Bo awoke slowly, stretching out in the soft comfort of his bed, the familiar sting of the bullet wound greeting him. He yawned and turned, reaching out across the empty bed. Dakota should be here…but where was she? Panic slunk through him, mind leaping to the worst conclusions. She’s bolted. She decided she can’t stick around anymore. She never planned to stay.
The toilet flushed from his bathroom and he relaxed, burying his face in her pillow. This marked the third day they’d been holed up in the clubhouse, and it felt more like a honeymoon than anything else. They spent every moment together like teenagers, caressing hands as the other walked by, making sure she sat in his lap whenever he could.
And the sex.
Oh, Lord, the sex.
The scent of her calmed him, and he grunted when she returned to the bed, poking at his side.
“Okay, move it buddy.” She slipped into bed, back under the covers. “This is my pillow and I’m here to use it.”
He rolled over a little, grinning at her. “Fine. I’ll allow it.”
She snuggled up to him, burying her face in his chest. “So what’s the plan for today?”
He yawned again, trailing his hands over the curves of her naked body. “Not much. Got a meeting with the brothers later.”
She was quiet for a moment, fingers tracing invisible patterns over his low belly. “Have I worn out my welcome yet?”
“Nah, darlin’.” He kissed the top of her head. “It’ll take a lot longer than three days for that to happen. Maybe a lifetime.” He laughed a little, but it trailed off when he caught her serious gaze.
“I think maybe I should go,” she said, voice uncertain.
Anxiety squeezed his belly. “Why?”
“I don’t know.” She sighed. “It’s been fun here with you, but how much longer can I just freeload at the clubhouse?”
“You’re not freeloading, trust me.” He rubbed at his eyes, trying to think of the most convincing reason for her to stay, other than blatantly admitting I never want you to go. “Besides, you can’t leave.”
She creased a brow. “Why?”
“Because you could be a target.” He smoothed his lips over her forehead. Maybe her own safety would convince her to stay. “I can’t let anything happen to you.”
She sighed, fingertips resuming their patterns. “But I’ll feel useless here if I just keep treating it like a vacation. I want to do something productive.” She paused, rubbing her palms over her chest. “I need to work. Maybe I could do some tattoos from here.”
Bo lifted a brow, nuzzling her neck. “That’s a great idea. I’ll be your first client.”
A grin spread across her face. “Awesome. But how can I get my stuff? It’s all still at Ink Works.”
Bo kissed the side of her neck. “I’ll have one of my guys go get it. You just call Red and tell her what you need packed. It’ll be here in an hour, if you want.”
Dakota sighed, a smile drifting across her face. “You sure like to make things happen.”
“You’re worth making things happen,” he said, tugging at her earlobe with his teeth.
She giggled, then rolled over to reach for her phone. “I’ll call Red now and let her know what I need.”
Bo squeezed her hip before rolling out of bed, bladder aching for his morning piss. He’d overheard parts of a phone call between Dakota and Red a few days prior, once Red had received the news about Tony’s death. Red had decided to keep Ink Works going and was looking for new artists, still hoping that Dakota would come back to work with her once the emergency lifted with Demon Seed. And while he dug that Dakota was a highly-desired tattoo artist…there was something reassuring about the idea that she’d be working from the clubhouse for a little bit.
Meant she’d be close at hand, and he could get as much of her as he craved.
Bo took a piss and then brushed his teeth. When he came out of the bathroom, Dakota lay on her back, one knee bent, twirling her jet-black hair between her fingers.
“Okay, Red,” she said, smiling over at him. “I guess they’ll be there soon. Bo is gonna tell someone to stop by.”
She hung up as he eased back into bed, snuggling into his arms. “All set with Red.”
Bo grunted as he reached for his own phone, tapping out a quick message to Turbo. “Okay. Delivery should be pronto.”
Dakota wrapped her arms around him, resting her chin on his chest. “Thanks for that. Hey, you guys got any canvases or sketch books laying around her?”
He hefted her with a laugh. “I’ll give you one guess.”
“Mmm.” She traced circles around his belly button. “Yeah, that was a long shot.”
“Want me to have Turbo make a stop?”
Her fingertip stopped circling around his belly button, gaze snapping up to meet his. “What?”
“I can send him to the craft store, or whatever.” He laughed a little. “Just give him a list. He’s a good little shopper.”
“I don’t know if I could ask that of him,” she said, sounding uncertain. “I don’t really need—“
“He’ll do it. It’s not a problem.” He smoothed his hand over her hair. “Besides, I want to see what you might make. And if it gets you to stay here a little longer…shit, I’d risk going myself.”
And that was the scary part—he wanted to be around her more than what felt reasonable or even logical. Something about her set him at ease; made that tight knot of anxiety that followed him around like a puppy finally ease up and dissolve into a pleasant hum of contentment.
He wanted all of Dakota, all of the time. And he’d do anything to get her to hang around as long as humanly possible.
Dakota laid her head on his chest, looking up at him with soft eyes. “Well if that isn’t the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard you say.”
He tweaked her nose. “Stick around a while longer, you might hear more of it, darlin’.”
***
Dakota sighed with relief when she saw a big cardboard box with ‘Dakota’ scrawled on the side of it. Beside it, two big plastic bags from the neighborhood craft store. Turbo lifted a brow at her, tugging his motorcycle gloves off.
“Your delivery, ma’am.” He bowed a little, stepping aside.
“Thank you so much, Turbo!” She jumped excitedly, pulling open the flaps of the cardboard box. Bo strutted into the main area of the clubhouse, eyes lighting up when he spotted her.
“My man.” He high-fived Turbo, heading straight for her. “It’s like Christmas.”
She hopped onto a stool, peering into the box. Sunlight streamed in from some high windows lining the edge of the bar, and in the late morning light, the clubhouse looked almost like a different place altogether. At night, it was a swirling, rocking, thudding coven of debauchery, from body shots to hired strippers and lots of card games.
But in the day, once the cleaning crew swept through, it looked like a quaint and rustic living area, nothing at all like the loud and chaotic den of revelry it had been each and every night of her stay.
Dakota spread out her vials of ink over the gleaming bar top, setting her tattoo gun down gently. Red left her a little card inside, which she read with a smile: Miss you babe. Counting the days until you come back. Help me make this place what we both dream. Sending hugs and squeezes.
She ripped into the bags, pulling out plastic-covered sketchbooks, colored pencils, fancy markers and even a starter set of oil paints. Turbo went as far as to get an assortment of decent paintbrushes and some paint thinner.
“This is amazing,” she said, smoothing her hand over the sketch book. “You guys are the best.”
Bo leaned against the bar top, grinning sexily. “So you’ll stay?”
“With this stuff, another year, at least,” she joked, tilting her head back to receive a kiss from him. The kiss turned into a second one, and then a third. Once Bo cupped her face and pressed his tongue into her mouth, she felt the familiar tendrils of need shuddering to life.
“What’s all this stuff?” A voice broke through the kisses and she turned, finding Butch strolling into the clubhouse. He had sunglasses and his leather jacket on, the emblem of the MC emblazoned on the back.
“New delivery for the lady,” Bo said, clearing his throat, gripping the edges of the bar on both sides of her. “She wants to do some ink while she’s here.”
“Aw, hell.” Butch cackled. “We ain’t never gonna let you leave, you know that, right?”
Dakota glanced nervously at Bo, then back at Butch. “Um, is that a good thing?”
“We’ll give you plenty of business,” Butch said. “Trust me.”
Bo tensed in front of her. “Not all of us, though.”
“Come on, boss.” Butch slapped Bo’s back at he neared. “Don’t put rules on who and who can’t get a tat.”
“What do you mean?” Dakota furrowed a brow, the shift in energy confusing her. Bo seemed like he was getting protective about something, but it didn’t make sense if all these guys were his club brothers…and he the head honcho, no less.
“I’m just sayin’, you guys don’t need to go hog wild with tattoos,” Bo said, glancing sharply at Butch.
“I’ll be able to give some later today, if anybody wants one,” Dakota offered, hoping this might smooth down the strange ruffle in Bo’s mood.
“Sounds like a plan, m’lady.” Butch bowed a little, taking off his sunglasses and sweeping his arm out to the side. “Now if you’ll both excuse me, I have to go think of my next half-sleeve.”
Butch strode out of the clubhouse, the front door clanging behind him. After a moment of quiet between them, Dakota pinched at Bo’s cheek.
“Why’d you get weird about the tats?”
He shrugged, avoiding her gaze. “I just don’t want them to abuse the favor.”
“Well I could charge them. That would make them think twice about what they’re getting.”
He shook his head. “Nah. We can’t charge the guys. But keep track of what you’re giving them and I’ll pay you.” He knocked her chin lightly. “Sound like a plan?”
“I don’t need to be paid. You’re letting me stay here, remember?” She smiled up at him, happy that the tension from before had dissolved. “Let’s just consider it a work-exchange.”
His face clouded over with an unknown expression and he didn’t respond immediately. After a moment, she squeezed his sides. “Bo? What are you thinking about?”
He shook his head, looking away. The same prickle of tension hung in the air again. “I dunno. Call it what you want.”
She furrowed a brow, locking a leg around his back. “Hey. You’re being weird again.”
He cracked a grin, but it faded fast. “I’m not trying to be. I just, I dunno. Maybe I don’t like the idea of you being here just for work.”
The truth behind his words seeped through her, sparking tiny fires of delight. He wanted her to be here because of him. “Well how about this…we call it a live-in situation? This is my temporary pad, and I live here with you. And I just tat on the side because it’s my gig.”
His gaze swept over her, lips turning up at the corners. “Yeah. I like that a lot better.”
She flushed a little, loving the way he gobbled her up whenever he really took her in. “So if that’s the case, we better send Turbo to get some more stuff out of my house.”
Bo nodded, taking a deep breath. “You’re right. And some more avocados.”
Her mouth fell open. “You ate all those damn avocados already?”
“You know I need my healthy fats to maintain this body,” he murmured, dragging his thumb over her jawline. She broke into laughter and hooked her ankles behind him, cinching her tight between her legs.
“Fuck, it’s sexy when you talk about healthy fats.” She squeezed her thighs around him, shivering once his hands pushed beneath her shirt, tracing up the sides of her body. “But you’re sexy when you do just about anything.”
He laughed through a kiss, then dragged his lips over her cheek. “And you wonder why I don’t want you to leave.”