“Alright, Brianna, here we go.”
She jumps slightly as the needles touch her skin. “How’re you doin’?”
“Okay, it tickled right when he started, but I get the pain of it now.”
“Your side is one of the most painful places you can get, I told you that.”
She rolls her eyes. “I know, but I think it’ll look good when all is said and done.”
“Oh, I know it’ll look good.”
I’m already imagining running my hands down it as I take her from behind as we’re lying side by side on our bed. Or when she wears those bikinis she likes to wear at the house. I can’t wait until it’s healed so I can trace the intricate designs with my tongue. Maybe I can convince her to get more. She’s wilder than she ever lets on to anyone else. A lot like my mom in that respect.
But I’ll never force her to do something she doesn’t want to do.
This though? I’ll remember it for the rest of our lives.
My cock punching at the zipper of my jeans makes sure I will.
“Do you need a break?” Tag asks her as we approach the third hour.
She’s taken it like a champ, only once or twice have I seen her grimace when he’s hit a particularly sensitive piece of flesh. I’m proud of her. If truth be told, I sorta thought she’d ask to stop halfway through this, but if how far she’s already come is any indication, she’s gonna finish it out.
“How close are you to being done?” Bri looks over her shoulder at him.
He leans back, stretching before he shrugs. “Give or take, forty-five minutes.”
“Do you need a break?”
I love how she worries about others. There were girls I dated who didn’t give a shit about the people in their lives, whether they were people paid to be there, or not. Bri cares about everyone.
“Nope, if you can handle it, I can handle it,” he assures her.
“Alright, let’s keep going.”
She’s still holding my hand, her fingers walk up mine, playing with the wedding band circling my finger. Watching her caress the eternal loop is special. There were times in my life I never thought I’d have this with anyone, and for us to find it the way we did? I think if anyone knew our true story, they’d think we were crazy. Maybe we are, but if there’s anyone I want to be crazy with ,it’s her. “You wear this all the time,” she muses. “To be honest, I thought you wouldn’t. Like you would when I was around, but when I went away you’d immediately take it off.”
“Of course.” I lean down, putting my elbows on the table, but making sure I do it carefully so I don’t disturb Tag. “I want people to know I have a wife at home. I want other dudes to know you have a husband who will kick some ass if they come near you.”
“Like I wouldn’t yank out a bitch’s hair if she came near you.”
Both Tag and I chuckle at her words. She’s small and there’s no doubt she’d be the underdog of any fight she managed to get into, but the way she says it makes me think I’m underestimating her.
“Are you feeling rude because you’re hurting?”
“No.” She shakes her head. “I’m just thinking about some woman trying to steal you.”
Leaning closer, I kiss the tip of her nose. “There’s no one else for me, babe. You’re it.”
“Whether you knew it or not?”
“Whether I knew it or not.”
Chapter Two
Bri
Turning into the mirror, I pivot on my big toe, leaning into the turn, pushing my arm outward so I can see the tattoo I got last night. I’ve just taken the plastic wrap off, glad I had it on, because it definitely would have stained our bed.
“How’s it feel?”
A smirk spreads across my face as my husband walks into the room. He’s deep-voiced and sleepy-eyed, hair slightly going every which way, a couple days of stubble on his cheeks and chin.
“Good.” I’m trying to reach around and put the ointment on they gave me.
“I’ll do it,” he offers, coming up behind me. His arms box me in, pressing me up against the vanity. His long reach allows him to turn the water on and wash his hands with me standing there.
“You could have asked me to move,” I huff, but I don’t mean it. We both know I never meant it.
“Then I couldn’t do this,” he whispers, dropping his lips down to my shoulder, placing a barely-there kiss. It’s enough to cause gooseflesh to ripple across my skin.
My body melts back into him. It should almost be shameful the way I give myself over to this man, the easy way he’s worked himself into my life. A life I don’t even truly remember before he was in it. Back when we met in Vegas, I’d been so unhappy, trapped with parents and expectations of people who didn’t give a shit about me.
This man right here? I look up and our eyes meet in the mirror. He loves me with everything he has, and I have no doubt he’d kill someone who tried to take advantage of me. It’s the once-in-a-lifetime love I dreamed about as a child. Somehow I got it and I’m never giving it back.
“What?” He quirks his lips.
“Nothing,” I shake my head. “Just admiring the hot man I married.”
His quirk turns into a full-on smile, dimples and all, and a little puff of breath comes out between his lips, hitting my skin where he drops his forehead onto me for a moment. “Luckiest man in the world right here, babe.”
“Quit flirting with me and take care of me,” the double-meaning in my voice can’t be misunderstood.
“Yes, ma’am,” he salutes, grabbing my hand, pulling me over to a lower part of the vanity. It’s the part I use for a makeup mirror. Before I can ask what he’s doing, he reaches down, put his hands on my hips, and lifts me onto the counter. My eyes track his movements as he goes to get a rubber glove and some of the ointment they gave me to put on the ink last night. His long legs eat up the distance and he’s back in front of me before I could really even miss him, grinning mischievously. He gloves up, popping the edge against his wrist. “You ready?”
I snort. “Don’t act like you’re about to shove that up my ass or something. All you’re doing is putting ointment on my tattoo, Everett James. Remember that.”
He makes a noise in his throat as he squeezes some of it out onto his fingers. He holds them up, two extended from the palm with the rest tucked in. “I mean if you wanted me to shove it up your ass, I could do that. Whatever gets you off, babe.”
“Oh my God.” I put my face in my hands, can feel the skin burn with embarrassment. Even this far into us living together and our marriage, he can still embarrass me. “Please, can we please stop this conversation?”
His laugh is loud, echoing through the room as he bends over, rubbing the solution softly against my skin. He’s careful, the way he always is with me. I never have to worry about where I stand with this man I call husband. “If you want to, but let me just say, if you’re ever interested the offer is always on the table.”
“Stop!” I scream, pushing against his shoulder.
He doesn’t budge, not that I expected him to. He’s much stronger than I am. He chuckles as he leans down, inspecting the skin. “It looks real good, babe, real good. Does it hurt much?”
“It’s sore,” I admit. “Much more sore than I assumed it would be, but I’m not sorry I did it. Back in the day I wouldn’t have done this because the record company would have wanted me to look a certain way. Now I just want to be me, you like me for the way I am, and I’m learning to love myself that way too.”
“It’s sexy as fuck, you’re sexy as fuck.” His voice takes on a timbre I know well. It’s one I hear from him at any time, on any given day. He wants me twenty-four hours a day, and it still excites me. There are times when I look at this life of ours and wonder if it’s someone else’s.
“It is,” I agree. “I like the way it looks on me.”
“I like the way it looks on you too,” he mumbles as he gently rubs the cream into my skin.
It’s almost as if he’s ma
ssaging all the soreness away, causing me to moan. As sore as it is, he’s making it feel so much better.
“Already thinking about your next one?” He grins up at me.
“Kind of,” I admit. I may or may not have been cruising Pinterest last night, seeing what else I might be able to get. “You’re right, it’s a high you can’t get anywhere else.”
“See?” he gives me a look. “You thought I was crazy when I told you, but I’m not crazy. It’s an addiction.”
“I can definitely see where it could be one.”
“All done.” He stands up, taking the glove off and going to wash his hands. “You still wanna go have breakfast with my parents?”
“Yeah.” I give him a disbelieving look. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“Wasn’t sure how you’d feel.” He gestures to my side.
“I feel fine, and you know I love all the breakfast spots your mom picks.” I rub my stomach, which is already growling.
“Don’t wear tight clothes over it,” he warns as he starts taking his off, turning on the shower.
“Got it.” I give him a wink, enjoying the view, before I walk out of the bathroom.
“Why’s it so hot?” I complain as we drive toward The Gulch section of Nashville. We’ve got the sunroof open, the radio cranked up, and our sunglasses on.
It’s a gorgeous day full of sunshine, and I hope we’ll be able to get a seat outside. We go here enough they typically give us what we want. It always hasn’t had outside seating, but it was a suggestion Hannah and I made on Instagram. We somehow got a grass roots situation going, and got what we wanted.
“Welcome to the South, Bri. You should be getting somewhat used to it by now.”
“Not really,” I argue. “I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to the humidity.”
We look at each other, grinning before we both speak.
“It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.”
I giggle loudly. “I can’t tell you how many people have told me that since I moved here with you.”
“It’s my dad’s favorite saying. He likes to act as if he grew up here, when he’s really just a transplant. He thinks it makes him seem so knowledgeable about Nashville.”
We’re still laughing as we pull into a parking spot, waving at the two of them, already sitting at a table waiting on us.
“Hey,” Hannah calls as we get closer.
“Did you already get some bonuts?” I question as EJ pulls my chair out and I have a seat.
“Of course, two orders.” She points at the two of them. “We won’t be having what happened last time when we didn’t get anything.”
“We’re never gonna live that down.” Garrett adjusts his hat on his head. “We’re growing men.”
“Yeah.” Hannah reaches over, smacking him in the stomach. “Growing alright.”
“I’ll show you growing,” he threatens.
Just as she’s about to answer, a waitress comes to take our orders.
“So.” Garrett takes a drink of his water. “Have you two heard anything from the record company?”
“Not since we got the second summons.” I shake my head. “They’re still telling us we’ve breached our contract, but they haven’t spelled out how we did it.”
“They won’t.” Hannah leans forward. “If they go public, then they’ll have to admit they forced you to remain married when it would have been just as easy to annul.”
“I mean it’s whatever.” EJ grabs my hand, entwining our fingers together. “They can say whatever they want, but it’s not going to change the fact we’re two people in a happy and loving marriage. I refuse to let them control who I marry and who I don’t. They may have gotten us here, but they won’t break this up.”
“Just be prepared.” Garrett looks at the both of us, his green eyes serious. “It might be a fight.”
“It won’t be the first one I’ve been in.” I grip EJ’s fingers harder.
“Me neither.” He lifts our hands up, kissing the back of mine. “If there’s one thing you two taught me, it was to go for what I want and stand up for what I believe in. I let them tell me what to do once, and I’m glad, but this time?” He shakes his head. “They’re wrong.”
Chapter Three
EJ
“I don’t know about you, but I’ve about had it.”
“Everett…”
The attorney we’ve hired to represent us in the case against our record company sighs. Beside me, Bri makes a noise as she situates herself in the chair, probably taking the pressure off her new tattoo.
“Don’t Everett me, what they’re doing isn’t right, we all know that.”
My parents are sitting in on this meeting because they’ve been through this kind of shit before. My mom speaks up.
“How much would it be to buy themselves out of their contracts?”
“I have no idea.” The attorney pushes his glasses up further on his face. “It’s something I can look into, but I don’t think they’d go for it.”
“I’m sick of living my life in limbo,” the complaint rips itself from my throat. “I want to move on. The longer we stay stagnant like this, the longer it’s going to be before we can start putting music out again.”
“That’s actually not the truth,” the paralegal who sits next to the attorney says, flipping through the contracts we’ve given them. She points to a tab, showing it to the attorney.
He reads what she’s shown to him, smiling as he looks up at us.
“There’s a clause.”
“What kind of clause?” Bri asks, sitting up straighter, leaning closer into the table.
“It looks like there’s a loophole. They have the option for your albums and if they refuse to release them, you can in turn make your own record label and release them yourselves.”
“Isn’t that expensive?” Bri chews on her nail, looking at me.
“It can be.” Dad levels the both of us with a gaze. “But if you want your freedom to do what you want, this is a way for you to do it. I would never have suggested this back when we were starting, but you two, you have a huge fanbase. Bri is more pop than any of the rest of us in this room ever pretended to be. If anyone can make it work, it’s you two.”
“How expensive are we talking?” I ask.
“Couple hundred thousand at least.” He raises his eyebrows as he looks at me.
“That’s less than what I thought, way more feasible.”
“It’s something the two of you need to discuss,” the attorney speaks. “It would piss your label off, but if you want your independence, there’s an option here for you to take it.”
“I’ll need to talk to the guys.” I take my hat off, running a hand through my hair. “It’ll have to be a group decision.”
“So while we wait to see if they’ll allow you to buy yourselves out of your contracts, do you want to move forward with talking to everyone else about setting up your own label?”
Bri and I glance at each other, nodding together.
“I definitely want to think about it.” Her voice is soft, thoughtful. Very much like the person I’ve come to know her to be. “If we make a knee-jerk reaction then we’ll probably regret it. We really need to be sure before we make a decision.”
“Then what I’ll do is mark you all down for two weeks from now. If the record company still hasn’t answered, we’ll push it out further. Either way, when you decide for sure what you want to do, give us a call.”
All of us get up shaking hands with our legal counsel before walking out, into the bright sunshine.
“So, you’ve got some things to discuss.” Dad puts his arm around Mom. The way she leans into him makes me smile. I hope when Bri and I are their age, we still want to be next to one another. Right now, we’re holding pinkies.
“Yeah.” She blows out a deep breath. “There are a lot of logistics to think about.”
“Not to mention what the guys think. More than anything I want it to be a good fit for them. It would be s
elfish as fuck if it was good for Bri and I, but shitty for them.”
“That’s a really mature stance to take, EJ.” Mom smiles. “I’m proud of you for taking it.”
“Look at me, growing into an adult.”
Mom giggles and we say our goodbyes as we head for our separate vehicles.
“What do you think?”
Bri’s voice is soft, she’s running a finger up and down the hand I have resting on the center console.
“About what? The contract loophole?”
“Yeah,” she answers. “I think I’d rather buy myself out of my contract.” She breathes heavily. “Like what can they do to us? They’re already suing us for breach, what are they gonna do if they get pissed we’ve started our own record label.”
“Well, we’re not gonna be broke, babe. That I can promise you.”
“Hopefully not,” she laughs. “But if we are, I can work a budget like nobody's business.”
I laugh along with her. “We’ll get through this together, nobody will break this apart.”
“You have to remember, the family I come from isn’t like yours.” She pushes her sunglasses further up on her nose. “Mine didn’t help each other, they weren’t one for all and all for one. I may need you to remind me we’ll be in this together.”
“I’ll remind you every single day, Bri. Whatever it takes, you’ll know I’m right here with you.”
She reaches over across the console, kissing me on the cheek. “You’re my hero, Everett, and I know you always will be.”
With everything I have, I hope I don’t disappoint her. There’s nothing in this world that would kill me quicker.
Chapter Four
Bri
This isn’t going to be a good conversation, which is why I’m having it over a Zoom meeting with my legal counsel by my side. My parents have absolutely no idea what’s going on with me and Everett, mostly because I don’t speak to them, and somehow, we’ve managed to keep a lot of this out of the press.
Breach of Contract: A Rocker Romance (The Nashvegas Series Book 2) Page 2