Page 98 of Rook
She raised a brow.
“Okay,” he admitted, “it hurt like hell.”
She laughed softly, tracing the ink with gentle fingers. “You didn’t have to do this.”
He caught her hand, pressing it flat over the tattoo. “Yeah, I did.”
He tugged her closer, hands sliding to her waist. “You wear my ring,” he murmured, brushing his thumb over the chain at her throat. “I wear your mark. Fair trade.”
Her heart squeezed. “Noah…”
He kissed her, slow, deep, reverent.
When he pulled back, his forehead rested against hers. “We’re building something, Aves.”
She nodded. “I know.”
“Messy,” he said.
“Beautiful,” she added.
“Real.”
“Us.”
He smiled, soft, rare, just for her. “Yeah. Us.”
She cupped his jaw, thumb brushing the faint scar near his cheekbone. “You’re softer now.”
He snorted. “Don’t tell the club.”
“And calmer.”
“Don’t tell Havoc.”
“And still possessive.”
He grinned. “That one you can tell everyone.”
She laughed, leaning into him.
He wrapped his arms around her, lifting her easily, settling her on the counter as if she belonged there, in his arms, in his space, in his life. His hands slid to her hips, warm and sure, grounding her in a way nothing else ever had.
Avery traced the tattoo on his ribs again, softer this time, her fingers lingering over the lines of her bakery logo inked into his skin.
“You really did this,” she whispered.
He looked down at her, eyes warm, steady. “I wanted something permanent. Something that says I’m not going anywhere.”
A warmth unfurled low in her chest at the quiet certainty in his voice.
She touched his jaw, thumb brushing the faint scar near his cheekbone. “You’ve changed.”
He huffed a soft laugh. “You make me better.”
“No,” she said gently. “You made yourself better. I just… got to watch.”
His expression softened in a way that still unraveled her.
