Tattooed Hearts

by C. A. Harms

  “He sleeps naked like Daddy did.”

  And that was not a vision I wanted to start my day out with.

  JENNY

  WHEN SEAN WAS in race mode, he was completely different, as if he had tunnel vision.

  I wanted to joke with him, hassle him about anything to make him smile just to prove I could, but each time I tried, he just gave me a look—eyebrow arched, lips pressed in a tight line.

  Apparently humor was a no-no before a race. Well, duly noted. I enjoyed the fun version better, but this version wasn’t a bad thing; it would just take some getting used too.

  So here I sat, with Landyn at my side in the part of the stands reserved for family. I had spotted Sean long ago, but he still hadn’t looked in my direction.

  At one point he looked as if he got angry at something one of his team members said. His hands flew up in the air just before he took a step closer to the man and yelled at him. It couldn’t have been good, because that man then took out his own frustrations on the rest of the crew.

  I was actually lost when it came to the fundamentals of racing. I swear Sean’s eyes almost bugged out of his head when I asked him what a pit stop was. You’d think I insulted his mother or his manhood. After that, I chose to keep my questions to myself and just nod. It was better that way.

  “Momma, look.” Landyn pointed toward the track just as Sean raised his hand and waved in our direction. Landyn looked like he was on top of the world as the people around Sean looked to see who he was waving at. Some were crew members I’d already had the pleasure of meeting, but there were also a few I had never before seen, like an older man with gray hair and a beard, and a tall, slender woman who had the most gorgeous hair I had ever seen. It was jet-black and flowed in huge curls down the center of her back. She wore a formfitting shirt with Sean’s number in the center and a pair of the tightest black pants I’d ever seen.

  Are those leather?

  I should have been focusing on the man that was still waving at my son, but I couldn’t.

  All I could see was her as she watched Sean, her hand on her hip, head moving back and forth between us and him.

  She looked perplexed.

  Sean lifted his hand to his mouth and kissed his finger before raising it high in the air, and for the first time since we left the house earlier today, he smiled.

  My heart fluttered. I slowly offered him the same gesture, and he lowered his hand to his heart.

  The woman at his side stepped up, blocking my view of him as she placed her hand entirely too low on his stomach, and her breast pushed against his side.

  I had the urge to throw something at her or tell her to back the hell off, but instead I sat there dumbfounded, watching it all unfold.

  Sean put his hand on her hip and said something to her. She stepped back, then he turned and walked back toward his crew.

  The woman watched him walk away, and after a few moments her slumped shoulders lifted as she too walked away.

  Their interaction was making me nervous, but instead of dwelling on it, I chose to focus on the race.

  “He was so fast,” Landyn squealed. “I thought for sure he’d win.”

  I couldn’t get a word in.

  “He went left and, vroom, straight through the opening. Slingshot from Nichols.” I laughed at the commentator my son had suddenly became. “It was amazing.”

  We had worked our way down toward the gates, where we stood waiting for someone from Sean’s team to greet us, as Sean had instructed.

  “Sean is the best,” Landyn said as he proudly held up his flag with Nichols emblazoned across it.

  “Yes, he is.” I turned toward the soft, purring voice, and my stomach instantly dropped.

  The same woman from earlier stood only a few feet away on the opposite side of the gate. She smiled down at my son, and I didn’t care much for the look in her eyes.

  “And you are?” I asked, feeling as if I’d just found my confident side. I knew women like her. They used their looks to throw off others. They pranced around behind the scenes, trying to look as if they had it all together, but in reality they were nothing more than groupies.

  “My name is Cora, and I’m a friend of Sean’s.” By “friend” I was sure she meant a past hookup. I tried not to look as though the thought of it made me throw up a bit in my mouth.

  “Isn’t that nice,” I said, still holding my shoulders high. “I’m Jenny.” I held my hand out even though I wanted to grab hold of her hair and smash her face against the railing that separated us.

  She shook my hand and offered a smile. But when she pulled back, she wiped her palm on her pants as if ridding herself of some imaginary plague.

  What the hell? Was she serious?

  I was just about to call her on it when Sean hollered for me.

  Looking over Cora the Hooch’s shoulder, I found him moving toward us with purpose, his mouth drawn tight and his eyes narrowed. He seemed displeased at my current company, and I couldn’t have agreed more. He nudged Cora to the side, and she huffed in irritation.

  I won’t lie, I almost laughed. You have been dismissed, bimbo.

  “You two ready?’ he asked as he opened the gate and allowed me and Landyn through. He lifted Landyn off the ground and firmly held him in one arm while Sean placed his other around my shoulders. I looked back at Cora as he led us away and relished the look of disappointment of her face.

  “Calm down, killer,” Sean said with a chuckle. Apparently I wasn’t hiding my disgust as well as I thought.

  “Friend of yours?” I asked as I looked forward and placed my hand around his waist. I let my palm linger over his ass, just to prove to Miss Thing who was still watching that I did, indeed, have that right.

  “No,” he said. “And since you’re feeling me up now, you’ll be letting me return the favor later.”

  I glared up at him, finding he was enjoying my jealousy far too much. I didn’t buy that they weren’t “friends,” but I chose to let it go. He didn’t owe me an explanation, but I could guarantee she wasn’t going to ever get the chance to entertain him again.

  “I like seeing you get all possessive and territorial,” Sean said as he leaned in closer and kissed me just behind my ear. “It sorta turns me on.”

  I pushed on his side, and he chuckled.

  “What had you so worked up before the race?” I asked, wanting to get off the subject of the woman who still stood only a few feet away, looking at me as if I had just ruined her night.

  I wasn’t in the slightest bit sorry.

  “Just everyday shit in the race world,” he said, obviously not wanting to rehash it.

  He was happy now, and that in turn made me happy. Had he attempted to explain it, I most likely would have gotten lost anyway. Again, the technicalities of the sport are better left to the professionals. Oh, and my son, who apparently was much more observant when it came to NASCAR than I was. I was in no way jealous that he and Sean had that to share. I was more than happy to just sit back and admire his ass in his jumpsuit instead.

  Did I mention Sean was built like a god? Now I knew firsthand what the man was hiding beneath that suit, it was more than worth the wait.

  SEAN

  “SIX MONTHS,” I said in irritation, “are you kidding me? That’s all that asshole is getting?” Normally I didn’t cuss at my father, but at this point I was beyond frustrated.

  A week ago, my father called to inform me of Robby’s release. He was to remain in Dallas County and report to the courthouse for his hearing at 9:00 a.m. today.

  Getting that news twenty minutes before a race pissed me the fuck off, but I didn’t want to worry Jen by telling her.

  “I don’t know how his lawyers managed it, but three out the five businesses that originally came forward pulled back. They decided to drop charges.” I could hear the rustling of papers on the other end of the line. “I’ve gone over it, Sean, and then gone over it again. There isn’t much more I can do.”

  “It’s all
bullshit,” I added, feeling even angrier knowing I was powerless.

  “I won’t disagree,” my father said.

  He and I were cut from the same cloth. The man understood when I reached this point that it was better to just listen as I talked. Even if I acted like a complete idiot and said things I’d never follow through with, I needed the release.

  “Have you told Jenny?” he asked, and I kicked at the tire of my truck.

  “No,” I said, “and I’m not going to. Not now, anyway.” I turned and looked up toward the house and found she and Landyn were still kicking around a ball he’d gotten yesterday on one of many trips we’d made to the toy store. “She thinks my irritation is all race-related.”

  I felt guilty for keeping this all bottled up, but the happiness in her and Landyn’s eyes made me feel like I was doing the right thing. “I don’t want her even thinking about any of this,” I confessed.

  “Sean, she—”

  “I know.” It wasn’t right, but that was what she needed right now. “For now it’s how it is. I’ll tell her if she asks, but not before.”

  I could almost see that displeased, argumentative look he got when he was trying all he could to hold back.

  “Are you and Mom still coming next week?” I asked, trying to alleviate the tension.

  “Yeah,” he said before clearing his throat. “You mom’s already packed and counting down the days.”

  I chuckled, because I knew well and good he wasn’t teasing in the slightest. I looked toward the house once more and watched as Jenny swooped Landyn up and spun him around as they both laughed. They had been so relaxed over the last couple weeks, and I didn’t want that to change. I’d promised not only her but myself I would give them both nothing but happiness.

  “Send me the flight information, and I’ll be sure to be there when you land.” I smiled at the two people that in no time at all had become my everything.

  “I sure will, son,” he said, and we ended the call.

  Six months. It wasn’t what I was hoping for, but it was six months of peace.

  Or so I hoped.

  We lay in bed, Jenny’s body sprawled on top of mine, relishing in the afterglow of, in my book, the best sex of my life.

  Explosive didn’t even begin to explain what had happened between the two of us. Inferno, though, I’d go with.

  I closed my eyes and focused on the soft brush of her fingertips as she traced over the tattoo that covered the right side of my chest and arm. I had never felt anything more soothing.

  But this was my soul mate touching me, so nothing about its effect should surprise me.

  I was so in love with the times when she and I were allowed to be as one, just lying together, simply listening to each other breathing.

  “I got a call earlier, from my attorney in Irving,” she whispered, and that bubble I had just been lost in burst.

  “What’d he have to say?’ I already knew this was about Robby, and I tried to keep my reaction neutral. I hated talking about that sorry sack of shit, but I didn’t want her to feel as if she had to filter anything from me. I was in this for the good and the bad, right?

  “He won’t willingly sign the divorce papers.”

  That didn’t surprise me. I already knew he wasn’t going to make this easy. I should feel bad for saying what I did to him, but I didn’t. Jenny was no longer his—hell, she never truly was.

  “And there’s more,” she said as she lifted her head to look up at me.

  I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like the “more.”

  “He’s trying to go after me for visitation rights.” Tears filled her eyes.

  My nostrils flared, and fuck me, heat rose in my neck. The man never gave two fucks about Landyn when they lived under the same damn roof, but now he suddenly cared?

  Jenny took the words right out of my head. “He doesn’t want Landyn,” she added, “he just wants to hurt me.”

  And me.

  “The first six years of Landyn’s life, he practically ignored him. And when he did pay attention, all he’d do was tell him to pick up his shit or to stop bugging him.”

  My strong girl tried to hide the pain that caused her, but I could see right through her. The idea of that sweet boy in the next room being tossed aside day after day as if his needs meant nothing infuriated me.

  “I just keep hoping he’ll back off and let us be,” she whispered. “But then I tell myself to stop being so delusional because Robby never does things the easy way. He’ll drag this out, smiling because he knows he’s getting to me and there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it.”

  “He won’t get visitation,” I declared.

  She smiled even though it was forced. “I love that you’re so confident,” she said. “But once he’s out of jail and back home, all he has to do is go after supervised visits. That’ll mean I have to go back to Irving on the set days.” She lowered her head to my chest and placed a soft kiss just over my heart before resting her cheek there. “I think we both know this is an attempt to separate us.”

  My stomach tightened and my heart lurched. “Woman, you’re crazy if you think you’re going back to Irving without me.”

  When she lifted her head again, I didn’t give her even a second to argue. “If you go back, I go back. If you’re ordered to live in Dallas County, well, then I move to Dallas County,” I said matter-of-factly.

  “Sean, you can’t—”

  I pressed my finger to her lips. “I can and I will,” I assured her. “Where you two go, I follow. One day I hope you come to understand just how much you both mean to me, and no one, including Robby, is ever coming between us again.”

  “This place is your home,” she said against my finger.

  “Oh baby,” I said, offering her a grin, “you just don’t get it.”

  She narrowed her eyes, giving me that confused and cute-as-fuck look of hers.

  “But that’s okay,’ I said, brushing back the hair that hung close to her face. “I’ll spend the rest of my life telling you day after day if I have to.”

  “Telling me what?”

  I rolled over, taking her with me and tucking her sweet body beneath mine. I leaned in and kissed her chin, then up along her jaw. She arched her back, and I grinned with satisfaction. She was all mine.

  I kissed up the side of her neck and paused just next to her ear. “My home is wherever you and my boy are,” I confessed before kissing her once again. “It’s not a city or a state, it’s all about you and him.”

  When I pulled back to look at her, her eyes were clouded with tears as her lower lip trembled.

  “I don’t think I deserve you,” she whispered, and fuck if that declaration didn’t hit me deep.

  “Hey,” I said, cupping her jaw. “Baby, you deserve so much more than I could ever give you. You’re my world, Jenny Girl.”

  Getting lost in the emotional roller coaster she and I had been on for so long was easy. I didn’t care if she saw my tears or my weakness. She was my everything, and I knew that meant she would never judge me.

  “You are so good to us,” she said, her voice vibrating uncontrollably. “It’s almost like I’m dreaming most days.”

  And I knew just what she meant because I felt it too.

  “I’ll always put the two of you first. Don’t ever think for a second that what we have will fade. I waited too long for you to ever let you go.”

  JENNY

  “ARE YOU SURE?” I asked as Sean practically dragged me toward the dock by my hand. I looked back over my shoulder and saw no signs of Landyn or his parents.

  “Yeah, baby,” he said, still tugging on my arm. “They’re fine. Mom and Dad bought him enough toys to keep him busy for days. All I’m asking for is a few hours.”

  A few hours alone on his boat at sunset did sound nice.

  “Okay,” I said, and he looked back at me with a satisfied grin. Like he actually thought I’d be able to keep him from kidnapping me. With each day he became more demanding,
and that was so not a bad thing. The man knew what he wanted, and he took it often.

  To my delight.

  He stopped at the edge of the dock as he held out his arm, then led me onto the boat. It seated six people with a little platform off the back for exiting and boarding.

  I moved toward the front as I watch him unhook the rope and toss it on board. When he looked over at me and caught me staring, I just shrugged, causing him to laugh.

  And because he’s a man who enjoys showing off for his girl, he lifted his shirt over his head and tossed it to the side. And, yes, that did make my heart beat just a little faster.

  “You ready to take a ride?” he asked as he looked back over his shoulder just before staring the boat.

  “Are you ready to take a ride?” I tossed his own question back to him with a little suggestive punch to one-up him. He gaze shifted to my legs, which I parted, giving him a view of my swimsuit hidden beneath my cover-up.

  When he looked back up, he smirked. “Oh, I’m ready,” he said with a gleam in his eyes. “You better hold on.”

  I laughed when he pushed the lever forward and the boat began to move.

  Every moment with Sean felt like a new adventure. We had fallen so easily back into our old ways as if we had never taken that time off. The fun, easygoing attitude felt good. The couple side of things had me worried, though, but I now found I had no reason to question it. We were so great together, and we were an amazing team.

  My hair whipped in the wind as we rode out to the center of the lake. I closed my eyes tilted my head back and just took it all in. The calm, the freedom I was afraid I’d never again feel after I lost Sean the first time.

  When the boat begin to slow, I opened my eyes and found Sean was watching me. His smile assured me he felt what I was feeling.

  Sometimes how in sync we were frightened me.

  “Have I told you lately how beautiful you are?”