Skin Deep

by J. M. Stone

  The door chimed, pulling me out of my thoughts and I looked up to see Luke standing in front of me. I looked up at the clock, surprised to see that it was after closing time. I straightened up my desk and locked up the drawers, taking care to hide my Christmas gift list so he couldn’t see the ideas I had jotted down. I needed to figure out a way to hijack Allie for a bit this weekend so she could help me shop.

  “Ready?” I asked him as I stood up and rounded the counter. Before I could get all the way around, he had me in his arms, holding me so tight I could hardly breathe.

  I tapped his shoulder, whispering, “Luke…can’t…breathe,” and he let me go immediately, apologizing. I smiled at him telling him it was okay before he grabbed my hand and we headed out to the car.

  I didn’t get any more calls, thank God, for the remainder of the week. On Saturday morning, I roped Allie into going to the mall with me, hoping that we could get everything and get back to the house to hide it or wrap it before the guys got back home. I had been a little worried about Jackson being there since he doesn’t work on weekends, but he’d decided to head down to the shop with Brandon and Luke.

  After the fifteenth store, Allie pulled out of my desperate grasp as I hauled her towards another, planting her feet and shouting, “NO!”

  I turned around in surprise (and complete embarrassment, truth be told) and asked her what the hell was wrong with her.

  “Emma, you keep second guessing everything. It’s fine! They’ll love everything you get them no matter what it is, so just pick something already! Cheese and rice, woman!”

  I shrugged, smiling ruefully at her. “I’m sorry. I know…I just want them to have the perfect gifts, you know?”

  “I know. And you will. Now, pick a guy and let’s get one of them done, at least.”

  “Ummm…” I thought for a minute. “Well, I guess let’s start with Jacks. You know? I think I’ve got it! Let’s go hit that print shop place that we saw.”

  Two hours later, I’d finally picked something out for all three of the guys and my Christmas shopping was officially over. Whew! Allie and I headed back to the house and she helped me carry my bags in while I ran into the laundry room to hide her gifts so she couldn’t find them. She was going to help me with my wrapping, so we lugged everything up into Luke’s…er, my?…bedroom and popped in a Christmas CD before we plopped ourselves down in the middle of the floor, surrounded by mountains of shopping bags and boxes and about ten tubes of wrapping paper.

  My theme this year was red, white, blue, silver and penguins because I found the cutest little wraps with penguins all over them. I’d also gone crazy with bags of bows and about twelve different gift tags. We dove in and started wrapping presents; it only took us about an hour and a half between the two of us and then we carted them all downstairs to put under the tree that I’d finally gotten Luke and Brandon to drag out of the closet and put up.

  Allie and I were standing beside each other, grinning with our accomplishment, when the guys walked in. Their eyes all lit up when they saw the tree and Brandon went running to his room before coming out with an armful of presents wrapped haphazardly and putting them under the tree with mine. I turned to Luke and Jackson with expectant eyes, pouting exaggeratedly when they each shook their heads and walked away.

  We decided that we were going to order Chinese food and Jackson and Brandon offered to go get it. When they returned, we all crowded around the table and ate, enjoying each other’s company. Of course that didn’t last long when talk turned to the phone calls I’d been getting at work from Creepy.

  Brandon had said something and I froze in panic when Allie opened her mouth, saying, “Well, when she told me about all the hang-ups and heavy breathing I told her she should call and make a report. She did then but they-” she broke off, her eyes growing huge and her hand clapping over her mouth in horror.

  I glared at her, promising retribution would come soon, when Luke jumped to his feet, knocking his chair over as he yelled, “You knew? You knew that this was happening back then and you didn’t tell me?” Without giving her a chance to reply, he turned to me and bellowed, “And YOU! I can’t believe you let me think that you hadn’t told her, that you hadn’t told anyone! What is wrong with you?”

  I stood up, pushing my chair back and rounding the table to put my arm around Allie as I pointed my finger at Luke and said, “You stop. Right now, before you say something you’ll end up regretting, Lucas Tyler Crimshaw. Yes, okay? I told Allie but you know what? We were just starting to see each other, so why would I have told you? I’ve already told you that I should have told you about the phone calls more recently and I promised to keep you informed if anything else happened. Okay? Are we done? Can we get back to eating now?”

  Brandon and Jackson hadn’t said anything during the outburst and I pulled away from Allie to take my seat again, but not before I pinched her arm just as a reminder that I was still pissed she had let the cat out of the bag. Luke dropped his head in his hands for a second before he looked up and mumbled an apology to everyone.

  Then I couldn’t help but smile as he peered up at me and said, “I really am sorry. I just love you so damn much…it makes me a little crazy.”

  Allie’s jaw hit the table and I laughed, absolutely one hundred percent in love with him, not that I wasn’t already. We all finished dinner and the rest of the evening was lightened considerably by Luke’s admission at the table. Allie stayed around for a while before she took off, stating that she had plans in the morning that she couldn’t be late for.

  This made Brandon and Jackson both puff up and ask her questions, which she laughed off, telling them, “don’t you worry your pretty little heads about what it is boys,” before she kissed them each on the cheek and sashayed out the door. They gave each other dirty looks and Luke and I laughed at them as he pulled me toward the stairs.

  I’d barely gotten through the door and shut it behind me before Luke had me pinned against it, his hand in my hair, jerking it back while he fastened his teeth in my shoulder. It shot me straight to the OHMIGOD zone and I let out a moan at the pleasure coursing through every inch of my body. When he released my skin, I pushed back against him and turned in his arms, winding mine around his neck as I pressed my body against his.

  “What is it with you and doors?” I asked, my voice husky with thick with desire.

  He shrugged. “I’m not sure. Maybe it’s the animal you bring out in me. Rowr…” He waggled his eyebrows at me while he swiped his hand at me, his fingers curled into a claw.

  I burst out laughing, completely taken aback by his “cat” impersonation he’d just tossed out of nowhere. He grinned before laughing with me while walking backwards with me in his arms towards the bed. When we got there, I didn’t give him the chance to do anything. I pushed against his chest and he fell back on the mattress, bouncing a little at the abruptness.

  His arms came out to grab me and I danced out of his reach, wagging my finger at him and sing-songing, “Ah-ah-ah!”

  He growled at me and tried to grab me again and I slapped at his hands, telling him no. He pouted, his bottom lip sticking out, and crossed his arms over his chest. I rolled my eyes at him before darting in and biting his bottom lip between my teeth, flicking my tongue over the coolness of the silver hoop piercing the flesh there. He moaned deep in his throat and brought his hands up, but I jumped back again out of reach.

  “Emma! Damnit, woman! What kind of game are you playing? Get over here, now!” Luke sounded almost desperate but I wasn’t going to give in. I wanted to tease him a bit, make him beg for a change.

  I walked over to the closet and pulled out a couple of silk ties that I’d found stashed in the back of Luke’s things. His eyes widened as I came back to the bed and after telling him to strip, motioned for him to lie back on the bed. He did, not hesitating at all, his breath leaving him on a gasp as I crawled onto the bed and straddled him. I raised his arms above his head and tied each of his wrists to the slatted
headboard with one of the ties. Giving them a good tug to make sure they’d hold, I moved away, satisfied that he was at my mercy.

  I stripped my own clothes off slowly, turning my back and swiveling my hips as I shucked my jeans and panties, loving the sound of his groan behind me. Taking it just a little further into the torture realm, I spread my legs a little before bending over to pick up my clothes, allowing him an unobstructed view of my ass and swollen, wet nether lips for a second. I turned when I heard the headboard groan ominously, shaking my head as I saw Luke trying desperately to get his hands free.

  I crawled back up on the bed after making a pit stop by my dresser, and straddled his chest, closing my eyes at the feel of his heat pressed against my moist secret flesh.

  “Emma, baby…what are you doing to me?” Luke rasped, his voice deeper and thicker than usual, letting me know how much he wanted me, as if the rock hard, huge length of him standing at attention behind where I was perched wasn’t enough indication.

  “Shhh…just…relax…” I said slowly, drawing out the words as I ran my hand down my body, tweaking my nipple before continuing south, “ and enjoy.”

  I slid my finger into the wetness between my thighs, circling my clit a couple times while I rocked my hips against his chest, before bringing my other hand up to allow Luke to see what was coming next. His breathing turned harsh as I flipped the switch and the soft, jelly coated, egg shaped bullet with a little finger-like protrusion at the tip buzzed to life. I ran the tip of it down my body, letting it tickle against each of my nipples before pushing it against my wet, pink folds, moaning loudly as the vibrations rolled through my tender flesh.

  I rubbed it through my folds, my wetness glistening on the toy in the light, and Luke’s moans came in earnest, growling through his lips almost constantly. Then I smiled at him, a small, naughty smile, when he started begging.

  “Baby, please…come closer so I can lick it, or move back and let me fuck you while you do that…God, Emma, please!” His eyes had turned wild, his skin felt feverish against mine, and I loved every bit of it.

  I closed my eyes and threw my head back in pleasure, basking in the rush of pure feminine power I felt at the thought that Luke was wild for me…for ME! I never in a million years would have imagined finding the (cheesy line alert, just FYI) man of my dreams. Especially not in a tattoo shop, of all places! And not only that, he made me feel beautiful and unselfconscious, and I’ve never had that before.

  Luke’s hips bucking beneath me brought me out of my thoughts and I gave in a little, sliding forward enough that his mouth could reach me. I barely moved the toy out of the way before his tongue swiped through my folds, laving me from top to bottom and back up again before dancing around my clit. I moaned and rode his mouth for a minute, but pulled back when I felt my orgasm rushing forward. I didn’t want it to be over too quickly.

  He growled at me and strained against his bindings, trying to get his head close enough to put his mouth on me again. I sat on his chest, rocking my hips against him while I played the toy against my clit, bringing myself close to the edge again and again while Luke begged me to touch him or to let him touch me.

  When my thighs were shaking with the effort of holding my release at bay, I raised myself up and turned around, carefully placing my knees on the outside of Luke’s shoulders, lowering my hips over his face until I felt him bury his tongue inside me. He moaned into my wet flesh as I leaned down and took his hard length between my lips, sucking it deep and running my tongue up the length of it as I pulled back.

  I lightly nipped him with my teeth when he stilled against me, telling him without words to get back to work. He vigorously tongued me, flicking the tip of it over my clit before thrusting it inside me, fucking me with it while he thrust his hips up, fucking my mouth at the same time. I moaned with my lips wrapped around him and his hips bucked involuntarily at the feel of it. He began circling my clit again and didn’t stop until I broke, screaming my release around his hardness still thrusting between my lips.

  As soon as I came, I pulled away from him, turning to release his hands from the ties. As soon as the knots loosened, he had me on my back, his length buried deep inside and beginning a pounding rhythm that had me ready to explode again within seconds. As I crested, raking my nails uncontrollably down his back, he came, shouting and moaning and jerking inside me as he spilled headlong into ecstasy.

  We laid there, gasping for breath for a minute before he pulled back to look at me, grinning down at me.

  “What?” I asked him.

  “Where the hell did that come from?” was his reply.

  I just shrugged my shoulders, gave him a saucy grin, and kissed him.

  Chapter 20

  “Thanks, Floyd!” I exclaimed as I looked into the brightly wrapped package he had left on my desk. He’d gotten me a box of my favorite chocolates and given me a nice Christmas bonus check. I jumped up out of my seat and hugged him, smiling as he laughed at my exuberance.

  Ever since I’d started working for him, we’d gotten each other gifts for Christmas, and it was always the same thing every year. Like clockwork, I knew that he’d give me my bonus in a box of my favorite chocolates, and he knew that I’d give him two boxes of his favorite chocolate covered cherries and a gift card for him and his wife’s favorite restaurant. His wife always called me after Christmas break to thank me and tell me what she ordered. She’s working her way through the menu and I don’t think she’s ordered the same thing twice yet.

  It was Tuesday and I was getting ready to close the office for Christmas break. I just had a couple things left to do, but Floyd was leaving already so he could go finish getting a couple presents for his grandkids. His wife usually does all that kind of shopping, but she’d missed a couple things and he had to pick them up. He’d already brought all his wife’s gifts into the office for me to wrap, and had loaded them into his car to take home. That was another tradition in the office that was started the first year I worked for him. I didn’t mind though. Did I mention he was a kick ass boss?

  I finished cleaning up my desk and locked the door, making sure I put the sign in the door that said when we’d be back in the office before I headed out to my car. I’d driven myself to work because there was no reason for Luke to drop me off since I was only working for three hours.

  I did go to the shop, though, instead of going home, intending to spend the day with Luke and Brandon. Jackson had a few meetings today, so he wouldn’t be around and the only one at home was Doug. Not that I minded his company but Brandon had fed him egg salad yesterday, so I was trying to avoid him until the danger had passed. By that I mean that I wanted to be able to walk through the house without a gas mask on.

  I walked into the shop and said hi to Brandon who was helping someone at the counter before heading back to Luke’s studio. The door was open and he was sitting on his stool talking to Jadalee who was standing across the room looking at a picture of a tattoo that Luke had just done. I ignored her and went to Luke, who jumped up and pulled me into his arms, kissing me thoroughly.

  I pulled back and shot a glance under my lashes toward Jadalee who was standing with her fists clenched. I couldn’t help it; it made me smile. And when I say smile, I mean actually that I grinned from ear to ear while I turned my head and actually looked at her. There ain’t no shame in my game! Boo-ya, bitch!

  “So, you’re officially on Christmas vacation!” Luke said, grinning right along with me. “Does this mean that I get you all day every day until you go back?” He looked so hopeful and happy, but I couldn’t resist teasing him.

  “Well, Allie asked me to stay at her house for a few days, so I told her that I would. And then its tradition to spend at least four nights with my mom and dad right after Christmas, so…” I let my words trail off, giving him what I hoped was a rueful expression.

  His face fell but then he tried so valiantly to hide it and put on a happy front that I couldn’t keep it up anymore. I broke down and laug
hed, yelling, “I’m kidding, geez! Yes, you have me for all the time you want me until I go back to work!”

  “You little witch…” he growled, stalking toward me.

  I squealed and turned to flee but started laughing when he snagged me around my waist and lifted me up against his chest, burying his face in my neck. I laughed even harder when Jadalee rolled her eyes and stomped out of the room, muttering to herself.

  I pushed against Luke and he released me. “Listen, I was thinking.”

  Luke interrupted me, saying, “Oh, Lord, that’s bad. Does your head hurt?”

  I glared at him and smacked his shoulder as he laughed at me. “Seriously, focus. I think I want you to tattoo me again.”

  He quit laughing, his eyes growing wide with excitement. “Really? What do you want? Where do you want it?”

  “Well, I don’t want it right now and I’m not sure. That’s why I was thinking that I would let you just draw something for me and give me your ideas of where it should go. What do you think?”

  “I think that you trust me an awful lot, sugar, and that turns me on. Want me to close the door and you can ride me while I go ahead and give you a new tattoo on your titty?” He waggled his eyebrows at me, grinning like a loon.

  I rolled my eyes. “Very funny, ha ha. Well?”

  He turned serious, wrapping his arms around me and kissing my forehead before saying, “I was being serious when I said you trust me an awful lot. And it does turn me on…just fyi. But, yeah, I can do that. I’d love to do that for you, sugar. And I just plain love you.”

  I smiled and kissed him gently, whispering, “I just plain love you, too. Now go draw me a tattoo, bitch!” I smacked his ass and turned to sashay out the door, but that didn’t work. His eyes gleamed and I gulped.