“See you,” Ty says softly, and one of his hands slides over my ribs, pulling me into his body. Like a wall of warmth and security at my back as his breath moves my hair and slows.
“Just a little longer,” I hear him say softly, almost in a dream state and his breathing level out as sleep pulls him under.
I wrap my hand over his, keeping him against me.
“Just a little longer,” I whisper.
I don’t think I’ve slept that well in…maybe ever.
Ty’s arm is under my head, but his other one isn’t around me anymore. Turning to face him, with one eye open, I see him on his phone typing out a list.
“Good morning,” I grumble, my voice hoarse from sleep. At my voice, a smile grows on Ty’s face and he puts his phone down.
“Hey, good morning. How’d you sleep?”
“Like the dead,” I say with a half chuckle. “What time is it?”
“Noon,” he tells me so simply that I’m also confused at my own reaction when I jump out of bed, throwing the blankets off and falling to the ground when my foot gets caught in the corner of the blanket.
“Fuck that hurt, shit,” I mutter getting up and standing. It fucking hurts, but I do it.
“You okay?” Ty looks at me with a smirk on his annoyingly handsome face. “Where are you going?”
“I...” Where am I going? I’m not at Mickey’s where I’d be punished for sleeping in. I’m here. Where Ty was holding me and being quiet to let me sleep more. “I don’t know,” I say with a self-conscious chuckle. “It’s habit. To be up and productive early. I don’t want to be in trouble.”
The smirk drops from his face as fast as it appeared. He doesn’t try to move past the moment, he just lets it be for a second and nods.
“Got it,” he says kindly, and stands up, stretching his hands over his head. Those dark eyes close as he stretches and yawns and my eyes dart immediately–thirsty for it, forhim–to the patch of skin he’s exposed to me. The V of his Adonis belt is visible and I mentally moan as the Roxie in my head melts to the ground.
Becauseof coursehe’d have the one thing that makes me feral. And what’s more, he hasn’t tattooed over it. There’s the bottom of a tattoo on the top of his hipbone, but that cut line of muscle? All clean.
“So I have to go to the shop,” he says as he opens his eyes and mine immediately snap back to his face.
I almost thought I got away with it, but my cheeks are so warm I’m sure he can tell.
“What shop?”
“Asher and I ownFrom The Asheson Main Street.” He says it so easily, so humbly like he didn’t just tell me that heowns a businessat twenty-one.
“The tattoo shop?”
“You know it?”
“I’ve heard of fighters getting their tattoos there. You’re fairly new, no?”
Ty chuckles, nodding and walking to the small broken dresser and pulling out a new outfit. “Yeah, I am. But Asher’s been working at getting the shop up and running since he was…”
“Fifteen,” I whisper, remembering that last day where he said he had an idea.
“Yeah, fifteen.” He looks at me like he knows exactly what I’m thinking of and it’s something he can smile about now. “I started helping him wherever I could, but it’s all in his name. The lease, the business. Monitarily, it’s all his, but he’s pulling me along like I’ve invested as much as he has. Telling everyone I’m the co-owner as well. I hope one day I’ll be able to legally.”
“Wow,” I say softly, and so fucking impressed.
“So I’ve got to go in to cover the walk-ins while he has a scheduled client. Will you come with me?”
“Are you sure?” I ask, a little worried about getting in their space. I’m already taking over their apartment, now their jobs? Come on, that’s a lot, even for me.
“Look, Roxie,” Ty pulls out another t-shirt and throws it towards me on the bed. “I asked you to give you the choice, but you’re coming with me either way. There’s no way I’m leaving you alone. Not now.”
