Priceless Ink: A Small Town Romance

by Lagomarsino, Giulia

  “How bad?”

  “I got her in the jaw with my elbow.”

  He winced, knowing how bad that could hurt. “Did you apologize?”

  “I—“ I tried to say more, but I just kept seeing her sitting on the floor. I ran my hand over my face and sighed.

  “What exactly are you doing here?”

  “I couldn’t be around her.”

  “So you left her?” he asked incredulously.

  “I had my brother get her. I just…I hit her.”

  “So, you ran away instead of talking to her?”

  My hands were shaking as I took a seat in front of him. “I couldn’t stay there. I hurt her.”

  “Did you mean to?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Then what the fuck are you doing here?”

  I looked up at Decker, not sure what else to say. I just felt so terrible. “I’ve never hit a woman in my life.”

  “And you still haven’t. It’s not like you intentionally hit her, man. And if you had stuck around, she probably would have told you that she didn’t blame you.”

  “And that makes it okay?”

  “Of course not, but now you know what happens when you lose your shit around your woman. Instead of sitting here crying to me about it, go find your woman and apologize.”

  That wasn’t the main problem though. That wasn’t what I feared. “What if this happens again? What if I lose my shit and hit her again? Maybe…maybe everyone’s right.”

  “About what exactly?”

  “Maybe she shouldn’t be here with me. If she was at home—“

  “She would be fucking miserable,” Decker cut in. “She doesn’t want to be there, so don’t try and push her away because of something that could have happened to anyone. You go home, and you fucking apologize, and then you make sure it never fucking happens again. The only way you make this right is if you man up and do the right thing. Running away doesn’t make you a better man. It makes you a pussy. If you want to be the man that she turns to, you have to be there for her through the hard times.”

  I nodded, hearing what he was saying. I wasn’t sure I was calm enough to go home to her, but I also knew the longer I stayed away, the harder this would be for both of us. I wanted to be the man for her, which meant I needed to go home and swear on my life that I would never hurt her like that again.

  Sofia

  I paced around Josh and Carly’s townhouse, holding an ice pack to my face. I couldn’t believe that he just stormed out like that. It wasn’t his fault. He was pissed at his brother and he lost control. I couldn’t blame him. When I heard what Andrew said to him, I wanted to fucking punch him. Still, he should have stuck around.

  “You’re wearing a hole in my carpet,” Carly muttered as she flipped through a magazine.

  “I can’t believe he left.”

  “You’ve said that every five minutes for the last hour.”

  “Because I can’t believe he fucking left!”

  “Wow, not so much the lady anymore, are you?”

  “He left. He actually just walked out the door.”

  Carly sighed and set the magazine down. “Would you sit down?” Against my better judgement, I sat down across from her and pressed the ice pack to my cheek again. “Look, anyone can see how much Joe loves you. He didn’t walk out for any reason other than he got freaked out because he hurt you.”

  “That’s no reason to walk away.”

  “Maybe not for you, but I’ve been in his position before. I’ve had people around me hurt because of things I’ve done. It hurts your soul. So, right about now, Joe’s thinking that you’re better off without him, because he never should have lost his temper so bad that he couldn’t control it around you.”

  “Well, he shouldn’t have. He’s never been like that before. He’s always the calm one. He jokes around constantly. I just don’t understand why he let Andrew get under his skin like that.”

  “Really? You have no clue why?”

  I glared at her. “If you have something to say, then just spit it out.”

  “You’re so stupid. I mean, I thought you had a brain in that head of yours, but you really are stupid. He lost his shit because Andrew was talking trash about you and he loves you. No, that would be a gross misrepresentation of what he feels for you. That man is so in love with you that if anything ever happened to you, it would physically kill him. And when you love someone that much, and someone is tearing down that person that you love, you lose control and shit like this happens. And to make matters worse, the person that was tearing you down is his own damn brother. How do you think that makes him feel?”

  I was quiet. I had no idea. I didn’t ever have anyone that fought for me, so I didn’t know how any of this felt.

  “Look, everyone else has been readily accepted into this family, including me, and I still can’t believe that. But you’re different, and it’s not your fault. Joe’s got a big heart. He always comes across as the guy that jokes around and just has a grand time, but he cares about his family very much. And now he considers you his family, and for his own family to not immediately accept you, that’s gotta tear him up inside. It’s not that they don’t like you, they just assume that you’ll decide to go back to your life. Once they see that you’re sticking around, I promise, they’re going to love you. But until then, you and Joe have a rough road ahead of you.”

  I swiped at a tear that dripped down my face and bit back the tears. “This sucks.”

  “I know.”

  “I love him. Why can’t everyone see that?”

  She reached out and took my hand, which shocked the hell out of me. “They will. Give them some time. Joe’s the baby of the family. Everyone’s protective of him.”

  The front door opened and Joe stood there, his eyes immediately finding mine. For a moment, I saw the panic in his eyes, like he was sure I would have left. Then he was rushing across the room to me, scooping me up in his arms.

  “I’m so fucking sorry I ran.”

  “I know.”

  “I promise, nothing like that will ever happen again. I swear on my life.”

  “Joe, I never blamed you in the first place.”

  He sighed and buried his face in my neck. I clung to him with everything I had. I had been so sure that I was losing him. It terrified me that he wasn’t coming back.

  “If you ever do anything like that again, if you ever run out on me, I swear, I’ll get Corduroy to handcuff you to me.”

  His breath huffed out against my skin and I closed my eyes, just glad that in this moment I still had him.

  “Did I miss the party?” Andrew said as he walked in, his joke falling flat.

  He stood in the doorway, his body tense like he wanted to run. The remorse in his eyes couldn’t be hidden as he stared at Joe. I was shoved back a step as Joe stood before me, protecting me from his brother, but I’d had enough of this shit. I wasn’t about to stand by while these two tore their relationship apart.

  I stepped out from behind Joe and walked half the distance between the two of them. “This has to stop. This feud between the two of you is ridiculous.”

  “Sofia‚—“

  “No,” I snapped at Joe. “You need to just learn to live with the fact that Andrew may not like me. Tough shit. He’s not in this relationship. We are.” Then I swung my head to face Andrew. “And you,” I said scathingly. “Does it make you feel better to make your brother feel like shit? Do you like shoving it in his face that you don’t like me?”

  He dropped his head, shaking it slightly.

  “You’re brothers. You’re best friends. You don’t have to get along perfectly. Andrew, you don’t have to accept me as your brother’s choice, but you do have to respect that he loves me and I love him. I’m not going anywhere and if you want a relationship with him, you’re gonna have to suck it up, buttercup.”

  Carly giggled behind me and I turned my glare on her. “Do you have something to say?”

  “Butte
rcup?”

  “Shut up. I’ve been watching a lot of movies with Joe.” Turning back to the brothers, I put on my best bitch face. “Hug it out. Now.”

  Joe grimaced and Andrew looked uncomfortable as hell. “Now, or I swear to God, neither of you is leaving here. I can keep this up all night.”

  Joe and Andrew slowly walked toward each other. Joe spread out his arms, patting Andrew on the back in the most uncomfortable hug in the history of hugs.

  “Sorry, man,” Andrew mumbled. “I don’t hate her.”

  Wow, a ringing endorsement if I ever heard one.

  “I’m sorry I punched you, even though you deserved it.”

  Men, they were so pathetic. “Now, tell each other that you love each other.”

  They pulled back and shifted uncomfortably. “Love you,” both of them muttered.

  “Now, give each other a kiss.”

  Joe’s jaw dropped and Andrew cringed. I kept my face straight, even though I was dying to bust out laughing. I started tapping my foot and I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m waiting.”

  Joe hesitantly leaned over and Andrew closed his eyes. He quickly pecked him on the cheek and then Andrew leaned over to do the same.

  “What the fuck is this?” Josh asked as he walked into the living room.

  Andrew jerked back and his face turned red. I finally let out my laughter, unable to hold it in any longer.

  “You did that on purpose,” Andrew sneered.

  “Serves you right for saying I was using him.”

  Joe snickered beside him and I whipped my gaze to his. “And that’s for running out on me. Do it again, and see what happens.”

  * * *

  It had been weeks of bliss with Joe. I loved everything about spending time with him and I was slowly learning to become more independent. Cooking was still an issue for me. I was terrible at it. In truth, I could barely boil water, but Kat was doing her best to teach me, and I hadn’t lit her kitchen on fire the past two times we went over, so I considered that a win.

  And in the mornings, much like today, I laid in bed with him, just enjoying the peace and quiet. That is, until we heard grunting and groaning from the other room. I laughed and hid my face against Joe’s chest. Even now, after all this time, I still blushed at the thought of sex. And knowing that his brother was in the other room, doing that with another woman…I just couldn’t get the images out of my head.

  “Do you think they’re going to stop anytime soon?” I asked.

  He sighed. “Well, they’ve been going at it for twenty minutes. You would think they’d be done soon.”

  “Is it Stacy?”

  He looked over at me with a raised eyebrow. “Am I supposed to know by the moans?”

  “Shut up. I thought maybe you knew who he brought home.”

  “No, but I can go take a look if you want.”

  “Don’t you dare,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him.

  “Hey, you’re the one that’s so curious.”

  “Not that curious.”

  He rolled over me and kissed me hard. “Should we see if we can outdo them?”

  I flushed bright red. “You mean, you want to see…”

  “Who can be the loudest. I bet I can make you scream louder than her.”

  “Joe—“

  But he disappeared under the covers before I could protest further and then his lips were on me, sucking and licking at me. I moaned, trying to hold it in. I didn’t want them to hear me. He yanked my hips up and my legs were flung over his shoulders, and then he was feasting on me. I gripped the sheets and held on for dear life.

  “Do you like that, sweetheart?”

  I gasped and moaned, trying not to make any noise, but he kept pushing me further.

  “You like me eating your pussy? You like knowing your cream is running down my throat?”

  “Joe,” I gasped. “Stop, that’s so dirty.”

  “You like me dirty,” he mumbled against my pussy. He slid two fingers inside me and started fucking me. My moans turned into cries until I was coming all over his fingers. He tossed the covers off and yanked me up, then flipped me over. I felt him spread my ass cheeks and then he was sliding inside me.

  I didn’t have time to moan or even think about how good it felt. He was fucking me hard, pressing my body toward the mattress as he took me. I was screaming his name by the time he came inside me. I collapsed on the sheets and laid there panting, praying he was done with me for now. I couldn’t take anything else. But Andrew was still going in the other room.

  “How are they still going?” I asked, unable to believe that anyone had that much stamina. I felt a shirt tossed on top of my head and I slowly dragged it down over my head. On shaky legs, I followed Joe to the door, peeking around the corner so that I didn’t see anything too much. But what I saw instead was Andrew sitting at the table, chewing on a bowl of Fruit Loops while porn played on the TV.

  “What the hell?”

  Andrew grinned at us. “You’re welcome. Do I know how to give a wake-up call or what?”

  Mortified, I snuck back into the room and buried myself in the covers. We’d just had a sex contest with the TV. How embarrassing.

  “You’re such an asshole,” Joe said, throwing a shoe at Andrew that he just picked up off the floor. Andrew ducked and shot Joe an irritated look.

  “Hey, I got you laid. You should be down on your knees thanking me.”

  “I can get laid on my own.”

  “But I do it better.”

  I grimaced. “That sounds so bad.”

  Joe walked back over to me, pulling me into his arms. “I have to get to work early today. Stay in bed,” he said, grabbing my ass. I smiled and bit my lip. I seemed to do that a lot around him. It was a nervous habit. I wasn’t used to being so relaxed with someone or having them openly compliment me.

  He kissed me hard and grabbed stuff for a shower. Pulling on a pair of shorts, I made my way out to the kitchen and grabbed my own bowl for cereal. I couldn’t look at Andrew. The fact that he sat here eating while he knew we were having sex was so mortifying.

  “What’s wrong, princess? Shy?”

  Irritated, I refused to acknowledge him. When Joe called me a princess, I knew it was more of an endearment, but Andrew had heard him call me a princess one too many times in the beginning and now he did it just to piss me off.

  “So, how long is this thing going to continue?” Andrew asked.

  I turned with my cereal bowl and poured my Fruit Loops, then grabbed the milk.

  “You know, at some point, you’re just going to break his heart.”

  I glanced at the closed bathroom door. The only reason Andrew was saying anything was because his brother was in the shower. He hadn’t really listened to anything I had said when he got in that big fight with Joe. Sure, he kept his opinions to himself around Joe, but he had no problem saying shit to me. And I didn’t tell Joe, because I didn’t want to ruin what had just been mended between them.

  “Just do me a favor, when you leave, make sure you just walk away. Don’t make a bunch of excuses that’ll give him hope.”

  I slammed my bowl on the table and glared at him. “Why are you being such an asshole?”

  He sat back with a grin on his face. “So, not such a little lady now, are we?”

  “What do you expect me to do? You hate me and tell me every day. Am I just supposed to sit here and take it?”

  “I don’t hate you. I don’t even know you, but neither does Joe. All we know is that you came down here to run away from your life and now you’re using him.”

  “How exactly am I using him?”

  “You got him to give you a job. You’re staying here rent free. Although, I suppose spreading your legs is payment enough.”

  I swallowed hard, wanting to slap him so much. I had never been referred to as a whore before, and now that it happened, I really didn’t like it. So, instead of responding, I just ran out of the room and hid in the bedroom, but it wasn�
��t long before I heard Andrew on the phone.

  “Hey, man. How’s it going?”

  I didn’t want to listen, but I knew he was on Joe’s phone just by the ringtone. Why would he answer his brother’s phone?

  “Well, Joe’s got a bae….Yes, I mean a girlfriend…No, she’s…” I waited with bated breath to hear what he would say, and when he answered, it felt like my chest collapsed. “She’s just some rich bitch from the city…”

  Tears pricked my eyes, but I quickly wiped them away. I didn’t understand what I had to do to make Andrew like me. It seemed there was nothing I could do to make him see that I really did love his brother. I hated that his family didn’t accept me. Carly told me they would with time, but it hurt that everyone else was accepted so easily. I just didn’t understand. Why me? Was I really that bad? Old feelings of being unwanted were constantly being pulled to the surface, and the only time they slipped away was when I was alone with Joe. I wasn’t sure I had a thick enough skin to withstand this for much longer.

  “Yeah, she’s right here.”

  I glanced up to see Andrew striding over to me, holding out the phone. “Who is it?”

  “It’s my brother.”

  “You have a lot of brothers.”

  “It’s Derek.”

  “The one in Pennsylvania?”

  He sighed in irritation. “Are you going to take the phone or not?”

  I reached out hesitantly. Why would he want to speak to me? “Hello?”

  “Sofia, right?”

  “Um…yeah.”

  “So, you’re Joe’s new girl.”

  “I guess.”

  “You don’t know?”

  “Well…”

  “Is Andrew standing there glaring at you?”

  I looked up and sure enough, he was still standing there with his arms crossed over his chest and he was glaring at me. “Yes.”

  “Don’t worry about him. Joe and Andrew are close and he’s just looking out for him.”