Damaged and the Cobra (6 page)

Aaron must have realized words wouldn’t soothe
because he kissed me softly. My lips spread for his and I tugged at his tee. My
leg wrapped over his as I sucked gently at his tongue.

Making out in public seemed so trashy when I saw
others doing it, but now I couldn’t get enough of Aaron. Heaven was at my
fingertips and I never wanted to let go.

My mom always said I was a dreamer and she wasn’t
wrong. In fact, one of the trickiest parts of growing up was learning to keep
my dreams in line with what I could realistically attain. If I dreamed too big,
I would end up disappointed. Disappointed enough and I’d be filled with unhappiness.
My life was too damn good to be unhappy.

Never was letting go of a dream more difficult than
while kissing Lark in the Stucky’s parking lot. My petite muse sat on my Harley
with her legs and arms wrapped around me. My hands deep in her dark hair, I
kissed her as if hoping to steal her breath and keep it with me forever. This
moment was hotter and more beautiful than any before and I never wanted it to
end.

The dreamer in me imagined taking her to my bed and
keeping her at my house and making her mine. Just forget about her shitty
stepdad or the stepbrother she ditched at the library or her weird mom. Forget
about school and work. Nothing would matter beyond knowing Lark. I craved to
discover every inch of her body and every moment of her life before I met her.
I wanted everything right then and waiting for tomorrow was like a kick in the
balls.

The realist in me forced my lips from hers, but I
still held her close. As Lark stared up at me with those bright green eyes, I
knew she wanted what I did. The world was merely a backdrop to this moment.

“I need to see you tomorrow,” I said, accepting how
I would have to take her home.

“I work in the morning and have school in the
afternoon.”

“Hell,” I said, rubbing my head and feeling the
rough hairs needing to be shaved. “I have a client in the morning or I’d visit
you at Denny’s.”

“It’s okay. I can’t really talk that much at work
and I would probably get fired from sitting on your lap and making out.”

Grinning, I kissed her and we didn’t stop until a
few motorcycles raced by startling Lark. She glanced at them then back at me.

“Can I pick you up after school?” I asked,
caressing her delicate face.

“Yes,” she said, her smile warming and those eyes
lighting up. “I could meet you on the quad by the senior hall. It’s close to my
second class. Would that be okay?”

Leaning into her hair, I inhaled her vanilla scent.
“I don’t care where I meet you. I just need to know I won’t go a day without
you in my arms.”

Lark shivered at my words and again when my teeth
tugged at her earlobe. Her arms tightened around me and the dreamer in me said
taking her home to that shit family wasn’t happening. I should bring her to my
place. With me, she would smile because she was happy, not because she always
smiled.

Instead of giving us what we wanted, I forced
myself to drive her to the big ranch house on the outskirts of Ellsberg. The
lights were on and Lark frowned at a Harley parked in the long driveway.

“Will you be okay?” I asked, helping her off the
bike.

“They’ll be mad, but it should be fine.”

“Mad how?”

Lark smiled up at me and caressed the face of my
cobra. “I’ll get a lecture about keeping promises. Larry is very into personal contracts
of conduct and not breaking them. He’ll remind me how I come from a long line
of loser women and I am making bad decisions. I’ll nod and apologize. It’ll be
fine.”

I glared at the house. “You shouldn’t have to
apologize for shit. You’re nearly twenty. Going on a date shouldn’t be a criminal
offense in your fucking house.”

Lark reacted to my anger by shrinking a little.
Even looking younger now, she smiled. It was a fake grin frozen on her face as
she waited for me to hurt her.

Cupping her face, I kissed her tenderly and hoped
her fear faded. “You never have to be afraid of me,” I whispered.

“I’m not.”

Calling her out on the lie was pointless. I’d
freaked her out and now she had to walk into a house full of stupid men. As
much as I wanted to battle Larry and Dylan for her, I sensed Lark would be
upset if I tried.

“I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon,” I said, kissing
her again. “We’ll go out and talk more. You can tell me about school. Tell me
about anything. I just want to hear your voice.”

Lark’s real smile returned with gusto. “I’m going
to miss you too.”

For a moment, I knew it was a mistake to let her
walk away from me. This knowledge wasn’t my dreamer talking either. This came
from the male predator in me. It wanted my woman safe and I knew she belonged
with me. Despite just meeting, my heart had claimed Lark. Apparently, my male
ego had too.

Yet, I let her leave me and return to the house
with her crap family. I told myself this life of hers was temporary and soon
she would be where she belonged. With me.

Tasting Aaron on my lips, I entered the house and
my smile wasn’t fake for once. I had never been happier in my life. Nothing
before had felt as right as it felt when I was wrapped in Aaron’s arms. I had
been sleepwalking through life until the moment his lips touched mine. Now, I
was awake and everything was never more beautiful.

So happy at my evening, I didn’t worry over Larry’s
anger. I figured he’d call me a loser or have my mom tell me I was a loser.
Words wouldn’t bring me down. Not after spending a few hours with Aaron.

My joy faltered a bit when I noticed a box filled
with my stuff at the front door.

“We’ll buy more boxes in the morning,” Mom said as
Larry stood next to her. “A dozen should fit all of your things.”

“What?” was all I could think to say.

Dylan standing in the living room with his arms
crossed tightly over his chest. He was glaring at me like he used to glare at
Raven before they got into their big brawl.

“If you want to live like a whore,” Larry said in
the calmest voice, “you’ll need to live elsewhere.”

“I just went to dinner.”

“With a thug,” Mom said. “Larry is an important man
in Ellsberg. He can’t have his stepdaughter acting like a loser.”

“If I move out, I won’t be able to go to college.
Won’t that make me look like a loser?”

“It’s your decision,” Larry said, wrapping an arm
around my mom. “You can slut around town or you can go to college. I believe in
personal choice and I’m allowing you to decide what path you want to follow.”

“Aaron owns a business. His parents are members of
the country club.”

“Choose,” Mom said when Larry squeezed her
shoulders. “Larry could have just thrown you out, but he’s too generous for
such a thing.”

Staring at the ground, I thought about how perfect
Aaron was and how much I wanted him. Yet, college was my way out of a
generation of poverty and dependence on men. If I gave up school, I was
agreeing to give up my dreams for a man. Like so many women before me, I would
give up the future for the short term chance at romantic happiness.

“I’ll stop seeing him,” I said, hating the words.

“Just in case, we’ll get those boxes for you. Dylan
can pick up apartment listings tomorrow. Can’t you, son?”

“Sure,” Dylan nearly hissed.

“What do you say?” Mom asked.

“Thank you, Larry,” I mumbled, walking to my room.

The room was small, barely fitting a twin bed and
dresser. It seemed smaller than usual when I arrived and shut the door. Kicking
off my shoes, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. That stupid smile on
my face mocked me and the tears broke free.

Raven said crying was the reason women didn’t run
the world. If we could just control our tears, we’d beat men into submission. I
didn’t think this was true, but I didn’t like crying.

Like we did as children, I climbed into my closet
and sat in the corner. Wrapping my arms around my body, I pretended I was safe
and happy. Holding the picture of me with Raven and Phoenix, I pretended I was
already free of Larry, Dylan, and Mom. Most of all, I pretended I hadn’t just
given up Aaron.

Crying into my knees, I remembered hiding in the
closet with Raven and Phoenix back when our then stepfather would rage. I would
hold my brother against me as Raven told us stories. They were all fairytales
done Raven-style. Cinderella beat the crap out of her stepmom and sisters. Snow
White led the dwarfs and animals into a war where she killed the evil queen. Phoenix didn’t realize the stories were different, but I loved Raven’s bloodier versions.
Mostly because the nasty stepparents were always killed and I never had a
stepfather I didn’t hate.

Dozing off in the closet, I imagined one day
finding my way back to Aaron and telling him those stories. Maybe he could
paint the stories and I could show them to Raven. In my fantasy, Aaron loved me,
Raven returned to town, and I was free of Mom and her men forever.

Over the years, I’d tattooed plenty of quirky
characters. Yet, Nick was an odd guy mainly because on the surface he seemed so
normal. Most of my customers wanted cover ups for tattoos they chose while
drunk. Over half came to me to put their lovers’ names on them then returned to
have those names turned into something else. I just smiled at their crazy and
gave them what they wanted. After all, I was an artist who actually made money
off my craft. As my mom often pointed out, most artists couldn’t make that
claim.

Nick was different in that he was quiet like a
bookworm and scary like a thug at the same time. He came in wanting a dragon
tattoo across his back. The thing was huge and pricey, but he wanted it. I told
him how much it would cost and he returned a few months later with the money.
Where he found the money I didn’t know or ask.

After getting a look at Nick’s back, I wasn’t
surprised he took a solid beating from Cooper without falling apart. Most guys
would be gun-shy after such an ass whipping. Based on his scarred back, Nick
was accustomed to beatings. I also noticed he often came in bruised especially
his knuckles. Again I was curious, but didn’t ask any questions.

“Lark is sweet, but you better watch out for her
family,” Nick said, startling me while I worked.

Normally, the guy leaned forward against the chair,
leaving his back open for me, while he read schoolwork off a laptop. He didn’t
talk to me besides hello and goodbye. He was all about getting his assignments
done. This was the bookworm Nick I knew. Suddenly, he was chatty about my girl.

“How do you mean?” I asked, still working.

“Her stepbrother has the hots for her. You know
that, right?”

“I do now. What the fuck?” I asked, wiping the
excess ink from his back. “How do you know any of this?”

“We have a class together and study occasionally. Last
night she ran off to see you and I had to play distraction for her brother. The
guy is unhinged. You should have seen when he realized she gave him the slip.
It was like a possessive boyfriend flipping out.”

“Lark didn’t say much about her family. I know now
why. Her stepdad is that loud fuck on the city council.”

“I don’t know about him. I’ve only seen the asshole
brother. Just thought I would warn you that she’s not safe in that house.”

Having missed Nick’s point until he spelled it out,
I inhaled harshly. “Not safe?”

“The way she is around Dylan is like she’s scared.
She’s not that way around other guys. When I reach for something near her, she
doesn’t flinch. With him, she does.”

“Fuck,” I said under my breath. “I’ll talk to her
about moving out.”

“Money’s tight. I know that much. We talked once about
it when I had breakfast at Denny’s. She said she couldn’t afford to take more
than two classes. The rich asshole stepdad isn’t helping.”

Leaning back on my stool, I thought about my muse
stuck in that house with men who made her flinch. She hid her ugly life and
smiled easily, but too much of it was a lie.

“Thanks for telling me,” I said, returning to work.

Nick never winced at the pain. He was cold as a
fucker and I suspected if he were bigger that he might have taken down Cooper.
My friend was hard, but he cared about his safety. I suspected Nick didn’t.

“I know what it feels like to want a girl and have
her out of reach,” Nick said, reading again. “Lark deserves to be happy. She’s
on her own too much and she’s not a person who does well alone.”

“What girl?” I asked, letting my curiosity out.

“Not worth mentioning. It’ll never happen, but you
and Lark make sense.”

“Is it Farah?” I pushed. “The girl you can’t have.”

Nick laughed. “No. Farah’s great, but she’s like
Lark,” he said, glancing back. “Delicate. Your girl is like a flower and
flowers get bruised too easily.”

With that comment, Nick fell silent. I left him to
his quiet and worked on completing another part of his tattoo. I didn’t allow
myself to get distracted with worrying over Lark.

Yet, in the back of my head, I was already thinking
how her family’s bullshit needed to be aired. No more protecting fuckers who
caused her fear. Something needed to change.