“Why do you say that?” I ask.
“Her eyes. When she looks to Burner, she seems nervous and doesn’t know if she should even speak to him. As if she sees herself as a lesser being but she at least spoke to him minimally. But when she glanced in my direction, she seemed petrified. I don’t know what all she’s been through; however, you should feel lucky she trusts you,” Ally says, swiping my hand with the towel.
“I know I’m lucky. I’m trying to get her to slowly work on being around other people. It’s why I asked you guys to come in here rather than me bringing her out there. She’s scared of women because of all the things that have happened to her.” I don’t blame her either. I can sense she didn’t have it easy growing up and after what we heard Jezebel say, I realize she had it even harder.
I’m starting to understand what my uncle mentioned so long ago. “Son, you’re too young to understand, but one day you’ll understand your mom never had it easy and the demons finally won a war that she’d been battling for a very long time. Your dad, he was the love of her life, the one who pieced her back together again when she was broken beyond repair.”
Shit. My dad was my mom’s strength and when he died, she started to spiral downhill. When she couldn’t handle it anymore, she gave up.
Fuckin’ fuck me. I need to talk to my uncle to see if I can find out what my mom went through so I can finally understand her demons and fully face my woman’s, as my dad did for my mom. Only I won’t be leaving her to face life without me.
Ally doesn’t say anything else and the only sound being the buzzing of the tattoo guns.
Staring down at my hand I glance to my woman’s back as she begins to stir. Burner and Ally left the room not even five minutes ago giving us the privacy I need to wake Harley and show her her tattoo.
I’m in complete awe of the tattoos. Fuck those two are good. I don’t know how they do it but when they’re drawing out a design the two of them seem to connect and get it almost exactly the same as the others.
Harley’s back now sported a beautiful heart with flowers encasing it. In the center of the heart is a keyhole. Above the heart was a crown and within it it held my name.
My hand held the key that goes to the keyhole, Harley’s name was scrolled on the side of the key and words were written within the shading ‘Inner Strength’.
Fuckin’ love it.
Sitting next to my woman, I brush her hair that had fallen in her face.
I don’t know how she was able to fall asleep while getting a tattoo, but here she is sleeping peacefully in a way I don’t think she’s ever slept in her life.
Leaning down I cage her in with my body on one side of her and my arm on the other side of her. “Wake up, Angel Eyes,” I whisper into her ear.
Harley’s eyes flutter open and she tilts her head to me slightly. “What’s going on?” she asks somewhat disoriented.
“Burner finished your tattoo, they left so I could wake you up and show you this beautiful piece on your back,” I murmur, pressing my lips to hers wanting to taste her.
The past two days I got to taste a lot of her and I still can’t get enough of her.
“Can I see yours?” she asks as I pull away to help her to her feet.
“I’ll show you after you see yours,” I inform her as I walk backwards into the bathroom holding her hands in mine.
“Oh, okay,” she murmurs, her eyes filled with uncertainty.
I hate seeing the look in her eyes and in a moment I’m about to make that shit vanish. Harley will know exactly what this means to me.
Pulling us into the bathroom, I flip the light on and position the two of us until Harley’s back is directly in the middle of the mirror. “Alright, baby, take a look at your back,” I say, placing my hands on either side of her arms wanting her to feel me as she sees what I see.
Harley tilts her head in order to see herself in the mirror. Her gaze zeros in on her back and then she lifts her eyes to stare at me.
I slide my hand with the tattoo down and hold it to rest near hers. I keep my gaze locked on Harley’s eyes as hers follow my movement. “I now have the key to the box holding the demons at bay, Angel Eyes.”
Harley lifts her gaze back up to meet mine with tears welling in them.
Shit. I hate seeing her cry.
“You . . . I mean . . . I love you,” she says, her eyes filled with worry. “I know it’s so soon . . . but I . . . I’ve never had anyone in my life like you and I’m scared it’s only a dream.”
“No, Harley, it’s not a dream. I’m here and always will be. Told you I’ll be your strength always. I’m not going anywhere. And just so you know you got my heart, Angel Eyes. I don’t do shit like getting a tattoo like this without thinking it through,” I murmur as I lift my tattooed hand to cup her cheek in my palm. “Now it’s time to feed you and this time I want you to come out to the main room of the clubhouse.”
Harley’s body immediately stiffens then relaxes. She’s finally understanding what I mean about being her strength and I won’t allow anyone else to harm her.
“Okay, I suppose I need to see my brothers who’ve claimed me,” she says giving me a small smile.
“Yeah, baby,
