by Jude Ouvrard
Then I waited for him to digest the words I’d blurted out.
Before he said anything, he wrapped his strong arms around my shoulders and held me with conviction. “I think it’d be great if you became a tattoo master. I saw some of your drawings this morning, Val, and you really are good. Try it. You’ll know if you were born to do it or not. Like you said, whatever we are, I’ll support you, Val.”
Now, I felt sorry for myself. I had no reason to be worried. “I’m sorry for being so intense but with how fast things are moving in my life lately, I’m trying to adjust and make the right decisions.”
He smiled. “I’m your right decision.” His lips found mine for a fleeting kiss. “Come on, let’s get you home. I’m craving a Starburst or two.”
“Only one,” I teased.
Once inside my apartment, Miles caught me and lifted me into his arms. My legs wrapped around his waist. “I really have a thing for you, tattoo girl. Tonight was the best first date ever. Thank you.”
“Thanks to you, Cowboy.” Our foreheads pressed against each other and we Eskimo-kissed with our noses. I could feel his breath against my mouth and it made me want to kiss him with everything I had within me. I could kiss him from sunrise to sunset. “Will you kiss me now?”
Although his hands held my thighs, he let go to cup my cheeks and offer me the kiss I craved. My legs tightened around his waist. Gosh, Miles had to be the best kisser ever. So much better than John; I hated myself for thinking about him while kissing Miles.
Miles shifted us to the couch and sat down. He let go of my swollen lips with a passionate lust reflecting back at me from his eyes. “Slowly, Val. We have all night.”
My chuckle was shy. “You have more restraint than I have is all I can say.”
“I just want to get to know you better so I can love you better, too.”
After he gave me a small peck, I got up to retrieve the bowl of Starbursts in the kitchen. “You want one?” I asked and unwrapped a candy, which I put between my teeth before presenting my mouth to his.
“Thank you, sweetheart.”
“Anytime.”
I watched him savour my sweet addiction and yet again, all I could think of was kissing those lips. “Tell me about your life, Cowboy. About you.”
“My life isn’t a bedtime story, Val.”
I never expected his answer to be so painful. “I would like to know you better, though.”
He sighed and then started with the beginning.
“I grew up here in Seattle, with my parents and my baby sister. When I turned ten, my mother fell ill and was taken to the hospital. Turned out she had breast cancer, which she fought for almost five years before losing the battle. When she died, my dad took it hard. He sent me and my sister Lisa to our grandparents in Montana after the funeral, and then bailed. We had to start over, make new friends, and get used to a new life. I enjoyed Montana a lot, to be honest. Living on the ranch was like therapy to me. I took care of the horses, which is where my passion for animals started. Lisa made new friends, too, and seemed happier. We’d spent five years living between hospitals and our messy home. Dad couldn’t keep up with the chores due to spending so much time at the hospital, so we pretty much lived by ourselves. After all the drama, I got my diploma, and Lisa got hers, too. We were both doing great. At least, I thought so. She’d fallen in love… and then he broke up with her. She couldn’t deal with the pain and committed suicide. That was eight months ago.”
It all made sense to me now, all that worry over me when we first met.
“Can I hug you, or hold you? I just really want to touch you right now. Please let me.” The sadness hiding behind his irises broke my heart. I could feel everything he did. I could never deal with the pain of losing my brother. Miles had let me in and let me see his invisible scars.
The knowledge didn’t change anything. I still believed he was beautiful.
VAL
“Val. Valerie, wake up.” Bekka marched into my bedroom unannounced, without a doubt thinking I was alone.
Shit!
“Wait, Bekka!” I bolted up and shouted, but it was too late to hide the fact that I was in bed with Miles, and naked.
“Holy shit, Valerie Emma Lee! Hi, handsome. Nice ass.” She looked every bit as surprised to see Miles in my bedroom as Miles was to see her.
“Bekka, give us a minute, please.”
She stood there with one of those smiles on her face, one that said she was enjoying the situation way too much.
I tried again. “You can leave the bedroom now. Give us time to put some clothes on.” Gosh, what is she doing? Why won’t she leave?
“Oh, you’re such a prude,” Bekka said with a groan before turning around and closing the door behind her. Her giggles faded as she moved further away.
I laughed and hid my face in Miles’ chest. “I’m sorry, this is so embarrassing. Oh, that was Bekka by the way. One of my best friends.”
He laughed with me and pulled at his hair with his hands. A light pink tint had appeared on his cheeks.
“Are you blushing? I think you are.” Those cute little cheeks of his were red, and the bed hair was beyond sexy.
“Apparently I have a nice ass. Do you agree?”
“Nice doesn’t do it justice. You’ve got the ass every girl dreams of.” I spanked him hard.
He pulled me against him, and then rolled me over him. “Maybe I should cover it now so I can meet your friend properly.”
This moment had to be the most awkward moment of the year. “I don’t like sharing. Cover it up. That’s an order, cowboy.”
“Cover every single inch of your body too, tattoo girl. I don’t like sharing either, and I can hear male voices out there.”
What the hell is going on? I thought I’d locked the door. Getting up, I covered my body with pieces of clothing discarded on the floor last night. This was so embarrassing. “I’ll go head her off before she comes back in here. Hurry, though. Today is a big day. Welcome to the family, Cowboy.” Tying my hair in a bun, I hurried off to the kitchen area.
Tyler, Levi, and Nix had their mouths full of Starbursts.
“What’s going on, guys?”
“I think we’re the ones who should be asking you that,” Levi teased.
Before answering, I went to the sink and got myself a glass of water. I was feeling a little uncomfortable with my friends surrounding me in the small kitchen.
“Okay. Yeah. I guess I have some explaining to do. As you know, I came back here single, right?” They all agreed with a nod. “I met Miles in Boston the night before I left. We kept touch through texts, and now, well, I guess he’s here.”
“Is he the guy who gave you a ride the other night?” Nix asked.
“Yes.” I was still waiting for Miles to come into the room. Now would be a good time, considering the stares my friends were giving me. Where is he? “Miles?” I called toward the bedroom.
“I’m here. Sorry.” He walked into the kitchen wearing nothing but his jeans. “Sorry, I couldn’t find my t-shirt.”
“Millard fucking Kent. Holy shit. I haven’t seen you since high school.” Levi jumped up and greeted him with a man hug.
What the hell?
“Levi Munroe. I almost didn’t recognize you. It’s been a very long time.” Miles looked over at Tyler and Kyle. “You guys look familiar, too.”
Baffled, I watched them all smiling and being friendly. It was looking like they’d once been good friends. “So, you guys know each other?” I asked, confused.
“Yeah, we do. We were friends, classmates, and locker buddies.” Levi paused with a sudden sad look. “Well, we were good friends until your mom’s passing. You kind of disappeared after that.”
Miles didn’t need Levi to remind him of his final days in Seattle. “Yeah, my father sent us to live with my grandparents in Montana. I’m sorry I didn’t keep in touch afterward. Things were hectic.”
“No hard feelings, man. We were young.” Levi had his ar
m around Miles’ shoulder and kept looking at him like this couldn’t be real.
Nix and Bekka pulled me aside while the men talked.
“What’s up? What are you all doing here?” I asked.
“We wanted to celebrate your new apprenticeship and the baby coming.” Bekka’s hand sat on her barely-there baby bump. “We called but you didn’t pick up. Nix got worried so Levi decided to come, too. We’re all going for breakfast downtown. Coming?”
“Do you mind if I take a quick shower first? I really need one.”
“Hurry before they notice and start complaining that you’re taking forever,” Nix said with a laugh.
Before showering, I wanted to let Miles know about the plans, however. “Miles, we’re going to go grab breakfast downtown. Are you coming?”
“If you want me to, yes.”
“You’re coming. Do you want a quick shower?”
“I should find my t-shirt.” He laughed. “I’ll be right back, guys. I need to get dressed.”
He followed me to my room where I helped him search for his t-shirt. I loved how his hand wrapped around my waist when I stood next to him, and the way he looked at me with soft, lovable eyes. It made my heart beat fast and my body feel weak.
“Found it,” I said grabbing the tee from underneath the bed. “Here, Cowboy.” As I threw his top to him, I wished he would shower with me. “Are you sure you don’t want to join me?” In an attempt to seduce him, I tried using a sexy voice. I could swear I saw him blush. He was too easy.
“The house is full of people. I would rather we be alone when we’re going to take a shower together.”
A wave of warmth passed through my body while his words registered. “Okay. Later, maybe?”
“Definitely, sweetheart.” Putting his t-shirt on, he stepped closer to me. “Whatever it is we have, I can’t get enough of it. I’m falling for you hard, tattoo girl.”
“I’m falling for you, too. So very hard, cowboy. You have no idea.” Placing my hands flat on his chest, a felt his heart beating, fast and strong. I whispered, “Kiss me.”
I didn’t have to beg him for long before he pleased me with a kiss. Miles lifted me off the ground so our faces were at the same height and bit my bottom lip then sucked on it afterward, forcing a loud moan to escape my lips.
“I think I should stop before it’s too late.” He squeezed an ass cheek and then I ran to the bathroom to claim a much needed cold, short shower. While I hated to wash away the traces of Miles’ cologne from my body, I knew it was a matter of time before I could smell him again.
After washing my hair, I heard a knock on the door so I stopped the water. “What?” I asked.
“Come on, Val. We’re hungry.”
Hearing Levi’s voice on the other side of the door made me jump, but then I laughed when Nix came to my rescue. “Levi, let her have five minutes for a shower.”
I rinsed my hair one more time then got out. Wrapping a soft towel around me, I heard another knock on the door. “What now?”
“Can you let us in?” Bekka’s voice asked through the wood, and I rolled my eyes.
With a hairbrush, I was working out all the knots in my hair, and was about to start blow-drying it, when I opened the door and noticed they’d already picked my clothes for the day. A skirt, of course, the shortest one I owned, as well as my off-the-shoulder blue top.
“Really, girls?” They laughed. “Miles has seen me at my worst and still come back to me. I don’t think dressing sexy will change anything.”
“Are you dumb or are you blind? That guy is already crazy mad in love with you. We’re just getting him madder.”
“Show off your legs and your ink, trust us.” Bekka laughed as she threw me my underwear.
“Leopard print?”
“He’s a cowboy, isn’t he? He likes the wild and… stuff.” Was she serious?
“You are crazy. Both of you. Now, let me get ready so Levi doesn’t come knocking on the door a second time.”
“Don’t worry, they found your Starburst stash.”
“What?” My sweet treats. Mine. “If I were dressed right now, I’d kick them out.” With a laugh, they left me alone to get ready.
MILES
While Val got ready, I talked with the guys. Memories of Kyle and Tyler came back, but from what I could remember, they hadn’t been as close back then as they seemed now. Guess after I left, they’d had time to get to know each other better. I wished I’d never left. No, that wasn’t true, my time in Montana had been a necessary part of life.
“Goddamn, women are so slow when it comes to getting ready. I haven’t eaten since dinner last night. I might die of starvation, I swear.” Levi, the drama queen. I couldn’t help but laugh at his complaining.
“Hold on, let me go check up on her.” I had started to walk toward her bedroom when the door opened. Stopping mid-track, my jaw hit the floor. Her legs were, for the most part, uncovered, and they appeared longer. Like a mile long. It could be because of the… oh, fuck me… leopard print heels. Her bare shoulders added a touch of sexy without being too much.
How had I gotten so lucky? Seriously… my tattoo girl was amazing in every way. “You are beautiful, Val. I know I’ve told you before but damn, you’re perfect.”
“So are you, cowboy. I’m liking the scruff on your face. You look tough and sexy, and remind me of Paul Spector.”
“Who the hell is Paul Spector?”
“Google him when you have a minute,” she said, laughing, and then wrapped her tattooed arm around my neck before pulling me toward her to kiss me without shame right in front of everyone.
“Hrm… hrm…” Tyler could have tried harder to be less subtle.
I pulled away and whispered in her ear, “Come on, now. I don’t think you should make them wait anymore. They are getting impatient.”
“Okay, cowboy. Let’s go.” My lips met hers one last time before stepping back.
At the door, Val kicked everyone out before locking it behind her. I waited a few steps below for her, and then helped her down when she reached me. Her heels were a huge turn on, true, but I couldn’t trust how she was walking with such an ease in them. My sister had hated heels and despised any occasion where she needed them. Val’s heels were double the height of any I’d ever seen my sister wear. We were going out for breakfast. Sometimes, women were too complicated for me, but I had to admit her mile long legs were HOT.
Every couple walked hand-in-hand except Kyle and his girl. From my understanding, we were celebrating Val’s apprentice debut and Bekka’s pregnancy. The good part about all this was there was no awkwardness over me being there with Val so soon after her break up.
Levi couldn’t stop glancing at me as if I were some kind of miracle. “I can’t believe you’re back in town, Millard. You’re welcome at the shop anytime if you want some ink done. Club, too.”
“Thanks, Levi. That means a lot.” I didn’t want to sound too mushy, but considering I’d not planned to return here until recently, the thought of having friends to hang out with so soon would help me adapt to the city again.
“Anytime, man.” He slapped me on the shoulder like men do.
At the restaurant, orange juice flowed while piles of pancakes, eggs, and bacon strips were placed on the table. Everyone took food for their plate while chatting and joking like a tight group. Val’s hand stay glued to my thigh unless she needed to eat. The way she eyed me, I could tell she wanted my approval on her friends. They meant that much to her.
“Thank you for bringing me here,” I whispered in her ear.
“They’re family to me. I want you to be comfortable around them.”
I kissed her cheek, knowing how important it was to her for me to get along with them. It would make things complicated if it didn’t work. “Don’t worry, it’s all good. We’re good.”
Val ate like a pig, and it was glorious to behold. I’d never seen a girl so small eat so much. She smiled and laughed, and was so sweet to the eye. E
ven when crying her heart out, like the first time I’d seen her, she was a beautiful woman. More and more, I was starting to believe that our paths were meant to cross. Everything seemed to fit with us.
“Hey, Val, don’t forget. We want you at the shop right after breakfast,” Kyle said around a mouthful of eggs.
Her body tensed, but I put my arm around her shoulder and she soon relaxed again with a, “Yes, I’ll be there,” followed by a nervous smile.
“You’ll be fine, sweetheart. You have the talent, the rest will come.” Shit, I sound like a father.
“Yeah, Millard’s right. We’ll show you everything you need to know,” Kyle added.
Before leaving for her first lesson she kissed me, which made me wish she was staying right here with me. Her hands were moist and she kept biting on her bottom lip.
“You’re cute as hell when you’re nervous.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t feel so good. I hope I don’t let them down.”
“I know you won’t. You got this.”
We walked to the shop holding hands and I decided that I wanted to do this with her every chance we got. Seeing her happy with her friends, or with me, was important. Her smile was precious.
When we’d reached the door of the tattoo shop, she turned around and reached for it, and I started walking in the direction of my hotel room since I had nowhere else to go. It didn’t matter that I didn’t have much here in Seattle yet, because having Val in my life was more than I could’ve asked for.
“Cowboy!” she called after me. “Don’t forget dinner tonight, with my parents.”
Oh, crap. I had forgotten about that. From now on, I was going to be the nervous one. Meeting her parents meant reaching a new step in our relationship, getting deeper into whatever we were. I considered her important, my girlfriend even, but I didn’t want to rush her. Freaking her out and losing her would be unbearable.