged me, swaying back and forth.

  “I’m so proud of you! So proud,” she said, standing surprisingly steady in her heels. It helped that Killian was there to steady her. Ivan, Erik and Killian all did the guy handshake thing.

  “What are we waiting for? Let’s get inside.” Rachel waved us all in. I took a step but stopped when Ivan stopped beside me, his gaze on the street. Immediately my heart raced, and I slowly turned to see what he was looking at. There was a black town car idling at the curb. The window rolled down, and I sucked in a sharp breath. Alexei. He sat in the back of the car looking like himself, but someone else at the same time. He was in a black suit, which was different than his normal relaxed look. But it was the deep scar that ran along the side of his face that made me take a step forward. Ivan’s grip on my hand tightened, and he stopped me.

  “Ivan—”

  “No.” That’s all Ivan said. Alexei gave Ivan a sharp shake of his head, and the window rolled back up. The car pulled away, disappearing into the afternoon traffic.

  “You guys coming?” Rachel called from the gallery doors. “You’re going to miss your own show.”

  I turned to Ivan, anxiety creeping back into the easy life we’d created for ourselves, but things were never that easy.

  “Stop. We’re going to enjoy your night. You deserve this.”

  “But, Ivan—”

  “Let’s go.” He tugged me toward the doors, but I hadn’t thought of what Alexei had to sacrifice for our happiness. I could only hope he found some of his own eventually.

  For a look at Ivan and Dahlia adjusting to life in LA, check out their extended epilogue HERE!

  THANK YOU for spending a little bit more time with Dahlia and Ivan!! I hope you loved reading their story as much as I LOVED writing it. These two were fun for me in a different way.

  If you’d like to know a bit more about WTF was going on with Dahlia’s roommate Rachel and Killian, you can check out their story in MR. RUIN!!

  "Absolutely brilliant!"

  “Can we talk about how hot Killian Thorne is! Wow!!”

  They were wrong—revenge is a dish best served hot.

  They call me the Boardroom Bastard.

  A bastard out for vengeance.

  No one messes with Killian Thorne.

  Then Rachel shows up.

  She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Luscious curves. An ass I wanna smack and squeeze. No man has ever touched her the way I do, and she’s making me feel things I’ve never felt before..

  But she works for my greatest enemy, and destroying him means taking her down too.

  She’s ruined me for all other women. Will I ruin her too?

  ONE-CLICK MR. RUIN TODAY!

  And you can sign up for my newsletter to find out all about my newest books and to get the first installment in my newsletter exclusive novella, THE PERFECT VIEW…

  Take me to Maya’s Newsletter!

  If you want to see where things all started and love a sexy + emotional read, don’t miss MR. CONTROL, the single dad romance!

  Turn the page for an excerpt of Mr. Control�
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  Excerpt from Mr. Control

  She’s the one woman I should stay away from, but I can’t help myself...

  He was insane. Not eccentric. Not unconventional. He was fucking insane. Who gives away money like that, just so someone doesn’t lend me a bed to sleep in? A bed that probably wasn’t even available. I kept running over it in my head, and it didn’t make sense. There was only one conclusion.

  Rhys Thayer had lost his mind. I’d decided that during the car ride across town and cemented it in my mind as we rode up in the elevator to his penthouse apartment. The elevator only had one button. PH. This elevator was nicer than most places I’d slept over the past year. The warm wood and brass covered the entire thing floor to ceiling. There was even a mini chandelier hanging overhead.

  I wondered if I could just camp out in there overnight. Being in the confined space with him wreaked havoc on me. Rhys stood perfectly still, but reminded me of a caged animal. Power poured off him in waves as he tapped away on his phone like I wasn’t there. Like he hadn’t stalked me to get me here.

  After what felt like centuries, the elevator doors slid open and he stepped out, leaving me plastered against the back of the elevator. The brass handrail warming up under the death grip I had on it. But I didn’t have much of a choice about where to go. I knew the shelter proposition wasn’t going to fly and I really didn’t want to have to find a random place to sleep, so a penthouse wasn’t the worst place to end up tonight. I didn’t know exactly what Rhys had in mind. He seemed pretty adamant about my coming. Was this just for Esme?

  “Don’t make me come in there and get you, Melanie,” he said, as he shook his coat off and laid it across the table by the door. I tentatively stepped out, my white-knuckled hands wrapped around the strap of my bag. I still didn’t know what I was doing here. Well, other than the fact that I would have had to sleep on a park bench tonight, if I hadn’t come with him, and the fact that he didn’t seem inclined to let me go. The hulking security guy stood beside the couch.

  The patter of small feet came down the hallway and Esme launched herself into the room and wrapped her arms around me for the second time that day.

  “You came!” she said, her face buried in my stomach. “Daddy said you’d be coming over today. I’m so happy!” I threw a glance over my shoulder and Rhys quirked his eyebrow at me, as if to say, he was right, wasn’t he? Did anyone ever tell him ‘no’? Lord knows I’d tried.

  “Hey, Esme. How was your day, kiddo?” I asked, crouching down in front of her and tousling her hair.

  “Good, really good now that you’re here. Daddy said he’d be able to get you to come, but it was so late and I didn’t believe him.”

  “Your dad can be pretty convincing when he wants to be, kiddo,” I said, and Rhys chuckled before disappearing down the hall.

  “Come see my room,” she said, tugging me along.

  “Only for a minute, Esme. You know you’re supposed to be in bed. It’s so late right now.”

  I spent a few minutes in Esme’s room, with her showing me pretty much every toy a kid could ever ask for. Her room was bigger than Jeanine’s apartment. It wasn’t until she let out her third yawn and her blinks got slower that I suggested she get back in bed. I kept checking the doorway, and had even ventured out a few steps into the apartment to look for Rhys, but he’d disappeared.

  Esme climbed into bed, a book under her arm, and I tucked her in. Faint memories from a time I’d tried to forget flittered through my mind as I sat on the edge of the bed and read her the bedtime story. As I turned the last page, her soft snores made me smile. She wore herself out.

  “See, you’re a natural,” came a voice from behind me. I yelped, nearly throwing the book across the room, and glanced down at Esme. She didn’t move a muscle. Rhys leaned against the doorway, shadowed by the darkened hallway. “Come with me, I’ll show you to your room,” he said, before disappearing back into the hall.

  I stood up, unsure my knees would hold me, and followed him into the dark hall.

  My room. A place for me. I wondered if the nightmares would follow me there.

  How was I going to tell him I shouldn’t stay? I couldn’t stay. Where else did I have to go? Maybe just for a few nights, until I figured things out. As much as he thought I was a natural, I’d had to fight episodes of panic throughout the short visit I’d shared with Esme. She was so happy. So incredibly happy with everything in her room. She loved showing it to me. She didn’t have a care in the world, and my heart ached for all the kids out there like me growing up, kids who would never know this level of peace, comfort, and ease. She had more at six than I’d ever had in my entire life, except for the one year that still haunted me. It made things easier that way. Better to pretend it never happened than be crushed that it had.

  Even with that jab in my gut, and pang in my chest, watching her in her own little world prancing, dancing and laughing, so happy made me smile. I pushed away my own pain and reveled in her joy. She was a great kid. A kid who deserved a lot better than me looking after her. But I didn’t know how to convince her father of that.

  I trailed behind Rhys, his muted steps reverberated through me like anvils dropping. His pull made me want to lean into him, speed up my steps, until I could breathe him in. The other part of me wanted to make a run for it and never look back. I could tell he wasn’t a forgiving man and I was bound to disappoint.

  He led me through a couple of turns before he opened the door in front of him and flicked on the lights. My breath caught as I stared past him into the room. The plush cream carpet looked soft enough to sleep on. There was an oversized reading chair next to the window in the corner, piled with green and blue pillows.

  The floor-to-ceiling windows showcased the entire city, like a moving picture frame. And there was a new coat laying across the bed. It was purple like mine, but that was where the similarities ended. Everything about it screamed elegant, warm and comfortable.

  He pushed the door open wider and motioned me inside. Cautiously, I poked my head inside. Rhys didn’t move, so I brushed against him as I made my way past. Every cell in my body was completely aware of every point of contact our bodies made. His freshly laundered smell hung in the air as I passed through his wake. I made it to the other side, nearly gasping for air, but I couldn’t push down the temptation to look back. When I did, he was so close our lips almost touched. The heat from his body against my back caused me to shiver as he spoke.

  “This room comes with the job. It’s not much, but I hope it will do,” he said. His minty breath caressed my ear. The heavy, foreboding press of his body against mine made me wonder if I’d ever been around a man before. He was a man unlike any I’d ever encountered, and I didn’t think I’d ever encounter anyone like him again. The pulsing pounding raced through my body like nothing I’d ever experienced. He hadn’t even touched me, not really, and I was already addicted. I wanted him to touch me. I wanted his hands on my body, running across my skin, tickling the flesh between my thighs.

  I bit my lip and put my hand against the wall to steady myself and took a step away. His heady presence was enough to make me forget everything that had ever worried me. Make me forget anything but the two of us in this room. Him standing so close to me, his eyes boring into me, devouring me. It was so easy to forget who I was outside of these walls when he looked at me like that. I couldn’t afford to forget. Things like this didn’t happen to me. Nothing good ever happened without me smashing back to earth more bruised and battered than before. I’d already had enough damage to last me a lifetime.

  “I brought your bag in. Come with me and I’ll show you the rest of the apartment.” He slipped out of the room and I felt like I could breathe again. I was torn between locking the door until morning and following him wherever he wanted to take me. But that didn’t seem like a request and I had no doubt he’d be coming after me if I didn’t comply.

  “Here’s the gym.” He pointed through the half glass door. A treadmill, fre
e weights, a few weight machines and other standard gym equipment was lined up neatly against the mirrored wall. I’d almost walked past when a dancing blue light caught my eye.

  “There’s a pool?” I whirled around. My eyes must have been as big as saucers. He chuckled. The sound made me smile wide.

  “There is a pool. Do you want to see it?” He pushed the door open. I wasn’t even going to try to play it cool.

  I sat on the edge of the pool with my pants rolled up and my feet dangling in the water, staring at the lights of the city.

  “The apartment certainly has its perks,” he said from behind me, his hands shoved in his pockets. I couldn’t have imagined a place like this existed high above everything going on down in the grime of the city. The floor-to-ceiling windows wrapped around the whole apartment. I was a bird perched on a ledge outside, watching everything pass by. It certainly made the city feel a whole lot calmer. Like anyone up here was the master of their domain. Maybe that was why Rhys came across that way, so in control of everything. When you were staring down at the city street watching everyone scrambling from your tranquil perch, how could you not feel like you owned everything as far as you could see?

  “Ready to continue the tour?” He held a big fluffy towel out to me. I grabbed it and dried my feet. I’d forgotten I still hadn’t seen the whole place.

  Everything in the apartment fought for my attention. There were lamps with stained glass lampshades. The bookshelves were filled with leather bound books, I imagined cost more than I could make in a lifetime. The artwork on the walls looked like it belonged in a museum, and when I read some of the nameplates below a few of the frames, I saw I wasn’t far off. On loan from the MET. Who the hell could just borrow something from the Metropolitan Museum of Art? Rhys Thayer, that’s who. Every room held something unlike anything I’d ever seen, and the most intriguing of them all was Rhys himself.