Soul

by Audrey Carlan

  “I hope not for another seventy years. Now can we cuddle in bed with our wedding cake?” She licks her lips and it makes my dick twitch. I lean down and pull up my pants and hand her the giant piece.

  “That for us both?” She looks down at the large piece, her eyebrows come together.

  “Does it have to be?” her sweet grin is my undoing. I tip my head back and laugh then cut myself a large hunk of cake, refill our champagne glasses, and get back into bed with my wife.

  We spend an hour talking about nothing and everything, at the same time, eating cake, kissing, touching, enjoying one another.

  When night falls I make love to her to the sound of the ocean waves crashing against the cliffs. Then, I wrap her body and take her to our official bedroom within the house as it will get far too cold to sleep out here even wrapped around one another. She doesn’t move as I walk the lit path.

  Colin is waiting at the door holding it open.

  “Everything okay, Sir?”

  I look down at the most precious gift I’ve ever known. “Everything’s perfect, Colin. Thank you. I’m taking my wife to bed. We’ll be down late morning.”

  He closes the door, and I carry my cargo to our room then place her in the center of our bed. I unwrap her naked body like a present. I can see the imprints of my teeth along the plush surface of her breasts, the red rubbing along her thighs where my stubble grazed along her creamy flesh. She has told me before how she loves to see the marks from our lovemaking on her, and in this moment, I couldn’t agree more. They are only on the surface and given with extreme pleasure and adoration. Just like the streaks from her nails I feel marring my back, and the hickey she sucked into the indent at my hip. Her favorite spot.

  Slowly, I get her under the blankets. She sighs dreamily and whispers “Love, Chase,” in her sleep. I curve my naked body around hers from behind, push one of her legs forward so I can wedge my own between it, then curl my arm through hers and encase one of her large breasts. I squeeze and she moans. Even in sleep she wants me. Boggles the mind.

  “Today was the best day of my life,” I whisper into her ear.

  She hums and says, “Love, Chase.”

  I chuckle into her hair and close my eyes. With my wife locked into the safety of my arms, I can finally rest.

  Gillian

  “Where are we going?” Chase asks while holding my hand in the back of the limo.

  I smile and lean into his side. “You’ll see. I told you, it’s a surprise.”

  He brings my hand up to his lips and presses a kiss against the top then sets it down on his thigh. It takes about thirty minutes to get to our destination, and when we get out of the car, Chase looks at the sign and then back at me. Above a bright yellow Cash Express is a building marked Raven Tattoo Studio right in the heart of Cork Ireland.

  “Am I missing something? You want to send money to someone?” His dark hair blows in the breeze making my fingers itch to run through the strands. He lifts up his aviators and the blue of his eyes startles me, and I momentarily lose my train of thought.

  “Um, no actually, see the sign above, on the second floor?” I point at the white, red, and black logo in swirling letters.

  Chase takes a breath. “You’ve got to be kidding me?”

  I grin wide and tug on his hand. “Nope. Not at all.”

  “Baby, you don’t need to mark this pearly skin. I love it just the way it is.” He rubs his thumb over my bare shoulder. I wore a tank top so that it would be easy for what I have planned.

  Without responding I grip his hand and open the door, and walk up the stairs. A petite woman with purple spiked hair and more rings in her face than I thought would be possible greets us. If she didn’t have that jewelry hiding her features, she’d be a really beautiful woman. As it stands, she’s still pretty and probably a knockout to a man who likes that type of flare.

  “I have an appointment with Raven. My name is Gillian Davis,” I say matter-of-factly, and Chase grips me from behind nuzzling into my neck.

  “Love hearing your new name, baby. Makes me hard all over again,” he presses the sizable proof of his statement into the crack of my ass. I can feel the heat of his meaty length through my jeans and it makes me wet. I press back quickly, giving him a shove back so he’ll get the hint. He totally doesn’t get it.

  “Not now.” I warn and he chuckles as I scan the space to see if anyone can see what he’s doing.

  Jack has followed us into the tattoo parlor but not said a word. He looks out the window, scans the area, basically presenting a menacing front to anyone who dares look his way.

  A large hunk of a man enters from a back room. His hair is dark as night and curly, reminding me of Maria’s ebony waves. He’s tall, taller even than Chase and that’s flippin’ tall. Guy’s at least six foot four or five. His eyes are as black as his hair and shoot right through me. I shudder at the intense gaze. Within less than a second Chase is sliding an arm around my waist and claiming his woman in front of this god-like man. There’s muscle upon muscle visible through the thin cotton of his white t-shirt that would make any woman openly drool.

  “You Gillian?” The man asks with a grumble that reaches through my chest and spirals right down to curl my toes. Damn, this guy is crazy hot. Not as hot as my husband, but he’s a fine second.

  Chase steps forward. “This is Mrs. Davis.” He clarifies and holds out a hand. “I’m her husband.”

  “Raven,” he holds out a strong hand. A hand that is surprisingly free of any ink. Makes me wonder where all his tattoos are.

  “Well, apparently my wife made an appointment with you. Though I’m not sure why.”

  “What we talked about on the phone?” His eyes sparkle when he addresses me and I nod.

  Raven’s eyes go from Chase’s who are icy steel as he clutches my hip possessively and then grins. “I see. Hey man, if I had a wife who looked like her, I wouldn’t have been married and divorced twice already.”

  That bit of unwarranted personal information, however, did not make Chase loosen his grip. “Are you certain you want to go through with this?” Chase asks me.

  I nod quickly. “Can’t wait,” I bounce on my wedges and give him a luxurious kiss. He takes the opportunity to palm my ass, grinding his now softening erection into my pelvis. I push away. “Okay I’ll be back.”

  “Should only take twenty minutes, come on beautiful,” he gestures to me, and Chase positively growls.

  “I’m going with you.” His jaw is locked tight and the muscle I love so much is ticking away like a time bomb.

  I stop mid-stride and turn around on a toe, my hair flying behind me. “No! It’s my gift to you. I want to surprise you with it.” I catch his gaze with my pleading one.

  He speaks through clenched teeth. “Tell me you’re not taking off your pants or even unbuttoning a single button.”

  I cross my heart for his benefit. “I swear.”

  “And you’re keeping your shirt on.” His tone is a low warning.

  “Um, completely on, yes.” I smile and he groans.

  “Gillian, I will not have another man’s eyes or hands on my wife.” He grips my hips, fingers digging in. Usually this move would excite me. Now, it’s positively annoying.

  Taking both his cheeks in my hands, I lean very close. “Trust me.”

  He closes his eyes and takes a breath. “Jack,” he says on a growl. “Go with her.”

  I cringe and open my mouth to dispute it. He places two fingers over my mouth. “It’s my only compromise. Anything else, non-negotiable.”

  Grinding down on the back of my teeth I look into his blue eyes and see that they are pure white-hot fire. He’s not happy about this idea. I can only hope he’s happy with the end product. “Okay, deal.”

  He doesn’t even smile, just dips his chin tightly.

  “Come-on sweet cheeks, I’ve not got all day.”

  “Dude, do you have a death wish?” I ask, turning around looking at him but find that Jack has t
he man up against the wall his hand locked around Raven’s throat. “Jesus Christ let him go Jack!” I scream.

  Jack speaks directly into the man’s face, only a scant couple inches away. His voice is low and his tone deadly as his words lay out a true warning. “You do not speak of Mrs. Davis in that manner. You will respect her, and give her the tattoo she wants as quickly as possible so we may take our leave. You will be paid four times the price to keep your eyes on the design and not on her body. Got me?” He nods with the little space Jack allows between the vice grip he has on the man’s neck. “I’m glad we understand each other,” he lets Raven go and he slumps back against the wall. Jack readjusts his jacket clearly making the gun holster he wears visible to the artist. As suspected, Raven’s eyes widen, he adjusts himself to full height and gestures to the back.

  “Come on Mrs. Davis.”

  I walk back to the room and look over my shoulder. Chase is already pacing the floor, clearly mumbling to himself.

  “Go on and lie down on the table and show me where you want it. I’ve got everything ready,” Raven says.

  I lie down and pull up my tank top, folding the fabric over my breasts. You can probably see the bottom of my lace bra and that’s it. Jack looks at me and scowls. I point to my ribs just under my breast on the same side as my heart. Right here.”

  Raven places a piece of paper over that spot, and presses down then methodically removes it. He hands me a mirror. I hold it up and look down to see the transfer of the ink on my skin. “It’s perfect. Let’s do it.”

  He grabs a seat, and his tattoo needle and gets to work. The minute the needle touches down on my sensitive skin I brace, grit my teeth and wait for the moment the slight pinch of pain turns into euphoria. It doesn’t take long. I felt the same thing when I got my Trinity tattoo on my wrist with the girls. They all thought I’d be the wimp but it turns out, I barely flinched. The color actually hurt worse than the black outline but for this one, it’s all black.

  The buzzing lulls me into a hyper alert state. Raven is actually really professional. He’s focused one hundred percent on the design and not on my bare midriff or the lace and satin of my undergarment. At one point his black gaze lifts and he catches mine. “You good?”

  I nod. Jack hovers at the end of the bed watching every move Raven makes as if he’s my over-bearing father instead of a hired bodyguard. I can only imagine how Chase is doing out in the waiting area. The thought makes me chuckle and Raven’s eyes widen and his brows rise. “Something funny?”

  “I’m just thinking about how much my husband is freaking out right now.” I glance at Jack and he’s still wearing a frown only the corners tip up a bit like he’s forcing himself not to smile.

  Raven laughs. “Yeah, I’ve seen protective men but he takes the cake. Hiring you a bodyguard, he gestures over to Jack. You two got married yesterday?” he asks while digging deep into the portion that cuts across my rib. I wince momentarily and take a breath. “Okay?”

  “Yeah, thanks. We were supposed to get married a month ago but some unfortunate things got in the way. We eloped and got married at Gougane Barra Church, the little one by the lake. It was magical,” I think back to Chase spinning me around, my dress flowing in the breeze after we pledged our love to one another.

  “Gougane Barra Church?” He whistles. “That must have set him back quiet a penny. It’s a historical site now, I’m pretty sure they don’t usually allow people to marry in it.”

  I smile and flinch again at a particularly painful spot. “My husband is comfortable monetarily.”

  He glances at the bodyguard and then back and me with a grin. “I kind of gathered that.”

  “You two heading back to the States soon?” He asks making polite conversation.

  “I hope not. We bought a home in Bantry and plan to spend our honeymoon here for a while, then we’ll head back to San Francisco.”

  “Never been,” Raven shrugs.

  “To San Francisco?”

  He shakes his head. “Nah, to the States, though one day I hope to get around to it.”

  “You should. We have a lot of beauty in our lands too.”

  Raven wipes my skin with a cool cloth, it grates along the freshly tattooed area. He hands me the mirror again. I look down at my skin and see it’s exactly what I wanted. I just know Chase is going to love it, seeing his mark on me, knowing it’s for him. I can’t wait to show him! “I love it!”

  The artist wipes some type of gel on the wound and gives me the run down for keeping it clean and dry. I’ve heard it before.

  When we’re done, Chase jumps up from his seat and looks me all over. “Well? Where is it?”

  I turn my back from the men as Jack saddles up to the cash register to pay Raven. Slowly I watch Chase’s eyes as I lift my shirt, peel back the bandage and watch his eyes change color.

  He drops to his knees in front of me, his eyes glued to the tattoo. “That’s the most perfect wedding present you could have ever given me.”

  I smile wide and watch as he looks at the symbol I’ve permanently placed on my body for him.

  He traces the design over the clear plastic bandage with one finger, and I close my eyes.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Chase

  When Gillian lifted up her shirt earlier today and showed me the infinity symbol with the word love intertwined I about took her on the floor of that tattoo parlor. Knowing that she put that on her body permanently for me, giving me a gift that will last through the end of time…it makes me want to worship the ground she walks on. Good God, my wife makes me insane in all the right ways not excluding mentally, physically, and emotionally.

  After her kidnapping and my mother’s murder, I thought nothing could heal that wound, but having her near, officially with me, as my wife is stitching the very heart of me back together. Making me something that I wasn’t before, but somehow better. Gillian makes me want to be a better man. A good man, one she can be proud to call her husband.

  Husband.

  I’m someone’s husband. I shake my head and chuckle as we enter the Bantry home. Gillian turns looking over her shoulder, her hair a wild mess of red curls down her back, the smile she’s wearing so pretty it could light up a dark day.

  “What?” Her eyes are an intense green and swimming with curiosity.

  I shake my head and press her into the room with a light touch to her lower back. Colin approaches, a grim set to his features. “Colin, something the matter?” I ask.

  “I’m afraid there is, sir. Have you checked your cell phones?” I tap my pockets and shrug.

  “On my honeymoon, my good man, the phone is off.” I grin and pull Gillian into my arms, snuggling her from behind.

  Colin frowns. “I suggest you turn them on. There has been news from the States that I’m certain you’ll want to hear.”

  Jack enters with our bags from our shopping excursion after the tattoo parlor. Gillian and I wanted to add things to the Bantry home to make it our own. We found several knick-knacks and pieces of art to add to the already beautiful décor. It was important to her to choose these items together. She says they give the place a more lived in and loved feel to us each time we visit.

  “Colin, what is it?”

  He glances around the room. “Shall we go into a more private location?” he asks waiting for me to decide if I want him to speak in front of Gillian and Jack.

  “No need. Answer my question?” My tone is bordering on annoyed, which does not bode well for the evening I had planned with my lovely new wife.

  The frown he’s sporting deepens. “An Agent Brennen called from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Unfortunately, I have to be the bearer of some very unfortunate news. It seems two members of Mrs. Davis family have been harmed in a fire.” Colin holds his hands in front of him and bows his head respectfully.

  Gillian’s hand comes to her mouth. “What? Oh my God, who?” Her eyes instantly fill with terror.

  “The gentleman didn’t say, h
e just left the note to call.” Colin looks to Gillian. “I’m sorry, Ma’am.

  As Gillian’s hands start to shake, I can already hear Jack on the phone. “Brennen, Porter here. What’s happened?”

  Gillian sits on the couch and holds her hands near her face, her fingers clasped. She sits with her eyes closed and moves her lips. I sit next to her and hold her close as we wait to hear what Jack learns. “It’s going to be okay, baby. We’ll handle this together.” She starts rocking and her fingers whiten from the strain of holding them in such a firm grip.

  “We’ll be on the next plane out,” Jack growls into the phone. “You should have called me, Brennan. I understand. We’re on our way.”

  Jack comes over to the two of us sitting on the couch and sits down on the table directly in front of us. Gillian’s eyes are wide, filled with fear as she looks up to hear the news.

  He clears his throat before speaking. “Gillian, your two friends, Maria and Kathleen,” Gillian instantly lets out a sob at hearing their names. I pull her closer. “They were in a fire. The two of them were working late at the San Francisco Theatre when the blaze happened. Maria is being treated for wounds around her midsection and smoke inhalation. She’s going to be just fine. Absolutely okay.” The way he stresses how Maria is going to be okay and not Kathleen sends an icy river of fear down my spine. Gillian holds my hands tight.

  “And Kat?” her voice shakes as the tears over take her.

  Jack sucks in a breath and does something I’d never expect him to do in a million years. He reaches out a hand and clasps her knee. Her face crumbles and a sob escapes at the comforting gesture. “Kathleen is in serious condition. She sustained considerable burns over fifteen percent of her body as well as extreme exposure to smoke. That’s all we know at this time.

  “What happened?” I ask while attempting to comfort my wife.

  “It looks like arson. Someone set it up where Kathleen would die in the fire.” Gillian whimpers and I cut my eyes at Jack. His eyes narrow in response but he continues undeterred. “The only reason she didn’t is because Maria was ruthless. Once she got out of the front of the building she went around to the back and kicked at the small window near Kat’s office. The guard I had on her helped, and she entered the small space, pulled Kat out. But not without getting harmed herself. Her injuries however are surface whereas Kathleen…” He shakes his head. “I’m sure you want to get home right away. I’ll call for one of the planes.”