Page 34 of Mark Us Little Bear
“You won’t drop this until I agree, huh?”
“Probably not.”
He turns his head over his shoulder and I can tell he has the same spark for her as he has for me. “We’ll see you at home, Amber.”
“Ride safe, Bear.” I wave to her before we enter the club.
“See you later, guys.”
Ronnie
Pacing back and forth like a little kid—the laces at the top of his boots are hanging open—Bradley glares at the paraphernalia resting on the rolling carts near the chairs. “Why don’t you let me tattoo you? Luka, please tell him I’m worth it?”
I don’t need Luka to tell me I already know your worth.
Luka laughs softly, already accustomed to Bradley’s demeanor. He pulls out a chair and drops onto the seat, hands spread wide on the table opposite me. A wicked smirk tugs at his lips and he gives me that loud “I know you’re crazy about him” look.
“Shut up,” I mouth back but sneak a glance at Bradley with my own entertained smirk.
Luka shakes his head out of the corner of my eye.
Huffing in anger, Bradley looks away when he grabs our food boxes and storms out toward the hallway in the back of the shop. He throws them into the bin before he closes the bathroom door—I feel like he wanted to slam it but didn’t.
Luka’s murky eyes land on me. His expression is a mix of “Are you happy?” and “he fucking adores you.”
“What?”
“I didn’t say anything.” He shrugs his shoulders.
“Your face did.” I arch my brows and place my elbows against the wooden board, cupping my neck.
“He’s pissed. I’ve never seen him like this.” He props his booted foot on his knee and crosses his arms. “Ever since he moved to your place that light in your eyes returned. He is good for you. When you talk about Amber you have the same spark. I don’t want you to deny yourself something you deserve even if it’s different.”
“What if things don’t work and it’ll ruin what we have?”
“Since when are you afraid, Ronnie, taking risks was always who we were.” He leans forward and draws all of my attention. “It’s more fun when it’s unpredictable, that’s how every journey begins.”
I know what he’s doing. He wants me to be happy. To move on. Find someone new that will treat me right. He doesn’t want me to push people away. To stay alone. Because I love being in a relationship, there’s nothing wrong about wanting to spend your time with someone you love and share beautiful moments with.
“Only now I have something to lose,” I confess.
“And everything to gain,” Luka adds.
I gnaw on my bottom lip, contemplating. I’ve overcome many hurdles in the last year and my entire life, so much so that I forgot I needed a moment to breathe. To mourn. To heal. I thought if I keep going and say I’m fine it’ll make me fine. But I’m still trying to accept certain things that happened to me.
He lifts himself off the chair and rounds the table. “Let the man give you a tattoo,” he claps on my shoulder, “He’s begging you to let him in.”
Simmering with these thoughts, I hear his footsteps echo down the hallway. “Where are you going?”
“Dylan texted that she thinks she forgot to put something in her bag so she needs me to look into something upstairs.”
That is code for sex. The video call kind, I assume.
As the elevator dings, the door of the bathroom clicks, and footsteps follow. Slowly but surely Bradley appears, his stoic expression offers nothing.
“Where will you tattoo me,” I bait him to reply, “I don’t have that many options?”
He turns his head in surprise and meets my eyes as I push to stand up. With big strides, he eats the gap between us. “The side of your neck.”
