Page 66 of All's Fair in Love & Wrath
“Nope,” she says, popping the “p.” “It was a good time, but they’re insufferable old biddies, and they really enjoyed their free eye candy.”
They all take turns telling stories while Crew focuses on my hair. When he’s finished, he plops down in the seat next to me, handing the bottle over to Monroe, who just put gloves on.
“I’m going to look so distinguished,” he announces.
“You murder people, Mal. There’s nothing distinguished about that.”
“Details, details, my fine friend. I may ditch the leather and start wearing a suit and tie, noshirt.”
“No shirt with the tie?” I ask with a little laugh.
“Shirts are for kids and old people. I am neither. I only wear pants because Chaos has a pants-on rule when not in my room.”
“Wait, did you not wear pants before?” I ask, dumbfounded. Axel laughs and shakes his head.
“Buck-ass naked, all the time. He’s the reason there’s a pants-on rule now.”
“There’s a no flaccid penis rule, too,” Malice adds, face completely sober.
“Also because of you,” Axel adds.
“Yeah, but you get to have your monster cock out, and I thought I could have mine out, too.”
“You can, buddy. Just not flaccid.”
My eyes are wide, a huge smile on my face as the two of them banter and joke back and forth, Monroe quickly getting the leftover bleach into Crew’s hair. Every preconceived notion I had of this place has gone completely out the window. The Hell’s Heathens MC and clubhouse are the exception to everything I thought and believed.
After a little bit, Axel guides me to the bathroom, helping me wash out the bleach. He’s so sweet about it, meticulous, taking his time to massage it into my scalp, using the faucet attachment to make sure he gets it all out. After we’re finished, I use Axel’s blow dryer, choosing not to plait it off to the side for now.
There’s a knock on Axel’s bedroom door, and he steps out to get it. While I have a few seconds to myself, I look at the deep, marred flesh over my neck, jaw, and collarbone, but I don’t shrink away from it. Battle wounds. Proof I survived. Maybe I’m going to be okay after all.
I join Axel in the bedroom, finding Crew standing in the doorway, his freshly bleached and dried locks styled andsticking up straight and wild.
“Thank you, Crew. I feel much better. I appreciate it.”
“You look great! I knew deep down I was an artist. Maybe I’ll take this up full-time. Rogue does tattoos for everyone, and maybe I can do their hair now, too.”
“You’d be good at it. It looks good.”
“Still not natural though,” he teases, and this time, instead of cringing and wilting away for being called out about it, I lean into it and laugh.
“Still not natural.”
“Maybe someday. When you’re ready.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
Hopefully someday.
Chapter Twenty-Four
AXEL
“You’re too good at this,” I tell Sienna, watching in awe at how easily she fits the puzzle pieces together. She’s curled up next to me on the floor beside the bed with her knees tucked under one of my old sweatshirts, hair hanging loose down her back. Her sweet jasmine scent still fills the air, but now she faintly smells of me, too. Something that I’m obsessed with. My scent on her. My clothes covering her body. Her in my bed.
She’s gotten the last eight pieces in, and I’m still stumped on finding another spot for one, even though I’d done this particular puzzle twice before Sienna arrived here. I blame my distraction. Which is far from an issue. I attempt and fail at putting in another piece, and Sienna looks up at me with soft amusement, her pretty blue eyes sparkling.
I still can’t believe this is what my nights have become—me and one single woman, in my bedroom of all places, a thousand tiny cardboard pieces spread between us on the floor. I’m not itching to fuck, I just want to breathe her in and watch the way she focuses on her task. I clock the way she bites herbottom lip, the way her fingers hover over pieces before picking one up, the way she sighs when she lays one correctly, and the picture starts to come together. I’m in complete awe of her.
