by A. M. Myers
The phone rings and I go back to the bedroom camera, waiting with bated breath and sure enough, a few seconds later, she appears at the bottom of the screen and walks out of the bedroom.
What the fuck?
When she gets to the dining room, she sets a piece of paper down on the table and I squint at the screen, trying to read it but it’s impossible.
“Hey, Theo,” she answers, leaning back against the wall. “Yeah, I’m doing all right. How are you?”
Putting the phone on speakerphone, she sets it on the dining room table and walks to the fridge.
“I’m fine, T. Same as always. But I’m worried about you,” Theo says, his voice barely audible and I turn the volume up on the tablet. Tate laughs.
“Why are you worried about me?”
“I don’t know. I just have this feeling.”
Tate walks back into the dining room with a glass of sweet tea in her hand and sits down at the table.
“Are you sure you’re not confusing worry with indigestion?”
“Tatum,” he growls and she laughs again. “I’m serious.”
“So am I, Theo. Everything is good here.” Her teeth sink into her bottom lip, which I’ve learned recently is a sure sign that she’s lying. She picks up the paper and stares at it for a second, worry on her face. I’ve got to see that damn note.
“Well, you do sound better.”
Dropping the paper to the table, she smiles. “That’s because I am.”
“Any particular reason?”
Her smile grows and I’m glued to the screen, my heart pounding in my chest.
“Yeah, actually. You remember the guy I told you about?”
He laughs. “The one you tased?”
Fucking perfect.
How many other people did she tell?
“That’s the one. He showed up at the door the other day and we’re giving things a real shot.”
“Whoa, this is huge, T.”
“I know but it feels so right.”
Shaking my head, I turn down the volume. I’d love to sit and listen to her tell her brother about me but I can’t stand the guilt eating away at me. Not when she sounds so happy because that’s all I want for her and I can’t brush away the sinking feeling that I’m going to ruin her.
Focusing back on the paper, I try to read it again but it’s just too damn small. I toss the tablet down and grab my phone, dialing Streak’s number.
“Streak’s Technical Support. How can I help you today?” he answers with a bored tone and I bark out a laugh.
“I need you to zoom in on one of these cameras, smartass.”
“Which one?”
I roll my eyes. “The one Tate is in. I need to see what that note on the table says.”
“On it,” he murmurs, the sound of typing filling the line and I grab the tablet, watching as it zooms in on the note but it’s too blurry to make out.
“Can you make that any clearer?”
“Nope, sorry. You’ll have to go inside to get a look at it.”
I sigh. “Okay, thanks.”
He hangs up and I lay my head on the headrest, staring up at Tate’s house and debating if I should go see her. It’s not that I don’t want to because I do, badly, but I hate lying to her. I’ve never been a dishonest person and these secrets are eating a hole through me each time I’m near her. Two days ago when I showed up on her doorstep, all I could think about was doing whatever it took to get her back and if I didn’t have to lie to her, I would be totally comfortable with being in a relationship for the first time in six years but this whole situation is complicated. We ended up spending the whole day together, watching old TV shows and her favorite movies. It was a cool way to learn all the little things about her that I’m dying to discover. Afterward, I made dinner for us and she was a totally different woman. She’s still quick to break my balls but she’s letting me in – in ways that she didn’t before – and there’s this sweetness to her that doesn’t feel fake like it did the night we officially met. Honestly, I’m addicted.
Our relationship is on shaky ground though and I’m the only one that knows it. One wrong move from me, one thoughtless comment could make this whole thing blow up in my face and it’s something that I can’t even imagine.
“There’s got to be a way out of this,” I whisper, my anger with Blaze growing. He’s gotten more irrational as the weeks have gone by and I’m at the end of my rope. Besides Streak, no one else in the club knows what I’m doing every day and if Tate ever finds out, she’ll kill me. Although, I’d rather be dead than watch her walk away from me.
The thought stuns me and I blow out a breath, the gravity of it crashing down on me. I’ve spent so long avoiding feelings of any kind and then here comes Tatum Carter, knocking me on my ass and swallowing me up in her orbit. It started with the photo but meeting her, getting to know her – it sealed my fate and I can’t walk away now. If this ship is going down, I’m going down with it.
“Shit,” I grumble, reaching for the door handle because I can’t stay out here any longer. Not with my girl only fifty feet away from me. Opening the door, I climb out and a car in the side mirror catches my attention. I spin around and as I shut the door, the same car from Valentine’s Day pulls away from the curb before flying past me. Adrenaline surges through my veins and I watch his taillights until he turns left, disappearing from my sight.
What the fuck is going on here?
“Lincoln?” Her sweet voice calls to me and I take a moment to just let it soak in. I don’t know how much longer I’ll get to keep her so every moment has to be cherished. Turning toward her house, I barely hold back a laugh as she crosses her arms over her chest and arches a brow.
So damn sassy.
“Hey, babe.”
“What the hell are you doing in the street?”
My mouth pops open and I realize that I have no excuse to give her. “Uh, this guy was just sitting in his car. I don’t know… it seemed weird.”
“Or maybe he was just looking up directions, you crazy man.”
It’s my turn to cross my arms and pin her with a stare. If she thinks for one second that I would ever let something go instead of investigating it, she’s lost her damn mind. I’ll never do that again.
“Or they were a creep and had no business being in this neighborhood.”
She rolls her eyes and turns back to the house before peeking over her shoulder. “Well, are you done searching for the boogeyman or do you want to stand out there and get hit by a car?”
“Are those my only two choices?”
“Yes,” she yells, turning back to face me and leaning against the railing of her porch.
“I guess I choose you then.”
Her smile is blinding and my heart skips a beat as I stare up at her. I can’t help but grin as I jog up her front walk and wrap my arms around her. God, I fucking love her attitude.
“Smart man,” she whispers, leaning in to me and I meet her halfway, claiming her lips in a kiss that ignites every cell in my body. Fuck, she’s everything. My poison and medicine, heaven and hell, fire and ice all rolled up into a body that was made to fit against mine. That’s the crux of it all. She was made especially for me and in the end, I’m going to destroy us both with my lies.
“Mmm,” she hums, pulling away from me with a dazed look in her amber eyes and I want to throw my fist in the air because I put that look on her face. The caveman in me wants to show the world that she’s my girl.
“You have plans today?” I ask and she blinks before meeting my eyes.
“Not exactly.”
I tilt my head and scowl. “What does that mean?”
“Um… I have a couple things I want to go do but you don’t have to go with me if you don’t want to.”
She tries to wiggle out of my grasp and I pull her closer, shooting her a look. “Babe, if you’re there then I want to be there.”
“You keep saying shit like that and I’m going to fall in love with you,�
� she whispers and my heart stalls as a smile stretches across my face.
“Sound like a fucking plan to me.”
We just stare at each other for a moment before she drops her gaze and shakes her head.
“All right, let me go get ready and then we can go.”
Reluctantly, I release her and watch as she heads toward the stairs. “Where are we going?”
“I want a tattoo,” she calls down to me and I arch a brow as I slowly approach the dining room table where the piece of paper from the video still sits.
“What are you gonna get?”
“I don’t know yet.”
Laughing, I grab the note and read through it once before scowling. It looks like lines from a script or something but I’ve never heard of it. I flip the paper over and find Tate’s name written on the front with a piece of tape folded over the edge. The floorboard above me creaks and I pull my phone out of my pocket and snap a picture to send off to Streak. If anyone can figure out what this means, it’s our boy genius. By the time Tate walks back into the room, the note is back on the table and I’m inspecting some of the photos on the wall.
“You look just like your mom,” I say.
“Yeah, people used to call me her mini-me.”
I point to the guy in the photo. “Is this your brother?”
“Yep, that’s Theo.”
“He doesn’t look anything like y’all.”
She walks up behind me and slips her hand in my back pocket as she stares at the photo. “I know. I always wondered if he looks just like our dad.”
“Do you want to find him?” I ask, wondering if that’s something Streak could do for me. She shrugs.
“I don’t know. I’ve always wanted to know who he is but I don’t know if I’d want to meet him. I mean, he’s had twenty-five years to give a damn about Theo and me so should I really bother worrying about him?”
I wrap my arm around her and pull her into my side, loving the feel of her next to me. “Maybe he doesn’t know about you.”
“That’s possible, too.” She pulls away and clears her throat. “You want some sweet tea or something?”
“Sure, baby.”
Turning, I watch her walk into the kitchen, the gentle sway of her hips conjuring up images of the two of us spending the whole day in bed. I respect her need to take things slow but damn, that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Especially not when I’ve been imagining what it will feel like to sink into her since the moment we first met.
She walks back out with two glasses of sweet tea and sets one down in front of me before trying to turn away but I grab her and deposit her in my lap. She scoffs.
“You know I have plenty of chairs, right?”
“But why waste one when you can just sit on my lap?” I ask and she laughs.
“They’re chairs. You can use them more than once.”
I shrug. “So? You’d still be all the way over there instead of right…here,” I whisper, trailing my hand up the bare skin of her thigh until I get to the hem of her shorts. Her eyes flutter closed and she releases a breath as she drops her head back, exposing the side of her neck. Leaning in, I press my lips against her skin and a soft moan slips past her lips and straight to my cock.
“Fuck, Tate,” I hiss and she wiggles her ass with a giggle.
“It’s your own damn fault.”
Growling, I wrap both arms around her and squeeze until she starts to squeal.
“Oh my God, let me go before you break me!”
Her words hit me straight in the chest and I turn away as I loosen my hold. “So, tattoo time, then?”
“Yes, please,” she says with a smile and I know it doesn’t matter how many times I have to lie to her because I’ll come back for that smile alone every single time.
* * * *
Streak:
It’s from the Merchant of Venice.
Me:
Shakespeare?
The buzz of the needle drowns out the other noise around us and I glance up, meeting Tate’s eyes as she smiles at me.
“Everything okay?”
I nod. “Yeah, sweetheart. Just club stuff.”
She nods and I get up from my seat to check out how her tattoo is coming along. When we first rolled up to From the Ashes Tattoos, the shop that Blaze’s son owns, she was insistent on getting one for her mom but she couldn’t decide what she wanted so she went with the letter “T” with a little two up in the corner for her and Theo. It’s actually pretty damn cute.
My phone buzzes again and I pull it out.
Streak:
Yep.
Me:
What the fuck does it mean?
The buzzing stops and I glance up as her artist, Kenny, grabs some paper towels and squirts it with soap before rubbing it over her ink.
“Hey, is Nix here today?” I ask and Kenny shakes his head.
“Naw, he took the day off to spend with his family.”
I nod and Tate turns to me as he pulls out the plastic wrap and covers her skin with it.
“Who is Nix?”
“Blaze’s son. This is his shop.”
“Follow me and I’ll get y’all checked out,” Kenny says and I help Tate off the table before slipping my arm around her waist and leading her up to the front.
“That will be one hundred.”
Releasing Tate, I grab my wallet but Tate snatches it out of my hand.
“I am perfectly capable of paying for my own tattoo,” she snaps and Kenny smirks as she hands him a wad of twenties.
“Thanks, guys,” Kenny says, laughing and I nod at him as we turn toward the door.
“Can I have my wallet back now?” I ask and she glares up at me.
“I don’t know. Are you going to try to pay for anything else?”
Chuckling, I open the door for her and guide her toward the car. “I feel like the correct answer here is no.”
“Then say it.”
“I can’t,” I answer with a laugh and she lets out a huff of annoyance.
“And to think Theo was worried you were going to use me to be your sugar mama.”
I bark out a laugh, stopping her on the sidewalk and turning her to face me. “What? Exactly how much money did your mom leave you?”
“Um,” she murmurs, biting her lip. “Almost half a million dollars.”
My eyes widen and I let out a low whistle as I start leading us to the car again. Well, there’s one more plot twist in this confusing story. When she said her mom left her money, I’d figured it was a few thousand not enough to buy a new house outright. My phone buzzes just as we reach the car and I pull it out as I open Tate’s door for her.
Streak:
Based on what it says and the fact that it was left for her…
I’d say someone is threatening her.
Me:
I’ll talk to you in twenty.
As soon as I drop Tate off at home, I’m going straight to the clubhouse to see what Streak knows and confront Blaze again. It’s time for all the secrets to end. I shut her door and jog around the hood before slipping behind the wheel and firing the engine to life.
“I’ve got to run to the clubhouse and deal with some shit. You just want me to take you home?” I ask and she nods as I pull away from the curb.
“Yes. Thanks for hanging out with me today.”
I grab her hand, lacing our fingers before I bring it to my lips and kiss her thumb. “Anytime, baby. You like your tattoo?”
“Yes,” she replies, her grin growing as she glances down at her forearm. “It’s perfect.”
I kiss her hand again. “I’m glad.”
She turns on the radio and changes the station until Smile by Uncle Kracker starts pouring out of the speakers. Grinning, she turns it up and turns to me as she sings along with the song, capturing my full attention. A grin splits my face as I watch her sing and just be silly, something that I get the feeling Tate doesn’t do all that often but it’s fucking adorable and in a moment, I realize that this
girl already owns my heart.
By the time we pull up in front of her house, she’s already belted out two more songs and I might as well go out and buy a ring today because I’m never walking away from her. I don’t care if she finds out everything and chops my balls off, I’ll still beg for her to take me back and I’ll spend every day of the rest of my life making it up to her.
“All right, I suppose I better let you go,” she says, pouting as she turns down the music and I laugh.
“What if I promise to come back later?”
Her face lights up. Man, I’d do anything to see that look on her face.
“Yeah?”
I nod.
“Okay, I suppose I’ll release you then but tell Blaze that if he doesn’t give you back, I have no problem going in guns blazing and stealing you myself.”
I laugh, reaching across the car and brushing my thumb over her cheek. “I’ll be sure to pass that message along.”
“Make sure he knows how scary I am, too,” she orders, looking anything but scary and I laugh again.
“You got it, Sweetheart.”
With a curt nod, she leans across the Camaro and I claim her lips, thrusting my hand into her hair and wishing I didn’t have to go. This is important, though. It’s time to end all the secrets and lies if she and I are ever going to have a real chance.
“Bye, baby,” she whispers against my lips and I smile.
“I’ll be back before you know it. Now, get inside.”
