3. Rex

CHAPTER THREE

REX

brANDED IAN

I know you said you didn’t have any food aversions, but I just want to check you like burgers? I make my own burger sauce, that is delicious, but I want to know your thoughts on pickles? Some people are pickle eaters and some are pickle givers. Are you a giver or receiver?

REX

I’m a top if that’s what you’re asking.

brANDED IAN

Holy moly

I mean, that’s great. I kind of assumed that with you being all big and powerful. Hm, that’s kind of rude of me. I shouldn’t send that.

What? I said don’t send.

You know what, Siri, you are being really unhelpful right now.

And Rex has seen all of these stupid messages he is going to think. I am unhinged.

WHY DID YOU ADD A PERIOD THERE!

I am going to go walk into a volcano now.

Why are you telling me the distance to Mount Hood?

Um, I had some technical issues there, so if you could ignore all of that I would be eternally grateful.

REX

I enjoyed every message.

See you tonight.

I throw my phone down on the bed and flopping myself down.

The minute I saw Ian, I knew I wanted him. He has a vulnerability about him that brings out every protective instinct in me.

Him having my brand on him makes me feel marginally better. No one around here is going to fuck with him when they see that. This is a small town but people come here just to visit our shop. We’re constantly being invited to conventions because of Booker’s and my talent.

No one will ever hurt Ian.

Especially me.

I need to figure out how to be the best fucking boyfriend in the world.

You’ve met him once. Maybe he’s not into you.

My inner voice can fuck clean off.

I saw the way Ian looked at me, how his breath hitched when I touched his torso, the bulge in his pants. I bet he has a juicy cock that I can swallow down in one go.

I can’t wait to taste his cum.

The alarm on my phone goes off pulling me out of my Ian centric thoughts and reminding me I need to get some breakfast before I run some errands.

“Hi.” Fizz says, taking the seat opposite me at the breakfast table. He has a manic smile that means someone is in trouble. I don’t like that it is aimed at me.

When I don’t say anything his smile gets even wider. “Okay, just stare at me. If that’s how you want to play this.”

“Play what?”

“Oh, he speaks.” He leans in closer to me. “Booker told me all about the cute little twink who you gave a flash tattoo yesterday.”

I sideeye Booker who is whispering in Nicky’s ear. Judging by the blush on Nicky’s face, it’s something dirty.

After Ian left last night, Booker badgered me for details on Ians tattoo and what we talked about. So I told him. I didn’t think the shithead would start gossiping about the club. I’m not ashamed of Ian. I just want to develop an actual relationship with him before he meets everyone and they claim him before I get a chance too.

“Flash tattoo’s are part of the job. Why are you stressing out about that?” Kenny says, from his place at the table a few seats down. Great. Now all the attention is on us.

“I know that. The issue is what he tattooed.” He looks around the table to make sure he has everyones attention. Dramatic dickhead. “He branded the kid.”

A collective gasp sounds out.

I squirm in my seat slightly, but I haven’t got it in me to feel bad. Ian is walking around with my tattoo on him. What I would give to watch him jerk me off.

“He isn’t a kid, and I told him it was my brand before I picked up my gun.”

Fizz looks shocked. “Booker didn’t tell me that.”

“That’s because Nicky distracted me.” Booker says grimacing.

Nicky’s eyebrows knit together. “What did I do?”

“You walked in to the room.”

“I’m sorry Rex.” Fizz says and I’m pretty sure that is the first time I have ever heard him apologize.

“Rex,” Kenny says before I can say anything to Fizz. “You branded someone? You like him?”

“Seems that way,” I say.

An awkward silence fills the air. This is my family. They love me, I know they do. But there is a little voice in the back of my mind telling me that they can see through me. They know that I can’t love and I’m going to condemn this poor guy to a lifetime of me.

“I can’t wait to meet him,” Joey says, bouncing up and down on Echo’s lap. “What is he like? Is he cute?”

“You’ve met him before,” Booker says.

My jaw drops. “What?”

Booker stuffs his face with some bacon before talking again. “I remembered this morning that he looked familiar. He was in the bakery a few weeks back asking Lacey for his usual. Me, Nicky, Joey, and Toni were picking up breakfast for the whole club because it was Reed’s birthday.”

I relax that it wasn’t me who met him before and didn’t realize. There is no way I could forget Ian.

I don’t like this.

That thought is on repeat as I make my way up the stairs to Ian’s apartment. This is a relatively crime free town, but this apartment block doesn’t feel safe. Why is the buzzer to get in broken and the door on its hinges?

I don’t like it.

I pull out my phone and shoot off a quick text to Kenny. No way am I going to let Ian be put at risk.

I tuck my cell into my jeans pocket, and I look down at myself. Should I have dressed up? Is this a date?

No. I sigh.

He thinks I’m only here to help with his tattoo aftercare.

When is it best to tell the guy you are obsessed with that you engineered a situation to get close to him?

Maybe at our twentieth anniversary dinner.

Ian’s apartment door swings open and he stands there looking just as beautiful as he did yesterday. The baggy jeans and graphic tee have been replaced with chinos and a button down shirt. He looks good enough to eat, but I think I prefer his nerdy grunge look.

“I thought I heard noise out there,” He says, smile lighting up the whole dingy apartment block. “Come on in. Oh, those flowers are beautiful.”

I look down at my left hand at the bouqet of flowers in a vase I bought from the florist. I shove it into his arms.

“They’re sunflowers. The florist said they were pet friendly.” Ian leans in and closes his eyes as he inhales their scent.

Beautiful.

“Thank you, so much Rex. I don’t have any pets.” He motions me to come inside. “I didn’t have a vase either, so that’s really handy.”

“Don’t see the point in giving someone flowers and then they have to find a vase, cut the stems, and all that shit. Seems to defeat the purpose of doing something nice if they then have to do a fuck load of work to enjoy the gift.”

Ian’s eyebrows knit together. “Huh. That totally makes sense. You are a smart man Rex.”

I don’t really know what to say to that, so I just shrug.

“I’ll be back in a minute. I want to put these on my nightstand, so they are the first thing I see when I wake up.” He heads through a door off of the living room area and I just stare after him.

The thought of Ian waking up (naked, because this is my brain) and immediately think of me, has my cock plumping up.

Fuck, I need to be inside Ian more than I need oxygen.

I let out a breath and run a hand down my face. I really need to get a fucking grip. Ian deserves the best boyfriend, which doesn’t involve me acting like an animal in heat.

“All done,” he says coming back into the room looking a little flushed. “Shall we eat first and then you can cream me up.”

My brain short circuts.

He moves into the kithen, totally oblivious to the dirty thoughts he has just unleashed in my mind.

Thoughts of him covered in my cum.

I’m going to make him look so pretty.

Not today though.

“I never did figure out if you liked pickles or not, so I made two kinds of burger sauce to be on the safe side,” Ian says. A dusting of pink covers his cheeks.

I’m guessing he remembers our text conversation.

“I want to try your pickle sauce.”

“Oh my,” he whispers, his cheeks on fire.

Fuck, I want to feel their warmth on my lips.

Once Ian has fixed us both a plate, we sit at his two person dining table and tuck in.

“So, what’s it like being in a motorcycle club?” He asks, those big eyes shining brightly.

“Loud. They are all a bunch of interfering fuckers.” I grudgingly add; “Love them though.”

Ian lets out a little wistful sigh. “They sound wonderful. Like what I imagine a big family to be like.”

“Your family is small?”

“Um, yeah.” He looks down at his plate. “I don’t have a family. My parents died when I was to young to remember them. My foster family were nice, but we weren’t a family. They moved to Florida pretty much as soon as I graduated high school. It’s just me.”

My heart clenches in sympathy.

“My dad hit us. My mom and me. We spent time in some shelters, it’s how I met Booker and the Fallen Gargoyles. My mom kept going back to him. She’s a victim, I know that, but I wanted her to choose me, not him. It wasn’t until I joined the club that I felt I had a family.” I look Ian dead in his eyes. “My point is that you will find your family. It doesn’t have to be blood.”

Ian gives me a small smile. “I’m not great at making friends. I work from home as a customer service rep for a sex chat line. Not as glamorous as people might think.And definitely lonely. But I am working on it.” He lifts up his wrist. “I did this.”

My eyebrows knit together. “You got a tattoo to make friends?”

“Something like that,” he says, cheeks reddening again. “Is your food okay?”

“Best burger I’ve had,” I say, letting him change the subject. There is more to that story though and I will find it out. “Don’t tell Kenny though. He prides himself on his burgers.”

“Who is Kenny?”

I then spend the next hour talking about all of the club members. Ian gushes about how adorable it is Nicky and Booker are stepbrothers in love, and gasps when I tell him how Echo stopped Joey getting kidnapped.

“Your family are amazing, Rex,” he smiles at me, lighting a fire somewhere deep inside my chest.

“Want to come to the clubhouse tomorrow and meet them?”

Ian bounces in his chair like it suddenly turned into a space hopper. I feel a flare of arousal imagining what he would look like doing that naked and on my cock.

“I would love too.”

“I’ll pick you up at 8.”

“I can get an uber.”

“No, I want to pick you up.”

“Okay, I can’t wait,” he says with a smile.

I don’t tell him the significance of him being on the back of my bike. I’m claiming him. Even though everone will know when they see my tattoo on his wrist, I want to make it clear.

Ian is mine.

He just doesn’t know it yet.