She was also Peek’s old lady.

Peek was a member of an unofficial motorcycle club, and one of the grumpiest men in the entire world.

Yet, he respected a man who could speak his language. And Peek’s language was the art of tattoos, and I had a lot of tattoos.

“Mikey!” Alison said happily. “You ready to get that blank spot on your back filled in?”

Before I could answer, Nikki spoke up.

“Actually, he’s bringing me here to get my first tattoo!” Nikki said excitedly, as if we’d actually planned for that to happen.

When I went to say something, she placed her hand over my mouth and shook her head.

“Really? Mikey’s never brought anyone here before! I’m so excited to meet you! You’re Nikki, right?” Alison asked with a happy laugh.

Nikki turned curious eyes to me before returning her attention to Alison.

“Yeah, I’m Nikki. I hope you’ve heard good things,” she said honestly.

I knew I should stop this before it went any further, but I decided to let it be. What was said was said, and I didn’t have anything to hide.

Nikki would find out soon enough what I’d done even without Alison’s help.

Alison smiled. “Oh yeah. Michael told us all about you when Peek was doing the piece on his back.”

Nikki blinked and turned to me, but Alison didn’t notice. She was too busy going on and on about all that I’d said that night a year and a half ago.

The night I’d been drunk out of my mind.

“What’d you do?” She asked warily.

I shrugged and turned around, giving her my back.

“Right above my belt,” I told her.

Slowly I felt my shirt lifted, and then she gasped.

I knew what she saw.

It was kind of hard to miss.

“You have my name tattooed on your ass!” She squealed.

I snorted and turned around, giving her a dry look.

“It’s on my waist, not my ass. I don’t have anything on my ass. I can always get one if you want,” I offered suggestively.

She wiggled her fingers at me.

“Turn back around,” she said. “I wasn’t done looking.”

I did as I was told, and felt her tracing the letters of her name that was inked into my flesh with her fingers.

“Why?” She asked softly.

I shrugged.

“Seemed like a good idea at the time,” I said lamely.

She laughed, making my heart soar.

“I’ve heard of women putting their man’s name right there, so he can, ya know, see it when he does her from, ya know, behind. But I’ve never seen a man do it,” she tittered.

I let my shirt drop and turned back around to see her eyes now fixated on my crotch, and I barely resisted the urge to cover it with my hand.

“So,” I said teasingly. “What are you getting on that virgin skin of yours, Nik?”

We’d talked about it once, a lifetime ago, but times changed. As did opinions.

Nikki, though, was predictable, proving to me she hadn’t changed a bit.

“Have you seen those huge eyed stuffed animal Ty Beanie Babies?” She asked Alison.

Alison nodded. “Yeah, who hasn’t?”

Nikki smiled.

“That’s what I want.”

I shook my head.

That woman.

On our first date together, I’d won her one from one of those machines where you used the claw to grab the stuffed animal out of the overpriced machine.

She’d fallen in love with it, and I’d started calling her ‘Owl’ later that night as I saw the resemblance between the owl’s eyes and Nikki’s.

When she’d joked that she was going to get a tattoo of the owl, I’d called her on it, and we’d made a bet that she wouldn’t.

But then, as time went on, we’d forgotten about it.

Then things had gone down, and suddenly there was no more Nikki and Michael.

Well, I’d forgotten about it.

Nikki, apparently, had not.

“Do you have a specific one you had in mind?” Alison asked.

Nikki smiled and dug into her bottomless pit of a purse for her phone, unearthing it after emptying not only her wallet, keys, and a makeup bag, but also a pair of flip flops, onto the counter.

I could do nothing but shake my head.

“That woman.”

“Oh!” Alison said excitedly. “I love it!”

Alison was a forty four year old woman with graying blonde hair, but right then, with the way she was giggling like a teenage girl, she could’ve passed for one of the young girls that Peek had just shown out the door.

“What are you squealin’ about, woman? You know how that hurts me ears,” Peek growled teasingly.

Peek was fourth generation Irish.

He had a thick accent, but when he was talking to his wife, the accent got thicker and thicker as he crooned his sweet words to her. Or yelled at her.

“How ye doin’, boyo?” Peek asked slapping me on the shoulder with his large hand.

Peek was a six foot four inch powerhouse that towered over my six foot two frame.

I wasn’t skinny by any means.

I had muscle on top of muscle.

Peek, on the other hand, was a bull where the rest of us were most definitely not.

He was a volunteer firefighter for the Uncertain, Texas Fire Department as needed, and he worked at his tattoo parlor in Kilgore, Uncertain, and Gun Barrell City on a rotating shift. He was also a member, and president, of the Uncertain Saint’s MC.

Peek had started the MC a long time ago after the death of his and Alison’s one and only son.

Apparently it’d been due to drugs, but I’d never broached the subject any further than what he was willing to give.

I’d met him that first night, twelve years ago, and he’d helped me cope with my decision to leave medicine, as well as my parent’s outrage over the fact.

He’d also introduced me to the Chief of Police, Chief Rhodes, on my next shore leave.

We’d hit it off, and I’d found myself a job with Kilgore Police Department the minute my feet met even earth once again.

“I’m doing well, Peek. This,” I said, holding out my hand to Nikki, who ignored me as she showed Alison pictures of nephews. “Is Nikki.”

Peek smiled, moving closer until he was directly behind Nikki with his body turned towards me, remembering just as Alison had. “I’m glad to hear that, boyo. What’re ye doin’ here?”

Nikki turned when she heard Peek at her back.

Eyes wide in wonder she said, “I’ve never met an Irishman before.”

Peek turned to her and gave her a leering grin. “Would you like to?”

Rolling my eyes, I moved until my arm was around Nikki’s neck. “She’s spoken for, big guy. And I’m fond of Nikki’s eyes,” I said looking pointedly at an innocent looking Alison who had the grace to look chagrined.

A few months ago, Peek had been working on a client, a young female who was getting one of the most-hated-by-Peek tattoo’s ever, a butterfly, when the young client had grabbed Peek’s crotch.

Alison, having witnessed the incident, flipped. Then threw the girl and her half-finished butterfly out the front door.

I’d been the one to take the call when the girl had called to report the apparent ‘assault,’ which were actually just a few scratches on her face.

“I can’t help that that girl was a dumbass who thought it was appropriate to grab a man’s, a married man’s, crotch,” Alison said stubbornly, before tossing a glare in her husband’s direction.

“I can’t help that me package is irresistible!” Peek said in his Irish brogue.

Nikki laughed, covering her mouth to contain her giggles before turning laughing eyes on me.

“You ready to get that tattoo done, Owl?” I asked softly, ignoring the two bickering people to our sides.

She nodded. “Yeah, I think it’s time.”

Chapter 6

If she even looks at me I’ll fuck her face up…with my killer glare, and hellacious cold shoulder.

-Nikki to Lennox

Nikki

“Hello?” I answered my phone. I sounded tired.

I’d literally been in bed for less than four hours, tops, and I was dying to go back to sleep.