“I doubt anything wrong will happen,” I say, but he doesn’t look so convinced. I turn to him fully and pull out the big guns—the puppy look, bulging eyes, pouty lips and all.
He groans, knowing how weak he is to the look.
“Please…” I huff out.
A beat of silence.
“Ah, what the hell,” he sighs with a smirk. “What princesa wants, princesa gets.”
I lean up on my toes and press my lips to his, ignoring the boy with pale eyes behind us, telling us to get a room and never come out. I laugh into Grey’s arms and scream as he picks me up and spins me around. Man, do I love this man.
Chapter Forty-Four
“Are you sure you want to go?” Grey asks for the millionth time.
“Yes, I’m sure.” I smile at him through the mirror.
He is being very strange, urging that we stay home tonight. Is it because there will be bad people there, people he doesn’t want me to interact with? Like…Rose? No, I don’t think so. She is trying to be friendly with us, but partying with us would be going over a clear line of comfort. I wouldn’t want to torture the nice girl. Maybe Dean…my stomach tightens at the idea of the monster being anywhere near us. He has been nothing but trouble to Grey.
“Why don’t you want us to go?” I ask him as I apply lip gloss. “Will, um, will Dean be there?” I look at him through the mirror, and his face hardens, but then he sighs and shakes his head.
“No, I…I cut myself off from the gang,” he says, and I whirl around.
“When?” I gasp. He’s always been so adamant about being in it, saying it would be too dangerous if he ever left. So why leave now? Don’t get me wrong, I am incredibly happy and relieved that he’s left the gang. I’m just curious as to when and why he did so.
“The night we came home from the hospital,” he mumbles, looking down at his fumbling fingers.
“That’s great,” I say and smile.
“I guess. It was just taking my time away from being with someone who makes me happy…you.” He clears his throat.
“You’re so cute.” I walk over to him and kiss his head.
He looks up at me through his lashes. “Thanks,” he says as I push his cheeks together.
I smile and kiss his nose. “Now…” I step back. “How do I…look?”
I feel his eyes on me as I struggle but succeed in zipping up this loose pale blue dress that is off the shoulder and stops mid-thigh. I twirl around in it, nearly falling over because of the matching blue wedges, but I catch myself and grin. Grey is laughing, cheeks pink and eyes lighting up.
“You look adorable,” he says as he pulls me between his legs.
“You look…” I pause and look down at his outfit: a white shirt that makes for a crisp contrast to his dark, haunting tattoos, his signature leather jacket, washed out Levi’s jeans, and boots. Is drool dripping down my chin? “Hot,” I admit.
“Why, thank you. I try only for you, babe.” He cups my face and brings me down to his.
“Only for me, always only for me.” I grip his jacket and narrow my eyes playfully.
“Fuck, I love it when you get feisty,” he snarls, and I laugh as he falls back on the bed, hand sliding under my dress and gripping my butt. I moan against his neck, and he grows hard against me. “Wanna arrive fashionably late?” he whispers against my ear.
“Mm-hmm,” is all I can say, well, hum.
His laugh ignites a flutter in my stomach, and I shut him up with my mouth covering his.
Chapter Forty-Five
I begin to feel a little anxious as we leave the house. Maybe Grey is right; something bad will go down at the party. But as long as he’s out of the gang and we don’t have any enemies, there is nothing to worry about. Plus, Grey’s hand on my thigh helps soothe the anxious thoughts until they are all gone.
As we near a line of various off-brand stores and stop in front of a one-level building, I listen to the roars and laughter and loud music, all colliding to make a nervous but excited smile take over my face. There are bamboo trees that line up against the side of the building, and through the little cracks and low height, I can see arms in the air and tall men dancing behind girls in jeans and short shirts. There are strung up lights, and beers clinking together, and cursing.
We enter, passing by a girl getting a tattoo on her lower back. She is biting onto a leather belt while her boyfriend cheers her on. I almost, out of worry, rush over to her and see if she’s too intoxicated to get a tattoo, but she raises a glass of dark alcohol and chuckles after taking a large swig. I then look around and notice other people are getting tattoos too.
What a party…
“Which font should it be in?” Grey asks me.
I turn to him and see he is staring at a wall of pinned up sample tattoos. “What are you talking about?” I grimace at a tattoo of a machine-like teddy bear having sex with a big-breasted woman. Gross, why would anyone want to get that?
“Your name,” he says and looks at me with a crooked grin.
“You’re joking,” I say with a little nervous laugh. He can’t be serious. I love him and everything, but to get my name imprinted on his skin forever would be actually insane!
“Oh, I’m doing it. And I’ll do it in a nice pretty font you’ll love.” He taps my nose and sits down on a leather stool, in front of a bald guy covered in tattoos, a metal contraption in his hand.
I widen my eyes and shake my head. “No, don’t do that! Are you insane?”
The man chuckles. “You’re a lucky lady. This guy’s really committed.” He winks at me, and I flush. Committed? Yeah, in the sense of getting a tattoo of my name, but not in the sense of marriage or kids. Just saying…
“Heh,” I laugh nervously, and Grey grabs my hand, pulling me forward.
“Don’t worry, babe,” he says with a smile, like marring your skin with another person’s name is nothing.
“I am going to worry because this is a huge and very stupid thing to do,” I snap, pulling at my hand, but his grip is too tight. I whine his name.
“Stop worrying, princess.” He kisses the back of my hand.
I blush and bite my lip. “If you do this…then I’ll get your name on my forehead.”
He bursts into laughter and shakes his head. “You’re too much of a wimp.”
“Wanna bet?” I raise a brow. He knows how much I love to prove him wrong.
“I don’t want your delicate skin marred.” He presses his soft lips to my skin again, and I burst into a rosy color on my cheeks. “Stay my perfect angel, m’kay?” His voice is rough, but his words are silk, making me gush and nod.
“O-okay.” I smile down at him.
He laughs, and the machine in the man’s hand starts up. The sound emitting from the metal makes me grimace, and I take a fearful step back. Grey’s hand tightens, and he gently pulls me toward him. He lays his forehead against my stomach, and I’m shocked by his tender affection in public around these people. I blush but wrap my arms around him and listen to the clanging sounds of the machine as it presses into his skin.
“Does it hurt?” I ask after a while. He has been still for about ten minutes, unflinching. Given how many he has already, I doubt it even feels like a pinch.
“Nope,” he mumbles, then rests his chin on me as he looks up at me with a childishly large grin. “Maybe you should get a tattoo.”
“Of what?” I thread my fingers through his thick hair.
“My face.”
“Shut up.” I tug his hair and his lips curl, tongue sliding through his mouth. “Stop that.”
“Oh, you want your last name on my ass?” he jokes, and I roll my eyes.
“I wouldn’t be the only one embarrassed,” I point out, and he shrugs.
“Just don’t test me.” He reaches around and pinches my butt.
I gasp. “How much longer?” I mumble.
“A few more minutes,” the man says, eyes trained on Grey’s back.
I stand on my toes to peek
at the tattoo that I don’t believe for a second is my name, but Grey tugs me down and bites my stomach.
“Hey!” I frown at him, tugging his hair.
“Don’t look yet. It isn’t finished,” he whines.
“Fine.” I lean down and kiss his head. I pull back and smile at the grin splashed over his face. I stand around for maybe ten more minutes, lightly gripping his hair, listening to the buzzing of what Grey explained is a tattoo gun.
“Done!” the man whose name I learned is Rick exclaims and rolls back from Grey. “You gotta keep it under wraps and apply the cream I know you already have for a few days,” he instructs.
“Got it. Thanks, man.” Grey sits up, letting his shirt stay rolled up. He digs into his pocket and hands Rick money. They talk for a quick second before he finally stands up.
“I want to see it,” I tell him, nervously chewing on my lower lip and tugging the top.
He chuckles but nods and turns around. “Like it?”
My eyes gravitate to the fresh tattoo among the others. I gasp when I see it. It definitely isn’t my name, but something much better. Something that makes me light-headed and tear up.
You are my middle ground, princesa, the tattoo reads, floating in large, thick gray clouds.
“Oh no, Grey—” I start, throat thick with emotion.
“Don’t say it’s insane or anything because…princess.” He laughs, eyes tearing up. “You’re quite literally it for me. And I know how you want a family and all that, but I…I just can’t do that. But this is my commitment to you.” He holds my hands and whispers, “My promise to love you forever and always.”
“Sappy,” Rick groans behind Grey.
Grey merely raises a middle finger in the air, eyes never leaving mine.
“So…what do you say?” His voice is shaky from nerves. I can see how much he wants to touch his lip out of anxiety, but he won’t let go of my hands.
I answer him with my lips pressed against his. I kiss him with every single ounce of love and passion that burns deep within me, all for him. I grip his neck and bring him down while pressing up into his mouth, biting and licking his lips. He wraps his arms around my waist and tugs my hips up. Before this can go any further, I pull away and press my forehead against his.
“I say…forever and always,” I whisper, and he grins, kissing me hard once again.
“Fuck, I love you so much.” He spins me around, and I squeal, latching my arms tightly around his neck.
“Grey!” I scream his name, and he whispers something dirty in my ear. “You are too bad.” I hit his shoulder, and he shrugs, glancing at my lips. I do the same with him.
“Not too bad for you, right?” he asks, licking his lips, my eyes following the action.
“Never…”
Chapter Forty-Six
Grey and I take a few shots and spend most of the night dancing with each other. Jake arrives a few minutes into our dance, and I meet a few more of Grey’s fighter friends. They are all blowing off steam and relaxing before going to the tournament that’s in forty-five minutes. I want Grey to leave now and get focused for the big fights, but he says he’d rather have my ass grind on him than beat up some guy. I have never felt so giddy in my life. What a compliment from a hardcore fighter.
My phone nearly buzzes the entire time, messages from Mason and missed calls. It became so annoying that I had to text him that I’d talk to him later and shut my phone off. I don’t mean to be rude, but my man just did the sweetest thing ever for me and is about to have the biggest fights of his career. I want to be here for him, and that’s it. Nothing or anyone matters more in this moment.
“I’m going to go get some water,” I scream over the music, pushing from Grey’s sweaty chest.
“Hurry back.” He smiles as he leans down and kisses me on my open mouth. I grip his shirt and deepen the kiss. I finally step back after I’ve had my fill and turn around. I gasp when he smacks me on my butt. I hide half of my face behind his leather collar. He gave it to me a while back when I admitted I was cold. Such a gentleman.
“I won’t take long,” I promise and wink at him. He bites his lip sensually, but I have to turn around and zig-zag through the crowd before I am tempted. I reach the cooler and search for a bottled water. I down about half of it, parched from all the shots I’ve been taking.
As I turn back, I bump into someone.
“Oh, sorry—” I giggle, sweeping my hair out of my face.
“Liv? Oh, thank God I found you,” the person says, and I finally adjust my blurry vision on the person. “Mateo told me about this party and I just had to find you—”
“Mason?” What is he doing here?
He takes a deep breath and stutters, “Liv, i-it’s Rose…” His voice is panicked, and I widen my eyes in worry.
I feel my heart drop to my feet, and I blink rapidly as I try to find access to my tongue. I am so drunk, I don’t believe I heard him right. “What’s wrong with Rose?” My tongue feels incredibly heavy, my words slurred. I’m seeing fuzzy lights around his head. I need to clear my head to pay attention to him. This seems very important. I should really listen…to how amazing this song is. I begin dancing, and he sighs.
He licks his lips. “There’s nothing wrong with her, per se…”
“Then why’d you act like something was wrong?” I mumble before I take a large swig of water. “Drama queen…”
“You’re not listening to me.” He grabs the bottled water from me.
“Hey, give it back!” I whine, tears bubbling in my eyes. “Why’d you come here if you were just going to ruin all the fun?”
He sighs and grabs my hand, tugging me to his side. “I have to tell you something, and I don’t want you to get mad at me,” he says, and I raise a questioning eyebrow. “It’s too loud back here.” He pulls me out of the back, through the tattoo shop, and outside by the huge green trees, away from the party. Sorry, they’re called bamboo. I think I’ve had a little bit too much to drink.
“What do you have to tell me?” I ask him and gasp, pointing a finger at him. “Are you pregnant?” I hunch over on my knees and jab a finger at his tummy. “Hello, little Mason. How you doing in there, hmm? Having fun swimming?” I coo and scratch his stomach.
“Stop that.” He pulls me up, face stoic and ultra-serious. “Rose is trying to—”
“Your mouth looks, like, really funny.” I poke at them, and he groans.
“Liv, I’m trying to tell you something,” he groans, squeezing my shoulders.
“Fine, go on and tell your life story. I am all ears.” I grin from ear to ear and hold onto his shoulders, giving them a nice squeeze. Hmmm…they are so soft, strong too. Has he been working out? Is this facial hair I see growing on his chin? His lips are moving, but I don’t hear a word he’s saying because I’m busy playing with his scratchy cheeks.
“Olivia, please, listen to me.” He grabs my wrists and holds my hands up. “I am begging you now…”
His serious tone finally makes my brain click in the right places, and I nod.
“I am listening, I promise,” I manage to say with minimum slurring.
He nods and sucks in such a large breath, I am afraid he’s taken all of the air in the world. “Rose is trying to sabotage you and Grey,” he blurts out.
Chapter Forty-Seven
“W-what?” I stammer, furrowing my brows.
“She…s-she took pictures of you a-and Noah at Grey’s birthday party,” he explains, stuttering over nearly every word.
I burst into laughter because I have no idea what he’s talking about. He looks at me weirdly, and I pout, stifling laughter.
“Rose? Sabotage Grey and me? What? How?” I shake my head because the thought of sweet Rose doing such a thing is unconceivable.
“You don’t remember anything from that night, right?” I slowly shake my head. “She…she drugged a drink she gave you and then after that separated you from Grey and got Noah and you in your room. She…a-and I—I helped…
w-we got you both undressed and made it seem you h-had sex…b-but you didn’t! I swear!”
“What?” I feel so cold despite the warm air passing by me. “No…no! Y-you wouldn’t do that to me. She wouldn’t…no! Mason, fuck, no! No, Mason!” I push him, and he stumbles back, tears leaving his eyes as my own pour down my face. “Mason!” I scream, throat tight and heart beating fast.
He nods his head and whimpers, “I am so sorry. I didn’t…s-she made me promise her.”
“Mason, no.” My voice is small as my thoughts race and my stomach churns. This isn’t happening. This is not fucking happening! Not to me. Not on behalf of one of my best fucking friends and a girl I actually trusted. Not like this!
“I am so sorry, Liv,” he cries. I hold my hand up when he takes a step toward me.
“What did you promise her?” My voice is thick with heartbreak and dreaded anticipation.
“I—I promised I would help hurt Grey. S-she said that he hurt her so bad, and he did, Liv. So fucking bad. I wanted to hurt him the moment she told me she had the abortion and lost everything. And I mean everything,” he wheezes, and my heart twists. “She said that if she ever came into contact with him ever again, she’d hurt him a million times worse than he hurt her…no matter what.” His eyes take in my flushed face and shaking hands. “S-she, she’s in there right now,” he whispers, and my eyes widen.
“I can’t—I can’t believe this. I thought you were my friend!” I don’t believe this is the same Mason who saved me from that football my first day at college. The same Mason I gossiped with over cartons of Chinese food. The same fucking Mason I got matching friendship bracelets with.
“I am your friend,” he falsely promises, taking another step forward.
“No, you are not!” I scream on the top of my lungs and push him away from me. He lands in the fence behind him and grunts, staring at me wide-eyed like I’m the one who betrayed him. “A friend would have warned me about his fucking insane sister! Not help her tear me and my boyfriend, the love of my life, apart! After all I have been through, I would have thought you’d be there for me.”
Grey: The Reconnection (Spectrum Series Book 4) Page 31
