Inked Memories (Montgomery Ink Book 8)

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  Everly gave her a warm smile. “I’d appreciate that.”

  Storm waited for them as they walked in, and held out his arm. Everly immediately went to his side, and Jillian had to hold back a sigh. They were seriously perfect for each other, and while she’d hurt just a bit when she walked away from the odd relationship she had with Storm, she was glad she’d done it when she did.

  She deserved her own happily ever after, and she’d known for far too long that Storm wasn’t it for her. But Storm and Everly? That was pure happiness.

  “Hey, Jillian,” Storm said with a lift of his chin. “Thanks for coming in today even though you weren’t on the schedule. It seems we missed a hidden former half bath on the first floor that the old owners didn’t put on the damn plans and then walled up.”

  Jillian’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding me.” She looked around at the darkened drywall—or at least what was left of it after the fire and the prior day’s worth of demo. “How is that even possible?”

  Storm shook his head, his jaw tightening. “Don’t know, but it sure as hell wasn’t on the city plans or up to code from what we can tell.”

  Everly winced. “I remodeled some when I moved in, but honestly, it was mostly cosmetic since the place was a gift shop before I opened. The layout was already pretty perfect for what I wanted and needed. I had no idea there was a toilet and sink hiding behind one of my walls.” She shuddered, and honestly, Jillian didn’t blame the other woman.

  Plumbing was messy, and there wasn’t an easier way to say that. There were more days than Jillian could count that she’d had to use one of her two pairs of extra clothes she carried with her in her truck at all times because of one mess or another. For some jobs, she’d wear coveralls, but even then…

  She held back her own shiver. She was pretty immune to most things she dealt with on a daily basis—backed up toilets, old pipes, and using her blowtorch when needed—but the idea of a secret hidden bathroom closed up with no air ventilation after a five-alarm fire?

  Well, it was safe to say she was glad she hadn’t eaten anything before coming to the shop.

  “Lead the way,” Jillian said with a false smile. “Let’s see what I get to play in today.”

  “And with that, I’m going to go call the boys,” Everly said on a laugh, and Jillian gave the other woman a real smile this time.

  Jillian followed Storm to the other side of the first floor and braced herself. She wasn’t squeamish, but considering that no one had any idea this thing had been here for who knew how long, she knew it wouldn’t be pretty.

  Thankfully, most of the crew was either on another job or taking a break at the moment. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with the knowing looks and glares from guys who probably liked Jeff more than her. And, hell, she already knew there were probably whispers going around about her and Wes instead of just her and Storm.

  Because why else would a man defend a woman besides the fact that he was fucking her brains out, right? He couldn’t just be acting like a boss should and making sure his employees weren’t trying to get Montgomery Inc. slapped with a sexual harassment lawsuit. Not that she’d sue someone for that since she knew it would only lead to more issues in the end.

  She ground her teeth and pushed those thoughts from her mind so she could focus on the job. It was the same with anywhere she worked. She dealt with assholes who thought it took a penis in order to get the job done. Eventually, they figured out that she knew what she was doing. Of course, she’d never started out with marks against her like she had here since everyone knew she’d once dated Storm, but she’d get over it, and so would everyone else.

  Without words, Storm gestured toward a back corner, and Jillian’s eyes widened.

  Yep, she was really glad she hadn’t eaten that morning.

  Jillian tore off her shirt right beside her truck. Thankfully, she’d thought to put on her normal tank underneath like usual, even though she hadn’t planned to work that day. She needed a shower, but the fact that she’d washed her face and hands to the point of reddening her skin and was now pulling on a new shirt would at least take care of most of the damage.

  Almost all of the crew was gone for the day since it had taken her much longer to do her job than probably anyone had planned. But, hell, it had been a much larger piece of crap bathroom than even Storm figured. Now, she was ready to go home, drink a beer—after her shower—and watch a Harry Potter marathon.

  And didn’t that just sound like the most interesting life ever.

  She sighed and honestly didn’t care all too much what others thought of that. She’d had a long day she hadn’t planned for, and she just wanted to relax her way.

  After tossing her dirty shirt into the garbage bag in her truck since she knew there was no saving that particular piece of clothing, she turned and let out a silent screech. Her foot slammed into the curb, and her ankle twisted slightly. Hands out and braced for an ugly fall, everything seemed to go in slow motion as she tried not to hurt herself any worse than necessary.

  Strong arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her up so her back pressed firmly into a very hard chest. Her heart raced since she still felt like she was falling even though she wasn’t, and she let out a slow breath.

  “You okay?”

  Of course. Of course, it was him. It couldn’t be anyone else who witnessed her clumsiness and near accident. It had to be Wes fucking Montgomery.

  Where was a crevice in the earth to swallow her up and take her away from this situation when she needed one?

  “Jillian?”

  “I’m fine,” she grumbled. “You can take your hands off me now.”

  But he didn’t.

  Instead, he turned her in his hold and looked her right in the eyes. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  She swallowed hard. Why hadn’t she noticed the brightness of his eyes before? Or the way his pupils dilated when he focused on something…namely her at the moment?

  “I’m fine,” she repeated. And she was. Her ankle throbbed slightly, but it wasn’t even a sprain since she’d had enough of those to tell. She’d just tweaked it a bit in her clod-hopping way of walking.

  He didn’t let go.

  “Seriously, Wes. You need to stop trying to baby me, or whatever the hell you think you’re doing all the time. I’m not an idiot. I can handle myself. Why do you—?”

  She didn’t even know what she was going to ask at that moment because her mind went blank at the first touch of Wes’s lips to hers. Her eyes closed of their own volition, and she leaned into him. That seemed to push him harder, and he deepened the kiss, his lips soft yet firm against hers as his tongue traced the seam of her mouth. She opened for him, tangling her tongue with his as she moaned.

  The sound seemed to break them both out of whatever the hell they were doing, and they pulled apart as if struck, both left panting, their chests moving quickly up and down.

  “No. Not going to happen.” She held out her hands, trying to catch her breath. “Nope. No way.”

  Wes looked at her as if he hadn’t seen her before, his eyes a little wide. “It was…it was an accident.”

  She didn’t even flinch at that, too numb from everything else hitting her all at once. “Fine.”

  She turned on her heel, grateful she hadn’t actually hurt her ankle, and jumped into her truck before turning her engine and pulling away.

  “Nope,” she muttered to herself again. “Not going to happen. I’m not going to do another Montgomery and fuck myself over. And I’m sure as hell not going to do a boss Montgomery. Nope. Nope. No. No. No.”

  And if she kept repeating that to herself, she just might get the damn taste of Wes Montgomery out of her mouth.

  Chapter Three

  Wes was in deep shit, and he knew it. He was damn lucky Jillian’s moan had knocked some sense into both of them the evening before because if it hadn’t, they might have done something they both regretted. Hell, he’d never been so careless and idiotic, and that w
as saying something since he’d had a lot of years to be an idiot.

  What if someone had come back to the site for something they’d left behind? He’d have hurt not only Jillian’s reputation but also his own for a kiss that shouldn’t have happened.

  Yes, his employees were allowed to date each other. Hell, so many members of his family were part of Montgomery Inc. it made it silly to put any restrictions about connections on anyone, but that didn’t give him the right to practically maul Storm’s ex and their employee in the parking lot.

  He was going to Hell for sure.

  “You’re an idiot,” he mumbled to himself. He chugged the last of his first cup of coffee while standing in his kitchen in only his boxer briefs and tried to wake himself up. He’d have one or four more later, but he needed this first cup while trying to pry open his eyes before he went and took a shower.

  By the time he made it to the jobsite, he’d be bright and perky and probably annoy Storm and Decker to no end, but it was their thing.

  He rinsed his cup and put it back under the coffee maker so he just had to press a button once he got out of the shower. He used to try and drink in the shower, but that always ended up with watery coffee, a stubbed toe, or a broken mug, so he’d forced himself to wait the ten or so minutes it took him to wash himself. He’d have another cup while shaving.

  He frowned and ran a hand over his stubble and thought about his schedule. He wasn’t meeting with any prospective clients today, so he’d forgo the shaving. He’d rather keep a longer beard but since Storm, Decker, and Luc—not to mention every other male in his family these days—were keeping theirs, he liked to have a clean-shaven face in case there were any picky clients who couldn’t see past a well-groomed beard.

  As soon as he got into the shower and let the hot water wash over his muscles, he sighed. He hadn’t slept well the night before—thoughts of Jillian keeping him up long past his normal bedtime. He hadn’t realized how tight he was until the steam loosened him up some. With a sigh, he lathered up the washcloth and cleaned his body, his eyes still closed since he didn’t have a cup of coffee in his hands.

  But he knew he’d made a mistake by doing that as soon as his hand trailed down to grip his cock. He jerked off in the shower occasionally since…why not, but now he was holding himself in his hand, squeezing ever so slightly and thinking of Jillian.

  He should stop. This was wrong. He was never going to be able to look her in the eye again if he came thinking about her.

  But he didn’t stop.

  And right then…it didn’t feel so wrong either.

  He let the washcloth fall to his feet, and used the extra soap to run along his length, his breath quickening as he sped up the pace. He rested one hand on the wall and bowed his head, jerking himself as he thought of her on her knees in front of him, taking him into her mouth, controlling him with her touch.

  Oh, he might have his hands in her hair, pumping in and out of her mouth, but it was those wide eyes of hers that told the true story. She’d be the one making sure he came down her throat, using her tongue in just the right way to make him come far too hard and fast for either of them.

  Then his mind went to her on her back with one hand between her legs and the other on her breasts. He’d done his best to never look at her chest, but he still knew the shape of her. He’d lick and suck at her while palming her tits, pinching at her nipples and humming on her cunt.

  She’d come on his face, screaming his name and…

  His eyes shot open as he came, hard, his come sliding down the shower wall and his body shaking.

  “Well, fuck,” he muttered, swallowing hard. He quickly washed his hair then his body once more, trying to calm himself from how hard he’d come just at the thought of her.

  Not for the first time that morning, he thought of how well and truly screwed he was. Well and truly screwed.

  On his third cup of coffee, this one in his travel mug, he pulled into the new site that sat about forty minutes from his house. Most of his family lived near the northwestern suburbs or nearer to the city, with a few of them living out near Aurora these days, but today, their new job was out near the foothills of Golden. His little sister had actually lived near here at one point, but Miranda had moved in with Decker and was now closer to his parents. In all honesty, though, while Denver might be a huge city out west, driving from one side to the other multiple times a day wasn’t unheard of.

  Today, they were going to start on a huge rehab and remodel for an older warehouse that had once been storage for a brewery. It would eventually become a small shopping center for the growing community. The owner of the building had already rented out the smaller sections to a bakery, a flower shop, and even an antique dealer that would fit in nicely with the demand of the area. There were two more empty spaces that Wes knew they’d be working on last since the owner hadn’t sold those off yet, and it didn’t make sense for Wes and the crew to do much more than a basic storefront if they didn’t know what it was for.

  Either way, this was a damn large job—one of their biggest commercial jobs ever—and Wes couldn’t wait to get his hands dirty.

  He always found it funny that Storm was the architect of the duo, the one who stayed in the office more than the others since he needed his workspace, yet Storm was also the one who preferred jeans and an old flannel shirt day in and day out.

  Wes himself preferred button-down shirts paired with slacks or jeans, yet usually had to strip down to his undershirt while working hard on the site. It was how it had always been, and he didn’t question it anymore these days. But, yeah, as twins, he and Storm had their own quirks, and he liked it.

  Wes rested his hands on his waist and took in the view. They were in the foothills, so the elevation was slightly higher but not that much considering Denver itself was pretty damn far from sea level. They didn’t call it the Mile High City for nothing. The mountains, however, were still far back and they filled Wes’s view behind the big building that they were about to work on.

  He frowned and took note of the surrounding vegetation, reminding himself that he should look into who owned that land and see if they were taking care of the brush. One spark, and it looked like the whole area would go up in flames. His family had been through enough fires, thank you very much, and it was always a good idea to clear anything that could easily spread a wildfire.

  Just recently, less than an hour south near Colorado Springs where some of his cousins lived, there had been three huge fires in a row that took homes, lives, and so much of the land. Some had been because of lightning strikes during fire season, another because of an arsonist who had just wanted to see something burn.

  Another truck pulled up, and he turned to see Jillian park next to his vehicle. He’d been the first to arrive since he liked to be onsite early on day one, but he hadn’t expected to be alone with Jillian so soon.

  He swallowed hard. He didn’t plan to talk about the kiss. And he damn sure wasn’t going to ever mention what he’d done that morning, but he really wouldn’t bring up the kiss.

  So, of course, the first thing to come out of his mouth instead of hello when she walked up was, “I’m not going to talk about the kiss.”

  He was a fucking idiot.

  Jillian raised a brow. “Oh, good. So we’re talking about the kiss?” she asked dryly.

  “What kiss?” he almost yelled.

  Jillian’s mouth twitched, and he hated that his eyes went straight to her lips. “You’re an idiot.”

  Yes, yes he was.

  “So…new site?”

  She shook her head and walked to stand next to him. “Yes, new site.” She looked over her shoulder, and he did the same, grateful that they were the only two there. “Okay, so…yesterday? It didn’t happen. It was a mistake, and it was probably just adrenaline since we fight so much. And then with the whole almost falling thing… So, we won’t talk about it again, and we won’t let it affect our work.” She met his gaze, and he saw only determina
tion there, something he was grateful for. “It can’t affect my place here.”

  He nodded. “It won’t.” He’d do his damndest to make sure that didn’t happen.

  “Just make sure it doesn’t. It’s going to be hard enough to earn the respect of everyone with them knowing I used to date Storm and the whole firing of Jeff thing. We can’t add any more drama to the mix.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Drama?” There’d better not be any damn drama in his company that made it hard for people to work in peace.

  She waved him off. “Nothing I can’t handle. It’s what comes with the job in my case. It sucks, but it’s reality.”

  “It shouldn’t be,” he growled out.

  She shook her head. “Montgomery Inc. is way better than any other place I’ve worked. Believe me. You have a decent amount of women on staff, and management doesn’t even blink an eye at the gender of a person when they come up for a job. I mean, you didn’t care that I was a woman when you hired me. You cared that I used to be with Storm, but that’s a whole other matter.”

  What he’d actually cared about was that he’d thought she led his twin by the balls all that time, but he’d been wrong about that. He’d been wrong about a lot of things when it came to Jillian. He’d truly thought Storm had pined for her when she was pushing him away, but in fact, the two had clung to each other when they needed someone. At least according to Storm. That had helped Wes’s temper toward Jillian recently, but he still didn’t want to get into that particular conversation with her at the moment—or ever.

  “If there’s a problem, though, tell Storm or me. Or Decker. He’s going to be in charge of the bookstore while I work on this project since we’re doing two large accounts at once. Storm will be floating around the sites as usual, as well. Oh, and Meghan will be in and out so if you need to talk to someone and don’t feel comfortable going to a man, talk to her.”