“I’ll ask her,” I say, unable to contain my excitement. “Nate, this is…” I peek up at him in awe. “I can’t believe this.”

  It’s almost too good to be true.

  “So, what do you say, wifey? You want to make a name for yourself? Show your art to the world?”

  “Hell, yeah,” I say with a grin that makes my cheeks hurt.

  Jess appears with my comic book wrapped in plastic. “Last one.”

  “I could use a good colorist,” I say as I take the book from her hand. “Do you still do freelance work?”

  She cocks her head at me. “Sometimes. What do you have in mind?”

  “We’re starting our own comic book universe. I need a colorist to go over my sketches.”

  “They do that digitally now,” she points out.

  “Yeah, but I’m kinda old school. I want to see how they look before we send them off to a printer. If you want to work together, you have a job at Queen Takes King.”

  “Parker would love that,” she coos. “Every time I turn Nate down for a job, Parker gives me a rash of shit.”

  “Because he worries about you,” Nate interjects. “And we can use someone with your skills on our team.”

  She waves her hand dismissively. “Parker’s just protective of me. He thinks I can’t handle life without him bossing me around.”

  Her words say one thing, but I know for a fact that Jess would fall apart faster than a cardboard box in the rain without Parker. She needs him as much as he needs her.

  “What do you say?” I wiggle my eyebrows, a playful smile tugging at my mouth. “Wanna work together again?”

  She presses her lips together and nods. “Yeah, let’s do it. We were a good duo back in the day.”

  Nate cups her shoulder. “Welcome to the team.”

  “Parker will lose it when I tell him.” She chuckles, a blush creeping up to her cheeks. “You have no idea. He’s been up my ass about getting another job in case the new ownership closes the store.”

  “Nah,” Nate says. “He just wants you by his side at the office.”

  Parker doesn’t like that Jess wastes her talents working as a cashier in a comic book store. He’s a lot like Nate in many ways, except less of a manwhore, though still a bit of a control freak. Must have something to do with their analytic nature. Actually, Parker is far from a player, more of the monogamous type.

  “Okay, so… you should probably know something. It might be a problem later on.” Jess leans into me and sighs. “Did I ever tell you about the best friend clause?”

  “Nope. What’s that?”

  “After Jake died, I got drunk with Parker one night. We added a clause to our friendship that if we were both unmarried by the time we turned thirty we would get married. Well, I’m turning thirty next week, and I kinda did something stupid.”

  I narrow my eyes. “Like?”

  “I told Parker that we should invoke the best friend clause. It was stupid. I shouldn’t have said anything. And now, he’s been… I don’t know. Acting kind of weird, I guess.”

  “Because he has a girlfriend,” Nate says.

  “That’s the thing,” Jess whispers. “It’s pretty much over with her, or at least I think it is. I’m not sure what to think. I had just gone on a horrible first date with a guy I met online, and the She-Devil stood Parker up again. So, we got smashed, played video games, and then I blurted the words aloud. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I was upset, tired, and not in my right mind. Anyway, Parker’s been acting like I haven’t said anything, but that only makes this situation worse. It means he’s considering it.”

  Nate looks as surprised as me.

  “He hasn’t said anything to me,” Nate admits. “But we just got back from our honeymoon a few days ago. I haven’t had much of a chance to talk to him about anything other than our upcoming release.”

  Her eyes fall to the floor and she taps her Converse sneakers with holes in them together. “If he says anything to you, can you let me know? It’s driving me crazy not knowing. I mean, maybe I’m overreacting, and he doesn’t remember our conversation. But I think he does. Otherwise, why would he act so strange around me? He’s never been so distant. It’s like he’s here but his mind is somewhere else. I can’t lose him, not over some stupid pact we made.”

  “If it’s any consolation,” Nate says, “Parker cares about you. A lot. He would do just about anything for you, Jess. Just let him sort his shit out first. Look how many years it took me to tell Harley how I feel about her.”

  Jess bites her lip, nervous as usual. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

  I’ve never met a person who looks so uncomfortable in their own skin. She always looks tired and on edge, as if she never sleeps and is constantly obsessing over something.

  “Thanks for the advice,” she says with a warm smile.

  After Jess rings up the comic book, we leave the store for our next stop on the first date tour. Nate shoves his hand into my back pocket as we walk down the street toward the subway. The city is buzzing with excitement. Crazed Flyers fans are dressed in their jerseys, rushing past us with obnoxious foam fingers they got from the Wells Fargo Center.

  Instead of taking a cab or an Uber, we ride the subway from Center City to South Philly. A strange mixture of people are on the underground train with us, a cast of characters that give me some ideas for future projects. Nate clutches my waist, pressing me against his hard body like he’s afraid someone will try to steal me.

  Once we reach our stop, we rush up the stairs, taking in the scent of cheesesteaks that floats through the air. I tip my nose up in appreciation, even though I’m still stuffed from eating two whole soft pretzels with Cheese Whiz. Nate laces his fingers between mine and leads me down the busy street until we stop in front of Inkwell. My mouth falls open in shock when I turn to face him.

  “What are we doing here?”

  He lifts his shoulders. “I have an idea. I thought we could roll with it.”

  “Pretty boy Nate is going to get a tattoo,” I shout with laughter in my tone. “Aww man, this I have to see.”

  “Shut up, Queen.” He smacks a kiss on my forehead, and then opens the door to Alec’s studio for me.

  When we step inside, I feel like I’m home. Seriously. Alec Hartwell is brilliant, the most epic tattoo artist in the country, in my opinion. His studio is like an artist’s wet dream. The ceiling has an industrial loft feel with exposed wooden beams and touches of brick accents between the walls that are covered in Alec’s designs. Alec is a true visionary. He understands how to create magic with ink. Every speck of drywall is splashed with color, creating what feels like one massive comic book as Alec’s characters tell a story.

  We stop in front of a black desk, custom shaped into an actual inkwell with a top piece made from Carrara marble. Everything in the studio is designed from scratch, not your typical tattoo parlor.

  “Alec,” Clara, the receptionist, yells into an intercom. “King and Queen are here.”

  We exchange a few pleasantries, and then Alec opens a door in the back of the shop, dressed in dark jeans, a black graphic tee, and a pair of sneakers that have his designs on them. He has sleeves of colorful tattoos from his neck to his fingers and short, blond hair that he spikes in the front.

  Alec greets me with a hug, and then he leads us down the hall to his room in the back. Nate pulls his shirt over his head, revealing his abs that make me drool. I stare like a creepy stalker as he sits on the leather table at the center of the space. Nate pats the open spot next to him with his hand, and I take my place at his side.

  “Are you sure you want this?” Alec rolls a stool in front of us and lifts the piece of paper in his hand.

  “Yeah,” Nate says without hesitation.

  “What are you getting?” I lean forward, resting my elbow on the edge of the table. “I hope it’s not something you will regret later.”

  Nate shakes his head and dark hair falls in front of his eyes. I sweep it away with my fingers, and he smiles. “Never.”

  “Let me see,” I say to Alec, extending my hand across Nate’s body.

  Alec turns the paper over on his knee. “Nope. You’ll have to wait and see when I’m done.”

  My gaze flicks between Nate and Alec. “What’s the big deal?”

  “It’s a surprise,” Nate says. “Now, would you calm down and let Alec get to work?”

  “Hey, Queen,” Alec says with a wicked grin. “I was just as shocked to get Nate’s call. Never thought pretty boy would get ink.”

  “I’m not pretty,” Nate shoots back with a groan. “Just shut up. Both of you.”

  A roar of laughter fills the air, though Nate doesn’t seem the least bit entertained. Alec clicks a few buttons on his cell phone, and “Anarchy in the U.K.” by Sex Pistols comes through the speakers suspended from the ceiling. I tap my fingers on the table to the beat, bobbing my head as Alec preps Nate for his tattoo. What is so important that Nate wants to ink it on his skin? And why is it a secret?

  “Am I not allowed to watch?” I ask Nate.

  “Go ahead,” Nate says, wincing when the needle touches his chest. “But I’d rather you wait to see.”

  “Okay, fine. Have it your way, King.”

  I slide off the table and grab the latest edition of Inked from a table full of books. Alec is on the front cover with a silly expression on his face. His blond hair is even spikier than usual, and he’s wearing a white fitted tee with the Lernaean Hydra he drew to beat me in the competition we entered together years ago.

  I sink into a chair by the wall and kick my feet up on the ottoman. Nate makes a few sounds, which he plays off as a cough. He turns his head away from me every time the needle touches his skin. The art on my thigh took Alec four hours to complete, and I almost cried the entire time. Almost. Nate is putting on a good front, but I can tell he’s in pain.

  After ninety minutes, the tattoo gun stops buzzing, and I lift my head.

  Alec raises a mirror for Nate. “What do you think?”

  Nate smiles. “Perfect. It looks exactly like the real thing. It’s as if Harley drew it on me.”

  “Wait, what?” I set the magazine down on the table and rush over to Nate. My eyes are as wide as my mouth when I see what he inked on his chest, right over his heart. “Nate… oh, my God. I can’t believe you… wow, I mean…”

  “Don’t look so surprised, Queen.” Nate extends his hand to me, wiggling his fingers. “You’re my wife now. I wanted to do something to make it official.”

  The logo I designed for Queen Takes King is now branded into his skin. Two interlinked crowns sit atop of a deck of playing cards. The king of spades and the queen of hearts floats midair.

  “It’s called a marriage license,” I point out, laughing. “But this… wow, Nate, I don’t even know what to say. Ink is permanent.”

  Nate throws his head back and laughs. “I’m well aware. But so are we.”

  “Since when did you grow a vagina?” Alec says to Nate with a chuckle.

  Nate ignores Alec, his eyes fixed on me. “Is it too much?”

  I shake my head, staring down at my work on his body. “No, it’s just right.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Nate

  There’s nothing better than waking up with Harley in my bed. She rolls onto her side to face me, her naked body pure perfection. I pinch her nipple, and she moans. Harley reaches between us, running her hand down my stomach. As my hand falls to her waist, she wraps her fingers around my shaft, teasing me with a playful smile on her lips.

  I return her smile. “How did I get this lucky?”

  She makes slow, deliberate movements with her eyes fixed on me. “You made a lot of bad decisions,” she jokes.

  “And that led me to the right one,” I challenge.

  I lean my head back against the headboard, allowing Harley to take control. She climbs on top of me and straddles my thighs. I can get used to waking up every morning like this. My eyes slam shut as she slides down my length. I rock my hips to meet hers, matching her pace as she rides me. I grunt, and she moans, our bodies so perfectly in tune.

  She screams my name when I roll my thumb along her clit. Her body trembles as she rocks her hips. Harley presses her palms to my chest and glances over at the nightstand. Her phone rings, vibrating across the wood. She ignores it, continuing to slide up and down my cock. And then, my cell phone starts ringing.

  “What the fuck?” I groan, digging my fingers into her hips. “Ignore it. I’m so close, baby.”

  Harley grips my shoulders, tuning out the sounds of our phones until I find my release. Drenched in sweat, Harley collapses on top of me, the heat from her body searing through mine. I press a kiss to her cheek, and then she lifts her head. I sweep my tongue inside her mouth, kissing her until our phones ring again.

  “What the hell?” Harley rolls her eyes. “Why does Callie keep calling me this early in the morning?” She looks over at my phone and shakes her head. “And Danika? Why would she…”

  Harley jumps off me, but not in time to answer her phone. She turns to me, phone in hand and her mouth open wide. “The last time Callie called me this early—”

  I shake my head. “There’s no way.”

  She bites her lip. “Something’s wrong.”

  I flip through my missed calls and read a new text message from Danika.

  CALL ME! NOW!

  It must be bad if she’s resorting to all caps. She only sends angry messages like this when I have done something stupid.

  Harley holds the phone up to her ear. “Hey,” she says to Callie. “What’s going on?”

  Callie rambles on the other end of the line, her voice carrying across the bedroom. No one knows gossip like The Gossip Queen. Callie always has her ear to the ground, ready and waiting to break the news. I have a bad feeling, one I can feel in the pit of my stomach.

  Harley gasps. “He did what… no, he would never touch her.”

  Fuck, fuck, fuck…

  My stomach twists into knots when I see the pain behind her eyes. “No, she’s lying. He would never.” Harley angles her body toward me, with a nasty look on her face. She looks like she wants to murder me. “Okay, send me the video. Uh-huh, yeah. Thanks for letting me know. I’ll call you back in a little bit.”

  I crawl across the bed and attempt to pull her into my arms. She recoils, pushing my hand away like I have a disease.

  “Please, Nate. Not right now… not after you lied right to my face.”

  My heart is racing so fast I can hardly catch my breath. “What are you talking about?”

  “Alexa Daniels,” she shouts, balling her hands into fists at her sides. “Are you fucking kidding me? How could you? What the fuck is wrong with you?” Tears stream down her blotchy cheeks that are puffed out as she yells in my face. “Of all the women you could screw, did it have to be her? Were you trying to hurt me on purpose?”

  Pinching the bridge of my nose between my fingers, I sigh, unable to meet her intense gaze. I feared she would find out eventually, but I was hoping it would never come up, and we could pretend like it never happened.

  Back in high school, Alexa did everything in her power to torture Harley. But in my defense, I didn’t realize she was that Alexa when we met at the bar. She changed her hair color in the past ten years to match Harley’s and even got a boob job. It wasn’t until after we had sex that she said, “I can’t believe you’re that stupid.”

  I had no idea what she meant until she told me her full name. She looked nothing like the girl I once knew. So, when our pictures from that night mysteriously appeared online, I knew she was behind the scandal. But why did she wait until now to spill the truth all over my happiness? Why did she have to be such a fucking bitch?

  For whatever reason, Alexa had always hated Harley, and neither of us ever knew why. She couldn’t have known that Harley would agree to marry me to save our company. Could she? What does she even have to gain from this?

  “Harley, I’m sorry.” I look up at her, feeling like the biggest piece of shit on earth. “I was upset one night, and I ran into her at a bar.”

  “What could be so upsetting that you had to hop into bed with my mortal enemy from high school? Alexa made my life miserable. She made me look like a whore. She did everything in her power to destroy my reputation.”

  Alexa convinced Mark Holland, the captain of the football team, to ask Harley to prom. It was supposed to be a joke on Harley, like a bad scene from an eighties high school movie—the nerdy girl and the prom king. He was supposed to humiliate her and then ditch her, but Alexa underestimated how much people love Harley.

  They ended up dating for months after prom, pushing us farther apart. By graduation, we barely spoke more than a few sentences to each other in passing. Harley thought I had changed because of my newfound popularity. And I had no idea how to get her back, so I let her go, assuming she was happier without me.

  “She’s the reason we grew apart. And now… you…” She can barely get out the words. “You’re my…”

  Harley stumbles backward, dropping her phone to the carpet as she sinks into the armchair in the corner of the bedroom.

  “She’s not the reason we grew apart,” I challenge.

  She runs her hands through her messy blonde hair, sucking in a few deep breaths.

  “Oh, no?” More tears slide down her cheeks. “Then, how come you stopped talking to me after I went to the prom with Mark? She’s the one who made it happen, and for the longest time, I wondered if you had put her up to it. I thought you were acting weird because you felt guilty about the situation.”

  “I was going to ask you to the prom.” I slide off the bed and get on one knee in front of her, afraid to touch her. “But he asked you before I could. Alexa and her stupid plan fucked everything up for both of us.”

  Harley shakes her head. “And now, she destroyed everything we have, everything our family’s have spent decades to build, all because you were too much of a jerk to consider anyone but yourself.”