by Naomi West
She had done it this time. She had finally figured out that she wanted to be with him, and she had thought the looks they had exchanged in front of the Hagens’ home had confirmed that he wanted the same thing. But now she was responsible for all this carnage, and he would never have anything to do with her again. His touch at her elbow surprised her into looking up at him again.
“That’s not what I meant,” he said softly. He raised his other hand to brush her hair out of her face, and his thumb rubbed away a tear as it fell over her eyelashes. “Blue, this war was a long time coming. Even if I hadn’t been at your shop that day and encountered Rat, he would have found another way to start a conflict. We’ve lost some men, but it was inevitable.”
“Then what did you mean?” Blue’s emotions were changing so rapidly she couldn’t keep track of them. She was thrilled to see Torque, terrified that he seemed mad at her, and hopeful that this would still somehow work out. More than anything, she just wanted to be with him. It didn’t matter where they were, what they talked about, or if they even talked about anything. He could even be angry with her, just as long as he didn’t leave her.
“I was worried about you,” he explained. “When you didn’t return, I thought it was because Rat had already gotten to you. The Bastards had been causing chaos all over town, so it wouldn’t have been a surprise. As it was, Rat had one of his men burn down the tattoo shop as vengeance.”
A whole new ripple of panic washed over her. “Is Spencer okay?”
“He’ll be fine,” Torque assured her. “I got there just in time.”
She hated the fact that she was crying in front of him. Blue wanted to be tough, to handle all of this as calmly as he did, but it was so hard. “Thank you, Torque,” she whispered. “Thank you for everything you’ve done. You’ve saved me, and you’ve saved Spencer. I just …You can’t even know how much that means to me.”
His voice was low and gravelly as he took her fully into his arms. “It’s what you do for someone you love.” Torque’s lips pressed against hers.
Blue kissed him back, parting her lips to let his tongue twirl against hers. She stopped him only long enough to whisper, “I love you, too.”
Chapter Seventeen
Blue
“Mommy’s going to miss you today.” Blue pressed her lips to the baby’s chubby cheeks, holding her close and never wanting to let go. “I would just stay home with you all day if I could, but I’ve got some tattooing to do. Maybe someday I can show you how to draw pictures on people.” Reluctantly, she put Violet in Bri’s arms and sighed. “I just hate leaving her.”
“I know you do,” Bri said sympathetically as she cuddled the chubby little bundle. A shock of dark black hair decorated the top of Violet’s head, and a tiny hand reached out to grab at one of Bri’s earrings. “But it’s good for you to get out and do what you love. Your little one won’t suffer at all for it.”
“That’s easy for you to say, since you get to stay home with Ava all the time. Hi, sweetie.” Ava had just toddled up and wrapped her arms around Blue’s leg. The little girl had grown a lot since that day of impromptu hide-and-seek upstairs.
Bri tipped her head to the side and raised her eyebrows. “I’m sure it seems that way, but it’s not always easy work. Besides, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t have to work if you didn’t want to.”
Blue smiled, her face flushing a little. There was a lot of truth to what her friend said. When Violet was born, Torque had made it very clear that Blue didn’t have to return to work anytime soon, if ever. He would take care of everything. As sweet as it was, Blue had been itching to get a tattoo machine in her hands again. She was fortunate that Bri had volunteered to watch the baby anytime Torque wasn’t available, and she was doing her best to find a balance between work and home life.
“Maybe not, but I wouldn’t want to leave Spencer in the lurch. I already took so much time off with my maternity leave.”
“Don’t worry about him.” Bri leaned down to set Violet in a nearby bassinet. She carefully straightened the baby’s onesie and touched her cheek gently. “Spence is a big boy, and he can handle the shop. I think it was good business for him to have a guest artist in there for a little bit.”
It was touching to see how much Bri cared about Violet, but the remark about the guest artist reminded Blue of a whole other concern. “That’s exactly what worries me.”
“No, don’t take it that way. A guest artist is just that, someone to come in and stir things up a little bit. Trust me, Spencer wouldn’t dream of giving your booth to anyone else.” She moved to the kitchen to give Ava her snack.
“I’m sure you’re right. I just really love it, you know? I feel a little guilty when I leave Violet, but when I’ve been working, I feel like I get to let out the part of me that doesn’t stay up all night with a fussy baby or worry about spit-up.” Now that the Dirty Bastards had been chased out of town and Blue felt safe again, she could lose herself in her work like she used to before any of that had started. She could talk with her clients and do her job, but when it was complete she felt as though she had just gone through major meditation session. Her nerves buzzed with the thrill of her accomplishment.
Bri laughed as she diced up an apple and put it on a tiny plastic plate. “I completely get it! As much as I love being here with the girls, there are days when I really miss tattooing.”
“So why don’t you?” Blue made mental notes as she stood in Bri’s kitchen, paying attention to the kinds of sippy cups she used and the chair Ava sat in. Having an older baby in the “family” meant she always had someone to ask when it came to parenting questions, and Blue had found that much more helpful than all the books in the world.
“Oh, I couldn’t.” Bri waved off the idea as she reached in the fridge for a jug of milk. “I knew as soon as I had Ava that my commitments were elsewhere. I’ve gotten in a few tats here and there when my mom is off work and wants to watch her, but other than that there just isn’t time.”
Blue didn’t like to hear that. She really did feel bad when she left Violet, but she came back to her child with a renewed energy when she had spent a little time at the shop. The late nights and the numerous loads of laundry were a pleasant duty instead of an annoyance. “Why don’t you start going in a couple times a week? I can watch the girls.”
“Really?” Bri paused in her task of fastening a lid on a sippy cup, her face tipped up toward the ceiling as she thought about it. “No, I couldn’t. I don’t want to shortchange you on your time at the shop.”
“You wouldn’t be. Not at all. We can just swap back and forth on days, or even on solid weeks if you’d like. I’m sure we can find a schedule that works well for both of us.” It was so simple, but it seemed like the perfect solution.
“Well … maybe. But I don’t really have a following anymore, you know? I’ve been off work for so long that people don’t know me as an artist. If they know me at all, I’m just Spencer’s wife.” She turned away to give Ava her drink.
“That’s not true,” Blue argued. “I had someone come in just last week who wanted to know if you were still working there, and she didn’t even know that you and Spencer were married. She loved the piece you had done on her a few years ago and wanted to get more. As a matter of fact, she’s coming in for her next piece in a couple weeks, and I’m giving the appointment to you.”
Bri shoved her hands in her pockets, as though she didn’t know what to do with them anymore. “No, Blue, really. You need your time to work. And it’s been so long since I did any tattooing. What if I’m not good anymore?”
Blue shook her head. “It’s not fair if you’re always at home with the kids instead of spending any time in the shop. I insist. I think it’ll make the client happy.” She knew she wasn’t going to get Bri to agree for her own sake, but she might for the sake of the shop and the customers.
Bri nodded slowly. “Well, okay. If you really think so.”
“I do. I’d better get going, or I’
ll be late for my appointment.”
Bri followed her to the door and stopped her before she opened it, wrapping her in a big hug. “Thanks for everything, Blue.”
She hugged her back. “What did I do?”
“What haven’t you done? You’re helping me get back to work. You’re an amazing worker for Spencer, and your art pulls people in from all over the county. You even sacrificed yourself to make sure those nasty bikers didn’t get me or my precious Ava. I don’t think I ever really thanked you properly for that. I felt so bad to know that you were out there with them, but I admit I was so relieved to come back in and find Ava hiding under the bed, giggling away.”
“Hey, it’s what you do for the people you love,” Blue replied. “I’ll see you this afternoon.”
* * *
As much as she had been enjoying her work after the baby, Blue found that she couldn’t quite concentrate today. The brilliant colors blurred together a little as she loaded them onto her needles. Her breath came in staggered gasps or she forgot to breathe at all. She blinked and leaned back, rolling her shoulders and trying to get her head wrapped around her work.
“You doing all right?” her client asked. “We can take a break if you need to.”
She smiled down at him. His handsome eyes watched her, making her feel even more self-conscious. Blue knew she shouldn’t. She was a professional, and there was no reason she shouldn’t be able to do this. She had done so many tattoos along these lines in her career, and she would do many more. The shop had been rebuilt since the fire, and it was now better than ever. “No, that’s okay. I’m fine.”
“If you’re sure. I don’t want you to do anything you’re uncomfortable with.”
“Trust me,” Blue replied, “I’ve done plenty of things I’m not comfortable with. I like to think it just makes you grow.”
His dark eyes sparkled. “That’s a nice way of thinking about it.”
Spencer stepped in and smiled. “Doing all right?”
Blue wiped the extra ink off with a damp paper towel and scowled at him. “I’d like to know why everyone keeps asking me that.”
“Just making sure,” Spencer said with a shrug. “I know how you get nervous around these biker types.”
“Hey, now,” Torque replied from his position on the table. “I’m pretty sure you’ve met worse ones than me.”
The shop owner bobbled his head as though he was thinking about it. “I’m not sure. You’re pretty scary. And you did leave me lying in the parking lot.” It was a point Spencer enjoyed bringing up.
Both Blue and Torque knew that was only because it was his way of thanking Torque for what he had done and reminding the biker that he owed him a lot.
“I did,” Torque replied, “but I’m pretty sure you deserved it.”
Spencer stepped over to the table and glanced at Blue’s work. “I’m not sure I like it.”
“What?” She glared at him.
He pointed at the dark lines on Torque’s chest where they led to the new tattoo. “It’s just such a different style than everything else.”
Blue bit her lip to keep from smiling. “If I have my way, it’s a style he’s going to come to prefer.”
“I already do,” Torque affirmed.
“All right, now go away.” Blue waved her hands at her boss. He obediently left, shutting the curtain behind him.
Blue frowned at her work. “Do you really think it’s that terrible?”
“He’s just giving you shit. Ignore him. I love it.”
She snorted. “You better.”
Cracking her knuckles, Blue bent back over Torque’s chest and resumed her work. She understood now exactly why she had felt so nervous doing this. She had tattooed Torque before, but she had just been shading in the solid black dragon that Spencer started. It wasn’t her work, and they hadn’t been an item then. A lot of life had happened in between, and his opinion of her meant everything. Not only that, but this piece really was completely different from all the other work Torque had. It was bright and vibrant, a distinct contrast to his blackwork that stood out like a badge on his chest. It was the kind of piece that many customers would have flocked to the shop to get from her, but not the kind a man like him normally would have wanted.
“Just stop worrying about it,” Torque suddenly said. “It’s what I want. And you should know by now that I always get what I want.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “Is that so?”
“I got you, didn’t I?”
Blue couldn’t help but smile at that one. “Yeah, I guess you did.”
A few minutes later, she gave him a final wipe-down and sat back. She stripped off her gloves, chucked them in a nearby trash can, and handed him a small mirror. “Let me know what you think.”
Torque accepted the mirror, his warm fingers touching hers. He held it over his chest and smiled, then got up off the table to look in the full-length mirror near the curtain. His smile told her everything.
“Good enough?” she asked anyway.
“You know it is.” He raised his fingers and touched them lightly to the skin right next to the handful of purple flowers that now decorated his chest. “My Violet,” he murmured before he turned to Blue and pulled her close. “Thank you.”
Blue looked up at him, still in awe even after all this time of the squareness of his jaw, the dark brilliance in his eyes, and the strength of his arms. Every day that she looked at him, it was like she got a new perspective. Fortunately, it was always one she enjoyed seeing. “You’re more than welcome.” She stood on her toes to kiss him.
He pressed her body against his and deepened the kiss, parting her lips and darting his tongue inside her. His warm breath caressed her face, and Blue closed her eyes in ecstasy.
“Mmm. You shouldn’t be doing that,” she said as she pulled away slightly. “I don’t think I’m supposed to fraternize with the clientele.”
“I don’t think your boss will mind,” he replied, “but I’d sure like to do more than fraternize with you.”
Blue ran a hand through her hair and looked up at him coyly. “I don’t know. I’m pretty busy today. See, I’ve only got limited time to work while my sitter is available. And my man is pretty demanding, too …”
Torque kissed her again and gave her a lustful look. “Bandage me up and let’s go.”
Spencer didn’t have any questions for them when they left a few minutes later. Blue hopped onto the back of Torque’s bike and wrapped her arms around him, content to rest her cheek against his back and trust him to guide them safely through the city. They left the parking lot and headed out onto the main road, passing Willow Street and continuing on until he hung a right onto Maple Street. The houses here weren’t huge by comparison to the large subdivisions on the edge of town, but they were clean family homes with landscaped yards. The school bus made a regular route through here, and there was a park nearby that had just been completely redone.
Torque rumbled into the garage of a white house on the corner with a bright blue door. Blue hopped off the back and went to open the door that led into the house from there.
“Just what do you think you’re doing?” Torque asked as he pushed the button on the garage opener, closing off the doorway they had just ridden through. “Come back here.”
She turned to him, confused at the stern look on his face. “What’s wrong? Is your tattoo bothering you? I can put some more ointment on it.”
He smiled and shook his head. “I just don’t want to have to wait for you.” Torque grabbed her by the waist and turned her around, bending her over his bike. He ran his hands down her body, bringing his fingers up between her legs, teasing her.
“What, you don’t think you can make it to the bedroom?” she nudged. It had been hard to find time to be together between work and the baby, and she arched her back so that her ass pressed against him. She could feel the hardness in his pants, and she needed him desperately.
“Definitely not.” Torque unbuttoned he
r shorts and slid them down her slim hips, taking a moment to appreciate her back side. His thick fingers massaged the curves of her ass before they slipped in the waistband of her panties and pulled them down. He brought one hand around to touch her, the pad of his finger rubbing in slow circles right where it counted.
“Mmm. You spoil me.” Blue threw her head back and closed her eyes.
“Only because you deserve it.” He continued his work until she was thoroughly wet. Blue felt her knees beginning to shiver underneath her. Just as she thought she might come, he grabbed her by the waist and turned her around, lifting her up and setting her on the top of the washing machine.
