Renegade (Bad Blooded Rebel Series) (3 page)

“Eyes
in your head, tattoo boy,” I said, slapping the back of his head and he
laughed. “Jake, this is my girlfriend Everleigh Stone. Evie, this is Jake
Riggins. He’s the one that’s doing your tattoo tonight. That is if I don’t
break his fingers.”

Jake
laughed and held his hand out to Everleigh. “It’s nice to meet you Everleigh.
Sorry to hear about your dad,” he said and Everleigh smiled sadly. “I’m
actually really honored Ryder asked me to draw this up for you.”

“Well,
I am glad that you are willing to do it. I’ve seen Ryder’s tattoos and they are
really beautiful. I can’t wait to see what you came up with.”

Jake
held his hand out and pointed to the curtain. “Well, step into my office and
let’s take a look,” he said, showing us the way. Everleigh went first and I
heard Jake whisper to me, “Damn dude! How did a shithead like you get a smoking
hot chick like her?”

I
grinned at him and whispered back, “Easy. I have a monster sized cock,” I
joked, and he laughed.

“Seriously,
man, she’s fucking killer. Hang on to her because I might snatch her up if you
two ever hit the skids.”

“Okay,
joke time is over. You are about to tattoo her naked hip. I was serious about
breaking your fingers, dude,” I said, patting him on the arm a little harder
than I probably should have.

“I’m
just messing around. Come on, let’s look at the drawing,” Jake said and we all
went back to his tattoo room.

Everleigh

Once
we were back in Jake’s room, he wasted no time in showing me the picture he
drew up of my tattoo. When my eyes landed on the intricate picture he’d drawn
of my dad’s old guitar surrounded by clouds with the words “Love Is The Most
Important Thing” above the clouds I started to cry. I can’t believe Ryder
remembered one of the last things my Dad said to both of us and the fact that
he made sure that Jake got the design just right…I loved this man beyond words.

“So,
I take it the tears are a good sign?” Jake asked me.

Ryder
put his arm around my shoulders and I said, “It’s beautiful, Jake. It’s exactly
what I wanted.”

“Great.
Ryder said you thought about getting it on your hip?”

I
nodded. “That’s right. I was thinking about maybe having it here,” I said,
lifting my sweater and tugging on my jeans to show the spot barely on the front
of my right hip where I wanted the tattoo.

“Nice
placement, Everleigh. It’s going to look awesome when we’re finished. Plus,
you’re pretty fair skinned so your skin will take this like a dream,” he said.
“Why don’t you lie down on the chair while I get set up?”

“Okay,”
I said, suddenly getting nervous. God this was going to hurt. Thank God Ryder
was with me otherwise I’d be chickening out.

I
took my place in the chair and Ryder sat in a chair next to me. “You nervous?”
he asked me, smiling.

“Just
a little bit. Can you hand me my cell phone? I want to call Danni really
quick.”

“Sure
thing, Evie,” he said to me and gave me my phone. I quickly dialed Danni’s
number and she picked up on the second ring.

“Ev?
Hey girl, what’s up?”

“Oh,
I’m just chilling. Guess where I am right now?”

“In
bed with Ryder’s dick in you?”

I
scoffed and laughed. “God, Danni, no. I’m at a tattoo parlor.”

She
gasped. “Shut the fuck up! You are not!”

“I
am. I’m losing my tattoo virginity,” I said, smiling.

“I
promise I’ll be gentle,” I heard Jake call over his shoulder and I giggled.

“Shut
the hell up, dude,” Ryder said.

“Who
was that?” Danni asked.

“That
was the tattoo artist. His name is Jake.”

“Is
he hot?” she asked, and I rolled my eyes.

“I
guess so,” I answered, “but he’s no Beau.”

She
sighed. “Ev-”

“He
misses you, Danni. Why are you two being so stubborn?” When we all came to New
York I had assumed Danni would be coming with us but to my surprise she decided
to stay behind. She told me that since this was a just a fling with Beau that
she didn’t want to be too clingy so she stayed in Muncie while we all left for
New York. I know that Beau was being just as stupid when it came to Danni…they
both missed each other and neither of them was going to be the first to budge.
It was irritating.

Ryder
had convinced her to come and spend the last few weeks here in New York City
with all of us and I was so happy. He said he wanted her here so I wouldn’t be
alone but the truth of the matter was we were all sick of Beau’s mood swings. Hopefully
seeing Danni would make them both snap out of their self inflicted grouchiness
and they would be together again.

“Because
this thing between us was just a week long no strings deal, Ev. We both knew
that. I bet he doesn’t miss me like you think,” she said, sounding like she was
trying her hardest to be defiant.

“I
bet you’re wrong. I see him all the time, Danni. He’s been moping around and
being kind of a dick to the guys. I am the only one he seems to be nice to.”

“I
doubt it has to do with me. I’m just some girl from Indiana and he’s a sexy
rock star. There is no way he’d give that all up for a small town girl like me.”

“Daniella
Elizabeth Sharpe!” I yelled. “How can you say that about yourself? You are so
beautiful and funny and smart…Beau’s an idiot if he doesn’t fly back to Muncie
and bring you here.”

“I
appreciate all of that, Ev, but it is what it is. I’m fine, really. I’m okay
being his friend. So, enough about me. What is your tattoo going to look like?”
she asked, effectively changing the subject.

I
sighed. “You know what? I am going to make you wait until you get here this
weekend to see it since you are being a brat.”

“Hey,
I’m ready whenever you are,” said Jake and he lightly tapped me on the arm.

“Okay.
Danni, listen, Jake’s ready to get started so I have to go. I’ll see you soon,”
I said.

“Good
luck, Ev! I’ll see you Friday! Love you, babe!” she said.

“Love
you too, girl,” and I hung up the phone. I had never gone this long without
talking to Danni and I couldn’t wait to see her.

As
soon as I put my phone away Jake immediately got to work and rubbed something
that looked like an antiperspirant stick on my hip. Next he placed a piece of
what looked like tissue paper on my right hip and asked, “Is this where you
want it?”

I
nodded at where he put the paper and said, “Yes, right there.”

“Okay
then, let me just get this on here,” he said, and after about twenty seconds he
pulled the paper away and I saw what looked like a temporary tattoo on my hip.
Jake held up a mirror to show me the design on my hip. “Do you like the placement?”

I
looked at the temporary tattoo and got misty eyed…this was going to be
beautiful. Nodding, I said, “It’s perfect.”

He
picked up his tattoo gun in one hand and held a wet folded paper towel in the
other. “You ready, Everleigh?”

I
took a nervous deep breath. I grabbed Ryder’s hand and looked into his gorgeous
blue eyes. “I’m ready.”

Ryder
smiled at me and said, “Just squeeze my hand when it hurts, okay baby?”

I
nodded and quickly squeezed my eyes shut as I heard the buzzing of the tattoo
gun. Jake stretched my skin slightly and said, “Here we go,” and I felt the
first sting of the needles as they touched my skin. It burned and stung but it
wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.

I
opened one eye and looked at Ryder, who was smiling wider at me. “What is it?”

“I
was just thinking I hope I can still play my guitar tomorrow after this,” he
laughed, and I opened my other eye and looked at the hand I was holding. My
knuckles were white and his fingertips almost looked purple from how hard I was
squeezing him.

I
released my hand and said, “Oh, Ryder, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I was
squeezing you that hard.”

He
leaned in and kissed my forehead. “It’s okay, gorgeous. How are you doing? Does
it hurt?”

“Hell
yes it does,” I said, laughing and he and Jake chuckled. “But it’s not as bad
as I expected.”

“Well
Jake’s the best around and he’s pretty quick which is a good thing for him
right now because he can’t stop peeking at your rack,” Ryder said, shooting a
playful look at Jake. I felt heat rise in my cheeks as I heard Jake laugh.

“I’d
deny it, Everleigh, but who the hell am I kidding? My eyes have a mind of their
own. Nice, by the way,” he said, laughing. I knew that Jake must be harmless
because Ryder hadn’t punched him but I still felt a little uncomfortable at the
fact that the guy tattooing my bare hip had been staring at my tits.

“Dude,
knock it off,” Ryder said, flipping him off.

Jake
shook his head and laughed as he kept working on my tattoo. I found myself
chuckling at the two of them…they really had a strange friendship.

About
two hours later the tattoo was
finally
finished and I was thanking every
God there was that it was over. Jake had just finished wiping the leftover ink
and blood from my skin before he and Ryder helped me stand up. “Okay,
Everleigh, you’re all finished. Go take a look and tell me what you think,” he
said.

I
stood in front of the full length mirror in Jake’s room and once my eyes landed
on my new tattoo, I broke down in tears. The tattoo was breathtaking…it was the
most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. It was done in all black and gray and a
little bit of white. My dad’s guitar was perfect right down to the last detail,
the clouds looked strikingly real, and the words stood out so perfectly that it
made my chest ache to look at it.

“J-Jake…this
is…p-perfect,” I said and before I could stop myself I wrapped my arms around
his neck and hugged him. “Thank you so much.”

He
hugged me back for a minute and laughing he said, “You’re welcome, beautiful.”

I
released him and fell into Ryder’s arms. “Thank you for bringing me here Ryder.
I love you so much,” I said, crying hard. I hadn’t really cried like this since
the day of my dad’s funeral but seeing this tattoo in all its perfection had
made something shake loose.

He
held me tight as I cried for what felt like forever. I cried for my dad and for
what we’d never get to do together…giving me away at my wedding, dancing with
me at my reception, becoming a grandfather for the first time, watching my
babies grow…it all hit me in that moment.

After
I cried out everything I had been bottling up, I pulled away from Ryder’s tear
soaked shirt and looked at him. “I’m so sorry, I ruined your shirt.”

“You
didn’t Evie. Don’t apologize. And I love you too, gorgeous,” he said, and he
kissed me.

He
was wiping the tears from my cheeks when Jake cleared his throat. “Sorry to
interrupt, bro, but are you ready?”

He
smiled at me and said, “Yeah, I’m ready.”

Blinking
away a few more stray tears, I asked, “Ready for what?”

“You’re
not the only one getting ink done tonight, sweetheart,” he said, winking at me
and taking a seat in Jake’s chair.

I
sat down in the chair next to Ryder and asked, “So, do I get to know what you are
going to get?”

“Yes
and no,” he said.

I
stared at him, dumbfounded. “Well, which is it?”

“I
am getting two tattoos but I’ll tell you one of them,” he said. When he told me
he was getting “Rock Star” tattooed across his knuckles I grinned brightly.
“The other one is a surprise.”

I
leaned in and kissed him deeply as Jake changed the needles out and got
everything ready for Ryder’s tattoos. “I can’t wait to see what it is.”

“Love
you, baby,” he whispered to me.

About
forty five minutes later Ryder’s knuckles were finished and they looked
beautiful. He’d had them done in Old English script and with his other tattoos
on his arms it worked well. I loved that he’d gotten something that reminded
him of me.

Jake
and Ryder made me turn my back as they did his other tattoo but they both
promised me it would only take about ten minutes to do. I was nervous as to
what it could be and the anticipation was giving me butterflies in my stomach.

“Come
on you guys! Aren’t you done yet?” I asked, tapping my foot.

Ryder
chuckled and said, “Okay. Turn around gorgeous.”

I
spun in my chair to find Ryder holding out his left hand. I thought for a
moment he wanted me to hold it but then my eyes landed on his ring finger. I
gasped as I read “
Evie
” in beautiful cursive script spelled out in fresh
ink on the inside of his finger.