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“East...” I shake my head. “This is way too much. I mean, this is five thousand dollars.” I stare at the check that was in the card he gave me for graduation.
“I don’t want you to worry while you’re at school about a job or asking your mom or me for money. I was planning to take you to the bank to open an account, but you can do that yourself and I can wire you money if you need more.”
“Are you crazy?”
“Only a little.” He chuckles.
“I can’t accept this.”
“You haven’t even opened the box yet,” he points out.
“I’m afraid to. I don’t know what to say.”
“Say thank you.”
“Thank you.” I lean across the table at Waffle House and kiss the corner of his mouth. We’re at a table in the corner where no one can actually see us, but I know we need to be careful. The last thing either of us need is for someone to tell my mom they saw me making out over pancakes with one of her exes.
“Open the box.”
“Okay.” I pull the red ribbon wrapped around it off and then the lid. My hand flies to my mouth. It’s a car key. “Mom is going to kill you.”
“You need dependable transportation so you can come see me sometimes on the weekend.”
“Who says I want to visit,” I tease.
He ignores my jab. “Insurance is paid up for the next year. I put you on my policy. I already worked it out with Alexa. She was fine with it.”
“I’m sure she was, but, East, the money...the car. I...it’s a lot.”
“It is but you deserve it. You made good grades and worked your ass off for your scholarships. I’m damn proud of you. I don’t want you to struggle or stress about paying for your books or being able to buy whatever it is you need. There’s just one more thing.”
“No. No more. For all I know you’ll give me a house next. You’ve got to stop this.”
“I promised you something a few years ago.”
“My first tattoo.” I smile. “I figured you had forgotten or that Mom had put her foot down for once.”
“I planned on taking you last night after dinner, but plans changed.”
My cheeks bloom pink remembering all the things he did to me. The places he had his mouth. “I suppose they did.”
“Finish up your food and we’ll go for a drive.”
“Does my mom know you’re taking me for a tattoo?”
“What’s one more secret between friends.” He winks at me.
“You know she’s going to kill us both.”
“Not me. I’ll be gone by the time she sees it. I ride out soon on club business. Just waiting for my marching orders.”
“Well that’s great for you. Who’s going to protect me from her wrath?”
“Fine. We’ll tell her together.”
“Hmm, you’re feeling brave today,” I muse.
“Just happy.”
“Happy is good.” I shovel a forkful of pancakes into my mouth and chase it with my orange juice. East sips his coffee. I finish off my drink while he pays our check.
I pull out my phone. I have another text from my mom.
Mom- Where are you?
Me- Getting breakfast with East and getting my graduation present.
Mom- Okay. I drove by his place. I thought we could do something together since it’s my day off, but we have the summer. I’ll be at Steve’s if you need to reach me. I’ll probably stay over but if you want me home...
Me- That’s fine. I’ll go over to Andi’s. I feel bad for not getting to hang out with her last night, but I didn’t want to be around Darin and that whole scene. Love you.
Me- Hey, I need a huge favor. If my mom contacts you later, I’m there but asleep and turned my phone off because of Darin. Please do this for me.
Andi- You know I always got your back, but where are you really?
Me- I’ll come over in the morning and tell you everything. I promise.
Andi- Okay. Did you and Darin seriously break up? He was making out with Randa last night. He was majorly drunk though.
Me- Yeah. It’s okay.
Andi- Talk to ya later.
“You all set?” East holds his tattooed hand out to mine.
“Yeah. I was just letting Mom know where I was.”
“You told her?”
“Not exactly but she does think I’m spending the night with Andi...if you don’t have other plans, I could stay the night with you again.”
His lips twitch into a smile. “C’mon, Lady.” We get outside the Waffle House and round the corner to where East has his truck parked. He pushes me up against the side of the building and kisses me deeply, one hand on my ass, the other cupping my jaw. “Wanna fill your mouth with my cock, Wylla Mae,” he growls into my lips.
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. Later.” He breaks away and I climb into his truck.
Before I can buckle my seatbelt, East is on me again. Hot and heavy his mouth devours mine. He fills the space of the door, taking what he wants. Hand up under my dress, he cups me between my legs. ‘This pussy belongs to me, Wylla Mae. Remember that when you’re off at college,” he warns.
“Does that mean, this belongs to me?” I grab his dick over jeans and squeeze. “Or are you gonna be deep in club bunny pussy while I’m away?”
“Only pussy I want is between your thighs,” he promises, rubbing his thumb against my clit then pulling away. I’m breathless as he moves around the truck to get in the driver’s side.
East drives us for miles, the two of us stealing glances and holding hands along the way. There’s this new easiness between us that has me wondering if we could make this work. He could come to me or I could go to him on the weekends. No one would have to know until we were ready to tell them. It’d be our secret. Stolen kisses and late-night phone calls. Could it be enough for a man like East? Could I be enough to make him happy? I’m not so foolish that I believe that we’re just going to ride off into the sunset on his Harley because we had sex and confessed I love yous, but all girls dream of being swept off their feet.
“Do you know what you’re gonna get?”
“Yeah.”
“You gonna tell me?”
“Nope.”
He makes this noise at the back of his throat that sounds like a sexy growl. The truck rolls to a stop in the parking lot of a tattoo shop downtown. We exit the truck and he grabs my hand like he doesn’t care who sees. I pull away and he stops me, backing me into the building. Gaze searching mine he studies me. “I can’t hold your hand?”
I rest my palm against his jaw. “It’s not that I don’t want to, but you know we can’t let anyone see us, East. They’d say stuff and Mom might hear and jump to the wrong conclusion.”
“Let’em talk. I don’t want to hide, Wylla Mae.”
“Yesterday you could hardly touch me and now you can’t keep your hands off me. You’re giving me whiplash.”
“You call me a coward, but you’re the one acting scared, baby. I’ll go to Alexa right now and tell her about us if that’s what you want. I’m your man. I don’t give a fuck who doesn’t like it.”
“Slow down. This is all too fast.”
“Yesterday you couldn’t wait to jump on my dick now you wanna back up and play innocent. You can’t have it both ways.”
“Don’t be a jerk. I don’t want to fight.”
“Then what do you want?”
“Let’s talk about it later. You owe me a tattoo.” I draw him in closer, not sure where all this is coming from suddenly, but things are spiraling, and I need to contain East fast. “Kiss me.”
“No.” He shoves away from me. “Someone might see.” He starts down the sidewalk toward the shop and I have no choice but to follow him.
He holds the door open for me and a barely showing pregnant woman behind the display case comes around to hug him. “East, Roane said you would be in.”
“Hey, Jules. When’s Roane Jr gonna make an appearance?” he kisses her cheek, and I drift to the wall to look at the photos.
“I have a way to go. I’ll let him know you’re here.”
East comes up behind me, fingers digging into my hip. “You still mad, baby?” His lips move along the shell of my ear and I find that I can’t stay angry with him. Heavy footsteps fall on the hardwood floor and East moves away from me.
“What’s up, brother?” I watch in fascination as Roane and East greet each other with one of those random handshakes that all dudes seem to know by heart. Roane shifts his focus to me. “Dude, Alexa will kill you.”
“She’s legal,” is the response East gives him.
“Wylla Mae, last time I saw you, you barely came to my chest. You’ve grown up, baby girl.”
“Hey, Roane.”
“So, you’re here to get some ink.” He rubs his palms together. “Virgin skin. Do you know what you want?”
“Yeah.”
“All right come on back. I have some forms you need to fill out while I get set up and we can talk about the design you want.”
East gives me a nod and I follow Roane back to his station. I look back to see if East is coming too, but he stays up front talking to the pregnant chick.
“Have a seat.” Roane directs me to a black leather chair and hands me a pen and clipboard. “Fill this out and do you want to look through some books or do you already have an idea of what you want?”
“I know what I want. Do you remember when I was like eight East had to bring me with him to the clubhouse and you gave me a fake tattoo right here on my wrist.”
His face blanks but then he remembers. “That’s right you wanted a sunflower and the word lady.”
“Think you could recreate it but make it permanent.”
“Okay. I got you.” I fill out the paperwork while he starts sketching out the design. “You know East came in a few years ago and got a tat that had a sunflower in it. You know anything about that?”
“No. Where’d he get it at?”
“You’d have to ask him about that.” Roane gives me this look. It’s a look that says I know but I don’t care what you two got going on it’s none of my business, but I support my brother.
A few minutes pass and East finds his way to us in the back. His gazes travels the length of my legs and I scowl at him. I don’t want him checking me out like that right now. It makes feel awkward because it turns me on, and Roane is right here. “What’d you decide on?”
“Nope. I told you it’s a surprise.”
He strokes his chin. “Don’t sass me. I’ll spank your ass right here.”
“East,” I hiss.
“Wouldn’t be nothing Roane hasn’t seen before.”
Roane chuckles and shakes his head. “You ain’t wrong.”
East moves behind the chair putting his hands on my shoulders and starts massaging. I let out a moan because it feels good and East stops. “Don’t be doing that shit right now.”
“You’re the one over here rubbing on me.”
“All right.” Roane takes the clipboard and flips through the pages. Sitting it to the side he grabs his sketch for me he’s been working on. “Whatchu’ think?”
“It’s gorgeous.”
“Of course, it will be in full color,” he ads on.
East grins down at me seeing my choice.
Roane sketched out a skull with a sunflower growing out of the top and underneath in fancy cursive lettering is the nickname East gave me all those years ago— Lady.
“Now when you was a kid the placement was on your wrist. Do you trust me?”
“East does so yeah.”
“Good.” He sanitizes his hands and puts on a pair of clean gloves. East moves back and gives him room to work.
When he’s finished the sight of the tattoo takes my breath away. Roane added a compass next to the skull and it’s pointed East.