by Leia Shaw
“I miss him too, Scarlet.”
“I know.” The miserable tears started in earnest and she grabbed the corner of the bedsheet and wiped her face with it. “I just miss him and I’m drunk and I’ve been thinking about the two of you all day. Did you know that when you’re not here no one would care if I died?”
“Now that’s not true. Your mom cares.”
“She has to love me, I’m her daughter. It doesn’t count.” She wished there was more alcohol in the house. “Do you think he would have stayed if I was prettier? I’m sorry I’m not pretty and that he left because of me. I ruin everything.” The tears running down her face and into her neck were making her itchy and she ran a hand over the moisture in annoyance.
“Oh my god, Scarlet! Cut it out. He left because he’s in love with Ivy and he wants to try to have a relationship with her.”
“Then I wish I was her and you were you and you loved Ivy-me and he’d stay with us.”
“Don’t say that, Scarlet! You’re breaking my heart. This has nothing to do with how you look. You’re gorgeous! I wish I could be there to hug you.”
“I’m not very personable. Maybe that’s it.”
She grunted. “Now I wish I was there to smack you! You’re a sad, sad drunk.”
“If you were here I wouldn’t be drunk and sad.” Scarlet pouted.
Reece snorted. “I have to be here for work, dork, otherwise I’d be home.”
Scarlet’s Domme instincts sat up and took notice. “You don’t call your master a dork, little kitty.”
“If my Domme wasn’t slurring and looking at me cross-eyed, maybe I’d be worried she’d remember to punish me when I got home. And you’re not my master. I’m not a slave or a puppy.”
“I’m going to put a bell on your collar...and buy you a butt plug tail.” It seemed to take forever to get all of her words to come out.
“Knock yourself out. If you remember, I might even allow it.”
Teasing her about this stuff wasn’t even as much fun if Malachi wasn’t around to tease her too. She heaved a big sigh and frowned. “I should text him.”
“Drunk texting him is probably a bad idea.”
She chewed at her lip. It felt funny. “Maybe if I explained that we love him he would come back to our den of...of...sex and cuddling. And talking about dumb shit.”
“Oh, sweetheart!” Reece’s face got close to the screen and Scarlet reached out and traced the line of her jaw. “It’s too late for that. He’s playing house with Ivy now. We have to give him his space. From all accounts, she’s a nice girl. Sabrina told me she’s done some crazy things to help out her and Q over the years.”
“We love him more. He belongs with us.” Scarlet stared her down sullenly, and eventually Reece’s big brown eyes teared up too.
“When I come home in a few days we’ll talk about this. Maybe we’ll go check on him. Casual. No pressure. If Ivy isn’t treating him well, we’ll kick her butt.”
“You want him back, too. I know you do.”
“I do, but he chose her.” Reece dabbed at her eyes. “We have to move on, if he’s happy. Now stop trying to ruin my make-up. I have to go to work.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’ve been moping around here, too. I just didn’t want you to be upset that I was upset he was gone. It’s not that you’re not enough for me. I just miss him.”
Relief flooded through Scarlet and she smiled weakly at Reece. “I’m glad you think what’s in my head.”
Reece chuckled. “Yes, I understand you, even if you’re drunk and babbling. Now show me your feet, silly Domme, and then go sleep it off.”
She did as she was told and Reece agreed that she didn’t need to go to the hospital. They did their goodnight ritual then logged off.
Bone tiredness sucked at her. She wrapped blankets around herself, burrowing into Reece’s side of the bed and wishing the smell of her lotion wasn’t fading from their sheets. She’d never tell her that she sometimes took out the bottle and opened it, just so things were better in her world.
She pulled the blankets tighter, but they were a poor substitute for big tattooed arms. One hand slipped up over her shoulder and she ran her fingertips over the artwork he’d left on her. At least she had something of him to keep.
***
He wasn’t answering his phone. Deciding it would look better if they were nonchalant, they got to Ink Haven at eleven thirty instead of right at eleven, when it opened. Screwing up his relationship with Ivy wasn’t part of the plan, of course. They’d be good. They were just checking on him. But if he was unhappy...
Winter was sitting on the bench out front when they pulled up, the door to Cross’s store propped open, Scarlet assumed, to catch the breeze.
“No air-conditioning in there?” Scarlet smiled.
Winter gave no indication that she recognized them. “Waiting for the repair guy. It’s not bad in there, with the breeze though.” She got to her feet, coffee in hand.
“We’re not customers. We’re friends of Malachi’s. We’re just going to Ink Haven to see if he’s there.”
She frowned at them thoughtfully. “I think we met a while back, didn’t we? Sorry. I’m bad with normal people. You all look kind of the same me.” She winced. “Yeah, that came out wrong.”
Reece laughed out loud. “That’s okay. No offense taken.”
“Mal’s not here,” she informed them. “He took off with Cross, Gemma, and Izzy early this morning.”
Not Ivy? Scarlet was pleased for a moment then felt like a bitch. It was mean to hope that their relationship had fallen apart already. He really loved her. Besides, maybe she was working or something, and just couldn’t go – or maybe they were picking her up.
“Do you know where they went?” Reece asked. How did she manage to ask that without it seeming creepy and stalkerish? She was good.
“They were going to Terror Canyon on the other side of Felix. You know it?” Now she was eyeing them speculatively.
“Yes, the amusement park. Thanks.” Reece smiled brightly.
The white-haired girl’s gaze slid over the two of them, in turn. “You’re Reece and Scarlet, aren’t you?”
“Yes. Why?” Had she suddenly remembered their names, or was there something else?
“Just a guess. I’ve heard the guys talking about you. The only other person that would be looking for Malachi if they weren’t interested in a tattoo, is Ivy. But Ivy, I already know.” When she saw their surprised expressions, she smirked. “The kink world in Cobalt Harbor is small and rumors spread fast. There are bets.”
Bets? “Thanks for the heads-up.”
Winter nodded once and walked into the store.
“Friendly little thing, isn’t she?” Reece laughed as they shut the doors of the truck.
“She thinks you’re hot.”
“She does not!”
“Believe me, I can tell when someone is admiring my property.”
Reece gasped in indignation and slapped her arm. Scarlet pulled her sideways on the bench seat until she had a target, swatted her ass a few times, and then let her go. She scrambled to sit up, her cheeks flaming. A quick glance around the street reassured her that no one had seen anything. There were a few people farther off, but no one close enough to catch them.
“Jeez, Scarlet. I never know when it’s safe to goof around with you anymore. Your kink is sneaking out of the bedroom.”
“The feeling never really leaves, kitten. It’s always there, although sometimes it’s buried under the day-to-day crap. You’re mine, and I’ll do what I want with you. If you have limits, tell me. If you don’t tell me you have limits, I’ll do what I want.” Scarlet pulled the truck away from the curb and made a U-turn back to the highway.
“I don’t know what all of my limits are,” Reece said after a few moments of quiet. “I wouldn’t want you to spank me in front of other people. Malachi was okay, but not other people.”
“Fair enough. Do you have a
problem with me owning you and doing what I want?”
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Reece shiver. “No, I like it. A lot,” she whispered, as though people might overhear.
“You like it when I make you do things?”
“Yes, Scarlet,” she admitted. Her voice was small, and it made heat shoot straight to Scarlet’s groin. Damn. The girl could turn her on way too easily.
They rode in silence for a few minutes. Scarlet wondered if Reece was fantasizing about being forced, because that was where her mind had gone. “So what’s the plan? Are we going to pretend we just bumped into him? This is pretty stalkerish. Plus we’re interrupting his time with his friends. It’s also a big park. Do you think we’ll even find him?”
Reece pressed her lips together. “Just follow the gawking girls. Between Malachi and Cross, they’ll probably have a throng of groupies.”
“I don’t know. Cross is freaky scary-looking. It might keep Malachi safe from the evil groupie women.”
“I’ll believe that when I see it.” Reece fiddled with the mp3 player and some radio-type music filled the truck cab. Radio music wasn’t generally her thing, but now it made her think of Reece.
“Quit with the faces. We can’t listen to your indie band stuff all the time. I don’t know the words.” She burst into song, the only words catching Scarlet’s attention had something to do with moves like Jagger.
Ages later, glimpses of Felix flashed past. Scarlet kept trying to push back the feeling of foreboding that kept sneaking up on her. They weren’t rescuing him. They were following him. She hoped it didn’t tick him off.
The parking lot at Terror Canyon was packed. They paid to park then walked to the ticket line.
“Well, if worse comes to worse and he’s mad we came, we can avoid them and go on some rides. Once we’ve paid, we might as well have fun.” Reece shrugged.
Reece had never struck her as a ride enthusiast. “Sure, if you want.”
When they went through the gates, the look on Reece’s face said it all. She was like a kid...at an amusement park. At the very first roller coaster, Reece grabbed Scarlet’s arm and dragged her to the line. The girl never ceased to surprise her.
“Come on, please? We’ll find them right after this. I haven’t been on a ride since I was twelve.”
Her exuberance was impossible to resist. While they waited, Reece stood very close and held her hand, but squashing their clasped hands between them so fewer people would notice. A PDA? She must have been feeling brave.
By the third roller coaster, Reece was boldly dragging her around by the hand, not bothering to hide it. Scarlet had noticed several same-sex teenaged couples around, showing affection, and no one was looking at them oddly. Most of the people at the park were ten years younger than them, or were there with their kids. What a difference one generation made when it came to openness and acceptance.
Trouble didn’t find them until they were in line for the fifth ride.
“Are you two lesbians? Because I’m a lesbian too.” A man’s voice came from behind them. It wasn’t loud, so she’d barely heard him.
Just when she’d hoped they’d avoid this type of thing today. She pretended she hadn’t heard, but Reece gripped her hand more tightly. When guys got like this it scared the fuck out of Reece, which was why they pretended they were just friends in public. It made Scarlet want to kick some ass, but she worked hard at ignoring him so she didn’t upset Reece by causing a scene.
They managed to get through the line without him saying anything else, and when they got onto the ride, Scarlet caught a quick glimpse of the ball-cap wearing dork. He winked at her. At least he hadn’t been too persistent.
When that ride was done, they crossed to a different part of the park, hoping to avoid him. On the walk Reece’s spirits lifted again.
They lined up for the next ride she chose, deciding they’d grab some burgers afterward. Well, Scarlet would have a burger. Reece would have something bunnies would approve of.
“Fancy meeting you two here,” a man’s voice came from behind them.
Seriously? He’d followed them across the park? Enough was enough. Scarlet rounded on the guy, ready to give him a piece of her mind then froze.
Malachi grinned down at her. Her mouth went dry. He was standing close, his head tipped to look down at her. One of his earrings caught the sun and flashed, but it was dull compared to his smile. It took all of her self-control not to stand on her toes and kiss his beautiful mouth. How had she not recognized his voice?
“This is weird,” he said. “I swear I didn’t know you two were going to be here today. Cross invited me at the last minute.”
His excuses made him sound guilty, even though she knew he was innocent. Was he feeling awkward because he cared about them past friendship? Or was that hoping for too much? If he did, it wouldn’t matter – not if he and Ivy were making it work.
When Scarlet looked to Reece for help, she found her staring down at her cute sandals and blushing. No help there.
“We actually came here looking for you,” Scarlet explained. “Winter told us where you were when we went to your shop.” She looked at Reece, whose eyes were apparently glued to the ground.
They all shuffled forward with the line.
“Looking for me? Why?” Was he surprised? It was better than angry.
She sighed. Might as well come clean. “Fuck, Mal. You hung out with us for ages and became part of our life, and then you went back to your ex and never even called us again. It was like you disappeared. We just wanted to check on you to see how you were doing. It’s what friends do.” She watched him, but his expression was impossible to read. “We had to make sure she hadn’t gone crazy and chained you in the basement or something.”
He laughed. “You two, more than anyone, should know that’s not my role.”
Reece finally looked up at him. “She forgot to mention that we miss you.”
Malachi’s blue eyes widened and he looked almost panicked. He stepped out of the line and gestured for them to follow. He found a bench in the shade and sat down. They joined him. “I started thinking I was ruining your relationship, even by staying friends with you. You’d learned everything I could possibly teach you about being a Domme, Scarlet. I was in the way. I’m just trying to do what’s best.”
Fuck, she was a shithead. “You weren’t ruining our relationship, you were part of it. I know things were supposed to be temporary, but it really hurt when you left.” A lump formed in her throat. Stupid emotions. “We didn’t know how bad it would hurt until you were gone. We shouldn’t have strung you along like that, making you wait and wonder how we felt. It was selfish.”
He stared at them then shut his eyes.
“I’m sorry. It was stupid to come here. Just pretend you didn’t see us today. I’m glad things are working out well between you and Ivy. You deserve to be happy.”
She shouldn’t have brought Ivy up, but she had to know.
“Ivy didn’t even get to the point of setting foot in my house and we knew it wasn’t going to work. It was obvious that neither of us could change enough to suit the other. I’m not extreme enough for her. What she wants, I don’t even think Cross could give her. I can’t micromanage a person. Fuck, I can barely remember to feed my chickens. Besides, I didn’t love her anymore. I found her sitting on my doorstep the first day, and that’s as far as we got. I was her back-up Dom, at most.” He ran his fingers through his hair in agitation.
“I’m sorry, Mal. That’s awful.” Reece made a move as if to hug him then stopped herself and patted his hand instead.
He half smiled. “At least it wasn’t all one way this time. She’s not what I want. I just kept thinking I was throwing away what I really wanted.”
“Which is?” Reece asked hopefully.
Malachi rolled his eyes. “I want my Call of Duty buddies back. I just didn’t want to be a selfish bastard and wreck your life.”
“So you want to be friends with
us again?”
“No, Reece. I don’t think I can handle just being friends with you two again. If the three of us are going to be together, it’s going to be for real, not just a weird unspoken thing like we had before. Friends with benefits was fun for a while, but I have other needs that I refuse to ignore. I need affection. Attachment. A chance for permanence. If we’re going to be together, I won’t accept less than an equal share in the relationship.” When the words stopped coming he looked surprised with himself.
“You’ve been thinking about this,” Scarlet observed. She was trying to play it cool, but her inner Julie Andrews was twirling in a mountain meadow and about to burst into song.
“Shit. I haven’t stopped thinking about the two of you.” He smiled and rubbed a hand over his face. “It’s been driving me crazy. Do you have any idea what it’s like to have the former girl of your dreams in your evil clutches, then suddenly realizing she isn’t what you want anymore? It’s awkward – damn awkward. It’s you two that I want.” His voice had gotten loud and he looked around to make sure he wasn’t making a scene. “Anyway, that’s what I need. I’m not sure if you can handle that, or if you even want me back. Maybe I was just an entertaining diversion to you. I could never tell.”
That last bit was pain talking. How could she have been so unintentionally cruel? She’d thought her feelings were clear to him, but she was so busy trying to sort out how Reece felt and tiptoeing around her that she hadn’t really given much thought to Malachi’s feelings.
Reece started to cry. “It wasn’t all our fault, either, you know. You kept saying you were leaving, and then you did without even talking to us first. Do you think I’d let just any guy do what you’ve done to me? You took me apart and tinkered with me then walked away when you had me figured out. I felt like I was your college psych project!”
His brow creased and he shifted to face her. “That was never my intention, kitten. I thought I was in the way, so I left. That’s all. It was so hard to leave. I was trying to do the right thing.”