“Axl loves you. Apparently, I’m the only one he doesn’t want here with him.”
“Kids say many things they don’t mean when they are scared or angry. You should spend some time around my nieces and nephews. They are very vocal but no one heals a hurt quite like their mamacita.”
I give him a sad smile and step out of the curtain. “I’ll be right back.”
I wait until I’m outside before attempting Gabe’s number. It rings out, and I want to throw the damn phone when a robotic voice tells me the inbox I’m trying to reach is full. I open Arturo’s texts app and shoot a message to Gabe.
Me: Gabe, this is Lo. Axl is in the hospital with a fractured radius and ulna. Call me when you get this.
I contemplate calling the tattoo parlor but don’t because we’ve been here for hours and it’s far too late for him to still be at work. I wish I had Clem or Tommy’s numbers, but neither have landlines and my phone is still sitting on my kitchen counter.
I head back to the boys and sit on the bed beside Axl. He’s out like a light with the drugs coursing through his system. Poor baby. Arturo sits in a hard plastic chair the nurses must have brought in for him. Charming bastard.
“Any luck?”
“No. He’s not answering.”
“Do you want a coffee?”
“No.” I shake my head. “Thank you, but I’m already a jittery mess.”
He smooths his hand over my back in calming circles, and I yawn as I carefully lean back against the mattress. “Why don’t you sleep, mi amor?”
I shake my head. “Axl might need me.”
“He is asleep. There is nothing more you can do. Why don’t you close your eyes? I will wake you if necessary.”
“Thank you for being here. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
“De nada. I would not be anywhere else. I will always be here when you need me.”
I reach out and lace my fingers with his strong, tanned ones and I can’t help but think about how different his hands look to Gabe’s. There are no tattoos covering every inch, just smooth brown skin and sure, steady fingers that I know won’t let go of mine first.
Guilt slams into me for comparing the two yet again. Arturo doesn’t deserve this. He deserves a woman who can give her all of him, and that’s not me because I already gave my heart awayto a man who doesn’t deserve it, and the truth is, I never stop comparing anyone to Gabe.
I don’t know how much longer I can hide the fact that when I’m with Arturo, all I think about is my ex.
CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
Gabe
“So, you wanna get a drink after this?”
I glance up at the buxom, green-haired pinup in my chair from my position between her legs. Miss Vixen Van Tease had been asking the same old shit for years. I’d had my hands on every inch of her, from tits to ass and everything in between, and I’d never once considered crossing the line, because despite what Lo might think, I don’t fuck my clients. But having her pussy in my face all night while I tattooed her pubis, was eating away at my resolve.
I can smell her arousal.Fuck. She’s so goddamn wet she’s practically dripping on my chair.
And why the hell shouldn’t I fuck her? Afterall, Lo isn’t exactly saving her sweet cunt for Jesus. She’s spending plenty of time below the border with her boss. Why shouldn’t I have a little fun too?
“You know the rules, Tease.” I grin up at her from between her legs. “I don’t date my clients.”
She pouts. “Why is it that I can have any man in LA but the one I really want?”
“Because I’m not fooled by all that hair or that body. You’re not as sweet as you make out.”
“You got me,” she whispers in a silky husk that forces all the blood to drain to my dick.
“I tell you what, you quit wriggling every time I touch you, quit that panting, and let me do my job, and I’ll think about it.”