He turned back to his mother and Heather. “Get. The. Fuck. Out.” Morgan’s voice was low and calm, alarmingly so. “We’re done. I never want to see you again. You come near me, I call the cops. And won’t your society friends just love hearing about that? Either of you come near me or Callie, and I will finish you.”
He pulled his mother and Heather by the arms and pushed them out of the house. They screeched, but he didn’t fucking care. He took a deep breath then grabbed his keys and prayed Callie hadn’t left the driveway yet.
He might have just ruined the best thing in his life and he wasn’t about to back away. He loved Callie Masters and he would not allow anything to come between them.
Chapter Ten
Callie’s not like Heather. Not like the others.
That kiss.
That fucking kiss.
She’d seen the way Morgan’s hands rested on Heather’s hips. He might have pushed her away, but it hadn’t been quick enough for her taste. Maybe Heather had thrown herself at him, but Callie had heard Morgan compare herself to the other woman who had come before her.
She always knew she was different than the others but she thought Morgan was stronger than what society demanded of him. Now she sat in her car, her hands shaking as she tried to turn on the ignition. If she didn’t leave soon, she’d have to face Morgan again. There was no way he’d just let her go, he was too demanding for that.
Well, at least some part of her hoped for that. Call her jaded, crazy, and sick. Because that’s what she was. Tears slid down her face and she cursed herself. She wouldn’t cry over a man. She was better than that. So what if Morgan didn’t think she was as good as the other woman who had been in his life.
So fucking what.
She knew she was the tattooed freak who was too young for him. She’d seen the evidence when she met him at the gala. Like a leopard, there was no changing her spots and she’d be damned if she’d force herself to try.
The knock on the window made her jump, but she refused to look over. The door opened and she cursed herself yet again for not locking it.
“Callie, baby. Come back inside. Let’s talk.”
She gripped the steering wheel, her gaze on her hands. “We have nothing to talk about, Morgan.” Her voice broke and she swallowed hard. “I’m leaving so please shut the door.”
“It wasn’t what you think.”
God. That line. Why did men think it was okay to use that line? He stood there acting like nothing was wrong when she was breaking inside. Breaking like the fragile woman she’d refused to be.
“Go away.”
“Baby. Please come inside. It wasn’t like that.”
“I don’t care what it was like. I’m going. Please close the door before I drive off with it open.” This was all too much.
“Callie Masters. Stay,” he ordered.
How. Dare. He.
He only ordered her to things in the bedroom. He had no fucking right to do it here. She turned to him, ignoring the pain in his eyes, the hard line of his jaw.
“I’m not your whore. You don’t get to tell me what to do.”
He looked as if she’d struck him and backed away. Her heart shattered, she closed the door, started the engine, and peeled out of the driveway. She knew it wouldn’t be safe to drive too long, so she made it as far as Maya’s house and stopped in front of it.
Had she overreacted?
Maybe.
Had she let her insecurities take over?
Possibly.
Had another woman kissed him?
Yes.
Had he said she wasn’t as good as the others in his life?
Yes.
There wasn’t another option for her.
Callie looked up as she finally turned off the car and saw Maya standing on her porch, a frown on her face. Still shaky, Callie got out of the car and Maya cursed.
“What happened? Who do I need to kill?”
Callie sputtered out a laugh that turned into a sob. “This is why I love you.”
Maya held out her arms and Callie sank into the other woman. “Is it Morgan?” she asked as she led Callie into the house.
Callie nodded, trying to stop her tears. Damn it. She didn’t want to cry. She wanted to be stronger than that, but it wasn’t about to happen. At least not right then.
They sat on the couch and Callie told Maya everything. From the night at the gala, to the way Morgan had blended into her world—or so she’d thought—to what she’d seen when she walked in. All the while, Maya ran her hands down Callie’s back, nodding or cursing softly.
“I’m sorry you had to deal with other people’s negativity, baby. What they think means nothing. Their opinions aren’t founded in anything but intolerance and cruelty. Morgan would have been damn lucky to have you. The fact he couldn’t see that means he’s not worth your time.”
Callie winced, thinking over exactly what happened. “He pushed the other woman away when she kissed him.”
“And he tried to use his dominance in the bedroom to force you to stay. That’s not cool.”
She shook her head. No, it hadn’t been. Though he was always more dominant than her, he always gave her a choice when it mattered.
“Maybe I should have let him explain,” she whispered.
Maya growled. “You can. Just because you left him so you could think, doesn’t mean it’s over. Unless that’s what you need it to be. But you needed space to put everything together and he wasn’t giving that to you.”
She swallowed hard. She didn’t know what she was going to do, but the vision of Heather’s lips on his and the comparison he’d made hurt. Maybe in time she’d forgive, but right then, she couldn’t face him.
“If you want, I can get my brothers to beat him up,” Maya said softly.
Callie snorted.
“Wait,” Maya said. “Fuck that. Let’s do it ourselves.”
Callie threw her head back and laughed, warmth filling the empty ache she hadn’t known was there. It wouldn’t fill completely, but her friend next to her helped. At least for a little while.
The next day Callie rolled her shoulders and opened her door to the woman she had a feeling would stop by sooner or later.
“Ms. McAllister.”
The woman gave her a pinched look and moved to enter Callie’s home. Oh no, that wouldn’t do. She wasn’t afraid any longer. She wouldn’t be allowing this woman to walk all over her again. How this woman had figured out where Callie lived escaped her, but money and connections probably had something to do with it.
“You can stand out on the porch if you’d like to speak with me, but you’re not welcome in my home.”
Morgan’s mother lifted her lip in disdain. “Like I’d want to step foot in this hovel.”
Sure, honey. Save face. Whatever.
“What can I do for you?” See? She could be polite.
The other woman lifted her chin. “I wanted to find your price.”
Callie blinked. “What?”
The woman smiled, but it wasn’t a nice smile. “I want to know how much money you want to stay away from Morgan. I’m sure we can come up with an agreeable figure to keep you out of our lives.”
Oh sweet Jesus, how little this woman knew.
“First off, honey, you can’t pay me to keep out of his life.” She was doing just fine on that account on her own, but she wasn’t about to tell this bitch. “Second, if you really think money is the only way to get things done, you’re sadly mistaken.”
“You’re just a little nobody who thinks she can weasel her way into our lives. I will not permit that.”
She was done. So fucking done.
“I’m not a nobody. I’m Callie fucking Masters. I’m a talented artist. I have a job. I own my home. I have friends and family who love me. I’m not a dried up old prune who waves money around to save a legacy that doesn’t belong to her. Shut up,” she snapped when the woman opened her mouth to speak. “This is my property and my time to speak. I
want nothing to do with you. My relationship has nothing to do with you.” And it wouldn’t damn it. Why had she let this woman’s actions hurt her? She’d been hurt, but she’d hurt Morgan at the same time.
Fuck.
“You’re a leech.”
“No, honey. You are.” With that, Callie stepped back and slammed the door in Morgan’s mother’s face.
That felt oddly amazing. She ran a hand up and down her arms, her skin tingling. She’d stood up for herself like she should have done in the first place. No, she hadn’t kept anything from Morgan, but she hadn’t been as forceful and honest to those in his life who had tried to keep them apart. She’d hidden herself to protect a relationship that wouldn’t have lasted if she’d kept things from him.
Callie ran her hands through her hair and went to her notepad. She would draw to keep her mind off the agony in her heart. As she turned the pages, she passed the sketches she’d made for Morgan and she bit her lip. Damn it. Instead of tearing them out like she should have, she quickly passed them and found herself a blank page.
A blank page—just like how her future would be.
No, that wasn’t right. She didn’t have a blank page. She had friends and family who loved her, a job she couldn’t wait to get back to, and dreams she wouldn’t give up.
She just wouldn’t have Morgan by her side.
Someone knocked on the door again and Callie ground her teeth. That fucking old lady. She swung it open, not bothering to look before opening her mouth to speak.
“I told you to get the fuck out of here.” She froze as she looked up at a haggard Morgan. He hadn’t shaved and he wore the same clothes she’d seen him in the night before. Oh damn. It looked as if he’d had a worse night than she did.
Why were they doing this to each other?
“I’m not going, Callie. Not until you listen.”
She swallowed hard. “I…I thought you were someone else.”
He cocked his head. “Who else would you yell at to leave?”
She shrugged. No use in lying and keeping secrets. “Your mother.”
Red tinged his cheeks and he cursed. “I’m sorry about that. I kicked her out of my home and my life, but she’s not going down easy. On Monday, once she realizes the purse strings are officially gone, she’ll back off.”
Callie’s eyes widened and she stepped back, letting him in so she could close the door. “You cut your mother off?”
Morgan cupped her face and she sighed. “Yes. I was in the process of doing that when you walked in.”
She pulled away at the reminder. “You mean when you said I wasn’t good enough and then let that woman kiss you?”
His eyes widened. “What the hell? I did not say that.”
“Yes. Yes you did.”
He shook his head and reached for her hand but she pulled away. “I said you weren’t like the others. Meaning you’re it for me Callie girl. The others that my mother wanted me to be with were vapid and shallow. They were nothing to me other than a nuisance. I tried to be a nice guy and let them down easily so as not to come across as a fucking bastard, but they wanted me for my name and money. You aren’t them, baby girl. You’re way out of their league. I’m so fucking sorry you thought different. Fuck. I’m sorry that you felt anything other than my love for you. I shouldn’t have put you in a position where you could be hurt. I’m the one who is supposed to protect you and I let you get hurt. I hurt you.”
Callie blinked up at him. “I…I don’t understand.” He reached out and cupped her face. This time she let him.
“I love you Callie Masters. I want to be with you until the last breath leaves my body. You’re it for me. I shouldn’t have let you walk out of the house yesterday, nor should I have ordered you to stay. I should have made it clear that you’re the one I want in my life, my heart, my soul.”
Tears slid down her cheeks, but she couldn’t speak. Not yet.
“There may be those who think I’m too damn old for you, but I don’t care. Fuck what anyone says because you’re my forever, Callie. You’re the one I want by my side through bad times and good. I want you to wear my collar every day and know that I will be your lover, your protector, and your heart, until the day I die. I want to know that you’re mine. I want you forever, Callie girl.”
He took the diamond necklace out of his pocket and she gasped. “One day I will ask you to marry me. One day I will get down on one knee so the world knows that you’re mine as I’m yours. One day I will watch you grow round with our child and raise our precious babies by your side. For now, I want you to wear my collar and know that I will always be there for you. No matter what world we live in, what things may come, by wearing this you will know that I will be yours as you’re mine.”
“Morgan…” She couldn’t speak. Her throat was closing and yet this was the happiest she’d ever felt in her life. Oh damn how she’d been wrong.
“Talk to me, Callie.”
She sucked in a breath and placed her hand on his chest. “I love you too, Morgan. I love you with every ounce of my being. I know it’s soon and we have time to grow and tangle with one another, but right now, I know that I love you. I can’t wait for the day that I’m your wife, mother of your children and the fact that you know that I want time before that happens tells me that you love me more than I could ever know.” She kissed his chest. Once. Twice. “I would be honored to wear your collar, to be yours,” she whispered.
Morgan’s hand wrapped around the back of her neck so his thumb still ran over her jaw. “Callie, this is the last time I will ask you to kneel. Will you kneel before me so I can place my collar on you? So you will know that I am your protector, your strength, your lover, just as you are my lover, my sanctuary, and the keeper of my heart.”
She nodded and knelt before him, her body shaking. He moved her hair out of the way and placed the collar around her neck, clasping it with steady hands.
Steady.
He was her rock, her strength.
Thank God.
He held out his hand and she took it, standing up so she faced him. “I love you. I love the way you look with my mark on you.” He cupped her face and kissed her. She put her soul into the kiss, deepening it so she could show him how much he meant to her, how much she wanted this and a future.
“You’re mine, Callie. Always and forever.”
She ran her hands down his chest, his body. “I love you, Morgan. I…you’re it for me. I never thought it would happen and yet I can’t imagine anything else.”
He kissed her cheeks, her lips, her temples. “I’m sorry I made you cry. I will do everything in my power to make it up to you, to show you that you’re it for me.”
She met his gaze and licked her lips. “I know it, Morgan. We’re not through and I know we have more to learn, more ways to grow, but I can’t wait to do it by your side.” She grinned then traced her hands over his back. “I’m going to finish your ink, make you shine, then love you until the day I die.”
He smiled back and she fell just that much more in love. “I’ll be your everything. Your strength, your canvas, just yours.”
Forever.
Next in the Montgomery Ink Series: Tempting Boundaries
A Note from Carrie Ann
Thank you so much for reading Forever Ink. I do hope if you liked this story, that you would please leave a review. Not only does a review spread the word to other readers, they let us authors know if you’d like to see more stories like this from us. I love hearing from readers and talking to them when I can. If you want to make sure you know what’s coming next from me, you can sign up for my newsletter at www.CarrieAnnRyan.com; follow me on twitter at @CarrieAnnRyan, or like my Facebook page. I also have a Facebook Fan Club where we have trivia, chats, and other goodies. You guys are the reason I get to do what I do and I thank you.
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F
orever Ink is a novella in the Montgomery Ink series! The first book, Delicate Ink, is out now! The next full-length book will be called Tempting Boundaries and is about Decker and Miranda. Those two have a long road ahead and I for one can’t wait. I love Best Friend’s Little Sister stories!
If you don’t want to wait for more Montgomery Ink books, I also have my Redwood Pack, Talon Pack, and Dante’s Circle series going in full swing now so there’s always a Carrie Ann book on the horizon!
Thank you so much for going on this journey with me and I do hope you enjoyed my Montgomery Ink series. Without you readers, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Thank you again for reading and I do hope to see you again.
Carrie Ann
About this Author
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan never thought she’d be a writer. Not really. No, she loved math and science and even went on to graduate school in chemistry. Yes, she read as a kid and devoured teen fiction and Harry Potter, but it wasn’t until someone handed her a romance book in her late teens that she realized that there was something out there just for her. When another author suggested she use the voices in her head for good and not evil, The Redwood Pack and all her other stories were born.
Carrie Ann is a bestselling author of over twenty novels and novellas and has so much more on her mind (and on her spreadsheets *grins*) that she isn’t planning on giving up her dream anytime soon.
www.CarrieAnnRyan.com
Also from this Author
Now Available:
Redwood Pack Series:
An Alpha’s Path
A Taste for a Mate
Trinity Bound
A Night Away
Enforcer’s Redemption
Blurred Expectations
Forgiveness
Shattered Emotions
Hidden Destiny
A Beta’s Haven
Fighting Fate
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