Irresistible Ink

by Ranae Rose

  “Emily shouldn’t have had to suffer because you do a shitty job of choosing your friends and boyfriends.”

  She was silent for a moment. “I know. I know… But I had to get clean. I couldn’t think of what else to do. I knew we’d fight if I dropped her off myself, and I was afraid you’d say no. I thought… I had to leave you with no choice. It was the only way I could be sure you’d do it.”

  “You should’ve made getting clean a priority when you found out you were pregnant.” He couldn’t stop throwing the criticisms at her. Every furious thought he’d had over the past three months raced through his mind, creating a whirlwind of accusations. Watching Crystal cradle Emily just made it worse – that was how it should’ve been from the beginning. That was how it always should’ve been.

  “I did.” She stood as straight as she could while holding the baby, tossing her long sheet of fair hair over her shoulder. “When I found out I was pregnant, I stopped using. It was hard, but I did it. Before then it was pills. Sometimes other stuff, if it was around. You know, at parties and things like that. Mostly pills, though. Those were the only thing I was ever hooked on.”

  “So what was the deal with rehab, then?”

  “When Emily was born, they prescribed me pills like the ones I used to take. For the pain from my episiotomy… I tried not to take them at first, but everything hurt. I couldn’t even sit without crying. And I was so depressed. The father was gone, and none of my friends wanted to help. I was just … alone.

  “Taking the pills made me feel good. Like I could handle everything. You don’t understand what it’s like, to have all the stress and pain just melt away… To be happy, even when you shouldn’t be. I know this sounds shitty, but the times when I was high were the only times I felt like a good mother. It didn’t seem like a big deal, until my prescription ran out.”

  Tears were rolling down her cheeks now, silent but heavy.

  James said nothing.

  “When that happened, I was desperate. I felt like I had to have them, or I’d just fall apart. When I didn’t have any pills in the cabinet, it was like I was lost at sea with no land in sight.

  “So I started buying them again – illegally – and my money ran out fast. The utility companies started threatening to shut off my electricity, my water, just a few weeks after I got out of the hospital. I couldn’t let that happen. Not with a baby in the house. But I couldn’t stop spending everything I got on the pills. I knew I was going to wreck my life and Emily’s if I didn’t do something.

  “I didn’t want to end up like our mom. And I didn’t want Emily to end up like us. I thought about it and thought about it… Leaving her with you while I got my shit straight was my only option. I’m sorry if that messed things up for you, but I’m not sorry I did it. This was the only way I could give Emily a good life. If there’s ever anything I can do to pay you back, I’ll do it. I promise.”

  James shook his head. “Don’t worry about paying me back. You don’t owe me anything – you owe your daughter everything. Just don’t ever touch that shit again.”

  “I’m not going to. My head is clear now; I just need to get on my feet financially.”

  “Don’t go back to Philly.” The last thing she needed was to live in the shadow of her old life, surrounded by the sort of people who’d tempt her to fall back into the trap of substance abuse. And no way was he going to hand over Emily and let Crystal take her away to another city, where he wouldn’t be able to check on her. “Stay here.”

  Crystal nodded. “I need a fresh start. I don’t care about Philly; it was just where I ended up. Nobody I knew there gave a shit about me when I really needed them, anyway. Pittsburgh is as good a place as any.”

  “I mean stay here, at my place. You’ll have to sleep on the couch or set up a bed in the living room or something, but I’m not letting Emily go anywhere. Not this soon. You’re going to have to prove you’ll take good care of her before you leave with her.”

  Crystal met James’ gaze, her eyes rimmed with wetness. It seemed like she might argue, but eventually she nodded. “Thanks. I’d be screwed without you.”

  It might not have been the most eloquent thing he’d ever heard, but she sounded like she meant it. Somewhere inside James, a weight shifted, and he felt a little lighter. Finally, there was light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe Crystal hadn’t fucked up her and Emily’s lives so badly after all.

  “You’ll need help, taking care of a baby. I don’t know what I would’ve done without Arianna, these past few months. Do you have any stuff you need help bringing in out of your car?”

  Crystal shook her head. “I’ll get it myself.” She held Emily a few minutes longer before handing her over to James and exiting the apartment.

  James turned to Arianna. “I know it’ll be weird with my sister living here, but—”

  “Don’t worry about it. We can always go to my place when we want privacy. I think it’s great that you’re helping her and Emily. Nobody deserves to be left all alone to raise a baby.” She nodded toward Emily. “I wouldn’t want today to be the last time I saw her, either. I’d always wonder how she was doing.”

  “Yeah. This way, I’ll always know she’s all right. And as long as Crystal keeps her shit straight, eventually I’ll have this place to myself again. Might be a while, though.”

  “Don’t feel like you have to rush them out because of me. Like I said, we’ll have my apartment for when we want to be alone.”

  He shrugged. “It’s just that I figure when they’re on their feet, you and I could move in together.”

  A split second of silence followed, and he could’ve heard a pin drop. It was the first time he’d really brought it up, even though every time he made love to Arianna, she swore she’d be his forever. He was pretty sure she meant it, though sometimes a hint of doubt crept in, a leftover of who he’d been before he’d met her.

  “I’d like that,” she said, her voice soft but her gaze intense as it met his. “A lot.”

  Relief crashed down on him with all the force of a tidal wave. “Yeah well, you caught that bouquet at Jed and Karen’s wedding, so you don’t have much of a choice, do you?”

  She smiled. “No, I don’t – my fate is sealed.”

  He motioned toward the baby in his arms. “Years from now we’ll have a family of our own, and we can leave our kids with Aunt Crystal some nights so we can go out on hot dates. If she gives us any crap about it, I’ll just remind her that she promised to pay me back for watching Emily.”

  Her smile reached the corners of her eyes now. “I’d like that too. But you know, we could always tell her we were going out and secretly stay in together. I think I’d like that even more.”

  “That’s why I love you.”

  “Really?”

  “No. Really, it’s just one reason. One out of a million.”

  “I love you too. And for the record, that bouquet doesn’t have anything to do with why. Flowers or not, you were right: we’re right for each other.”

  Ink is forever. So is love.

  Thank you for reading Irresistible Ink.

  Stay up to date with the entire Inked in the Steel City Series by visiting the Inked in the Steel City page at ranaerose.com anytime.

  Previous titles in the series…

  Hot Ink (Inked in the Steel City, #1)

  Innocent Ink (Inked in the Steel City, #2)

  Dedicated Ink (Inked in the Steel City, #3)

  Abiding Ink (Inked in the Steel City, #4)

  Serious Ink (Inked in the Steel City, #5)

  (Click title to see in Kindle Store.)

  What did you think of James & Arianna’s story? Please consider sharing your thoughts via a review.

  Have you read Jed and Karen’s story?

  Jed and Karen fall in love in Inked in the Steel City Book 2, Innocent Ink.

  Photographing exceptional tattoos for the Hot Ink Tattoo Studio turns into much more than just a job when Karen meets Jed, the sexy-as-sin owne
r. With attraction sizzling between them, each photo shoot is a labor of love … and a chance to get closer to the man of her increasingly naughty dreams.

  Curvy, vivacious Karen is everything Jed would want in a woman, if he wanted one at all. But a relationship seems like too dangerous a gamble for someone who’s loved before and suffered the ultimate loss. So why can’t he resist when he discovers the attraction is mutual? Even if he were willing to risk everything again, Karen’s too young, too full of life to be burdened with someone whose heart bears scars as permanent as the ink in his skin.

  When the two finally face what lies between them, the passion is undeniably real, but will the unexpected extinguish the spark of their love, or fan the flames?

  Available as an ebook and in paperback.

  See Innocent Ink in the Kindle Store

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Ranae Rose is the best-selling author of more than twenty adult romances and counting. She calls the US East Coast home and resides there with her family, German Shepherd dogs and overflowing bookshelves. Writing and reading are lifelong passions that consume most of her time, and she’s always working on bringing her latest love story idea to life for readers.

  www.ranaerose.com

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  Read on for a sample of more sexy tattoo romance.

  Need another dose of Ink? Try USA Today Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan’s Ink Reunited—a brand new start to the steamy, ink and angst filled Montgomery Ink Series.

  Ink Reunited

  CHAPTER 1

  “So, should I get a butterfly on my butt or a cobra on my hip?”

  Sassy Bordeaux grinned at the just-turned-eighteen years old high school senior, and tapped her finger with a deliciously apple-red colored nail on her chin. The numerous bangles that adorned her wrists, covering yet still showing peeks of some of the tattoos she had on her forearms, jingled together with the movement. The sound mixed in with the echoes of motorized needles, laughter, music, and chatting within the shop.

  The girl in front of her might have been eighteen, but she still had the baby face of a girl still growing. Normally, Sassy wouldn’t have stepped in and told anyone that they weren’t ready for a tattoo, but today she needed to step in.

  Oh, who the hell was she kidding?

  Sassy always stepped in and told it like it was. There was no use lying only to make a few bucks for the shop while the client ended up leaving with ink they really didn’t want—or ink that didn’t fit who they were—merely who they thought they should be.

  She might have been the Midnight Ink receptionist and while most people on the outside thought her job was to make coffee and appointments, she and the crew knew better. She was the first line of defense for the artists’ work and the clients’ canvas.

  It was a job she took seriously.

  Even if she seemed like the crazy lady from the streets of New Orleans most days. That misperception by others led her to freedom.

  Everyone underestimated Sassy.

  Even Sassy underestimated herself sometimes.

  Okay, totally the wrong direction for her thoughts.

  Pushing away memories she’d rather not think about ever again, she placed her hand on top of the girl’s hand and shook her head.

  “Honey, is this really what you want?” she asked, lowering her voice, already smooth as honey, to a near-whisper.

  The girl blinked up at her. “Uh yeah? I mean. I’m here aren’t I?”

  Sassy flipped her hair over her shoulder, the long brown waves tumbled down her back. Today, she had bright blue streaks in it thanks to the colored hair chalk she used. She liked changing it up daily and sometimes would change the color in the middle of the work day just to make people think twice.

  The customers who didn’t know her—and some who did—thought she was a little too crazy for them so she fed the fantasy and did nothing to change their minds.

  Plus, the colors freaking rocked.

  “What’s your name, sugar?” she asked as she led the girl to one of the small couches they had in the guest area of Midnight Ink.

  “Hannah. And you’re Sassy. I’ve heard about you.”

  From the odd look on Hannah’s face, Sassy wasn’t sure she wanted to know exactly what the girl had heard. There were a lot of stories as to how she’d come to work at Midnight Ink. Between being a spy, a lost princess, and a former model who lost her way due to drugs, Sassy had heard just about everything.

  It wasn’t her fault the stories kept circulating. Okay, maybe it was considering she hadn’t discredited any of them, nor had she told the truth as to where she’d come from.

  No one needed to know that, and the fiction was more exciting than fact anyway.

  Sassy sank into the cushions of the couch she’d picked out for the shop and held back a sigh. Damn, she loved this couch. It was so plush yet didn’t look it. It fit the look of Midnight Ink with its cream softness yet strong angles. The rest of the place had wood floors and dark black chairs, tables, and stools that gleamed under the warm lighting. The little reception area where Sassy could speak with clients, as well as have the artists relax was her zone and where her own magic happened.

  At least that’s what she hoped would happen in this case.

  “So, Hannah, you’ve heard a lot about me?” Sassy asked, her tone casual. She needed to get out of her head and into this girl’s. What the hell was wrong with her today?

  Hannah rolled her eyes then bit her lip, as if she’d thought better of the action. “Well, you’re…The Sassy. Everyone knows about you and your connection to Midnight Ink.”

  Sassy held back a snort at “The Sassy”. Apparently her name was a title as well as who she was. She was special like that.

  “Well, I am The Sassy, but that’s not the important thing, is it, honey?” At Hannah’s blank stare Sassy had to hold herself back from using small words. Damn, this girl was young. “Why do you want that tattoo?”

  “Because I’m eighteen and it’s my right as an adult.” Hannah stuck out her lip in a pout that clearly said her words were a lie—at least the latter half.

  An adult? Jesus, they made them younger and younger these days. Okay, so Sassy was only thirty-two, a baby in some respects but she’d seen enough to qualify her as more of an adult than this squeaky-clean teen.

  “Okay, yes, ink is your right now that you’re eighteen, honey. You need to remember, though, that ink is for life. It’s not something to take for granted. Yes, a cobra on your hip would look kick-ass, in fact, I’ve seen a few that wrap around so beautifully, it’s a work of art onto itself. Hannah, baby, if you get that though, it needs to mean something beyond wanting to prove you’re older than what others think of you.”

  From the guilty look on Hannah’s face, Sassy had hit the true reason for the girl’s bout of rebellion.

  No use stopping now since there wasn’t a chance in hell any of the artists would lay ink on this virgin skin today. Hannah clearly wasn’t ready and Midnight Ink cared about things like that. It’s what made them who they were.

  “Honey, go home and think about if this is truly what you want.”

  “But I want a tattoo,” Hannah mumbled.

  Sassy nodded. “Yes, I believe that you do, and I think that anything we put on you will look brilliant. Our artists rock, sugar, and they’ll make sure you look fantastic, but right now? No, honey, that’s not something you need. Wait until you’re ready to get one for you and not what you think you need for them.”

  The girl let out a breath and ran a hand over her face. “I guess it was pretty stupid coming in here without an idea.”

  Sassy reached around and gave Hannah a one-armed hug. “No, honey. Actually, coming into Midnight Ink is the sma
rtest thing you could have done. Somewhere else might not have listened to what you needed rather than what you said you wanted.”

  Hannah grinned up at her, looking much younger than her eighteen years if that was possible. “I guess that’s why they call you The Sassy. You know all.”

  Sassy threw her head back and laughed. “Oh, I only wish I did, but it’s fun pretending I do. Now let’s get you a card just in case you decide to come back with a clear picture. When you do, we’ll find you an artist, but I think Shep or Rosie would work for you.”

  Hannah ducked her head and blushed. “Shep’s the really hot guy with the tattoos on his arms and shoulder in the corner right?”

  Sassy held back a laugh and looked in the corner to where Shep was clearly holding back a laugh of his own. Apparently, he had ears like a freaking cat.

  “Yes, darling, that’s Shep. He’s taken, but it’s still nice to look and dream.”

  Caliph, the big bruiser of an artist and Shep’s best friend, belted out a laugh and Hannah blushed even harder. Sassy glared at the man who smiled unrepentant, then let Hannah outside with a clear conscience.

  She glided over to Caliph’s station, the sway in her hips making her look like she was prowling even when she wasn’t and waved her finger in her friend’s face.

  “I can’t believe you laughed at her! She’s just a teenage girl with a crush.”

  Caliph bowed his head and had the decency to look a little ashamed. A little. “Sorry, Sass. It was the idea of you fantasizing about dear old Shep that got me laughing, not the little girl who needed more time to think about her ink.”