Steam and Ink

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  Now he had a chance to do both.

  He quickly called her to set it up, just in case she’d thought of getting out of it. He didn’t know why he was so nervous about this. At his age, he’d dated countless women—not that he ever wanted to really think about that vast pool. He should have been on familiar ground, but when it came to Sierra, nothing was common, and nothing was at all familiar.

  For some reason, he truly liked that.

  “Hey you. I was just about to call.”

  Her voice, usually a soft purr that went straight to his cock, sounded distracted. “What’s up, Legs?”

  “I wish you wouldn’t call me that,” she said absently. What was up? She usually put more effort into her denial of his nickname.

  “What’s wrong, Sierra?” There. He could learn. Besides, she didn’t sound like she’d appreciate his teasing.

  “I’m going to have to cancel lunch.”

  He frowned. He’d let her cancel their ride because she wasn’t ready for that—frankly, he didn’t blame her—but he wasn’t about to let her cancel again. Not when they had something. He knew they did, and he knew she knew it, too.

  “Why?”

  She sighed. “Because some kid broke my window. It was an accident, and his mother already made him come over and apologize, so I know it could have been much worse considering where I live…I mean…”

  He clenched his jaw. He knew she lived in Edgewater, and while it wasn’t the nicest ’burb of Denver, it wasn’t the worst either. From the sound of it, he should have been much more worried.

  “Are you okay? Were you near the window when it broke?”

  “Oh, no. I’m fine.” She gave a rough chuckle. “I was in the bedroom, and the broken window is in my kitchen. I cleaned up the glass, but maintenance said they couldn’t fix it until next Friday so now I’m stuck having to figure out how to put a board up or something. I can’t leave my house because of the broken window, you know? So, no, I can’t make lunch, but it’s not because I don’t want to. You get that, right?”

  He was already grabbing his keys and passed by the mail that he’d, once again, forgotten to check. He needed to get on that. Damn.

  “I’m on my way. Stay where you are, and I’ll bring a sheet of plywood I have in the garage. Then I can work on the window myself once I do some measurements.”

  “Austin. You can’t come and fix my window.”

  She kept telling him not to come over and help, so he mumbled and grunted as he went to his garage for supplies. He jumped in his truck after putting the sheet of wood in the back. “Yes. I can. You said yourself you can’t leave your house to go find something to block it, and this way I can still see you.”

  He hadn’t meant to say the last part, but from her happy sigh, maybe it was a good thing he had.

  “I’ll be there in less than twenty minutes. Don’t walk out of your house to get away from me or something. Okay?”

  “Okay. Austin?”

  “Yeah?” He put his phone on Bluetooth and sped up the driveway. She’d given him her address the day before so he had a relative idea of where she was. He knew Denver well enough it wasn’t a problem.

  “Thank you,” she whispered sweetly.

  “Anything, babe.”

  He hung up and drove on, antsy to see her and help.

  Damn. He had it bad, but right then, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

  When he pulled up, he wanted to curse, then pick up Sierra, pack all her shit, and head back to his place. Why the hell was she living here? Sure the place didn’t look dirty, but it was a hell of a shithole compared to Eden and his own home. There were couches on lawns, people smoking weed out in the open. It might be legal state-wide to own it, but smoking it out on the street corner wasn’t the smartest idea.

  However, in Sierra’s neighborhood, apparently, it didn’t matter.

  He pulled into what served as her parking lot. Well, it was mainly a lot filled with beat-up cars and potholes, but he found a spot near her car anyway. He got out, locked his truck, then pulled the plywood out of the truckbed. He knew she was on the first floor and cursed yet again when he saw the window.

  Austin needed to get her out of this neighborhood as quickly as he could. However, telling her, not asking her, to move into his house before they’d officially had their first date would probably be pushing it. Plus, he knew she was saving for Eden. He could remember the lean times he and Maya shared when they’d first opened Montgomery Ink.

  Yeah, it rankled that he couldn’t fix everything for Sierra, but he had to live with it. He’d just find a way to get her to stay at his house more often than not. He had two extra bedrooms, and she could stay in one if she didn’t want to sleep in his bed.

  The image of her in his bed went straight to cock, and he took a deep breath. There was no way he could fix her window and find a way to get her to his place when he had a hard-on the size of Texas.

  She walked out onto her back porch—more like a cement slab she shared with four other units—her feet in sandals and a frown on her face. “You got here fast.” Her gaze searched his, and he wished to hell he had free hands to brush that lock of hair from her face.

  “I’m not too far away.” He said that part loudly in case of any of her banger neighbors decided to poach on Austin’s territory. Call him an alpha asshole, but Sierra was his now, and they’d all just have to deal with him if they got too close.

  “Thank you.” She walked closer and put her small hand on his chest. He sucked in a breath. “Really. Thank you. I honestly wasn’t sure what to do since I don’t even have a vehicle to put the wood into anyway.”

  There was a dirty joke in there somewhere, and if Sierra had been one of his siblings, he would have been the first to call it, but he held it back.

  From the way Sierra’s eyes widened, she thought it too.

  “Uh, I mean… oh, whatever. Now, what can I do to help?”

  Austin grinned. “I’ve got this. It’s pretty easy here. Just make sure all the glass is cleaned up since you’ll be walking around barefoot in your house, I presume.” Unless he got her to move in. Nope. He had to stop thinking along those lines.

  “It’s all cleaned up. Are you sure there isn’t anything I can do?”

  “We’re good. My brothers are contractors, remember? They do this for a living.” He started to work, grateful the board was the right size, so he wouldn’t have to cut it down with the tools he had in the back of his truck.

  “Yeah. They are. You’re a tattoo artist.”

  He looked over his shoulder and scowled. “You saying I can’t fix something like this? I learned with them, right alongside Dad. Just because I went into ink doesn’t mean I can’t work with my hands.”

  She blushed hard then, and Austin’s cock filled. Again.

  Damn dick.

  “You’re great with your hands. Oh, shut up. I get it. Hands. Sex. Whatever. You’re an artist, Austin. I don’t want you to hurt your hands and not be able to work.”

  He finished up quickly, shaking his head as he did so. “If I bang my thumb, it won’t kill me. I’m good at what I do.”

  “Don’t I know it,” she mumbled, and Austin grinned again. “Want something to drink?”

  “Sounds good to me.” He followed her into her small apartment, not surprised that she had nice furniture in a shitty place. From the way she walked and talked, he figured that she hadn’t always lived in a place like this.

  They drank in silence for a bit before she finally let out a breath.

  “I just don’t want you to get the wrong idea about me asking you here.”

  Austin tilted his head. “Wrong idea? I asked you on a date, and I came here to help on my own accord. Not sure what wrong idea I can get.”

  “I don’t know what you’re looking for here. Relationship-wise. I mean, I don’t even know what I want.”

  He set down his glass on the high counter then brushed his lips over hers. “One day at a time, Sierra. One day
at a time.”

  “What does that even mean?” She scowled then set down her own glass. “One day at a time? For what? What are we even doing, Austin? I thought we didn’t even like each other when we first met. Now you’re asking me to ride with you, kissing me, and fixing my window.”

  Austin frowned then took her chin in a hard grip. Her eyes widened a bit before her pupils dilated. Ah, that’s what he wanted to see. So she liked him in control, did she? He’d have to be clear about what he was and what he liked before they went further, but if his instincts were right, she’d be perfect for him.

  Fuck. He couldn’t wait.

  “I’m too old for games, Sierra.”

  She didn’t pull away from his hold. Good.

  “I’m not playing games. I’m honestly confused and wondering how we got here. How are you in my apartment with your hands on me? I don’t know what happened.”

  He took his other hand and collared her throat as he let her chin go. She sucked in a breath, her pulse fluttering beneath his thumb.

  “I want you, Sierra. That much is obvious. Tell me you want me to.” He lowered his voice at the end, putting as much order in his tone as possible.

  “I don’t know,” she lied. Oh yes, he could tell it was a lie.

  “Be honest. Don’t lie to me.”

  “I…I want you too. But I don’t know what that means. Want you for how long? For what? We need to talk it out first because I’m not jumping into bed with you only for you to leave right after and never see me again. I’m not that person.”

  He brushed his thumb over her pulse again, narrowing his eyes. “You think I’d leave you right after I’ve tasted you? You don’t know me as well as I thought.”

  She finally pulled away, and he let her. She crossed her arms over her chest, and shook her head. “See? That’s exactly the point. I’m not going to lie and say I don’t feel this heat between us. That much is obvious, but I don’t know if I can handle more. Do you understand that?”

  He nodded, getting a clearer picture of the woman he wanted in his bed, and from the direction things were going, in his life as well.

  “You don’t want this to be only for a night, but you don’t know if you’re ready for everything that comes with it if we last longer.”

  She let out a breath, her shoulders sagging. “I didn’t come to Denver for a relationship. In fact, I’ve done my best not to be with another person in so long that I don’t even remember what it’s like to be in one.”

  He let out a breath, then brushed her cheek with his knuckles. She leaned into his touch, and he held back a groan. Oh yes, she would be perfect under his dominance. He only hoped she knew that. Or would at least be open to it.

  “I’ve tried to be in serious relationships, but they haven’t worked out. I’m not the kind of person to love ’em and leave ’em, but I haven’t been serious about anyone truly.”

  “And do you want that? A serious relationship?”

  He nodded even as her eyes widened. “Yes. That’s what I want. But me saying that doesn’t mean we have to jump in headfirst. Sierra, it’s okay to start off as exclusive then work our way toward what we become rather than focusing on the end and dreading the way there.”

  “So you’re saying we see each other and find our way, knowing it might end up in tatters because I don’t know what I want?”

  He shook his head then cupped her face. He brushed his lips against hers, craving her taste. When he pulled back, her eyes had darkened again. “I’m saying that we take it one day at a time. Stop worrying. Just know that I’m not going into this with an end date in mind. I’m not going to leave like a fucking bastard. I’m not that man.”

  “I don’t believe you are,” she whispered, and he held back a fist pump. Well, at least he was getting somewhere.

  “Then we can date, get to know one another, and find our way. Freaking out about a future we can’t control won’t help us.”

  She rolled her eyes then ran her hand through her hair as she pulled back. “Tell me about it. I’ve been trying to control my destiny for so long, it seems like no matter what I do, life happens the way it wants.”

  He wanted to know more about what she was saying and find out all her secrets, but he knew it wasn’t the time for that. He’d find out. Soon.

  He was done with the Shannons and Maggies of his past. He’d known that before he went to New Orleans to see Shep. Now he had a future with Montgomery Ink, a fucking scary path to travel with his father, and now this.

  If he was saner, he’d pull back from Sierra and focus solely on his job and his family, but he never claimed to be sane. Although he was through burying his head in the sand when it came to his dad, he wasn’t ready to face it fully. Not without someone by his side. That was fucking crazy to think, but for some odd reason, he was ready for that.

  Now he just had to get Sierra to agree.

  “I’m going to feed you, and then we can come back here and…talk.”

  Her eyes widened before she threw her head back and laughed. “Talk, huh? Is that code for something?”

  Well, he needed to talk to her about his needs and what he saw of her needs as well, but yeah, code worked. He didn’t answer, merely kissed her again, this time a bit harder. He nipped at her lip, and she sighed and flowed into him. He nibbled at her jaw, wrapping her hair around his fist so he could tilt her head to gain better access. She shivered in his hold, her breasts pressing against his chest. Her nipples pebbled, and he held back a groan. He couldn’t wait to feast on them, biting and licking until they reddened. Maybe she had darker nipples that would fill to a nice plum color. As soon as he could, he’d make a study of her breasts and explore every inch of her.

  Austin damn sure needed to know the color of her nipples.

  The color of the blush of her pussy.

  He couldn’t hold back a small groan at that thought and pulled back, his chest heaving. Sierra breathed hard as well, her cheek resting on his forearm since his hand was still tangled in her hair.

  “We need to do that again,” she whispered, and he chuckled deeply.

  “Yeah...yeah we really do.” He pulled back, releasing her hair. The tousled look made her look even sexier. He couldn’t wait to see what she looked like after a long night of him buried deep inside her.

  “Lunch.”

  Austin blinked, his gaze moving from her mouth to her eyes, which were filled with need and humor. “What?”

  “Lunch. Take me to lunch, and then we can come back and…talk.”

  He grinned then. “Lunch it is.”

  He took her hand, and she stepped readily into his space. This could be good. Fucking good if he let it. He just hoped when they talked for real his needs didn’t screw it all up. He might not need to be in control every time he was in bed, but with Sierra and this connection, he knew he couldn’t ignore it.

  Only time would tell, and from the way his cock tented his jeans, he knew lunch would be a fucking long one.

  She smiled up at him even as she raised a brow at his hard-on.

  Yeah, the wait would be worth it.

  Chapter 9

  Lunch at Gregorio’s was surprisingly relaxed. Sierra had expected to sit through an achingly long lunch while shifting in her seat. She’d been aroused, yes, her body begging for release even from the small touch of Austin’s hand on her chin, her neck, her lips, but Austin made lunch…pleasant.

  He hadn’t touched her under the table beyond tangling his legs with hers. They sat across from one another, the distance helping cool her down slightly.

  Not that she’d ever be completely cool when she was around Austin. Oh no, that ship had long since sailed. Sure, she could be the serene, put-together owner of Eden with others, but as soon as she got near the bearded man, she wanted to melt.

  Or kneel and lower her gaze.

  That had been ingrained in her from her time with Jason, and it seemed that her inner need found what it wanted in Austin.

  There was no d
enying Austin was a Dominant. While that should have scared the hell out of her, she found herself curious as to how he’d handle the situation.

  How he’d handle her.

  While she’d never be a twenty-four/seven sub who trusted her Dom to make all of their choices, she had enjoyed giving Jason control while they were in the bedroom. She liked being his first priority and the way he cared for her before, during, and after their scenes.

  They’d never visited a club or ranch or anything like that. They preferred to do things in private, and that was exactly how she liked it. They also didn’t play every time they had sex. Sometimes it was just the two of them and their own needs. She hadn’t needed to give up control and relax—if one could call it relaxing—each time they made love.

  Everyone’s kink was different. Needs changed as the person changed. As long as it was safe and consensual, it could work.

  However, she hadn’t participated in anything like that in ten years. It had taken five years after the accident for her to even have sex again. Even then, it hadn’t been worth it. Yeah, it scratched an itch, and the two men she’d slept with since were nice but nothing to do cartwheels over.

  If she let herself think about it, then she’d worry it was her and her lack of heat, but she’d been good to herself. It was a lack of chemistry, a lack of true desire beyond a need to comfort that led her to those mediocre couplings.

  Austin, however, would be anything but mediocre.

  They made it back to her place after having, in her opinion, the best burritos in town. They had reached an unspoken understanding that whatever needed to be said, whatever would be done, would be in her place first. She might not love her place—she hated it—but it was hers. For their first time—even if it was just talking about what they wanted—she needed it to be in her own place.

  Yes, that was clearly her not giving up the control, but it had been so long since Jason…

  She mentally slapped herself. This wasn’t about Jason. This was about her and Austin. No matter where their future ended up, she needed to keep Jason firmly rooted in the past. He was gone. Austin was not. The girl she was all those years ago wasn’t the woman she was now.