by Jess Bryant
“Mine. You’re mine and I’m never walking away from you again.”
She sought out his lips desperately. It was all tongues and teeth now as they both jolted through their climax. She felt him come inside of her, was only vaguely aware that they’d foregone a condom again, and didn’t care. It would always feel wrong putting that barrier between them when all of the others were finally gone.
She was on the pill. They were safe. And when the time came for them to talk about children, about making a family of their own, they would decide together to take that step. She wasn’t ready yet. She’d just gotten her Bomar boy and she wanted him all to herself for a while longer.
The kiss went on and on until they were collapsing together on the bed, all sweaty limbs tangled together. She ended up curled against his chest and when she tried to slip off of him to the bed, he only tightened his hold on her. She lay still, not wanting to risk hurting him.
“Colt, your ribs…”
“Are fine.” He finished as he stroked his hands over her back, “It’s my heart that hurts.”
She raised up enough to look at him, “What?”
“You didn’t say you loved me back.” He pouted. “I wanted to hear you say it while I was buried inside your sexy little body.”
She rolled her eyes, “I couldn’t say it. You knocked the air out of my lungs. But I do love you.”
“Mmm, I’ll have to demand it before I let you come next time.”
“Want to hear something kind of crazy?” She settled back against his chest with a smile.
“Always.”
“When you were giving me another hickey I was thinking how someday it might be cool if you marked me in a more permanent way.”
He sucked in a gulp of air, “A tattoo?”
“Uh huh.”
He moved so fast she was on her back with him sitting up over her before she could even complain. She started to chastise him for risking further injury but the look in his eyes stopped her. Pure love and adoration was there along with a good mix of awe.
“You really mean that? You’d want my name on your skin? Permanently?”
“Well I kinda hope to keep you around permanently… so yeah.” She bit her lip when his expression didn’t change, “I mean, Cash has Jemma’s name on his chest and I thought maybe you might do the same.” He didn’t budge and she harrumphed, “You don’t have to. It was just a thought.”
“Hey…” Colt tilted her chin back up when she tried to look away, “I want it. I just never let myself hope that you would too.”
“You do?”
“You’re already on my body, Sky. You know that. But if you want your name, you can have that too. You can have anything you want. Anything. Ask me for the world and I’m gonna do my damndest to get it for you.”
She softened at the emotional words, “I don’t want the world. I just want you.”
“You’ve got me and if you really want me forever, I’ll put my name on your skin tomorrow. Say the word and as much as I’ll hate leaving this bed we’ll go down to the shop and do it right fuckin’ now.”
A giggle escaped her, “We can’t do it right now. That’d be crazy. Besides, you’ll need time to draw it out.”
That patented Bomar smirk pulled at his lips, “Who says I don’t have it already drawn up and hidden away just like I did your garter drawing?”
She gasped, “You do not.”
“Mmm, maybe I have an entire notebook full of beautiful roses and other ideas I drew just for you.”
He pulled back a little and she shook her head in astonishment. He was serious. She could see it in his eyes. He had an entire book of tattoo ideas that he had drawn out specifically for her. And if her heart hadn’t already been his for a good long while, it would have been right then and there.
Which only left her with one question about her tattoos that she’d never had the courage to ask, “Why roses?”
“Hmm?” He was tracing the one on her shoulder distractedly.
“Why did you choose roses? Even that first drawing you did, the crown that I tore up, it had roses in the design. Why?”
“Because they fit you. Beautiful, strong, dangerous. I couldn’t get the sky blue color of your eyes just right no matter how many times I mixed it but that… if I couldn’t give Skylar Rose a rose I wouldn’t have been much of an artist.”
She grinned at the admission, “So you did know it was my middle name?”
“Of course I did.”
“How?”
“You might’ve ignored me for years after what Cash did to Jemma but you, my beautiful, sexy angel, are impossible to ignore.” He traced the tattoo again and sighed, “I wanted you, even back then, and knowing I didn’t deserve you didn’t mean I couldn’t keep an eye on you from a distance.”
Skylar gaped up at him. He’d wanted her that long? He’d kept tabs on her even before they were friends? Her heart ached a little more at every layer he peeled back with honesty. And though she hadn’t thought it was possible she fell in love with him even more.
“You do deserve me though.”
Colt sighed and collapsed to his back beside her in the bed, “No, I don’t but I’m going to try harder to be the kind of man that does. I promise.”
She bit her lip, hating that the pleasure of their afterglow was fading even if she knew they needed to talk about this and settle it once and for all. He’d apologized. He’d said he loved her. But he hadn’t said anything about the situation that had nearly torn them apart in the first place.
“Does that mean you’re not going to fix the deal I made with Lincoln?”
Colt was still beside her for a long time and she turned on her side and watched him. He was staring at the ceiling, one arm behind his head, the other still clutching her tightly. He might have looked relaxed to someone else but she knew better. His lips were thin when he shuddered out a rough breath.
“There’s nothing to fix.” He finally said, “It’s done and we can’t undo it even if I wanted to.”
“And do you still want to?”
Colt groaned, “Yes and no.”
“Care to explain?”
“I want to undo it because I never wanted you to get involved in my family bullshit. Everything I did, all the time I spent pushing you away, it was all designed to keep you safe from them. What was all of that for if you ended up making a deal with Lincoln anyways huh?”
With a little explanation, she understood what he meant. She got why he’d been so upset now. He’d wasted so much time keeping her at arm’s length in hopes of keeping the dark part of his life away from her and then she’d all but jumped in at the first chance. Looking at it from that perspective, all their time apart had been wasted.
“But then I think about what you gave up for me and why you did it, and I know that I can’t throw it back in your face.” His grip on her tightened, “That was a lot of money, Skylar. Money I might not have come up with in another year or two and you just wrote a check. It dinged my pride a little.”
“The money isn’t a big deal though…”
“It is to me and it always will be. Maybe because I’ve never had any. I don’t know. But it’s never gonna sit right with me that you basically bought me from Lincoln.”
She winced at that, “I didn’t buy you, Colt. I bought part of your business.”
“That’s logistics and you know it.”
She couldn’t argue that. Not really. Lincoln had used the money to force Colt to work and fight for him. Her money had freed him from that but in his mind, it only meant he had a new debtor that he owed. That dynamic would never work in their relationship.
“What if you think of it more as a loan?” She met his gaze when his brows furrowed, “You can pay me back as you get the money like you were doing with Lincoln or you can save up and buy me out all at once. I don’t want to own Fine Lines, Colt. I want you happy. I’d give you the paperwork to the shop right now if I thought it would make you happy but I know you
’re too stubborn to simply take it.”
“You can’t gift me my own damn shop.” He grumbled.
“Exactly, which is why you’re going to buy me out just as soon as you get the money but only with a couple of conditions. One, you do not go to your family for the money. You can save or you can go to the bank. I won’t take dirty money and I won’t let you go down that road again.”
He snorted, “Yes dear, anything else?”
“Don’t call me that. I’m being serious.” She resisted the urge to smack him in the shoulder since he was still injured, “And two, I’m a silent partner until that day happens. You act like I don’t even exist.”
“But the shop is partly yours. Don’t you want a say in what’s going on down there?”
“As long as it’s legal, no. It’s yours. I have my own business to worry about. You run Fine Lines and I’ll run Split Ends and other than a piece of paper that me, you and the rest of the family knows about, nobody else will even be the wiser that the property has changed ownership. It’s not like anyone else knew Lincoln was involved in the first place, right?”
“Yeah. Right. I guess.”
She breathed a sigh of relief, “So that’s it then? You agree that the money isn’t going to be an issue between us?”
“Yeah.”
“And you’re really done with the fighting and the side jobs with Lincoln? You’re out, Colt. That’s part of this deal. You said you wanted it but if you’re having second thoughts I need to know now. I can’t be one of those girlfriends that sits at home not knowing if you’re out there in danger or risking your life. I can’t end up like Nessa. I won’t. I’m sorry.”
“Hey.” He rose up on his shoulder again to look at her directly, “I’m out. I swear. I can’t promise that there won’t ever be nights when I step into the cage. Sometimes I need to hit things. Its part of the anger that bastard left in me. And I can’t promise that there won’t be any danger because I’ll always be a Bomar and people in this town have a tough time differentiating between us. But I can promise you that I will always come home to you.”
Her eyes watered, “Always?”
“And forever.” He kissed the track the lone tear that escaped made before pulling back, “I’m out and I’ll go tell Lincoln that first thing tomorrow. I don’t think he’ll be surprised by my answer. I heard he figured out just how amazing you are firsthand.”
“Oh… yeah… that. I guess you heard that I slapped him huh?”
“Yeah. I heard and damn, if I wasn’t so proud of you I’d put you over my knee and spank you. That was crazy. You know that right? Nobody hits Link and gets away with it.”
“I did.” She smirked. “In fact, I think he kind of likes me.”
Colt growled, “He better not.”
“Likes me as in respects me.” She rolled her eyes, “Not likes me as in wants me naked and in his bed.”
“Don’t ever mention my cousins and a bed ever again.”
“Oh come on, you know if I was thinking about crawling in bed with another Bomar boy it would be Ford, not Linc…” She screeched as Colt shifted on top of her and pinned her down, “Oh my God! I was kidding!”
“You’re gonna get Ford killed if you keep that up.”
“It was a joke, Colt. You’re the only Bomar boy I want.” She struggled against his grip and he released her easily so she framed his face and leaned up to kiss him, “You’re the only man I want.”
“Say it again.” He brushed his lips over hers and made her smile.
“I love you.”
“Thank you Skylar.”
“For what?” She tilted her head.
“For saving me when I couldn’t save myself. For being my angel. For loving me and protecting me.” He rolled over and pulled her close, hugging her tight, “You’re the only person that’s ever put me first.”
She snuggled in tight against him, “I’ll always protect you.”
“We’ll protect each other.”
“Now that sounds like a good deal. I guess that means I’ll go with you to talk to Lincoln tomorrow.”
He growled, “Not a chance.”
“Bet I can convince you.”
“You’re not going, Sky.”
She grinned and pulled herself up over him. He groaned when she straddled his hips. His eyes dilated and his hands immediately went to her breasts. She rocked against him and felt his erection grow.
Not going? Yeah right. This was going to be too easy.
“Love you.”
“Love you too angel but you’re still not going tomorrow.”
She grinned as she slid down his body, “We’ll see about that.”
Chapter Twenty
He couldn’t believe that he’d actually let her come along to this meeting and from the looks on his cousin’s faces, neither could they. No doubt he would get shit about being whipped from here to eternity over this. Not that he cared. He would happily spend the rest of his life wrapped around Skylar’s little finger and his cousins could go to hell.
That wasn’t why he hesitated.
He was having a tough time wrapping his head around Skylar being a part of this dark, dirty side of his life. He hadn’t just let her touch the darkness this time. He’d brought her straight to it.
He’d tried explaining to his cousin that he and Skylar had come to an agreement and there was no need for this meeting at all. When Lincoln insisted they have a sit down, he’d even tried convincing him to come to the apartment, going so far as to use his injuries as an excuse. But Lincoln hadn’t been swayed and in the end, he’d said they’d better be here, at the barn, on time, or they would regret it.
At that threat, he’d immediately started thinking of ways to keep Skylar away.
That was before he’d talked to his brothers. Plural, which was still strange to him. In one way or another, the person he’d always been most accountable to was Cash but Colt was still getting used to having Remy around too. They were all feeling their way through the rough spots and figuring out how they fit together as adults but there had never been any question that both his brothers had his back. They’d said they were coming to the meeting and that was final.
He hadn’t even bothered to argue with them. It would save him another fight with his girl if they went. Skylar being in Bomar territory, facing down his cousins, worried the hell out of him enough to take back the promise she’d coerced that she could go. But if he had Cash and Remy there to back him up in case things went sideways, he didn’t have to disappoint her.
Even still, her safety was his first priority and his brothers were under strict orders that if anything more than voices were raised, they were to get Skylar out first. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Lincoln. At this point, he did. He thought his cousin honestly had his best interests at heart. But he didn’t know exactly what he was walking into and he didn’t like that, not when it came to the Bomars.
He’d been tense all day but walking into the barn made his every muscle bunch with the expectation of a fight. It wasn’t a regular barn. What use the Bomars could ever have had for a barn, he didn’t know, but for as long as he’d been alive it had been a hub of underground action.
Sometimes it was storage. Sometimes, like now, it was simply a meeting place. But most of the time, it was Abel’s version of a fight club.
Just looking at it now, it was impossible to see it. The cage was gone. The dirt floor was freshly swept to get rid of the hundreds of footprints from the weekend crowd. To the naked eye it only looked like a well-maintained but otherwise unused barn. That was the point. Even if the cops did get word of Abel’s extensive gambling ring, they’d never think to look here.
But everywhere Colt looked he saw his violent past. He saw himself throwing punches and breaking bones. He saw himself grinning and holding his arms up in the air after a victory. He saw himself bruised and bloody on the ground as the crowd cheered and jeered. And his fists automatically balled the moment he stepped through the doorway
.
“Hey.” A soft, familiar voice pulled him back from the darkness that threatened to overwhelm him, “You okay?”
“Yeah. I’m fine.” He loosened his fists so he could take Skylar’s hand and kissed it gently, “Stay close okay?”
“I’m not leaving your side.” She squeezed his hand and then nodded, “Let’s get this over with.”
Colt glanced over her head at his brothers. They’d flanked him coming in, one of them on either side. Remy’s jaw was tense and his eyes kept scanning the perimeter. Cash looked tense too but he met his twin’s eyes and nodded slightly. Cash understood what he had asked better than Remy could. His twin had threatened to lock Jemma up when she asked if she could come too. In the end, she’d agreed to stay behind but Cash knew all about wanting to protect the woman he loved. He’d get Skylar out if things went bad.
“Yeah, let’s go.” He kept her hand as he headed deeper into the barn.
His brothers followed in silence. They didn’t have to go far. His cousins were waiting for them in the middle of the bar in a loose semi-circle. He’d known Lincoln would be there. He’d even expected Abel would be part of the meeting since it was happening in his territory. But when he saw both Ford and Noah standing respectfully just behind their older brothers, he almost stopped walking.
They’d each brought their second in command. Backup. This was more serious than he’d thought. Apparently he wasn’t the only one expecting a fight.
Skylar squeezed his hand and he caught her smirk when she greeted them all, “Lincoln. Abel. Nice to see you again Noah. And Ford… it’s a pleasure.”
Colt growled and jerked her into his side, “Really?”
“What? I was just saying hi.”
His jaw clenched when she grinned up at him innocently. If there was anything he’d learned about his angel in the past few weeks, it was that she was nowhere near as innocent as she looked. She knew exactly what she was doing greeting his cousins like that. No, not his cousins, just Ford.
He growled, “Don’t even think about it.”
“What?”
“You’re trying to provoke me and now isn’t the time. You’re not going to touch him.”