Inked Temptation (Inked Series, #1)

by Maree, Kay

  I suck in a deep breath at her words. I'm barely holding it together. How could she even think I could be capable of anything like that piece of shit?

  “What do you see when you look into my eyes?” I speak between clenched teeth.

  She studies me for a moment and I can practically hear her mind ticking over. Then, her face softens as if she understands. Closing her eyes, she speaks words which ingrain themselves deep inside every cell and muscle in my body. I know if I touched her right now I would be lost in her forever.

  “When I look into your eyes they have a calming, soothing effect like the ocean. They consume me like the waves crashing over the rocks. Center me like the white wash which crawls over my feet as I stand in the sinking sand. When the grey clouds roll in and a humid sticky feeling coats your skin before a storm comes - your eyes, like the storm, have an energy so consuming it surrounds me. I want to hold on to that feeling and never let it go. I want it to soak into every cell of my body and live right there, in that moment. Forever.”

  She breathes out slowly, trapped in the moment. She remains motionless as if she is feeling everything she has just described. Goosebumps break out across my skin at the sight. I don’t remember ever having goosebumps from only words.

  She shakes her head and seems to snap out of her trance-like state. When she looks around and her eyes meet mine, she ducks her head. A pink tinge colors her cheeks.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispers.

  Her words knock the wind from me and before she can blink, I drop to my knees before her. I run my hands up her thighs and grip her waist. She tenses and I flex my fingers but then, she dissolves into my touch. Raising one hand, I lift her chin until her eyes meet mine. Freckles are scattered across her nose like confetti and I resist the urge to kiss every one. Forcing my eyes to meet hers, I open my mouth to speak but have no words.

  Keeping my eyes on hers, I lean forward and brush my lips over her soft pink blush lips, resisting the urge to push inside for a taste. Knowing, the sweet taste of her ecstasy will pull me in. I wouldn’t be able to stop and I want to give her what she just gave me.

  “Your eyes remind of a sunrise on a Spring morning, when the sun’s golden rays bounce off the dew-covered leaves.”

  She sucks in a breath as my mouth hovers over hers and I whisper the words across her lips. But, I don’t stop - I need her to understand how fucked up she has me. “Did you know, when the sun hits your eyes, not only do you have a gold band which wraps around the pupils and shines but when you turn your head this way or that way.....” I guide her face from side to side. “....they catch the light? They become luminous and I could spend hours staring into them, wanting to learn every emotion flickering through them. There is so much passion lying in those green depths and I’m a greedy bastard - I want all of it.”

  I blow out a deep breath as her eyes begin to glass over and a tear sticks in her long lashes. When she softly blinks, it falls and races down her check. Reaching up, I run my thumb over the wetness and rub it into her soft, milky skin.

  “Fuck, I sound like a fucking pussy right now but I’ll be damned if I’ll let you think that my actions are just a way to make you let down your guard. Never in my fucking life did I ever think someone so sweet could be interested in a brute like me. Fuck. I’m not backing off, babe. You have become my reason to get up in the morning and to sleep at night. You center me and I am not giving you up without a fight.” I feel my muscles tense at the thought of her walking away from me and I close my eyes against the feeling.

  “Okay.” She rests her uninjured hand against mine on her cheek as she whispers.

  My eyes snap wide and lock with hers.

  “Yeah, Babe?” I wonder if I heard her right.

  Nodding, she leans forward, brushes her lips across mine and whispers yes into my mouth. It’s the softest touch, like a feather brushed across my skin. I growl and can’t hold back this time. I thread my fingers through her silky hair and take her lips in a deep kiss. A kiss I have been craving since the moment I saw her. It’s everything and much, much more than I ever expected.

  Pulling her tight into my hold, I moan into her mouth when her body melts into mine. Her uninjured hand runs up the side of my face before gripping my hair. She twists her fingers through the strands, her nails scrape against my scalp. Turning her head to a better position, I run my tongue along hers - devour and consume every whimper and moan escaping her throat.

  After a moment, I pull back, needing to stop before I take her on the lounge. I lean my forehead against hers as we both catch our breath. I feel the warmth of her breath wash over my face and it grounds me knowing this woman is mine. Pulling back a little, I grunt at the satisfaction which runs through me at seeing how swollen her lips look, branding her as mine.

  “You’re mine,” I breath out.

  “I’m yours.” A shy smile curves her lips as she speaks.

  “Fuck, your gorgeous, babe.” Leaning forward, I plant a chaste kiss on her lips before pushing to my feet and reaching down for her. Taking her uninjured hand, I pull her to her feet. I gasp when her chest pushes against mine. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I need to get my shit together. I glance at the clock on the wall to see it’s almost 8:30pm.

  “You have had a big day, babe. You must be tired, how about you lie down?”

  Right on cue, she yawns and I chuckle.

  “Yeah, I’m pretty beat.” She snickers but I don’t find her words one bit funny at all.

  “Sorry, too early for jokes.” She turns and heads towards what I assume is her room and I follow.

  I’m pissed as fuck with her words, but she has dealt with enough today, she doesn’t need me losing my shit too. It’s taking every ounce of control I have to not demand to know where her bitch of a mother lives. I know it wouldn’t help the situation though and right now I want to be here for my woman.

  When I step into her room, I notice there isn’t much in here, like the rest of her place. A queen bed is flanked by a bedside table on each side. A small built in wardrobe with two mirrored doors is on one side of the room and on the other, a television sits on a small plywood stand. The wall in front of her bed has an old-style picture window which looks out over the street. Turning back to Ally, I notice her fidgeting with the hem of her singlet shirt, her eyes downcast and looking at the floor.

  “Let's get into bed.” I wave my hand towards the bed and bite back a chuckle when her eyes widen and she looks back and forth between me and the bed.

  “Just to sleep, babe.” I reassure her and she nods before climbing onto the bed.

  I have to readjust myself at the sight of her ass in the air and struggle against wanting to rip her clothes off and take what I want. She has been through enough for one day, I keep reminding myself as I slip off my shirt, remove my belt but leave the jeans on – needing a barrier between us for her sake.

  I hear her gasp and our eyes lock before I make my way to the other side of the bed. I bite my lip to prevent a groan at the sight of her licking her lips as her eyes take in my bare chest.

  “Do you wanna watch some TV?” I lie down and notice she is way over the other side of the bed. Not liking the distance between us, I pull her into my arms and as she rests her head on my chest, I breathe in her sweet scent.

  “If you want,” she whispers.

  I tense when her warm breath flutters over me and her fingers trace the tattoos covering most of my chest.

  “Why don’t you have any tattoos here?” She lays her hand across my heart.

  “I didn’t know what to put there.” I both love and hate the way she is exploring my body. My dick is as hard as steel and straining against my boxer briefs. I definitely think I made the right decision leaving my jeans on. It’s painful as fuck but worth it to prove I’m not just here for a good time.

  Reaching over me, Ally grabs the remote control off the bedside table and flicks through the channels before settling on a movie - Road house with Patrick Swayze.

 
; “Good choice, babe.” I kiss the crown of her head and feel her smile against my chest.

  “I loved this movie growing up. My dad gave up watching it with me when I learned every single word and couldn’t help but say them out loud.” She giggles at the memory and I chuckle.

  Her giggle has to be the best sound in the world, nothing will ever compare to the sound of her laugh.

  “Try and get some sleep, babe.” Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her closer and let the feel of her warm breath wash over my bare skin. It settles the anger sitting like a weight inside me, I’m content to lie here with my girl in my arms.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Ally

  Feeling warmth surround me, I snuggle deeper into the blankets, not ready to wake just yet. As I wriggle down, I realise I’m not alone. I’m snuggling into something hard and not the softness of my pillow. I blink my eyes open and stare straight at the defined, tattooed chest of Xavier. Everything which happened yesterday floods my mind. I tense but the sound of X’s light snores along with the rise and fall of his chest has me relaxing again, not wanting to wake him.

  I replay the words which were spoken last night, I can’t believe he stayed and admitted I affect him the way I do.

  I know he’s angry about everything I told him and I saw he is keeping some part of him from me. Do I come off as being so vulnerable that he needs to hide from me? I sure as shit don’t want him hiding a part of himself from me. If I’m really his, then it means he’s mine and I deserve to see every side of him. Something at the back of my mind is scared shitless about knowing but I cannot and will not be fooled by a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I’ve been through enough. I’m stronger now and I won’t repeat the mistakes of four years ago.

  With my mind made up, I know I will speak to him when he wakes but I’m not ready to break the bubble we have created just yet. I rest my head on his chest, over his heart and allow the soothing thumping to lull me back to sleep.

  I’m jolted awake by the shrill sound of my alarm going off. Groaning, I reach blindly towards my nightstand to locate my phone. Vibration from a deep chuckle and the feel of fingers caressing my hair, stop me and I drop my hand to the hard planes of X’s chest.

  “I’ve got it, Sweetness.”

  His deep, sleepy voice fills my ears and I hum as tingles break out over my body.

  “You’re not much of a morning person, are you?”

  He runs his hand down my back and my body reacts by arching like a cat into his side.

  “Coffee,” I mumble. My single word answer causes him to chuckle more.

  I raise my hand and rub the side of my mouth, making sure I haven’t drooled on him. I wince and a whimper escapes when I move and realise I’ve had my weight on the injured hand. Moving faster than I thought possible, X shoots up in the bed, taking me with him.

  “What’s wrong?” Concern furrows his brows.

  “I slept on my hand.” I cradle it too my chest and feel a light pounding as the blood rushes back into it.

  “Let me take a look.”

  He reaches out to take my hand but I shake my head. There’s nothing he could do and I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I want to enjoy today with him before we have to go back to work. I run my fingertips down the side of his face which is full of tension.

  “It’s fine, X, I promise.”

  He nods and I change the subject.

  “What do you want to do today?” I smile as the tension disperses and his eyes soften.

  “How about I make us breakfast and then, if you feel up to it, we can meet up with Beau and Justin at the beach this afternoon.”

  “The beach sounds good but I can make breakfast.”

  When I attempt to get out of bed, I groan loudly. An ache seems to radiate through my neck and the arm of my injured hand. Damn, it friggin’ hurts. When I get to my feet, I rub at the ache and the pain causes me to wince.

  “Babe, go and have a shower, you’ll feel better. I can make breakfast.”

  Before I can protest, he’s walking from the room.

  “You can’t tell me what to do,” I mutter a little louder than I thought because he calls back.

  “Watch me. When it comes to your health, you’ll soon realise, I’m in control.”

  “Stubborn ass,” I growl and hear him laugh.

  I smile as I make my way to the bathroom.

  Feeling a little better after my shower, I throw on my favorite beach cover-up over my swimmers. It’s white with crochet trimming around the edges. There aren’t arm holes, you pop it over your head and let it hang from your body. I wrap my wet hair up in a towel the best I can with my sore hand and head to the kitchen.

  When I reach the kitchen door, I pause and take in the sight before me. X is standing at the stove making pancakes, but what has me transfixed, is his naked back and the way his muscles flex and ripple. I study the tattoos which cover every inch of his skin. The focal piece of art is a scene of the ocean and it’s breathtaking. I swallow a moan when the thought crosses my mind, this man is mine.

  “Babe?”

  Xavier’s voice breaks into my thoughts and I quickly lower my eyes as heat creeps up my neck. Xavier chuckles, I guess I wasn’t quick enough and he saw me ogling him.

  “Damn, babe, you look as hot as fuck.”

  His deep growl makes my skin prickle. I’m not sure what too say so I head for the fridge and grab the orange juice. Before I reach the table, I feel the heat of his body as he wraps his hands around my waist. Turning my head to the side, I feel his hot breath wash over me and squeeze my thighs together to stave off the ache. My breath hitches as he plants kisses up my neck before his teeth make contact with the lobe of my ear.

  “Sweetness, nobody sees what is mine so, let’s keep the cover-up on. It shows enough and it’s taking everything in me not to rip the flimsy piece of material off you.”

  He draws the material to one side and it slips from my shoulder. I’m about to protest until he runs his tongue over my shoulder blade and applies a little pressure to my collarbone. I grip the handle of the fridge to keep me from falling to the ground when my knees weaken and shake. He takes a step back and I yelp when he slaps my ass.

  “Plus, you can’t swim for another week.”

  “Fine, you win this one but only because I don’t want to ruin my tattoo.” I grumble while I concentrate on stopping my head from swimming and turning to a pile of goo on the kitchen floor.

  “I always win, Sweetness.” He sounds so damn sure of himself.

  “Cocky Bastard,” I mumble before taking a seat at the table.

  He chuckles harder and I suck my bottom lip between my teeth to stop the smile which wants to spread across my face.

  I close the glass door to my building and when I turn, X reaches for my hand, we make our way to the beach. I decide now is as good a time as any to bring up the discussion from last night, but I’m struggling to figure out how to convince him to open up to me. To let me see every part of him and not keep anything hidden.

  “Sweetness, whatever it is, spit it out.”

  “What do you mean?” I ask dumbly, I didn’t think I looked so transparent.

  “Whatever is bothering you has been running through your head all morning. I know you want to say something so, just say it.”

  Well shit, I really am that transparent. I lick my suddenly dry lips and fix the sunglasses which have slipped a little down my nose before taking his advice and just saying it.

  “Why are you hiding a part of yourself from me?”

  Xavier pulls me to an abrupt stop and I’m swung around to come face to chest with him. When I look up, I take in his dark messy hair and the five o’clock shadow which seems to be permanently on his handsome face.

  “Explain.”

  “Last night.....” He holds up his hand but I push on, I’m not going to let him stop me this time. “Last Night I told you some pretty messed up shit and I could see you were angry, but then you spoke sweet words to
cover up the anger. You acted like you were fine and I think you’re hiding something.” I blow out a breath. “I’m strong enough to deal with whatever it is X, you don’t have to hide that part of you from me.”

  I finish on a whisper, looking into his eyes. I can’t see what’s in his eyes because he has sunglasses on, but I feel the tension which has suddenly surrounded us. The background noise of cars passing fades out and it’s just him and me standing on the side of road. I hear the echo of my heart beat thumping in my ears while I wait for him to speak.

  “Of course, I’m pissed, Ally,” he growls.

  I open my mouth to speak but he cuts me off by grabbing my hips in a possessive hold. It has my blood pumping faster and not in a bad way.

  “How the hell would letting my anger out help? Besides scaring the fuck out of you and having you running away faster than you were already trying to do before I turned up.”

  I hear the anguish in his voice and it makes me feel sick to my stomach. He turns away from me for a moment and composes himself before speaking again.

  “Sweetness, I would like nothing more than to find your bitch of a mother and teach her a fucking lesson, but that’s just not me. I don’t raise a hand to women or harm them with talk. I don’t think she deserves any more of our time. As for your ex, he’s a fucking cock sucking coward and yes, if he was standing in front of us right now I probably would kill him. I’d make him pay for everything he did to you and your dad, but babe I’ll say again, seeing me lose control would only scare you off. So, you tell me, what good would you seeing me angry do? What would come of it because the only thing I see is at how fast you would run and I can’t live with that.” He blows out a deep breath.

  I don’t know what to say so instead I rise up on my tiptoes and brush my lips over his.

  “I want to know you. I want to know how you feel and when I say that, I mean I want to know every side of you.” I close my eyes and pray to my father above, hoping I’m making the right decision when the next words slip through my lips. “I promise, I won't run.”