“Is that why you moved here?”
“Kind of,” he says. “I grew up in New York. My dad is Irish-American and was on vacation in Ireland when he met my mom. They fell in love and she moved to New York to be with him. They run his family business here. That’s why I don’t really have the accent. Growing up, we would visit often, but New York is our home. While I was on vacation in Ireland, I was hanging out with everyone, my friends and cousins, and Shea and I ended up hooking up. She’s been around for years, but I never really noticed her before.” He shrugs. “We did the long distance thing for a couple years, and then one day she showed up. I was living and working in Boston at the time. I had gone to college there and ended up staying, even though it drove my mom nuts for me to be so far. It was at the same time my dad had a minor stroke and needed my help running his business.”
“Oh no.” I frame the sides of his bristly-haired face in my hands. “I’m so sorry. Is he okay now?”
“He is,” he says with a smile. “But at the time, he needed to take a break, so I moved down here so I could help out. I still tattooed part-time, but I mostly focused on running the family business. I have a degree in business management, so that came in handy, I guess.”
“That’s really selfless of you,” I tell him. “My brothers moved here for me too. I still feel bad about it because I didn’t end up liking the job, so the move was kind of pointless.”
“Hardly,” Lachlan says. “Have you not seen their shop? It’s one of the top tattoo shops on the east coast.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Maybe moving here happened for a reason. Jase did get back in touch with Celeste because of the move, and Jax wouldn’t have ever met Willow had we not moved here. And both couples are hopelessly in love…
“So, you moved back and what happened?”
“Shea moved with me to New York, but she wasn’t really happy here.”
“Was she happy in Boston?”
“No.” He shakes his head. “She missed Ireland but wanted to be with me and knew my life was here. Once our relationship went from long distance to every day, I realized she wasn’t who I wanted to spend my life with. We had different wants… different dreams. Eventually we broke up and she moved back to Ireland.”
“Are you still working for your dad?”
“No, Dad is back to work now. That’s why I took the job at your brothers’ shop. I met Jax at an inkers convention and we hit it off. By the end of the weekend he had offered me a job.”
“You must be really good,” I say, remembering how Kinsley let him draw on her.
“Well, Kinsley did let me ink her,” he says, voicing my thoughts. “Plus, my best friend and cousin, Declan, lives here, and so do my parents, so I decided to stay. Declan and I share the place you dropped me off at, but he’s in Ireland right now. One of his sisters just had a baby, so he’s visiting, but should be back in a few weeks.”
“I’ve seen Ireland on Sons of Anarchy. It’s really pretty.”
Lachlan laughs. “I doubt the show does it any justice, but yes, it is beautiful. I think I got off track.” He scratches the side of his beard, which reminds me of the first time I saw him and thought about that same beard between my legs. My neck and cheeks heat up, and Lachlan smirks. Thankfully, he doesn’t ask what I’m thinking about.
“Your turn,” he says.
“I pick the picture card,” I say with a giggle that tells me the alcohol has worked its way through my body. Lachlan chuckles, pouring me a shot and handing it to me. Once I throw it back, I say, “Okay, your turn.”
“I pick red,” he says mischievously. Without waiting for him to prompt me, I sit up and press my lips to the tattoo of the Irish flag on his chest. It’s one of my favorites of his I’ve seen so far. It’s 4D and looks like the flag is in his skin with his flesh being ripped open. When I let my lips linger, Lachlan groans. Blaming it on the alcohol flowing through me, I move my lips to his other pectoral muscle and kiss the tattoo there. This one is of a four-leaf clover with the leaves in the shape of hearts.
“Quinn,” Lachlan rasps. “I’m trying to be good here, but you putting your mouth on me isn’t making it easy.”
“I can’t help it,” I murmur, trailing my lips up his chest, to his collarbone, and ending at his neck. “You taste so good.”