Embraced in Ink

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  “Why are we all over here?” he asked, trying to keep calm. The later the hour got, the less likely the whole marriage thing would come up. Other than the fact that his mother had just mentioned it. But she didn’t know about the promise. So, as long as they didn’t talk about it with Bristol near them, it didn’t really exist. And he wouldn’t have to turn her down.

  Because he was going to have to turn her down, right?

  He’d have to break her heart. Or maybe, break his own. Because why would she be brokenhearted? They were friends, after all. Right?

  If she actually wanted this, she would have mentioned it. She hadn’t, and that meant that they were likely going to ignore it, forget it ever happened. The bet wouldn’t matter.

  Only, it really did. Because she was his best friend, and even though she had constantly been out of the States and out of the country doing things that she loved, she’d always come back to him.

  No matter what separated them, they always came back to each other.

  He didn’t want to ruin what they had. He couldn’t. Only, what if he did?

  “Okay, what is up with your face?” Andie asked, and Marcus scowled.

  “What’s up with your face?”

  “Hey, that’s my wife,” Chris said, and Marcus smiled, though he knew it didn’t reach his eyes.

  “I’m fine, okay? Just tired.” That might be the case, mostly because he wasn’t sleeping, thanks to Bristol, but it was fine. Everything was going to be fine.

  “We love you, so if there is anything wrong, you need to tell us,” his mother said.

  “I know that. You guys are great.” And that was the understatement of a lifetime.

  “And you can’t let the Montgomerys adopt you,” his father said, his eyes dancing with laughter.

  “Although, if they want to adopt all of us, that’s okay with us,” Vanessa said, grinning.

  “Can I be adopted, too?” his mother asked.

  “You already know you guys are all honorary Montgomerys, right?” Marcus asked, and the others snorted. “Really? You are. It’s sort of a cult situation.”

  “Did you just call my family a cult?” Bristol asked as she walked forward. Marcus swallowed hard and tried not to think about all the bad things he’d been thinking about recently. Or the dream he’d had the night before. Of Bristol, his fist wrapped around those long, honey-brown locks of hair as he—nope, he wasn’t going to think about that.

  He did not have sex dreams about his best friend. There were lines, and he did not cross them.

  Yet.

  “We totally didn’t call the Montgomerys a cult,” Andie said, pausing for dramatic effect. “But we totally did call you guys a cult,” she said primly.

  Bristol threw her head back and laughed, a soft, tinkling sound, and she shook her head. She had on long, fancy earrings that he was pretty sure had diamonds in them that shone under the light between the strands of her hair. She had it down tonight, with long waves, and wore a sparkly dress with silver high heels. She looked gorgeous, like a damn princess. And considering that she had played her cello in front of princesses, he could quantifiably make that comparison.

  “Yeah, sometimes the Montgomerys feel a little cult-like. But you are one of us.” She paused and then grinned. “One of us.”

  The others laughed, and Marcus smiled, trying to act like everything was natural. Why was this so hard? It shouldn’t be. This woman was his best friend—had been forever. Most people would look at them and think they were more than best friends, but they could go fuck themselves. Strangers always thought they were fucking or using each other. But they didn’t know Bristol and him. They were always there for each other, and always would be. Even if they accidentally got engaged. Only they weren’t going to do that. It wasn’t going to happen. It was only a bad bet, like he was a bad bet. Not that he actually thought that about himself, but he knew he would be for Bristol. Because she deserved the world, and he was a hometown boy. And he was just fine with that.

  “Happy birthday,” his mother said, holding Bristol close. Bristol wrapped her arms around his mother and held on tight before hugging the rest of his family, one by one.

  “So, how does it feel to be thirty?” Andie asked. “You’re no longer a baby. You’re now old. Middle-aged.” Andie flung her hair back as their mother glowered.

  “The next person that mentions anybody in their thirties being old is going to get slapped upside the head. I don’t flog, mind you, but seriously, I’ll do it.”

  Everybody backed away, still laughing.

  “We’re not old, we’re no longer babies,” Marcus said, holding out his arm. He did it instinctively, and Bristol slid against his side, holding him close in return. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. She felt good, as if she had been there for their entire lives. Even though he had shot up to his height faster, and she had caught up a little, she was still so tiny compared to him.

  He didn’t know why he kept thinking about things like that. Like how she would feel against him. Because this was simply platonic. Only friendship.

  He was delusional.

  “Hey there,” she said under her breath. He looked at her and let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

  “Hey there, birthday girl.”

  “I was beginning to think you and your whole family were going to hide in the corner all night.”

  “You have so many friends here, we thought we’d let you mingle, have fun, and then come over here where the real party can start when you were ready,” his mother said, grinning.

  “You know, you are right about that. There are a lot of people here. But I’m so glad that you guys came. Seriously. You’re my second family. And I love you.”

  His mother wiped tears from her face, and Bristol pulled away from him, hugging his mother close once more.

  Marcus tried not to think about the fact that he felt cold now with her warmth gone.

  What the hell was wrong with him? He never used to think like this. Oh, there were occasional thoughts every once in a while, but ever since that ticking clock of her birthday came screeching into his ears, the steady pace of what the fuck he was doing became evident, and he couldn’t stop the stray thoughts from piling on top of one another until it was all he thought about.

  “Okay, enough of that. Now, go chat, and bring Marcus with you. He’s been scowling over in the corner for too long.”

  Bristol narrowed her eyes at him. “I noticed that. I mean, this is my day. I am the center of attention, the princess. And my best friend can’t even be bothered to roll out the red carpet or make sure others bow in my presence?”

  She grinned, and he rolled his eyes. “You only think you’re the center of the universe, Bristol Montgomery.”

  “My mama told me so, so I totally believe it.”

  “As your mother should,” his mother said. “Now, go, have fun, but make sure you say goodbye before the end of the night. Or if you can’t because you’re the center of the universe and are busy, just know that we love you. And our gifts are on the table. We can’t wait until you come over for dinner.”

  “I told you not to get me gifts.”

  “Of course, we did. It’s for your birthday,” Andie said. “However, we also donated to a charity like you asked us to in the invite.”

  Marcus smiled and slid his hands into his suit pockets. Bristol did really well in her career. She had albums made, had even been nominated for a Grammy once. She toured the world and was an actual soloist. People begged her to come and play for them.

  So, she did really well and was good at saving her money. He made sure of that, as did the rest of her family. She didn’t want to blow her earnings on flashy things, even though Bristol loved the shiny. So, her invites had asked for no gifts but said if the guests wanted to do something, they should donate to their favorite charity in her name.

  Most people had adhered to that, but not family. Family wanted to do both.

 
He hadn’t gotten her anything. Well, he had, but in retrospect, it was probably a really stupid idea. And it was something he’d made, something that he’d likely never show her. Not when he kept digging himself into a hole.

  “Okay, I’m going to go make sure he parties a bit,” Bristol said, tugging on his arm. “Come on.”

  “I’ll go wherever you lead me. As always,” he said dryly, and his sisters tittered behind him.

  He flipped them off, then moved out of the way of his mother’s hand. She was really quick, though, and still caught him on the ear.

  “Marcus Stearn.”

  “Sorry, Mom.”

  She laughed, and he kept his arm around Bristol’s waist as they walked from couple to couple and group to group.

  “You having fun?” she asked as they made their way around the next couple, a glass of champagne in each of their hands.

  A little too reminiscent of ten years before. He sipped slowly, needing a clear head for this.

  “I am. But the question is, are you?”

  She turned on her heel and looked up at him, her blue eyes wide. “Of course, I’m having a good time. You’re here. Everyone’s here.” She added the last part quickly, and he frowned. He didn’t have time to dwell on it though, because she continued. “I love birthdays, but I’m really more of a fan of everyone else’s birthdays.”

  “For someone who is always the center of attention, you sometimes don’t like it, do you?”

  “Pretty much. But Mom wanted to throw this for me like she did for my twenties. However, she promised that for my fortieth—dear God—we’d go to Vegas for a road trip.”

  Marcus grinned. “That sounds like a blast.”

  “Yeah, we’ll do a Montgomery road trip for my fortieth, and of course, you’ll have to come.”

  “Because I’m an honorary Montgomery?”

  A pause. Then a bright smile. “You know it. Thank you for coming tonight, Marcus. I know you’ve been a little busy lately.”

  There was a question in there, but he didn’t answer. They hadn’t had their regular weekly lunches for the past few weeks, nor had they been hanging out as much as usual. Yes, he had been avoiding her, but he hadn’t known what to say.

  He really wasn’t good at this, and he knew he was ruining it all. But he was really afraid that he was going to fuck things up. And he couldn’t. Not when she already meant so much to him. It wasn’t like she was really going to want to be with him. It was only a bet. And she had clearly forgotten. She hadn’t brought it up yet, in all this time.

  Bristol loved teasing him about shit like this. If it really mattered, she would have already been teasing, or maybe would have even gotten down on one knee with a ring at this point. That was who Bristol was. And he fucking loved it.

  He just hated the stress right now.

  “Happy birthday,” he said softly, and Bristol looked up at him, grinning.

  “Thank you. Now, I have to start saying my goodbyes to a few people, and my thank yous, but you don’t have to hang out with me the whole time.”

  Marcus shook his head. “No, I’ll hang out with you. And I am sorry that I haven’t been spending as much time with you recently. I’ve been busy.”

  “With that new project?” she asked, and he knew she was honestly interested. Bristol might be the exact opposite of him in some ways, but she loved what he did, just as he loved what she did.

  “Yeah, that.” He knew it sounded off, but he couldn’t help it. While he did have a new project at the library that he was working hard on, that wasn’t the reason for his absence of late. No, the reason was all her, but she didn’t need to know that.

  Not now, not ever.

  By the time they said goodbye to everyone, and the Montgomerys started to clean up, Marcus’s family and hers were the only ones left, aside from a few stragglers.

  He really didn’t want to be under the microscope of any of the Montgomerys, considering that Bristol’s brothers were big and constantly glared at him recently. He didn’t know why. It wasn’t as if they knew what his and Bristol’s promise to each other entailed. If they did, they’d likely kick his ass. Or try. But it was as if they knew something had changed. At least, on his end. Because Bristol seemed the same.

  Didn’t she?

  “Okay, I think that’s it,” Bristol said, putting her hands on her hips.

  “Head home,” her mother said from the side of the room.

  “No, I’m going to help clean up.”

  “The birthday girl doesn’t help clean up.”

  “Yeah, she makes the mess,” Aaron, her younger brother, said. They flipped each other off while their mother scowled at them both.

  “Act like a nice family. The others will learn the truth about us if you don’t.”

  “You know I have a pillow that says something similar to that,” his mother said as his family came up.

  “I think I have something embroidered that says that, too,” Mrs. Montgomery said. Then the mothers began laughing and talking with each other.

  His family started to help clean up and mingle with the Montgomerys, and Bristol just leaned back into him, grinning.

  “I’m glad our families are friends. It makes everyone so…happy, you know?”

  Marcus nodded, barely resisting the urge to kiss her on the top of the head like he usually did. It somehow felt different now. “Yep. It’s a good thing.”

  Her mother spoke up again. “Now, really, go. Your feet have to be hurting in those heels.” Marcus looked down the length of Bristol’s body, did his best not to focus on certain curves, and winced.

  “Why are you wearing five-inch heels?”

  “They were pretty. And my feet are numb.”

  “Go,” the Montgomerys said in unison, and his family agreed.

  Marcus tugged on her arm. “Come on, I’ll walk you to your car.”

  “The presents are already in the back, but you don’t get to open them until we head to your house tomorrow,” her mother shouted.

  “I promise. I know the rules.”

  There hadn’t really been a good time for Bristol to sit down and open gifts, so she would do it with her family at her house the next day like they did after large parties like this. He liked the fact that they had little traditions like that. His family tended to just rip into them, but they also didn’t have cocktail parties like this one. Not that the Montgomerys did it often, but with some important occasions, sometimes, they did.

  He walked her out to her car, sliding his coat over her shoulders as they made their way.

  “Thanks. It’s not too chilly, but I appreciate it.”

  “Should’ve been wearing a coat.”

  “But I liked the strapless dress. And wearing a coat kind of ruins the lines.”

  He was not going to think about lines. Except for crossing them. Because, apparently, that’s what he was doing.

  “By the way, I only had half a glass of champagne, I’ve been drinking water all night. I knew I wanted to drive home and not stay over.”

  “To get out of cleaning up?” he asked, laughing.

  “No, jerk. Mostly because I like being in my own bed, you know?”

  “Sure,” he said. He was not going to think about her in her bed. In any bed.

  No, he was not.

  She let out a sigh and turned to him as they stood in front of her car.

  “So,” she said.

  “So,” he echoed. He swallowed hard. “Another birthday.”

  “Yeah, my thirtieth.”

  He watched her throat work as she swallowed hard, and he had no idea what to say. What was he supposed to say?

  “I guess this means we’re engaged, huh?” she asked. His breath caught, his whole body freezing.

  “Oh my God. You’re engaged?” Andie screamed from behind them, hopping up and down on her heels. Then she turned around to yell into the house. “They’re engaged! Bristol and Marcus are engaged!”

  “I knew it! Our babies are getting ma
rried! Finally!” his mother shouted before hugging Bristol’s mother as the two began to cry.

  Marcus tore his gaze from his family and looked down at his best friend. All he could do was blink.

  All color had leached from Bristol’s face, and she parted her mouth as if she were going to say something, but there really wasn’t much to say.

  Because people were shouting and clapping, and Marcus knew that things had seriously just gone to hell.

  Chapter 3

  Bristol licked her lips before letting her head roll back, his mouth on her neck. He sucked, licked, and gently used his teeth on her skin. She shivered, sliding her hands down his thick muscles before letting them trail up his back. She sucked in a breath, shook as his hands went down her sides, gripping her hips. Thankfully, they were both naked, so it was easier for them to touch, to kiss. To look and caress. To feel and to be.

  His mouth traveled down her chest, kissing her breasts, sucking on her nipples. He sucked one peak into his mouth and twisted his tongue the perfect way to send her right over the edge. She came so quickly, it almost felt like a dream. Her legs shook, her body slick with sweat as she tried not to let her thighs spread even wider. She wanted to cling to him, to hold him there. Only he wasn’t making it easy, not with her so needy. So ready.

  He moved to her other breast and sucked hard, almost to the point of pain, but she didn’t care. She wanted more, demanded more.

  And she was going to get it.

  Because he was between her legs fully now, his thick cock pulsating. She wanted his hard length inside her, needed to ride him into oblivion as they both shattered.

  She looked up at him and whispered, “Marcus. I need you.”

  He licked his lips, meeting her gaze before he plunged inside her, so deep, stretching her to the limit. She screamed, the pain exquisite.

  Then she woke up.

  Bristol blinked open her eyes, her lids heavy with sleep and dreams, her tank top askew so one boob popped out, the other currently being strangled by the rest of her shirt. She licked her suddenly dry lips and looked down to where her hand currently lay, her palm cupping her most delicate flesh.