Page 39 of Covert (Ruthless Love #2)

Chapter thirty-six

Maddox

N ikki withdrew. Even after I forced her to face what we are, what this is, she's still been distant and withdrawn. The darkness is back in her gaze, and I hate it. I hate her distance, and I hate myself because I was the one who put it there. Even if indirectly.

"Good morning, Britney, you're with Axel today.

I'll let him know you're here." I throw a scowl at Axel, who is grinning like a fool.

I stand, ready to toss her out into the street again.

What the fuck is Axel up to? He knows how much Britney's stunt the other day rocked Nikki.

He was the one who gave me shit about her starting to sleep on the couch.

But before I can throw her out, he waves a hand at me.

Nikki walks over to him to let him know about his appointment, when he grabs her by the back of the neck and pulls her close before whispering something in her ear.

Whatever he said, her shoulders drop in an instant, and her tense body relaxes.

She laughs and playfully swats at his arm, giggling about him being horrible.

I'm glad that whatever his plan is, Nikki now seems relaxed.

Axel looks down at his phone, typing out a quick text before going to the reception area to get Britney.

Axel: I figured we'd let Nikki get her revenge. I've got Britney for about an hour. Your schedule is clear. Put on a show.

I laugh and shake my head. Of course, that would be Axel's plan. Crazy bastard.

Axel takes Britney to his chair and begins setting up and prepping her, chatting with her casually, as if he hasn't just led her into a trap .

I text Beckett my plan. He's also free for the next hour or so. I watch as he reads my text, and his gaze rises to mine before a smile pulls across his lips. He doesn't have a personal vendetta against Britney, but she crossed a personal line for him. Don't touch people without their consent.

"Nikki, baby?" I call from my chair.

"Mhm?"

"Are you busy right now?"

"Nope," she replies cheerfully before hopping off her stool and walking towards me to see what I want.

I sit on my client's table, while Beckett comes over and sits on my stool. Nikki gives us a quizzical glance, but her smile never wavers.

"Come ink me, baby."

"What?!" she gasps in surprise. Beckett pats his thigh as I take off my shirt. I'm so proud of them for getting to the point where they can touch each other this casually.

"Don't worry, Babygirl, I'll show you how.

First, we have to pick a location. Maddox doesn't have much space left.

" Nikki comes over and perches prettily on Beckett's lap, still skeptical, but eyeing my naked chest with hungry eyes.

Britney gasps when she sees Nikki touching Beckett.

Everyone knows his reputation, and this is the first time anyone has seen him touch a woman.

I kick off my boots before shucking down my jeans so I'm just in my boxer briefs.

A strangled noise comes from Britney behind us, pulling Nikki's attention. Beckett pulls her attention back to us by instructing her to put on gloves.

"You want me to mark you?" she whispers, almost reverently .

I reach out and stroke her soft cheek with one of my large thumbs. "Of course, Babygirl. I'll wear your mark proudly the rest of my life."

Britney huffs and sighs dramatically behind us.

But now it's more about us and Nikki than it is about her.

This isn't about jealousy or revenge. It's sending a message.

That Nikki's ours and we're hers. And to prove to Nikki that I want more.

I want a future with her. Just like Diesel will always remember her because of his tattoo, I want something that will always remind me of her.

Before she puts the second glove on, Nikki's hand raises and she traces her fingers down my abs gently, causing them to jump and flex.

I have a patchwork of random tattoos on my chest and abs - a snake here, a watch there, a lion on my ribs.

Her eyes trail down my legs, too. They're not completely covered in ink, but pretty damn close.

"Unless you want me to ink between your toes..." She laughs.

I have a thought. I wiggle out of my boxers, causing Nikki's eyes to go wide. I cover my junk with my loose boxers and point to my groin. There's an empty few inches of skin just to the side of my cock on top of my hip flexor and pelvis. She runs her thumb across the area.

"Here?" she asks, looking up at me with her large, brown eyes. Beckett wraps his arms around her and nuzzles the side of her neck, causing her eyes to close and a low groan to escape. I nod as my cock gets harder. I love it when she makes that sound.

"What do you want me to draw?"

"Whatever you want, baby. Something to remind me of you the rest of my life.

" Her face falls and her eyes shutters just like it does every time we talk about the future, but she nods.

She bites her lower lip, thinking. Beckett sets up the tray just to her right with all of the colors she could ever want.

She smiles when she settles on a design, and Beckett helps her to begin to shave the soft hairs on my hip.

The area we decided on has thin skin, and bone and tendons to work around, but I love her staking a claim here. It's a message to anyone else that I would sleep with that she owns me.

She kicks on the machine, and I rest my head back against the table, ready to succumb to the endorphin high that the pain of a new tattoo always brings.

Beckett's large hand covers hers over the gun, and he guides to show her just where to put the heel of her hand and how much pressure to apply.

He murmurs encouragement and praise in her ear the entire time.

About twenty minutes of the sweet bite of the needle later, she sprays the area, wipes it clean, then sprays and wipes again.

I look up to see a proud gleam in her eye. Beckett's also smiling, so at least I know it's not a penis. Maybe?

"It's not a penis, is it?" I ask, suddenly nervous.

Nikki and Beckett burst out laughing. "Why would I draw a penis right next to yours?" I look down to see the outline of a pair of lips in red. Nikki's mark. Nikki is staking her claim, marking her territory. And I fucking love it.

"Do you like it?"

"I love it," I say, grabbing her chin in my hand and pulling her close enough to kiss. She pulls off her gloves and gives me such a look of adoration that it makes my heart ache. Beckett pushes her to her feet before saying, "My turn."

"What?"

He gently slides out from under her while I pull my boxers and clothes back on. I take his place on the stool and guide her hips back down to my thigh. Fuck, I'll never get over how good she feels pressed against me.

When I look up, though, Britney's got her arms crossed and a petulant look on her face while Axel works on a design on her ankle. If that doesn't get the message across, I don't mind fucking Nikki in front of Britney.

"Would you guys do one for me?" Nikki asks as I help her into another pair of gloves. I look at Beckett in surprise. She's always been cagey about the future, and about us, our relationships, but she wants something to carry with her forever? To remember us forever?

I nod eagerly. "Yeah, let's put something together that's a bit of all of us, and we'll let you choose?" I'm already getting ideas for designs that blend my black lines, Beckett's geometrics, and Axel's watercolors.

"Could we add something for Diesel, too? Like... maybe an element from his patch?" she asks, shyly. I'm not about to press her on it, but the fact that she's asking is good. Beckett nods, and I know we'll do anything to make that happen.