FRAYED (Book 2)

Chapter One

Chapter One

Nash

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this." Rora grumbles as she slouches in the chair, her arm out beside her pure white like snow. She kept fidgeting, shifting in her seat as I prepared around her.

"What can I say I have a skill for being persuasive." I smirk as I wink at her from my spot over the desk, she rolls who big blue eyes and bats the thick dark lashes making my stomach flutter painfully.

She looks beautiful in her soft cotton vest and practical toga pants that had frosting covering them, what was even more heart achingly perfect was the way she had kissed and licked off my fingers that were sticky from Archers own messy hands. He had a new passion for cupcakes, any flavour and with any topping, plus I think he had a small crush on the lady that owned the place, Scarlet. What could I say, he knew how to charm, and I think he caught it from me.

"Dada." Archer snaps me away from the stencil I had prepared, he is sat playing with Drew, covered in cream cheese frosting and surrounded by his favourite dinosaurs.

"What's up buddy?" I ask as I kneel in front of him, big hazel doe eyes melting my heart, he was just too cute.

"Me want one too!" he points to the colourful tattoos littering my arms, then to him mom who is patiently waiting with a soft smile on her lips, but I was prepared. Because he had been picking up more and more words lately I was prepared for his questions, his love of the word why has been a common aggravating factor, and I knew he would ponder the mysterious world of the tattoo parlour.

"Well today is your lucky day, Arch, look what I have." I grab the small stencil I had made earlier, a traditional style t-rex head that would fit on his arm, and I pretend to do all the prep with him as I roll up his sleeve, get some water and line it all up. And just like that he is marked the coolest kid on the block... well for 3 to 4 days.

He squeals when he sees it, showing everyone and give it a little prod as he looks up at me with wide eyes.

"Say thank you baby." Aurora smiles as she sees the design, brushing the soft mop of hair on his head and pushing him back to wobble to me. He had just mastered the art of running but still found it hard to get his balance, we just presumed he would improve the more we allowed him to walk.

"Ank you, dada." He mumbles into my neck as he wraps his little arms around me, and I can't help myself but to give him a hug back pulling him to my chest and falling back onto the floor as I tickle him.

The giggles, squeals and yelps I evoke from him fills the studio, the warmth of them prickles my skin, swirls in my gut and wells in my chest. He was my son, he may not share my blood but that didn't matter to me, as he is all I could ever want and never knew I wanted- just like him momma.

With a content sigh I hand him over to Drew to entertain as I wash up, put on some gloves and position the large pattern on Aurora's arm. I can't wait to mark this skin as mine, how I've wanted to since I met her- when I saw her in the bar that night, as somehow knowing her skin won't plain and simple anymore gives me pride in knowing this is a big step in our lives. In her life. She is free of the guy who lingered in her sleep, the one who pressed the weight of the world on her shoulders and did so with many other girls, is gone. She is free, to be mine, to be independent and to be her own person.

"Ready?" I ask her as I set the motor running, feeling the vibration and buzz in my hand feels comforting as I watch the expression change from calm to apprehensive on her face.

"Sure." She nods before biting her lip, eyes focused on the design where I am about to mark over, to give a permanent stain in her life and body. And as I start a small line I feel her body relax, I look up to ask to carry on and she nods already, leaning back and allowing me to work slightly easier.

"Does it hurt?" I ask as I wipe and dip.

"I've given birth. This is nothing." Her expression is serious and smug, I guess she just proved to me all along that she could do it, that she was strong and stubborn.

"Woman always say that, it's like trying to compare getting kicked in the balls to birth, giving birth always wins." Drew scoffs and I see Aurora's eyes thin.

Oh shit, he's dug himself a grave and came out the other side to China.

"I would like to see you go through 4 hours of labour, I was lucky- some women go through days of labour, days of having a baby try and claw their way out of your insides the same way they got in there. Not only does the birth hurt, there is the pain afterward, the pain beforehand... or need I remind you the fact that we have to do almost the same thing every month for almost a week! You try being a female and tell me how you'd like it asshole." And with that Aurora is back in the building, smiling innocently down at me like she's a fallen angel and it take every fibre of my being to not stop and take her right in front of everyone. And Drew sulks away with his tail tucked between his legs.

"That's my girl." I wink as I get back to work. But for some reason I can't focus, I'm not sure if it is Archer pretending to be a dinosaur, if it's Aurora's heavenly sweet summer scent or if it's the pickling feeling over my skin like someone is watching me.

Although with one look at my beautiful family, my pretty smoking hot fiancé and adorable little boy I shrug it off. Maybe I'm just coming down with something.

*A/N: New story yay! Comment, vote and share to let me know how you feel about this chapter!