Order (Tattoos and Ties Duet #2)(113)
No prison—that was a relief.
No club. Keyes narrowed his eyes, for the first time seeing the benefit of no longer having to hide Alec for fear his brothers wouldn’t understand. There was relief there too.
He did like rebuilding bikes better than changing tires.
He was unemployed, but he could get work, especially with no felony conviction on his record. He’d never been one to shy away from hard work.
“Key, please say something. You’re killing me. I’m sorry I didn’t plan…”
Keyes lifted his head, and he broke the invisible barrier that kept them apart to cover Alec’s always moving lips with his fingers.
“You gotta stop takin’ responsibility for my shit.”
Alec started shaking his head no, and Keyes added pressure to the fingers on Alec’s mouth.
“And I think you’re gonna get sick of me…”
Alec couldn’t hold his tongue and started talking around the press of his hand. “I never want to lose…”
Keyes used his forefinger and thumb to mash Alec’s lips tightly together. This loving man made everything better—he always did—and as far as Keyes hoped, he always would. Keyes stepped in, coming chest to chest with Alec, anchoring a strong arm around Alec’s back to draw him closer. He stared deeply into Alec’s sad eyes. Nothing had really changed. Someday Alec would get sick of him. Someday he would wise up and see them for what they were, but Keyes was helpless to do more than try to be a man deserving of Alec Pierce.
“I want those things too—all those same things you want.”
Alec’s eyes softened as he wrapped both arms around Keyes’s waist.
“We’ll figure it all out after I kiss you. I’m gonna remove my fingers. No talkin’.”
Alec didn’t listen, he rarely did. Seconds before his mouth touched Keyes’s lips, he whispered, “I love you.”
Nine months later
Devilman raised his head and stared Alec straight in the eyes, concern lowering his brow. “You know, more than half the people I do this to get divorced, and no matter what you put here, everybody’s gonna know you were married. Ain’t none of that fancy soap gonna’ wash this shit off.” Dev’s brow lifted smugly as he delivered the final word.
Alec instantly grinned at the warning from the man sitting across the table from him, for three reasons. One, the permanent band being inked on his ring finger was already halfway finished. Two, there was never going to be a time that he allowed Key to leave him—that decision had been made months ago. Key owned him, end of story. And the third reason…he’d caught the devilish gleam in Dev’s eyes, and it was obvious the guy was trying to get under his best friend’s skin. Dev had caught on quick that Key could be a bit defensive where Alec was concerned, so the guy pushed the boundaries whenever he got the chance.
“Shut the fuck up and finish,” Key growled, and Dev jerked from the kick Key had given his chair. Alec’s eyes met Dev’s and they both chuckled at Key’s reaction.
“I’m just sayin’,” Dev teased, grinning broadly. Alec watched the two men for a second then dropped his gaze to the freshly inked ring finger on Key’s left hand. Just seeing the perfectly etched symbol had love and pride swelling in Alec’s chest and joy filling his heart. The pressure of Key’s strong hand on his thigh comforted him and reassured him with a gentle squeeze of solidarity.
Dev rolled his shoulders then his neck before the burning started on his finger again. He was ready to be done with this part. Devilman had been working diligently for hours. The guy was truly an artist and had unbelievable skill, not to mention the patience he’d shown during this entire process. First, he had worked on Key’s massive back tattoo for a couple of hours before starting on Alec and giving him his first ever tattoo—Key’s name in bold, fancy lettering, scripted directly over his heart. Now they were at the end, almost finished with the identical ring tattoos representing the vows they’d promised to each other in a civil ceremony held yesterday afternoon.
The fact that he had become comfortable with Devilman coming to their new home was a testament to how cunning and extremely sneaky the guy was. At least once a month since they had moved to Westlake, Dev somehow managed to make it inside Key’s large workshop completely unnoticed by the elaborate security system Alec had installed on their fifteen acre property and, even more impressive, he’d made it past their always vigilant guard dog, Nash. His bark was definitely worse than his bite, all show and no action—but where the pup did excel was in clearing a room, even in his sleep. Alec cringed at the times he had suddenly woken to the horrible smells coming out of the precious dog who slept in bed with them every night.
Alec turned his attention back to Dev, watching as the guy skillfully worked the tattoo gun over his skin. He’d not fully explored Dev’s covert techniques that allowed him to slip by undetected, but he now understood why Key had gotten so freaked out over his safety where the Disciples of Havoc were concerned. He could only imagine what those bikers could do with that kind of stealthy surveillance ability. Maybe he didn’t really want the answers. Perhaps, there was something to be said about ignorance being bliss after all.
Alec had gotten past the initial worry and the unexpected twinge of jealousy that had sparked when he’d met his lover’s best friend for the first time. It had only taken a couple of minutes of being in the same room with both of them for Alec to realize Dev wasn’t who Key wanted. Dev was good-looking with that model surfer look, but edged enough on the hot, rough biker side you couldn’t help but steal a second glance. Dev was definitely easy on the eyes, and even more surprising, the guy had a quick wit that kept everyone laughing. It was refreshing to see how close Dev and Key really were. The two men were truly like brothers. Key and Devilman were fluid and comfortable with one another, a familiarity that only came with time. They shared a bond closer than if they had actually been born family, a family which now included Alec.