Nico heaved an exasperated sigh from against the wall, then unfolded out of the chair and strode to the front lobby.
“What’s his problem?” Mateo huffed.
I glanced up at him, his eyes shimmering gold. Definitely Alpha hanging with me this morning. “I think he’s a little territorial,” I admitted, knowing full well why Nico needed to sit there while I gave shirtless Mateo a tattoo.
Nico was jealous and possessive, and it turned me the fuck on, which was the exact opposite reaction I usually had when men behaved this way with me. But this wasn’t just any man. This was Nico. My heart thumped a little harder, telling me what I already knew.
The werewolf in my tattoo chair grinned lasciviously, his wolf-gold eyes gleaming from half-slits.
“It’s alright, Violet. I’m a mated man. You have nothing to worry about.”
“I know,” I said, head down while I finished the detailing of the Death Star, biting my bottom lip so I wouldn’t laugh.
An arrogant sigh. Yes, his sigh was arrogant. “They can’t help it,” he whispered conspiratorially.
“Help what?” I glanced up, definitely recognizing the vain expression of Alpha.
“I am the superior male,” he said with such a straight face, pitying the rest of male-kind. “All others are threatened by me.”
“Yeah.” I cleared my throat, shifting back to put the needle down, then wiping away the excess ink. “I can see how you’d have to deal with that a lot.”
He patted my shoulder with a knowing look, like we now shared the same secret.
Nico strode back in with Sean on his heels. The teenager had decided to shave his head into a faux-hawk. And somehow, it looked really good on him.
“You can take a look,” I told Mateo, wheeling back to put my tools away and gesturing toward the mirror.
He hopped up and checked it out, grinning at his Star Wars ink. He was such a conundrum. But so was Nico. I’d thought I had him all figured out. Boy, was I wrong.
I went to finish up dressing Mateo’s tattoo while he looked over at Sean. “What’s the latest from your brother?”
I hadn’t tuned in much because I really wasn’t as concerned as the men around here, but Nico had told me that they had Henry doing regular sweeps of the neighborhood for Shane and any of his pack buddies. We might not be able to run them out of the city, but we sure as shit could keep tabs on them.
Sean watched me doing the dressing while answering him. “Henry said we’ve been clear for a week now. They’re not around.”
“You’re all set,” I told Mateo.
Nico picked up Mateo’s T-shirt and tossed it to the werewolf, whose eyes had dimmed to the normal warm shade of brown they usually were.
Rather than look irritated, though, Nico seemed relieved. “That makes me feel better about having the grand opening celebration now.”
“What do you mean?” I asked while spraying down the chair. “You considered cancelling it because of them?”
“I was planning on it,” he said with finality.
Removing my latex gloves, I tossed them in the trash and asked, “Without asking me? Because if I recall, this is half my business, too.”
He didn’t respond to my spike of temper the way I’d thought. He eased closer and gripped my hips, pulling me against him and effectively maneuvering me farther away from Mateo. He brushed a kiss between my brows, which I knew was his ineffective attempt at wiping away my frown.
He dipped his head close to my ear and whispered, “I was planning on coaxing you into my plan to postpone it.” He bit my earlobe.
Gripping his biceps, I said, “I suppose you think you have good enough coaxing skills.”
“According to you and Livvy, you already announced it to half the neighborhood.”
“Pffft. I was exaggerating to entertain the masses,” I protested, even as I felt my middle melting at the thought of his skills.
“No, you weren’t.” He pressed his thumb between my brow, rubbing softly. “Stop frowning. I wasn’t going to do anything without your permission.”
“My permission?” I stared up at him, thinking about permission and giving orders. The way he gave orders in the bedroom. My irritation derailed toward wayward thoughts. “I think I know something we need to add to the list.”
“Yeah?” He was still speaking low, even though Mateo and Sean had left to the lobby where Evie was hanging out. Mateo wouldn’t let her come in since he wanted this to be a surprise.
“I want to be on top,” I told him.
His mouth tipped up on one side. “You’ve been on top lots of times.”
“Yeah, but not really. You’re always in charge, even when I am. I want to be in charge.”
His brow arched in challenge.
I laughed. “Yep. It’s going on the list. I want to see how long you can stand taking my orders.”
His grip tightened on my hips a second before he slanted his mouth over mine, stroking in aggressively, his hands sliding down to cup my ass. Yeah, not so sure I was going to get to tick that off the list.
One hand came up to wrap around my nape possessively as he swept in with hungry strokes. He nipped my bottom lip then my top before coming inside again. Meanwhile, I already had a leg wrapped around his hip and was getting ready to climb him when we were rudely interrupted.
“Hey! Love bunnies!” Livvy was obviously standing in the doorway, but I couldn’t take my eyes or lips off of Nico. “We’ve got a lot of fucking work to do. Chop chop!”
A growl rumbled in his chest, sparking my arousal even more, but I dropped away and pressed my forehead to his shoulder. “She’ll only come back in if we’re not out in one minute.”
He dipped his head to my ear again, nuzzling the sensitive skin right below. “I only need five.”
My thighs clenched at the memory of the last time he said that. Laughing, I stepped away on a weary sigh and took his hand. “No, seriously. Livvy is relentless when she’s in manager mode. She will legit come back in sixty seconds.”
“Fine.” He heaved a sigh and followed me out through the lobby area and out in front of the shop.
Mateo, Evie, and Sean were already assisting two big muscly guys to unload the back of a U-Haul truck full of tables and chairs. Livvy stood off to the side with a clipboard, counting tables as they came out and checking her list.
She wore casual Livvy attire—black jeans, a mauve sweetheart cut blouse with matching lipstick. Even in what she’d consider her shabby clothes, she was a knockout. The two poor guys unloading the truck couldn’t help but ogle her every time they came down the ramp. But like I said, when Livvy was in manager mode, she stayed in the zone, not veering for anything. Not even two hot guys who could barely keep their tongues from hanging out of their mouths.
I assisted in unloading the chairs and stacked them on the sidewalk for now. Livvy was pointing out where she wanted the tables placed in a semi-circle around the stage, leaving room for dancing.
“You know,” I told her, stopping and propping my hands on my hips, “when I first told you I wanted to do a grand opening street party, I’d imagined getting a DJ, asking JJ to sell beer, and have a table for Empress Ink merch to sell.”
Livvy gave me her best side-eye, tapping her pen on the clipboard. “Really, Violet.” She snorted with something akin to disgust. “It’s like you don’t even know me.”
“We’re here!” said Clara, popping up out of nowhere with a perky smile as she surveyed the activity, Isadora right next to her.
“What can we do?” asked Isadora, checking out Livvy’s list over her shoulder.
“Don’t worry, Iz. Even you would be proud of my thoroughness.” Livvy spun and pointed to two boxes right off the curb. “The linens and votive candles are in there, and I’ve got the Empress Ink coasters and napkins in that one. Would you set them out in the way I showed y’all last night?”
“On it!” Clara went right to work with Isadora in her wake.
There was an e
levated stage set up right in front of the wooden fence that marked the end of our dead-end street, but the band wouldn’t be here for hours.
“The food trucks are still coming?” I asked.
“Don’t worry.” Livvy scribbled something on her list. “I’ve taken care of everything. Trust me. Jules is having Mitch, who’s the chef tonight, shut down The Cauldron early so JJ and Finnie can serve drinks here at the party.”
Jules had a regional meeting in Houston with the covens of Mississippi, Louisiana, and south Texas. I was sorry she’d miss the grand opening, but there was no way she couldn’t be there to represent New Orleans.
I peered around the U-Haul to see JJ and Finnie setting up a wide tent. It was generous of them to help out before their shift at the pub then to come here and serve at the party. I owed them both, big time.
JJ’s Ford F-150 was parked with the huge rolling cooler in the bed of his truck.
“Damn. Livvy, don’t we need a permit for something of this size?”
“Yes. And done. All you need to do is show up, make your big welcome speech, and enjoy the launch of your dream.”
She turned to me, her business expression slipping to caring sister mode.
I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and gave her a tight squeeze. “You really are awesome.”
“Yes, I know.”
“What can I do?”
“Glad you asked. Look over in that box there. I’ve included extension cords, but I want the white fairy lights strung up in a square around the dancefloor. Nico can help you put up the self-standing poles to string them from one to the other.”
“That’s going to be so pretty,” piped in Clara from the table closest to us that she was currently dressing with cracked-glass votive candles.
“It really is,” I breathed on a whisper, my heart fluttering that this was really happening.
And those weren’t nearly enough clients to make a real profit with all we’d invested in the renovations and investment in the shop. But this? What Livvy had planned would draw the kind of attention we needed to put us on the map in New Orleans. I took a moment to bask on the precipice of success, relishing that moment of hopeful possibility and buoyant potential.
“Hey,” a deep voice rumbled in my ear. Strong arms wrapped around my waist, and a warm, hard body pressed against my back.
“Hey,” I whispered back, wrapping my arms alongside his.
“You seem deep in thought over here. Everything okay?”
“More than okay.” I turned in his arms, linked my hands around his neck, and pulled him down so I could bury my face against his throat and hug him hard. “Thank you for helping make this happen.”
His arms tightened around me as he rocked me softly back and forth, his mouth at my temple. “Anything for you, Violet.”
He brushed a kiss there, and I thought my heart might burst with joy.
You know those moments in life when everything seems absolutely perfect and you’re filled with this insurmountable happiness? I tried to grab onto it and hold on, wishing I could freeze this moment in time. It was a culmination of two things. Obviously, the fact that I was kicking off Empress Ink with what would no doubt be a fabulous party, thanks to Livvy and my sisters and friends. The second was that the man in my arms was more than my friend. More than my lover. And I was finally ready to tell him exactly how I felt.
I gave him a squeeze. “Come on. Let’s get this all set up so we can rest before we get dressed for the party.”
He pressed a kiss to my neck and released me. I took his hand and pulled him toward the stage area where the box of lights and poles were stacked.
“What are you wearing tonight?” Nico asked, picking up one of the poles and setting it in its stand.
“I don’t know. You have something in mind?”
He slid a devilish grin my way. “A dress.”
“A dress?” Like that was foreign to me. Because it kind of was. I rarely, if ever, wore dresses. Only if I had a wedding or a formal occasion like the Witch’s Guild Summit we had to attend annually.
Nico tightened the pole into place and shoved it over to the first spot, which apparently Livvy had marked with taped X’s. When his gaze swung back to me, his eyes glittered that electric green.
“Please,” he whispered, a sexy plea in his smoldering gaze.
I smiled and winked. “Anything for you.”
Chapter 24
~VIOLET~
* * *
“You’re nervous.”
“I know I’m nervous!” I screamed back at Clara standing in our loft living room.
She grinned wider. “Why? You look gorgeous. I told you my dress would look fantastic on you.”
We were twins, so of course we had the same coloring, but our styles were so different. Still, this dress looked more like me instead of Clara.
I glanced down at the deep purple fabric hugging my torso with long sleeves and a deep vee. Smoothing my hands over my hips, I admired how the soft fabric didn’t hug my thighs but fell perfectly straight, ending a few inches above my knees. It wasn’t looking-for-a-hookup hot but sexy with understated lines, accentuating my curves with elegant tapering rather than tightness.
“I’ve never seen you wear this dress,” I realized aloud.
“I bought it, thinking I’d have some occasion. But that occasion hasn’t come up. Maybe I bought it for you actually.” She stared at the dress thoughtfully.
“You really do have more psychic ability than you know,” I told her, glancing at her in a silvery mini-dress with matching cardigan.
With her hair falling in long waves down to her waist and pastel shades of make-up, she looked every inch the fairy queen. I’d gone for a heavier, smoky look in makeup tonight. Along with the dress, the lavender shade in my hair, and the way the sleeves cut at an angle, exposing most of my shoulder where my colorful orchid tattoo was exposed, I looked the part of co-owner of Empress Ink.
I wondered, not for the second or third time, what Nico would think of this dress. A burst of butterflies launched in my stomach. I pressed my hand over my belly, glancing around for those black flats. The dress I didn’t mind, but I wasn’t a heel girl. Ever.
“Stop worrying,” said Clara, handing over my little black clutch with my phone in it. “This is going to be fantastic.”
I exhaled a deep breath then released a laugh. “You’re right.”
Clara suddenly reached over and pulled me into her arms. I was a little stiff. Clara and I were affectionate. All of my sisters and I were, but out-of-the-blue hugs weren’t the norm. Still, this was Clara, and she rarely walked inside the confines of normal. That’s why I loved her so much. She was her own person, no matter what others thought of her.
“I’m so proud of you,” she said.
Hugging her tight, I relaxed into the comfort and praise of my sweet twin sister. “Thank you, Sissy. Love you.”
“Love you.”
Then suddenly I was feeling misty and weepy. What the hell? That’s not how this night was supposed to go. I needed my badass, business-owner persona in full swing.
“Come on.” I laughed, breaking our hug. “You’ll make my mascara run.”
“And that would be a shame. Especially before Nico gets a look at you. That werewolf is going to pass out.”
We laughed and hurried to the Jeep Cherokee in the drive. My other sisters would be meeting us when the party started, but I wanted to get there a little early just to make sure there was nothing else that needed to be done. I’d left once we got the fairy lights up and the place was still coming together. Now that the sun had set, I was anxious to see the full effect of all our efforts.
We had to park farther up the block, but even from here it took my breath away.
“Oh, wow,” said Clara before hopping out with me.
We walked right through the barricades that the city had put up for us to keep people from parking close to the venue. This was all due to Livvy’s exceptional planning an
d getting the appropriate permits and such. I swear, I think I owed her way more than the fee she charged me for her time.
“It’s so beautiful, isn’t it?”
We ambled dreamily through the tables, the candle votives already lit, watching as the band set up and warmed up their instruments. The singer strummed a few strings, keying his guitar. The bass player did the same, while the drummer tested with a string of random beats. I couldn’t help but beam as I crossed under the lights Nico and I had set up earlier. Now, it cast the whole dancefloor in a soft glow, along with the tables, the ambience inviting and fun.
A cat call whistle pulled both my and Clara’s attention toward the tent set up to the right of the stage where JJ stood with Finnie, both of them grinning at us. We walked over.
“Damn, look at you,” said JJ, his arms crossed as he shook his head.
I put a little more sway into my strut just to make him laugh. It did.
“You’re one fine-looking business owner, Violet.”
“Thank you, JJ.” I rounded their portable bar and practically leaped into his arms.
He lifted me off the ground in one of those JJ bear hugs.
I’d been working at the Cauldron for so many years with JJ that he’d become more than a friend, closer to a brother. And he was the one I had secretly told about this little venture. Well, him and Charlie, before I’d even told my sisters. JJ had always encouraged me to reach for what I wanted, to show no fear.
“Thank you,” I whispered into his neck.
“For what, love?” He palmed the back of my head, a gentle touch.
“For just being you. Telling me what I needed to hear.”
He set me on the ground, big hands on my shoulders. “Always, Vi. You know that.”
“God, y’all are all going to make me cry tonight.” I blinked away the tears before they could fall, refusing to fuck up my makeup before Nico saw me.
“This is going to be one kick-ass party,” said Finnie. “I’ve got all my friends from UNO coming.”
“Perfect,” I said excitedly, swiveling around to admire the place. College kids loved getting tattoos. “Be sure to tell them they get fifteen percent off their first tattoo. Not that it isn’t on every table already.”
Witches Get Stitches Page 25