by Maree, Kay
“Um....” I’m struggling with what to say when the front door opens and our attention is drawn to a couple who enter.
I pull me hand back fast and step back as if I’ve been caught doing something I shouldn’t. Xavier gives me a confused glance before turning toward the man he obviously knows.
“Justin.” Xavier lifts his chin in that way men have of saying hello.
I study Justin and notice how handsome he is. He looks like a surfer; his dirty blonde colored hair is up in a man bun so I’m guessing it’s long. The sides are shaved shorter. His arms are covered in tattoos, he’s broad shouldered and almost as tall as Xavier. When I turn my head towards Xavier, I note his attention is focused on the woman at Justin’s side.
“Cass, what are you doing here?” He sounds annoyed with the woman.
“X, baby, I missed you.” The woman’s voice is sickly sweet. She looks at me like I’m a piece of trash from the street. An ugly sneer forms on her heavily caked-on made up face.
Oh, shit! Did Xavier really just ask me out when it’s clear he has a girlfriend? Typical. What a fucking jerk. I run my eyes over the length of her. She’s tall and skinny, nothing like my five feet two with curves. Her dark brown hair has blonde streaks and dances on her shoulders. I grudgingly admit, she’s gorgeous. I need to leave. Now! I don’t want, or need, the drama this moment could develop into.
“I need to get going.” I drop my head and hurry towards the door.
“Ally!” X calls out.
When I glance back, the woman moves to him and wraps her arms around him; pushing her body up against his. My stomach twists with a bite of jealousy and I’m angry with myself. I have absolutely no reason to be jealous. I don’t even know the damn guy. He’s just a guy who tattooed me. A temptation I don’t want or need. A temptation I cannot allow into my life.
Without a backwards glance, I push through the glass door and make a beeline for my apartment. It’s only ten minutes away, but as each step leads me further away from Xtreme Ink and him, it gets harder to breathe.
I stop and grab two coffees from the café on my way into work on Monday morning. I’m feeling guilty that I ignored messages from Cynthia on Saturday night, she wanted us to catch up. After the tattoo on Friday and visiting my mother on Saturday morning, I was in no mood to spend time with anyone.
Mother had been in her usual good form, throwing insult after insult at me. It all served to reaffirm what I already knew. So, I returned home, ordered takeout and snuggled into bed to read The Hurricane by R.J. Prescott before falling asleep and dreaming about finding a love like in the book.
I push through the solid wood door and take a deep breath, allowing the smell of old books assault my senses.
Cynthia looks over from the desk where she is checking in books and smiles when she sees it’s me. Striding over, I place the cups on the desk and push one towards her.
“I’m sorry about Saturday, I wasn’t feeling a hundred percent.” Not the truth, but not really a lie. She doesn’t need to know all about the crap in my life.
She waves a dismissive hand in the air and hums when she sips at the coffee.
“This makes up for it,” she laughs. “I can’t believe it’s Monday already.”
“I know, the week flew by,” I groan which causes Cynthia to laugh again. “What did you end up doing?” I move behind the desk and stash my bag.
“Not a lot. JT and I had a movie night on Saturday and yesterday I took him to the pool.”
JT is her six-year-old son. I haven’t met him, but he sounds like a good kid.
“Aw, damn. That would have been great, sorry I missed it.” I pick up a stack of books which need to be placed back on the shelves.
“I’m taking him to the park after work this arvo, would you like to come with us? We can have coffee and check out the single dads while he plays.” She wiggles her eyebrows and smiles.
I smile for the first time in days and nod. “Sounds like a great idea, count me in.” I head to the stacks to put books away.
Xavier’s ruggedly handsome face with his ocean blue eyes flashes before my eyes. Not for the first time since I’ve met him. There is something about the man which drew me in. As quickly as he enters my mind, I push him aside, reminding myself, he’s taken. I would never be the woman who chases after someone else’s man. I return the books in my arms to their rightful places and notice a trolley stacked high with others needing to be put away. It should keep me busy for a while and my mind off other things.
After placing the last book where it belongs, I glance at the clock on the wall to find it’s time for my lunch break. I head back to the desk and grab my bag.
“Do you want anything?” I ask Cynthia.
She looks up from the computer, a devilish smile curls her lips.
“How about we be naughty and have something sickeningly sweet?”
“Hmm, how naughty are we talking? Donuts? Cheesecake? Or, chocolate mud cake drizzled with chocolate sauce?” I try not to laugh or moan as I speak.
“Definitely the mud cake.”
“Sounds like a damn good idea to me.” Laughing, I hoist the strap of my bag onto my shoulder and head for the door.
I make my way to Darby Street, cross to the opposite side of the road so I don’t have to walk past Xtreme Ink and make my way to the beach. Tilting my head back, I look up to the grey sky and hope it doesn’t rain.
When I reach the beach, I slip off my shoes, step onto the cool sand and breathe in the salty, sea air. I stride to the water’s edge and as the water rushes over my feet, a peacefulness settles within me. I stare off in the distance and watch ships as they sail past before watching small waves roll into shore.
A familiar feeling of being watched has the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end and I look to where old wooden bench seats line the promenade. A man is near one of the benches. The same man who is always here and seems to be watching me. This time he’s standing and making no secret of the fact he is looking straight at me. My eyes are drawn to him and a familiar warmth settles in my stomach.
Keeping his eyes on me, he starts towards me carrying something. He takes the concrete steps two at a time and doesn’t bother removing his shoes as he takes measured strides towards me. As he nears, I note the two travel cups in his hands
He comes to a stop before me, hands me a cup and without thinking, I accept it. We continue staring at each other. My heart seems to lodge in my throat and then that gravelly voice washes over me.
“I thought you’d like that.” He nods to the cup in my hand.
“Xavier, what are you doing here?”
“You’re welcome.” He chuckles before taking a sip from his cup.
“I’m sorry, thank you.”
“You never answered me the other day.” He speaks simply, as if I didn’t see another woman’s arms wrapped around him.
I know I sound angry when I speak.
“You seemed to have your arms full and I don’t fool around with guys who already have girlfriends.” I turn and head back up the beach, kicking myself for how jealous I sounded. I hear him come up behind me, but don’t pay him any attention.
“Jealous, Sweetness?”
“Nope. I don’t know you well enough to be jealous and I don’t get jealous.” I hate the fact my words sound like a lie even to my ears. Friggin’ hell, what the hell is this guy doing to me? I hurriedly make my way up the steps and head for work.
“Ally, have dinner with me!” he calls out.
Is this guy for real, did he not hear what I just said? I don’t bother to answer. What’s the point, he doesn’t appear to listen to me.
“She isn’t my girlfriend and means nothing to me.”
My foot pauses on the top step when he speaks and the warm feeling returns on hearing he’s single. It doesn’t change anything though, I can’t go out with him.
“It doesn’t change anything.” My head is lowered, my voice soft. I’m not even sure he hears me.
I jump and spin around, not realizing he was directly behind me until he spoke. How the shit does someone as big as him move so fucking quick and so quietly.
“How does it?” I challenge him. I look up and wish I hadn’t. His eyes capture mine and his earthy scent mixed with the salt air has my head spinning. He hasn’t shaved since I last saw him and the growth on his chin is longer. My fingers itch to run through it. Damn him for being too friggin’ sexy for his own good.
“Tell me you feel it too.” He leans forward and cups my jaw, sending shivers racing down my spine.
His voice is deep, his touch soft, gentle.
“It doesn’t mean anything,” I whisper before turning away, forcing his hand to drop down.
I will myself to walk away. He’s a temptation you don’t need plays on a loop in my head. But, I take one last look into those deep blue orbs and see a million emotions playing in them. A small thrill shoots through me, knowing I can affect him in the same way he affects me.
Walk away, Ally. Turn and walk away. Now!
“I’m sorry.” I increase the pace of my escape and don’t stop to wash my feet as I usually would.
“I’ll prove you wrong, Sweetness,” he calls out to my back.
Something inside me grabs onto those words and I hope that one day he will indeed prove me wrong.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Xavier
I stood watching her like every other time but couldn’t stand back anymore. I knew from the moment I left Xtreme Ink what would happen. I felt like shit intruding on her quiet moment but I needed to get close to her again. I haven’t been able to get the feel of her soft skin out of my head for days. The minute her eyes connected with mine, I couldn’t resist the pull which hung in the air. It was so strong, I felt it clawing down my back.
As I took the steps down to the sand one at a time I could see the rise and fall of her chest and heard the hitch in her breath as I came to a stop in front of her. It’s the sound I have dreamt about for the past couple of nights. I have imagined what she would sound like once I’m buried to the fucking hilt.
It was like we were caught in the moment and something different settled around us.
I latched onto my lip with my teeth to stop a smirk curling my lips when I heard a hint of jealousy in her voice because she thought I had a girlfriend. It kind of pissed me off at the same time because she has no reason to be jealous. The only one I want, and can think about, is her. Now the lines are drawn and the gauntlet has been thrown down. I won’t stop till I smash her walls to smithereens. I will find some way to prove to her that this... whatever is going on, means something. I never back down from a challenge. When I want something, I go after it. Nothing stops me and this will be no different. I won’t stop until I have her under me, screaming my name to the heavens and she realises she is mine.
“X-man you ready to go?” Justin’s voice breaks into my thoughts. I swing around in my chair to find him standing in the doorway with his wetsuit on and holding his surfboard.
“Yeah man, give me a minute to pack this shit up.” Nodding, he turns and heads towards the front of the shop.
Running my hands down my face, I blow out a deep breath and pack up my station. Once sorted, I push to my feet and stretch out my back. When I came back from lunch, Justin took one look at my troubled expression and told me we were going to hit the waves after work this arvo. I agreed, thinking a surf might take my mind away from all this shit which is going on. Truthfully, all I want to do is head home.
Racing out to my truck, I grab my boardshorts and head back inside to get changed. After throwing a singlet shirt on, I head back out to the front of the shop where Justin is talking with Beau.
“You coming, mate?” I ask Beau.
“Not today. I have some shit I have to sort out.” He runs a hand through his hair, he looks frustrated.
I shrug. “Fair enough. Justin, let’s get going before it gets too dark, it looks like it’s gonna rain.” I push open the front door not bothering to look back and head towards the beach.
“Hey, wait up!”
Without stopping, I turn back and watch as Justin has to jog to catch up.
“What’s the fucking rush?” he grunts as he makes it to my side.
I don’t say anything, I just keep walking.
“Fuck man, do you want to talk about it?”
That gives me pause for a minute, it’s unlike Justin to want to talk about shit. He’s the most closed off fucker I have ever met. I know he had a shit childhood but I don’t know much more about him. He’s like a safe and never wants to talk about shit. Erica calls him a grumpy ass because for as long as we have all known each other, he never smiles. The only places he seems content and at peace is in the waves or when he’s working. Apart from those times, he’s a brooding asshole. Someone fucked this guy up pretty bad in the past, is my guess.
Erica tells him all the time that he needs to get laid and maybe that will cheer his ass up. That’s the weird thing though, the whole time I’ve known him, I have never seen him with a woman.
I shake my head to indicate I’m not interested in talking about it, I wouldn’t even know where to begin anyways.
“Fair enough,” he accepts.
We walk the rest of the way in silence.
Something draws my attention and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as I’m about to take the steps down to the beach. I turn to look back to the park across the road and watch my woman take a seat at a table. She has a coffee in her hand and is laughing with a woman I haven’t seen before. Something grips in my chest when a man walks over to where they are. Before I can think about what I’m doing, I sprint across the road. I have only one goal in mind....to get this fucker away from my woman.
Justin calls out from behind me but I ignore him. I zero in on the man as he reaches out to touch her, she recoils at his touch.
“Don’t fucking touch her, you piece of shit!” I snarl.
“X-man, what the fuck?” Justin yells out again.
“Give me a fucking minute,” I call to him.
At the sound of my voice, two piercing green eyes stare straight at me. They widen with recognition as I get closer. I notice the light flush hitting her cheeks as she takes me in from head to toe, it has the effect of settling some of the beast in me. The man looks at me curiously and decides to turn and walk away. Smart man, I think.
“Who is that hunk of man meat?” her friend asks.
My lip curls up and a chuckle rises in my throat. I watch as Ally swallows hard before licking her lips. The action causes my cock to jerk in my shorts. Fuck, what would it feel like to have her mouth wrapped around me, her tongue lick every bit of cum from me. Growling low in my throat, I try to get rid of the image before I lose all control.
“Sweetness,” I breath out as I stop in front of her. Reaching out, I grab her hand, bring it to my mouth and brush my lips across her soft skin.
“X.. I mean, Xavier.”
I hear the tremor in her voice and smile, I know she felt what I do to her.
“What are you doing here?” She narrows her eyes.
“I was heading for a swim.” I nod over to the beach.
“Hi, I’m Cynthia.” Her friend holds her hand out to me.
I don’t want to let go of Ally but know it’s rude if I don’t shake her hand. I reach over and put my hand in hers, before I can say anything I hear Justin come up behind me.
“X-man, the sun...” he stops mid-sentence and after a few moments of silence, I look beside me.
“Fuck me,” he growls.
I watch as something passes over his face, it’s as if he’s looking at a ghost. I’m about ready to punch his bloody face in for staring at my woman, but then I realise his soul focus is on Cynthia. I look back and forth between the two of them and wonder what the fuck is going on. Cynthia sucks in a deep breath. I look back at Ally and raise an eyebrow, wondering if sh
e knows what the fuck is happening. She shrugs and gives a small shake of her head, she’s obviously as confused as me. The silence is broken suddenly when a boy calls out “Mummy” from the playground.
“Shit,” Cynthia hisses. She gets to her feet and runs her hands down the black pencil skirt she is wearing before taking a few steps away.
“My Queen,” Justin murmurs.
I watch as Cynthia’s shoulders stiffen and she stops. Her shoulders rise and fall like she’s struggling to breathe before she turns around with a pissed off look on her face.
“Don’t you ever fucking call me that. The last time I let you call me by that name, I fell at your feet. I wanted nothing more than to be that special person in your life. It was a fucking lie back then, just like it is now. I’m not your fucking anything and I’m not wasting anymore fucking tears on you.”
With that said, she turns when a boy of about five or six years old runs to her and hugs her legs. She sweeps him into her arms and whispers something in his ear. He nods before Cynthia turns back to Ally and mouths, “I’m sorry I have to go.” I don’t miss how glassy her eyes are.
After a few moments of silence, Justin snaps out of his head and springs into action. He drops his board to the ground with a thud before racing over to the parking lot, screaming out her name. By the time he reaches where her car was parked, she is already pulling out of the car park.
“Fuck!” he yells.
I hear the pain in his voice. He watches her car turn the corner and runs both hands through his hair before turning back to where I stand with Ally. He grabs his board off the ground and heads towards the tattoo shop.