She would get through this. She would endure. She’d survived a lot worse in her life. She would survive this, too, because she wasn’t prepared to pay the price of failure.
Eddie was her rock. She wouldn’t do anything to endanger that. End of story.
Her gaze found Eddie as he emerged from the utility room, two beers in hand. He made his way back to her, exchanging a few comments with other partygoers along the way. She watched him and hoped that the emotions rocketing through her didn’t show on her face even though she felt like friggin’ ET, she was so lit up inside because she would spend the next few hours shooting the shit with him and drinking beer.
“No Peroni left, so I got you a Stella,” he said as he approached her, holding out an ice-slicked bottle.
She took it and twisted the top off and chugged down cold. malty alcohol. Then she wiped the back of her hand over her mouth and launched into her next verbal assault on her best friend.
Two days later, Blue stepped out of a taxi in front of Brothers Ink and paused on the sidewalk to contemplate the building. Situated on a corner, its grand Victorian Gothic facade was painted a deep charcoal grey, and the black and white Brothers Ink logo popped against the dark background.
She had mixed feelings about returning to work. On one hand, it meant she could get back to doing what she loved, what she was good at. On the other, it meant she would see Eddie every day, which was both heaven and hell.
She tucked her single crutch under her arm but barely had a chance to take her first step before the man at the forefront of her mind barreled out the door and down the steps.
“What the fuck? Why are you in a taxi?” Eddie asked, clearly annoyed.
He wore a pair of black chinos and a dark grey Henley, the soft fabric draping beautifully over his flat belly, his too-long hair swept off his forehead.
“Because I can’t drive yet.”
“You should have called. I could have easily swung by your place on the way in.”
“Taxis are easier,” she said.
Eddie’s frown deepened. He waited at her elbow as she mounted the three steps to the door, then held the door for her. Steffi and Hans sent up a little cheer as she entered the brightly lit reception area. The air smelled of glass cleaner, and Blue guessed they’d been wiping the fingerprint smears off the cases that displayed the studio’s range of body jewelry. Backlit images of various tattooed body parts decorated the walls, the colorful artwork dominating the monochrome space in the best possible way.
“Welcome back,” Steffi said, coming forward to kiss her cheek.
“Eddie has given us full instructions,” Hans said, a big smile on his face. “We are officially your bitches until you’re off your crutch. Anything, you need, you let us know, okay?”
He handed her what looked like a kid’s walkie-talkie handset. Blue peered at it a little more closely and realized that’s exactly what it was.
“What’s this for?” she asked blankly.
“So you can call us if you need anything. And I mean anything — glass of water, coffee, see a client out, whatever. Like I said, we’re your bitches,” Hans said.
Blue looked at Eddie. “This is awesome, but I don’t need you guys bending yourselves out of shape for me.”
She tried to hand over the walkie-talkie, but Eddie refused to take it.
“Accept the help like a smart person, Sullivan,” he said.
“We’ve put you in workroom six for the rest of the week,” Steffi explained. “That way you won’t have far to go to the loo and the staff room.”
“Guys, seriously. I don’t need special treatment,” Blue said.
Hans pressed the button on his handset and lifted it to his lips.
“Eddie is the boss. Sorry, sweetie,” he said, the slight delay on the walkie-talkie creating a crackly echo.
Blue looked at Eddie, but he shrugged.
“Someone has to be smart, since you’re determined to be stubborn and stupid,” he said.
“Wow, it’s so nice being back. I’ve missed you guys,” Blue said dryly.
“You want a coffee while you set up for your first client?” Eddie asked.
“I suppose if I say I want a doughnut to go with it, you’ll rush out and get one of those, too?”
“Whatever you want,” he said simply. His gaze held hers, unwavering.
He was being so freaking noble, she couldn’t resist testing him.
“So if I said I had a hankering to own a tropical island…?”
His mouth curled at the corners. “Within reason.”
“What if I wanted you to hop on one leg while rubbing your stomach and patting your head…?”
Eddie studied her for a long beat. Then he lifted one leg and started hopping. It took him a couple of seconds to work out the circling-hand-on-stomach versus patting-hand-on-head thing, but finally he mastered it.
“Hey, kudos to you, man,” Hans said, offering him a high five when Eddie was done. “That is some hard shit to pull off.”
Eddie raised his eyebrows, waiting for her response.
“You’re really going to do this?” she asked.
“I am.”
The expression on his face was so certain, so warm, she had to look away.
“Okay, all right. I know when I’m outnumbered,” she said.
Hans glanced at Steffi. “You were totally right. Good call, man.”
Blue narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “What was she right about?”
“She said you’d hate us fussing over you, but that you’d give in in the end,” Hans said.
“What I actually said was that you’d suck it up, because Eddie would make you,” Steffi corrected him. “If you’re going to drop me in it with Blue, make sure you get it right.”
Hans and Eddie laughed. Blue wasn’t sure she liked the implication that Eddie could make her suck something up even if she didn’t want to. It felt a little too close to the bone.
“No, no. Don’t start thinking about it.” Eddie’s hand landed on her shoulder, encouraging her to head toward the business end of the building. “We just got to a happy place where you were going to play nice.”
“You are so pushing your luck right now. Just so you know that,” she said, concentrating on maneuvering through the doorway into the corridor.
“As always, I’m terrified.”
She could tell he was laughing at her, even though he was behind her and she couldn’t see his face. Hans and Steffi probably were, too. Apparently her feeble attempts to retain a little self-respect and independence were hilarious.
“One day —”
“I know. One day I’ll be in your power, and then you’ll show me,” Eddie said, brushing past her to open the door to the workroom she’d been assigned. “We’ve had this conversation before, remember?”
She saw that her tattoo machines were set up on the workbench, along with a good selection of different colored inks and a bag of ink cups and other supplies. To save her a trip to the supply room, she presumed.
“I stripped your machines down and cleaned them, since they’ve been out of commission for a while. They should be good to go,” Eddie said.
She stared at him. It would have taken him the better part of an afternoon to give the tools of her trade such a thorough going over.
“Eddie.” She stopped, unable to find the words.
“I know, you’re eternally grateful, you’ll never say another harsh word to me, and the next time I mess up you’ll remember this moment and bite your tongue because you know that deep down inside I’m an amazing person with a very evolved soul.” To his credit, he managed to maintain a poker face, despite the absurdity of his words.
“It is so sweet that you still believe in fairy tales,” she said, reaching out to pat him on the cheek in the most patronizing way possible.
He caught her hand before she could withdraw it, wrapping his fingers around hers and giving them a gentle squeeze.
“How about you repay me b
y letting us look after you, okay? I know you somehow manage to pack six feet of pride into that five foot body of yours, but it’s not going to kill you to let us make life a little easier for you.”
She wanted to pull her hand free — needed to, because heat was traveling straight up her arm and going to places it had no business being — but somehow she let her hand remain lax and soft within his.
“I can actually get around on my magic crutch, you know,” she said. “And I’m supposed to be weight bearing. It helps the bone heal.”
“I know. But I also know you’re going to get tired and that this first week back will be hard. So don’t be a dick and let your friends help you.”
“Wow. Words to live by. I’m going to put that on a T-shirt,” she said, finally allowing herself to pull her hand free. She curled her fingers around the lingering warmth from his touch, unable to stop herself from treasuring the small contact even though she knew how self-destructive it was.
“Remember what Steffi said about me making you suck stuff up.”
The look she gave him made him hold up his hands and edge toward the door.
“I’ll be back with coffee in ten. Double shot latte, yeah?”
“Eddie, stop it. It’s too much —”
Before she could finish her objection, he was gone. She stared at the space where he’d been, aware of a slow, sweet ache growing in her chest. It was perverse and twisted as all hell, but she liked that he cared enough to be so solicitous and considerate. She liked that he’d gone out of his way to think about her and what she might need.
It made her feel special. It made her feel pampered and valued and loved. And Eddie did love her. She didn’t doubt that for a second. He loved her like a sister. Like a dear, dear friend.
And that was what she needed from him. That was what she wanted, what she was so desperate to hang on to.
The walkie-talkie crackled to life in her hand, making her jump.
“Yo, Blue. Your first client is here. Give me a shout when you want me to bring him in.”
Blue pushed the button on the side of the handset. “Thanks, Steffi. Give me five, then bring him through.”
She turned to the workbench, resolutely pushing Eddie from her mind.
For now, anyway.
Chapter Eight
Eddie was heading for the staff room on Friday when Rafel caught him in the corridor.
“Can I have a word?” he asked.
Eddie lifted the brown paper bag in his hand, heavy with burgers and fries. “As long as it’s fast.”
Blue was waiting for him in the staff room, no doubt gnawing on the furniture while she waited for sustenance.
Rafel gestured with his chin toward an empty workroom, and Eddie reluctantly followed him inside.
“What’s up?” he asked as Rafel turned to shut the door.
“I don’t know how else to say this, so I’m just going to spit it out,” Rafel said. “You need to back off on Blue, man.”
“What?” Eddie blinked at his brother, blindsided by the unexpected comment.
“I know you’re freaked out that she almost died, but you need to get out of her face, give her some air,” Rafel said.
“Where the hell is this coming from?”
“From ten years of knowing Blue and a week of watching you smother her. Driving her to and from work, getting her coffees, bringing her lunch… You need to throttle it back, man.”
Eddie bristled. “In case you hadn’t noticed, she’s recovering from a major fucking car accident, and this is her first week back at work.”
“That doesn’t mean she needs you waiting on her hand and foot. Give her some breathing room. This is Blue we’re talking about, remember? Sometimes she just wants to be left alone.”
Eddie glared at his brother. “I know what she’s like.” No one knew Blue better than him. No one.
“So why are you all over her like a freaking puppy then?”
Eddie flinched, insulted by his brother’s analogy. “You’re full of shit.” He reached for the door handle.
“That’s a Huxtaburger bag, isn’t it?” Raf said shrewdly. “You drove all the way into Fitzroy to get her favorite burger for lunch, didn’t you?”
“This could be my lunch for all you know, smart-ass,” Eddie said, even though he could feel the tips of his ears turning red.
“Eddie, come on. I get that you’re happy she’s back. I get that you’re worried about her —”
“We’re all worried about her. Steffi, Yuri, Renarto. Everyone’s worried about Blue.” Eddie could hear how defensive he sounded and it only made him angrier. He didn’t have to submit his feelings to Raf for approval. It was none of his brother’s goddamned business how Eddie felt about Blue or what he did for her.
Raf held his hands out to the sides and took a step backward. “Fine. Have at it. Forget I said anything.”
“You don’t know everything, you know,” Eddie snapped.
He and Blue had always been closer than Blue and Raf. They understood each other.
“Like I said, have at it. I just thought you’d want to know if your fly was undone.”
Eddie stared at his brother. To have your fly undone in the Oliveira household meant you were losing your shit and everyone could tell — a phenomenon named after their Uncle Fernando, who had once spent a whole day wandering around with his tighty-whities on display.
“My fly is not undone,” Eddie said tightly.
“I thought you might want to rein it in. But suit yourself.”
Rafel exited to the corridor. Eddie swallowed a four-letter word, marveling at his brother’s skill at pissing him off, then headed for the staff room.
“Blame Raf if your fries are cold,” Eddie said as he entered.
“I don’t care if they’re cold. I just want them,” Blue said, shifting eagerly to the edge of the armchair and making grabby hands at him to encourage him to hand over her food.
Renarto and Yuri had commandeered the couch, the two of them wolfing down sushi from the place across the road, and they looked up as Eddie sank into the other armchair.
“The crap you two eat,” Renarto said, shaking his head.
Yuri paused with his chopsticks halfway to his mouth as Eddie handed Blue her burger and fries.
“Is that a Huxtaburger?” Yuri asked
“That’s right,” Eddie said coolly.
Yuri and Renarto exchanged significant looks and Eddie suddenly felt very exposed.
Just thought you’d want to know if your fly was undone.
Raf’s words echoed in Eddie’s head as he unwrapped his burger and he had to fight the urge to justify his actions to the two men. It was none of their business if he’d chosen to eschew the perfectly good burger place around the corner in favor of making a twenty-minute round trip to bring Blue her favorite burger in all of Melbourne. If he wanted to spoil her a little, he was perfectly within his rights to do so, and the rest of them could all taking a flying leap.
Beside him, Blue made pleased noises as she chowed down on her burger. “God, yes. So good,” she groaned, licking burger juices off her thumb.
Eddie got caught for a moment as she closed her eyes, savoring the flavors, her expression rapturous. She was such a little hedonist, absolutely unashamed of her animal appetites. He’d never met another woman who was as honest about what she wanted and needed, be it sex, food, money, or anything else.
“All right, all right. We get the message. Greasy burger trumps virtuous sushi,” Renarto said with a very Italian wave of his hand.
“Every time,” Blue said, stuffing a handful of fries into her face. “Suckers.”
Renarto laughed before scrunching up his take-out container and lobbing it toward the trash can. Yuri followed suit then the two of them drifted outside to play some one-on-one in the parking lot.
“You want a Coke?” Eddie asked.
Blue made an affirmative noise around the last of her burger and he got up to snag two cans from the fri
dge. He was about to pull the tab on her drink for her when he stopped himself. He could practically hear Raf’s sarcastic voice in his head, asking if Blue’s injured leg prevented her from popping the top on a can of Coke. Slipping his finger free of the tab, he set the drink down in front of her, feeling as though he’d made a major concession.
“Man, that was awesome,” Blue said, leaning forward and popping her can open with a well-practiced move. “Thank you. I feel like my whole body needed that. It was almost a religious experience.”
She tilted her head back and chugged and he watched her throat work, marveling that she could be so damned earthy and indelicate yet somehow so compelling and sexy at the same time.
Because Blue was sexy. Always had been, always would be.
It was an irrelevant thought, and he buried it, the way he always did, before gathering up their lunch debris and ferrying it to the trash.
Blue was checking something on her phone when he finished, and he watched her for a moment, noting the changes the accident had wrought — the paleness of her face, the tiredness around her eyes.
She glanced at him, catching him staring, and the words came out before he could stop them.
“Am I crowding you too much? Getting in your face?” he asked.
Her eyebrows lifted as she considered him for a beat before answering. “Why would you ask that?”
“Raf told me I was smothering you.”
“Huh.”
He noticed she hadn’t answered his question.
“So am I?”
“A little.” She shrugged. “But I don’t mind.”
Fuck.
“It’s all right, Eddie. I get it. You want to make sure I’m okay.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll back off.”
“You don’t have to. I mean, it’s kind of nice, having you hovering. As long as you don’t spit on a hanky and wipe my face, I can deal.”
Jesus. She’d made Raf’s puppy analogy look flattering, something he’d considered impossible until a few seconds ago.
“Never going to happen,” he said, very firmly.
Blue’s mouth was twitching at the corners. It didn’t take long for her to lose the battle and start laughing.
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