Accepting His Home

by Ember Davis

  I can see Troy looking between Zeke and I from slightly behind Zeke’s shoulder; Troy’s eyes widen slightly. I’m not sure what he sees, but he clears his throat, “Walsh, man, you take my car and I’ll grab a ride with Dex when we’re done here.”

  “Yeah man,” Walsh sounds hesitant. “That sounds like a good plan.”

  I give myself a little shake and force myself to finally tear my eyes away from Zeke’s. I can feel the immediate loss and I hate it. I pack up my stuff and make sure that my station is clean even though I know it already is.

  Troy tosses Walsh his keys who gives us a nod before heading out the back of the shop to the little parking lot we have for employees. Over his shoulder he leaves us with, “See you fuckers at the bar.”

  Amelia laughs, “You know, I’m not sure if I’ve ever actually seen Walsh tattoo anyone.” Beckett barks out a laugh.

  Troy wags his eyebrows at Amelia, “You know he’ll be happy to put his ink on you any time. Remember, Doll?”

  Amelia scrunches up her nose and Zeke laughs. Damn, it’s so disarming when he does that. Amelia sasses, “How could I forget, Superman?”

  Troy chuckles and returns his attention back to his client. Amelia and Beckett put their heads together at his station. He mentioned something this week about Bailey, Walsh’s little sister and graphic design student, sending him some new logos for the shop. It looks like Amelia’s looking through them.

  Zeke comes into my station and right into my personal space. When he touches my shoulder, I have to suppress the groan that tries to escape my throat. Even with all the space and time we’ve given each other my body still lights up at his touch.

  He’s wearing a black short-sleeved Banks Ink. shirt today and even though he’s not overly muscled, it still pulls across his pecs in the most tantalizing way. It shows off the tattoos that flow up his arms. My eyes catch on the enticing way the octopus on one forearm wraps around him; it feels like it’s reaching out to me. He pulls a jacket on, thankfully, before I run my tongue along every tentacle.

  Zeke rasps, “You ready to head out, Livy?”

  I feel like I’m caught in his eyes when mine meet his. The way he said Livy, like it’s an endearment, wraps around my heart. It calms me and makes my pussy wet. I squeeze my thighs together and squirm slightly. Zeke’s grey eyes darken like a storm cloud on the horizon and he smirks. Damn. I pull myself together enough to bite my lip and nod.

  Zeke mutters under his breath; it comes out like a groan, “Fuck.”

  My eyes widen as he takes my hand and entwines our fingers. He leads me out the back door of the shop, but I don’t meet anyone’s gaze. I’m too afraid that they’ll see the glazed over desire that I have no hope of covering up.

  Zeke opens the passenger door of his car and deposits me in it. When I stare blankly ahead, he leans down and buckles me in. His smell envelopes me, cedar and citrus. The sound of the buckle engaging snaps me out of my daze. I turn my head toward him and I’m sure my eyes are round and wild.

  He whispers, “You okay, Olivia?”

  I nod slowly, “Yeah, Babe, I’m okay.” I feel my eyes grow even wider as I realize I just called him ‘babe’. What is wrong with me?

  I go to open my mouth to try and backtrack when Zeke cuts me off with a chuckle, “Good, little fairy.”

  I narrow my eyes at him and huff, “Are you making fun of me, Zeke?”

  Zeke brushes my hair back and tucks some strands behind my ear. His voice is low and husky, “No, I’m not making fun of you.” I purse my lips and he cups my cheek. I’m pretty sure I’m dreaming right now; that’s the only explanation that makes sense. I lean into his touch because if I’m dreaming, I might as well make the most of it. His eyes light up at my gesture. “I promise, little fairy, I’d never make fun of you.”

  I whisper, “Okay.”

  I watch his jaw clench and his lips set in a firm line. “You will stay close to me tonight, Liv. Don’t go up to the bar by yourself and only have a beer or two.”

  I arch my eyebrow and I’m about to sass him, but the look in his eyes make the words die on my tongue. It’s the same determination that was in Beckett’s eyes when Amelia wasn’t talking to him.

  Zeke’s voice is firm when he talks again; it makes my pussy clench. “I’m serious. I want to keep you safe.” His eyes are a hurricane of emotions and his voice is all gravel. “I will keep you safe.”

  I reach up and wrap my fingers around his forearm, “Okay, Zeke.”

  A slow smile spreads across his face and he kisses my forehead before he stands up and closes the door. He makes quick work of climbing in the driver’s side and heading toward the bar. When we arrive, Zeke comes around and opens the door for me. Why is that so fucking hot?

  He interlaces our fingers together and I send up a silent hope that my palms aren’t sweaty. I’m not sure how to process everything that’s happened this afternoon. What’s changed? What does this mean for Zeke and me? What if I push him for too much? Can I trust this new intimacy that he, suddenly, seems perfectly fine with?

  I shake off my questions as we enter the bar. I need to stay sharp because I know Amelia isn’t far behind us. Walsh is already at a table with Grayson and there are two beers waiting for us. Walsh’s eyes dart between our hands, still entwined, and our faces.

  I’m sure I have a glazed over and stunned look on my face. I have no hope of hiding it so I’m not even trying. A slow smile spreads across Walsh’s face and I can practically feel the effort it’s taking for him not to pump his fist in celebration.

  I narrow my eyes at Walsh. He takes a swig of his beer, probably in hopes of tamping down his excitement. Zeke gives my fingers a squeeze and chuckles. The amount of effort it’s taking Walsh to keep his glee and his questions in check is fucking adorable. Grayson is eyeing us also, but at least he’s able to cover it a little better.

  When we reach the table, Walsh nods towards the two other beers, “I figured you two would be along shortly.”

  Zeke gives him a nod, “Thanks, man.”

  Grayson leans toward us and pitches his voice low, “Blake and Ryder are already in position. Don’t worry about where they are.”

  Blake is a mountain of a man, close to 7 feet tall, so I can’t imagine he’s inconspicuous. Ryder’s fucking imposing as hell too, especially when he spikes his black faux hawk up which makes him seem taller than his 6’5” frame.

  We fall into a comfortable conversation about plans for the weekend and the local tattoo convention coming up. Zeke and I worked it last year and while we’ll be there for one of the days, this time around Troy and Walsh pulled the short straws. I love tattoo conventions, but I know they would rather avoid them. They seem especially put out about the whole thing since it falls on Halloween weekend this year. It’s been kind of fun watching them get all worked up about it.

  We haven’t had a gathering in a month, so we brainstorm about what we should do to rectify that situation. It’s Troy and Walsh’s turn to host. They’re lucky they live together since they always come up with elaborate shit and it takes two of them just to get it all ready.

  Since Bailey spent the summer at their house, while on break from school, they had three heads and sets of hands putting together the 4th of July celebration. It was epic. You’d think it would be a letdown that the only legal fireworks in Colorado must stay on the ground, but they made up for the lack of high-flying fireworks by going big with everything else. You had to be there. If you weren’t, it’s okay to feel bad about it; you should.

  Walsh wants to do a Halloween party, but with the convention that weekend there might not be enough time. He’d probably try and do an entire haunted house, but at the level you’d expect from one open to the public that people flock to. Yeah, they won’t have time for all that shit. Haunted houses aren’t my favorite thing, so I’m okay if we pass on that one.

  I keep getting the feeling that I’m being watched, but I brush it off knowing that Blake and Ryder are in the bar.
It feels different though. It’s malicious and imposing.

  CHAPTER 10

  OLIVIA

  We finish off the first round of beers and Walsh heads to the bar to grab another round. Grayson leans toward us and lets us know that Amelia and Beckett are on their way in. I look over to the front door and smile when I see them enter.

  I give Amelia a wave, wanting to make this as normal as possible even though it feels like tonight will change everything. Zeke squeezes my fingers like he’s telling me to get ready. When I meet his eyes, I can see the promise there to keep me safe.

  Amelia and Beckett make their way to our table and I can see the tension in Amelia’s eyes the closer she gets. Duncan comes in behind them a moment later and he stops at a table a few feet away from us. Beckett places Amelia right next to Grayson and they have a whispered conversation before Beckett makes eye contact with Grayson and then heads toward the bar.

  Amelia turns toward Zeke and I with a smile on her face, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. We chit chat about a few new movies coming out. It might seem trivial, but the number of requests our clients have for movie characters mean that we need to be on top of what’s going on in pop culture.

  Amelia and Grayson are excitedly talking about some action movie and Zeke gives her a surprised look. She huffs, “You think women don’t like movies where shit gets blown up, Zeke?” She gives him an annoyed look, but it’s clear that she’s mostly messing with him. “That’s sexist. I thought you were better than that.”

  Zeke laughs and it makes my heart flutter. He shakes his head, “No, I know women can like action movies, it’s just that you are pretty girly.” He eyes her up and down, “I bet you scream in horror movies.”

  Amelia scoffs, “I do not.” Her smile turns sly, “I don’t watch horror movies because I don’t like being scared like that.”

  I cock my head to the side and furrow my brow, “Then why did we watch like six episodes of Criminal Minds the last time we had girl’s night?”

  Amelia shrugs and grins, “I’m good with that kind of thing, but I don’t do blood and guts horror with jump scares and shit.” She shivers. “Nope.”

  I laugh and lean in conspiratorially, “I don’t really like horror movies either. Dark and spooky is a whole other thing.”

  Zeke leans over and kisses my temple, “That’s because they go against your nature, little fairy.”

  Amelia’s eyes light up and I see the first genuine smile that I’ve seen all night. She looks so torn, like she wants to jump up and down and shout out how excited she is, but she doesn’t want to make a huge deal out of it either.

  Beckett and Walsh save her from the dilemma when Beckett places a drink of front of her and Walsh places beers down in front of Zeke and me before he squeezes in between Amelia and Grayson. Grayson just laughs and moves over as Walsh hugs Amelia and picks her up. She so secretly loves it when they do that. It looks like she’s just having a coke tonight, which is kind of odd. Then I remember Zeke telling me to only have a beer or two and figure she just wants to be equipped to deal with any threat.

  Zeke must be reading my mind because he leans into me and whispers in my ear, “You’re going to drink that beer slowly like a good girl, aren’t you Livy?” He releases my hand and instead slides his hand across my back from the hip closest to him to the other, his fingers wrapping around my body and holding me firmly against him.

  I make a small squeaking sound of shock and desire. When I meet his eyes, he’s smirking at me and looking at me expectantly. I nod slowly and a slow grin spreads across his face. Fuck. He’s gorgeous.

  Beckett starts chatting with him and I’m sure I should be paying attention. Instead I’m in a daze and trying to process everything going on between Zeke and me. He seems so different tonight and I’m not entirely sure what to think about it.

  I get pulled out of musing over this new development by Troy and Dex showing up. Dex heads straight to the bar and Troy heads straight for Amelia. Troy wraps Amelia in a hug and then picks her up and spins her three times. The look on Beckett’s face is full of rage and a little fear. When Troy puts Amelia down Beckett glares at him, but he just throws his head back and laughs.

  I can see some of the tension fall away from Amelia. I’m not sure if it’s because we’re all basically here now or if it’s because Troy has a way of making the most awkward situations normal. Troy and Amelia have gotten close in the last six weeks. Troy sometimes lets his little head do more thinking than his big head and his sexual innuendos can be a little much, but he really is a great guy with a huge heart.

  Dex comes over and hands a beer to Troy. He bops Amelia on the nose which makes her roll her eyes before he squeezes Beckett’s shoulder and comes around the table to place himself between Grayson and me. Dex looks down at Zeke’s hand and then back up at me.

  Dex gives me a dazzling smile and I must still look a little dazed, I feel like I am. “You doing okay tonight, Liv?”

  I nod slowly but am saved from further answering by Beckett asking Dex about the consultation for a memorial tattoo he just finished. Zeke is a genius when it comes to black and white tattoos, but he doesn’t touch portraiture because that is Dex’s domain at Banks Ink.. Dex can make a portrait tattoo look good instead of out of proportion and creepy.

  We fall into the comfortable normal of being surrounded by our family enjoying a tradition that’s been in place since before I became a part of the crew. It’s comforting and it seems to bring us all back to normal. It’s been hard not having Beckett and Amelia with us the last three weeks, especially since we all knew why they weren’t out with us. I’m glad that she’s out tonight, even if there is a sense of foreboding.

  An hour later, not long after we grab another round of drinks, Andrea and Steve show up and by the look of it, they made a pit stop along the way for some sexy time. Amelia wags her eyebrows at Andrea who just sticks out her tongue. When Andrea turns toward me and gives me a bright smile, I watch her face morph into one of surprise as she notices Zeke’s arm around my waist. Zeke gives my hip a little squeeze and a huge smile spreads across my face; I couldn’t stop it if I wanted to.

  Andrea and Amelia share a knowing look and a relieved smile. Their relief makes me feel light because the worry in the back of my mind since the change in Zeke’s behavior tonight is that it will be fleeting. That tomorrow he’ll go right back to being cold and closed off and we’ll have to go back to keeping each other at a distance. I can’t go back, not now that I know the way it feels to have his fingers burning me with possession.

  It’s hard to keep up with the conversations around me tonight and I’m thankful that Zeke takes up my slack when I need him to. Jesus, could this really be my life? Is this how being with Zeke feels? I like it. No, I fucking love it and I love him.

  I may not be able to follow everything going on around the table, but I make sure to keep an eye on Amelia and our surroundings as best I can. When she leans into Beckett and tells him something, I see Beckett’s body stiffen; I know it’s not something he wants to hear.

  The interaction makes me stiffen in response and Zeke looks down at me with concern. I let my eyes roam around the bar, noting Duncan’s position and I see Ryder at the bar. I don’t crane my neck to find Blake or look at Ryder head on. I just want to be ready.

  Beckett gives Amelia a kiss before she gets Grayson’s attention and then gives a little nod toward the bathroom. Zeke’s grip tightens on my hip; he can feel it too. Grayson scans the crowd and then gives a little nod before walking around the table and throwing an arm around Amelia’s shoulders. Thankfully, the guys form Higgins Security fit right in or else the action would look incredibly fake.

  I watch out of the corner of my eye as Duncan leaves his table and follows Grayson and Amelia to the bathroom, but he leaves a little distance between them and scans the crowd for anyone watching. Grayson walks Amelia into the hallway that houses the bathrooms, a staff room, the manager’s office and a door that leads
to the parking lot out back. Duncan posts up outside the doorway, his eyes constantly moving around the bar looking for Amelia’s ex; Grayson joins him a few moments later.

  I take a deep breath and release it slowly, trying to center myself. Easier said than done. I watch Beckett head toward the bar and stand next to Ryder, but not acknowledge him. Jesus, it’s like we’ve stepped into a fucked up low rent, Americanized James Bond movie and I’m really not sure I know my lines.

  Zeke leans into me and whispers in my ear, “Relax, little fairy.”

  I quirk my eyebrow, “What’s with the nickname?”

  Zeke smirks and it’s sexy as fuck. “It fits you. You belong in a glade somewhere dancing amongst toadstools with other woodland nymphs.”

  I feel the heat in my cheeks rising and I know I’m blushing. Is that how he sees me? I bite my lip and go for deflection because I’m not sure how I feel about this version of Zeke in front of me. “That’s just because of the hair.”

  Zeke’s eyes turn serious and I think I stop breathing. “No, little fairy. It’s not just the hair. It’s you.” His fingers squeeze my hip and his eyes travel down my body and then back up. When he meets my gaze again, I can see the naked desire in his grey depths. “You understand, Livy?”

  I give him a shy smile and whisper, “I hope so.”

  Zeke opens his mouth to say something and all hell breaks loose around us. I’ve never seen a fight break out at this bar, ever; not in the two years I’ve been coming here. Tonight though? The night that’s supposed to go off without a hitch? Five fights break out in the bar at the same time and two of them are right next to our table.

  Before I can even react, Zeke pushes me behind Dex and Steve pulls Andrea away from one of the fights. Walsh is immediately in between two of the guys fighting, trying to diffuse the situation. Zeke does the same with the other two guys near us. Troy heads directly toward Beckett who is being pulled away from another fight by Ryder.

  Everyone in the bar has shocked as fuck looks on their faces. Even the doorman looks a little confused as he heads toward the bar and the fight that’s broken out in front of Blake. I grab Andrea’s hand and pull her next to me as Steve and Dex create a wall in front of us. It cuts off most of the space around us, but I can see the three guys fighting in front of the hall that leads to the bathroom. Duncan’s trying to break them up.