I turned around.
“ What ?” I stopped, turning back to face him.
“ Yo u’ ve got a tattoo !” he said. “ On your back . ”
“ What !” I exclaimed, trying to turn around to see my back. I could n’ t see a thing. “ No way ! ”
“ Here, come here ,” he said ,“ let me see it . ”
I walked over to him, my heart racing. I had n’ t noticed anything yesterday, but I had n’ t looked at my back at all. I was shocked.
“ What is it? I ca n’ t see it ,” I said, growing frustrated and frantic.
“ Here just sit down ,” he said. I sat on the bed as he removed the sheet, letting it fall around me, my breasts bare, my nipples hardening in the cold, morning air.
“ Oh, yes, ye s… this tells us everything. Mmm-hmm, oh, my ,” he murmured.
“ What! What does it say ? ” Trying to yank my head around again to see it. No matter how hard I tried, I could n’ t see a thing. “ Do you have a mirror in this place ? ”
“ Calm down, calm down, I’ ll read it to you ,” he said.
“ Read it? What the hell ? ” I was growing more anxious by the second. What could it possibly say?
Ryde r’ s fingers traced a line on the small of my back as he spoke.
“ Le t’ s see, it says ,” he paused, infuriating me further.
“ Propert y…,” he paused again. I was dying inside.
“ What !” I said, baffled . “ Property! ? ”
“ … o f… th e…,” he paused again, his finger slowly tracing the tattoo on my back.
“ Ye p… Property of th e… Gods of Chaos MC !” he said, erupting in a fit of completely unmanly giggles.
“ What !” I said, hitting him and grabbing the sheet. He was laughing, and I was trying not to. “ Nice joke, jerk! You really had me going there for a minute . ”
“I’ m sorry, I could n’ t resist, darli n ’ ” he said, his laughter completely contagious .“ Although, that would n’ t be a bad tattoo for you to get. Your skin is a little bare . ”
“ I ca n’ t believe you ! ” I shook my head, laughing at him. He pulled me down, his lips capturing mine in a smile-filled kiss.
I let him, even though I was slightly annoyed at him.
And when his smile faded, and he pushed the sheet from my body, and his kisses trailed down to my breasts, and then found their way between my thighs, I let him do that too, even though I knew I had much more important things to do.
***
Hours later, I was finally in the shower, alone, as Ryder had fallen back asleep. My body was still singing from his touch, and every inch of skin that I washed was now skin that I had shared with him. I felt like a woman that had had sex for the first time.
I was washing my hair, my eyes closed, thinking about how amazing it had felt to fall asleep in his arms last night.
And then, without thinking, I began humming a song.
“ Remember m e… when the candlelight is gleamin g …”
The tune was faint in my memory, just a tiny flicker, then a spark, then it all came rushing back.
The dream. The man. The song.
My father.
I gasped, my eyes opening with surprise.
A memory! A real fucking memory! I slammed my eyes shut, trying to put myself back there, to take everything I could from it before it left again.
I was in the room. I was happy, because I was with him. Because he was singing for me. I looked down on the table next to the bed that was littered with a variety of things. A rotary-dial phone. A stack of paperbacks. Empty beer bottles. Mail.
My eyes trailed to the letter in my head, and I saw it. An address.
605 NE 52nd
I squinted, trying to read the city below it, but there was another piece of paper over it. I reached out my little girl hand in my mind, trying to push it awa y …
“ Babe, you in here ?” Ryder asked, throwing open the
“ What ?” I stopped, turning back to face him.
“ Yo u’ ve got a tattoo !” he said. “ On your back . ”
“ What !” I exclaimed, trying to turn around to see my back. I could n’ t see a thing. “ No way ! ”
“ Here, come here ,” he said ,“ let me see it . ”
I walked over to him, my heart racing. I had n’ t noticed anything yesterday, but I had n’ t looked at my back at all. I was shocked.
“ What is it? I ca n’ t see it ,” I said, growing frustrated and frantic.
“ Here just sit down ,” he said. I sat on the bed as he removed the sheet, letting it fall around me, my breasts bare, my nipples hardening in the cold, morning air.
“ Oh, yes, ye s… this tells us everything. Mmm-hmm, oh, my ,” he murmured.
“ What! What does it say ? ” Trying to yank my head around again to see it. No matter how hard I tried, I could n’ t see a thing. “ Do you have a mirror in this place ? ”
“ Calm down, calm down, I’ ll read it to you ,” he said.
“ Read it? What the hell ? ” I was growing more anxious by the second. What could it possibly say?
Ryde r’ s fingers traced a line on the small of my back as he spoke.
“ Le t’ s see, it says ,” he paused, infuriating me further.
“ Propert y…,” he paused again. I was dying inside.
“ What !” I said, baffled . “ Property! ? ”
“ … o f… th e…,” he paused again, his finger slowly tracing the tattoo on my back.
“ Ye p… Property of th e… Gods of Chaos MC !” he said, erupting in a fit of completely unmanly giggles.
“ What !” I said, hitting him and grabbing the sheet. He was laughing, and I was trying not to. “ Nice joke, jerk! You really had me going there for a minute . ”
“I’ m sorry, I could n’ t resist, darli n ’ ” he said, his laughter completely contagious .“ Although, that would n’ t be a bad tattoo for you to get. Your skin is a little bare . ”
“ I ca n’ t believe you ! ” I shook my head, laughing at him. He pulled me down, his lips capturing mine in a smile-filled kiss.
I let him, even though I was slightly annoyed at him.
And when his smile faded, and he pushed the sheet from my body, and his kisses trailed down to my breasts, and then found their way between my thighs, I let him do that too, even though I knew I had much more important things to do.
***
Hours later, I was finally in the shower, alone, as Ryder had fallen back asleep. My body was still singing from his touch, and every inch of skin that I washed was now skin that I had shared with him. I felt like a woman that had had sex for the first time.
I was washing my hair, my eyes closed, thinking about how amazing it had felt to fall asleep in his arms last night.
And then, without thinking, I began humming a song.
“ Remember m e… when the candlelight is gleamin g …”
The tune was faint in my memory, just a tiny flicker, then a spark, then it all came rushing back.
The dream. The man. The song.
My father.
I gasped, my eyes opening with surprise.
A memory! A real fucking memory! I slammed my eyes shut, trying to put myself back there, to take everything I could from it before it left again.
I was in the room. I was happy, because I was with him. Because he was singing for me. I looked down on the table next to the bed that was littered with a variety of things. A rotary-dial phone. A stack of paperbacks. Empty beer bottles. Mail.
My eyes trailed to the letter in my head, and I saw it. An address.
605 NE 52nd
I squinted, trying to read the city below it, but there was another piece of paper over it. I reached out my little girl hand in my mind, trying to push it awa y …
“ Babe, you in here ?” Ryder asked, throwing open the
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