Arranged love

GRAVE

I SIT IN the dark hotel room with the black shades pulled closed. I’ve become my brother. Is this why he’s always such a dick? Because he loved someone and lost them?

“Numb” by 8 Graves blares through the speakers on my phone.

Cross stands next to the couch, getting his shit ready. He’s the only one I’m talking to at the moment. I threatened him with his life not to tell the others where I’m at. I’ve had my cell off for a few days and cut all outside communication off until today when I messaged him to come see me.

He removes his gloves from his bag and pauses, looking down at me. “Sure you want to do this?”

“Yes.” I’ve always been impulsive. April makes me think, and I fucking hate it. I was fucking drowning, and she was my last attempt at living. She saw my struggle and pulled me out of the water. She gave me life, and I gave her nothing. “Do it.”

“I can’t work in the dark …” He trails off, walking over to the wall and turning on the bright lights.

I lie down on the couch with a growl and rip the blanket off the back, throwing it over my face. Maybe I’ll get lucky and suffocate.

_______________

April straddles my hips, her purple hair falling over her shoulders. She reaches up, running her hands through it and pushing it off her face, flipping it to the side.

We’ve been in her bed all weekend. I’ve ignored every call and text from my brother and the other Kings. I want to spend every second I have with this woman. I haven’t even thought about a hit or a drink.

I run my palm down her chest bone still feeling her heart pound, her skin slick with sweat. It travels lower until gripping her hip bone. She bites her bottom lip while her eyes run over the ink on my chest. They follow the lines of my skull with the tilted crown on my left pec. Then the crossbones underneath. All the Kings have them. “How old were you when you got your first tattoo?”

“Eighteen.”

“I’ve always wanted to get a tattoo.”

“Really? What do you want?” My eyes run over her perfect tits and the curves of her hips, imagining them covered in ink.NôvelDrama.Org holds this content.

“I almost went through with it once.” She laughs. “My best friend, Alexa, and I went out and got drunk. She was dating this musician at the time, and we had gone to their show. Anyway, afterward all the members of his band got matching tattoos. I wanted to get a petal on my arm.”

“So why didn’t you?”

“Because I know I wouldn’t stop.”

I reach up and run my hands through her tangled hair. “And why is that?”

“Because they’re addicting.”

“They are,” I agree.

She runs her hand up my right arm, her fingers following the ink. “I’ve always wanted a sleeve. I love art. I just …”

“Go on,” I urge her.

“I don’t trust anyone to draw on me. I’d want to do it, and well, I’m not a tattoo artist.”

“You could be.”

She laughs.

“Cross is a tattoo artist.”

“He is?” Her ice blue eyes widen.

I nod. “Yep. He has a shop inside of Kingdom. If you were to draw him what you want, he’ll do it for you.”

“Grave?” I feel a hand on my chest.

“Hmm?” I sit up and look at Cross standing next to me.

The glass coffee table is littered with Red Bull cans and room service that we haven’t finished. “We’re done,” he tells me.

“How long was I asleep?” I ask, feeling my arm tingle. He’s been drinking sugar and I’ve had a few Lortabs to help with the pain and to get some rest.

“A little over two hours this time.”

I place my face in my hands. Every time I sleep, I see her. She’s like a recurring nightmare that I can’t escape no matter how hard I try.

“I’m finished,” he states.

“Completely?” I ask, looking up at him.

He takes the Zippo from his pocket and lights up a cigarette. “Yep. Take a look.” He reaches out his hand to help me up off the couch in my hotel suite. He picks up the piece of paper on the floor and places it on the coffee table, so I don’t step on it.

A total of a week, thirty-five hours and my other sleeve is complete.

APRIL

I stand in the middle of Roses with Alexa, Haven, and Emilee. Jasmine is over in the cooler on her phone. I went back in there a minute ago and she was cussing someone out about payment for a Queen. I was confused and ran out of there as fast as I could to give her privacy.

Emilee keeps staring at me. Every time I look at her, she averts her eyes. It’s starting to make me paranoid. This is the first chance I’ve had to hang out with them since everything went down with Grave last week. The shop re-opened earlier this week and I’ve been slammed just trying to get back to where I was with orders. “Do I have something on my face?” I come out and ask her, patting down my cheeks.

“No.” She sighs. “I just … never mind.” She waves me off.

Alexa pops a piece of popcorn in her mouth as she leans over the front counter. Like a crazy neighbor eavesdropping. She has her bleach blond hair up in a messy bun and zero makeup on her face. She closed down her bar last night and called me first thing this morning. Said she had the day off at the studio and didn’t want to waste it sleeping. So, she showed up with an energy drink in each hand. She raided the small kitchen I have in the back and found some expired popcorn, but that doesn’t seem to bother her.

“What is it?” I ask.

“It’s just … have you tried calling him?” Emilee rushes out.

“Not this again.” Haven shakes her head. “He cheated on her. With Lucy!”

“But are you sure he did that? Did he admit to sleeping with her?” Emilee looks from Haven to me for verification.

“He couldn’t remember,” Haven snaps. “That’s enough to kick his ass to the curb.”

“Well, me and Titan …”

“We all know that you and Titan allow other cocks into your bed, Emilee.” She waves her off. “It’s not even close to the same.”

Alexa begins to choke, and pieces of popcorn go flying.

“What?” I ask shocked. “You guys have an open relationship?” I would have never guessed that about Titan. He just seems all possessive. And Emilee seems so in love with him. Why would they want to bring someone into their relationship? To each their own I guess. Since I’ve never done it, I have a hard time understanding it.

“It’s not like that,” Emilee answers me, narrowing her eyes on Haven for a split second. “We have an understanding. I love Titan. I do. With everything I have. He’s going to be my husband. We don’t allow all cocks into our bed. But sometimes, Bones joins us.”

Holy shit! I think my mouth drops open. “As in Bones? Grave’s brother?” No fucking way. I look over at Alexa, and now she’s shoving handfuls in her mouth. Most are falling onto the counter.

“We dated in high school and throughout college.” She shrugs. “It’s no big deal.”

“It’s not the same,” Haven repeats. “He fucked Lucy without April’s permission.”

I hang my head. That’s the hardest part of all this. I haven’t spoken to him in five days. I didn’t expect him to chase me, and in all honestly, I wouldn’t have given him the time of day even if he had. But I hate the loneliness of his absence. I hate not being able to call him and hear his voice. And of course, I miss him when it’s late at night and I wish he was lying next to me in my bed.

Just then, Jasmine joins our conversation, exiting the cooler. “Oh, stop harping on that, Haven. You’re just mad because you hate Lucy.”

“Of course, I do.” She lifts her nose up in the air.

I frown. “Did she and Luca date?” Maybe they were once fuck buddies too.

“Hell no,” Haven snaps. “I thought … There was a setup. What I thought happened, didn’t. But it was meant to look like it did.”

I’m confused.

“Exactly.” Emilee walks over to me and places her hand on my shoulders. “Take what happened to Haven as an example.”

“But I don’t understand what happened …” I try to argue.

“There’s nothing wrong with talking it out.” Emilee goes on, interrupting me. “I’ve learned that you need to communicate. And if you miss him half as bad as you act, then it doesn’t hurt to try.”

“Like I said …” Jasmine comes to stand in front of me as Haven and Emilee walk over to the flowers on the shelves. Alexa turns her attention to me and Jasmine. “You have to decide. Fight for it, or let it go.” She smiles. “And all I see is you holding on.”