She's Mine - Jenika Snow Page 0,49

came from her parted lips slipped along his chest.

This felt… right.

She felt right.

He had her in his arms, and Reese didn’t plan on letting her go.

A couple days later

Excitement and anticipation played heavily inside Keira. Alex was home. Keira hadn’t realized how much she missed her brother until she saw him climb out of his SUV and make his way toward the front doors.

She stood in the opening, feeling her grin take up her face as he looked up and noticed her waiting for him. She was excited, not only because it had been too long since their last visit, but because she anticipated him meeting Reese, the boy she realized she was madly in love with.

“You sure are a sight for sore eyes, princess.”

Keira grimaced at the cheesy nickname Alex called her since she was five years old. She’d acted like a spoiled little brat on her firth birthday, and since then, the damn name stuck.

He wrapped his arms around her, and she let herself get lost in the familiarity of her brother. He pulled back and grinned down at her. “Come on, I’m fucking starved.”

They went inside, his arm draped over her shoulders as he led them right into the most important room in the house to him. The kitchen.

“Don’t you want to unpack your stuff?”

He screwed up his face and made a beeline for the fridge. “That can wait. Besides, it isn’t like I’m not gonna live out of my suitcase while I’m here.”

He started rummaging through the fridge and pulling items out before tossing them onto the island. It was nice having him home, but a part of her worried over the idea of telling Alex about her relationship with Reese.

Alex was her big brother, and that title meant he was annoying, overbearing, and fiercely protective. And he'd no doubt be an asshole with Keira’s first boyfriend.

An hour later, Alex was done eating their parents out of house and home, and they made themselves comfortable in the living room. He had the TV on, a football game on the screen but the volume muted.

He threw his arm over the back of the couch, and she felt her eyes widen. “Alex, what the hell is that?” She leaned forward and pulled up the sleeve of his shirt. Dark ink in intricate designs and lines started right above his wrist and moved its way up his arm. She couldn’t pull his sleeve up high enough, but the ink kept going.

“What?” he asked like this wasn’t some big news.

“When did you get a tattoo?” She leaned back and stared at him with what felt like wide eyes.

“A few months back.”

“Do Mom and Dad know?” No doubt they’d freak if they saw that. They considered tattoos beneath them… trashy was the word they used.

He shrugged. “Yeah, they found out.” He chuckled deeply. “But like I told them, my body, my choice.”

She rolled her eyes.

“They video called me right after I got it, and I didn’t bother trying to hide it. Was shirtless when I answered.” He shrugged. “Figured I might as well get it done and over with, like ripping the Band-Aid off real fast.”

“They didn’t say anything to me about it.” She wasn’t surprised though. They wouldn’t have wanted to “taint” me with the abomination they’d consider Alex’s tattoos. “I bet they freaked out.”

His smile widened. “That’s an understatement, but what can they say? I’m an adult and pay my own bills.” He was right, but still.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

He looked at her again. “I wanted to surprise you, princess.” His words were sincere. “Wanna see it?” She nodded. He stood and lifted his shirt and turned around.

A shocked gasp left her. The majority of his back was covered in dark, intricate lines. “Holy hell, Alex. That’s a lot of ink.” She glanced up at him.

He dropped his shirt and sat back down. “Honestly?”

She stared at him like he lost his mind.

He chuckled. “It all started when I lost a bet.”

Her eyes got bigger. “You got that because of a bet?” She could hear the incredulous note in her voice.

At least he had the decency to look embarrassed. “Kind of. I wanted it for a while, but I got drunk with my buddies and they dared me.” He shrugged again.

She stared at his chest as if she could still see the ink through the material. “Well, I like it. It’s shocking, but looks really good.”

He grinned and put his hands behind his head, regarding her. She noticed he’d