[Montgomery Ink 00.5 - 01.0] Box Set

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  She said her goodbyes, telling them she’d be right back. From the looks on her girls’ faces, she had a feeling they knew exactly where she was heading first. How they could possibly know that, Sierra wasn’t sure, but she ignored them. She had a job to do. First, she’d say no to Austin as calmly as she could and back out of their date. Because it was a date. From the sparks between them and the look in his eyes when he’d asked—no, told her that he would take her for a ride on the back of his bike, their outing couldn’t be construed as anything but a date.

  The bell over the door rang as she walked in. Callie sat on a stool behind the computer, a sketchpad in her lap, her head bent over her drawing. She looked up with a scowl that turned into a bright smile.

  “Hey, Sierra. Austin is in the back sketching. He just finished with a client, so he should be free for you.”

  “He’s free,” Maya said on Sierra’s other side.

  Sierra studied Austin’s sister and couldn’t tell if Maya was happy he was free or not. The woman didn’t smile, but smirked, her eyes twinkling. Sure, that could be happiness in there, or maybe she wanted to push Sierra over a bridge or something. The other woman came off as abrasive, but from the way Austin had spoken of her, Sierra knew there was more to her than the piercings, tattoos, and attitude.

  “I’ll just head on back then,” Sierra said coolly. When she didn’t know how to act in a certain situation, she always reverted to the ice princess. It never failed to keep people at a distance—well, almost never failed. Austin was another matter altogether.

  “Do that then, princess,” Maya said, just as coolly.

  Well then. Sierra knew exactly where she stood. And, honestly, she didn’t care.

  “Stop being a bitch, Maya,” Callie called out. “You’re just in a mood because Jake is out of town.”

  “Is Jake your boyfriend then?” Sierra asked and could have immediately smacked herself. Why was she asking personal questions of a woman who clearly didn’t want Sierra to have anything to do with her brother?

  “He’s just a friend,” Maya said with another smirk. “Jake and I don’t need to have sex to be in the same room. Unlike some people I know.”

  “Bitch,” Callie sneered then smiled. “Go on back, Sierra. He’s just in the office.”

  Sierra looked between the two women then made her way to Austin. She didn’t know exactly what was going on, but she had enough on her plate as it was. When she made it to the office, she stopped and held back a sigh.

  Austin had his head bent over his sketch, his forearm flexing as he drew. His side was to her, and she could see the long lines of his body bunched in the chair—a lion ready to strike.

  His head whipped around to face as her as she let out that sigh. When his gaze reached hers, he smiled, and another bit of that sadness that had been present in his eyes when he told her of his family went away. If she could do that for him, then maybe it would all be worth it.

  “Hey, I didn’t know you were stopping by today.” He stood up, those long legs of his stretching out his jeans nicely.

  Not that she was staring at his jeans. Much.

  She licked her lips, holding back a blush as his eyes darkened when she did so. Damn it. She wasn’t some naive virgin. Oh, hell no. The things she’d done, the things she’d craved…well, she wasn’t an innocent. She shouldn’t be blushing at a man when he stared at her. She was stronger than that.

  Centering herself, she rolled her shoulders back. “I just came by to say in person that I don’t think I’ll be able to ride with you.” Why hadn’t she done this over the phone? It would’ve been so much easier, but she wanted to do it face-to-face so she wouldn’t be rude. Plus, she wanted to see him because she couldn’t get his face out of her dreams and his presence out of her system.

  Damn Austin Montgomery.

  Austin frowned, moving toward her. She forced herself not to take a step back. She wouldn’t run. Not anymore. But she didn’t know if she could keep up the denial if he got any closer.

  He ended up standing right in front of her, so close she could feel the heat of his body. The act reminded her of her dream of Jason, and she held back a shudder. It wouldn’t do her any good to compare the two men. Her past and her…whatever this would end up being.

  His hand came up so he gripped her chin. He searched her face, and she just stared up at him, unsure of what to do or say next. He hadn’t spoken, and it threw her for a loop.

  “Okay, Sierra,” he said finally, his voice low, deep. So deep it went straight to her core, and she had to keep from sighing. Again. “If you don’t feel like you’re ready to ride yet, then we won’t.”

  She let out the breath she wasn’t aware she’d been holding. “Thanks, Austin. I’m sure we’ll see each other around then.” What was she doing? That hadn’t been the plan. Or had it? Honestly, she didn’t even know what her plan was anymore. She wanted him, she was clear on that much, but she wasn’t sure she could handle more. This wishy-washy thought process wasn’t doing her any favors. She needed to buck up and either give in fully or step back.

  Taking half steps would only hurt her in the end. Didn’t she know that? Hadn’t she lived that?

  “Oh really? I don’t think so. That’s not how this is going to play, Legs.”

  “Excuse me?” The ice was back in her voice, but she didn’t know how to control it, not when he was so large and…Austin around her.

  “You don’t want to ride? Fine. I get that you aren’t ready, and I don’t want to force you into something you aren’t comfortable with. Hopefully, you’ll be able to talk about it soon, and we can figure out how to get you on the back of a bike. Because, Sierra, you want to. I saw the look in your eyes after the fear. You want to ride again, and we’ll figure out a way to make that happen.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “So, you know what I’m thinking, do you?” She didn’t like it when people made decisions for her. Not at all.

  “Yeah. In this case, I do. I’m not saying I know everything. Far from it. But I get this. Now, on that note, just because we aren’t riding doesn’t mean you’re out of my life for good. You get me? We’re going to date, or whatever, or find a way to see each other again because I want you, Sierra. And from the way you licked your lips and looked at me when you first walked in, you want me too. I get that, right?”

  “Bastard,” she mumbled. “I don’t like this alpha thing.”

  He brushed his thumb over her lips. “Yeah, Legs. Yeah you do. Now, I’m going to pick you up tomorrow for lunch. Sound good? A real date and all that shit.”

  “So romantic.” Yet she didn’t pull away. Couldn’t pull away. “You think you can just tell me we’re going on a date?”

  He grinned at her. “I asked you, didn’t tell you. I could have told you, and I think from the look in your eyes, you might have liked it just as much.”

  How could he see that deep inside? How could he know what she’d been in the past? It had to be just her imagination. That wasn’t who she was anymore anyway.

  “Fine. Dinner. I’ll text you my address.”

  He smiled full-out then, leaving her breathless. Damn man. “Good, baby. Good.” He lowered his head; she knew what he was going to do.

  And she let him.

  His lips brushed hers, once, twice. She closed her eyes, melting into him. He reached up and cupped her neck and the back of her head. She moaned, parting her lips. His tongue tangled with hers as he deepened he kiss.

  This kiss, this man. Oh, God was he potent…dangerous.

  He pulled back when she would have begged for more. Only the promise in his gaze stopped her.

  “We’ll do that again soon, Legs. I promise you.”

  That was exactly what she was afraid of.

  Chapter Eight

  Austin winced as his phone buzzed on the kitchen counter. He hadn’t heard from Shannon in four days, and it was starting to scare him. Hopefully she’d back off, but who knew with her? He hadn’t thought she was that possessive
and monumentally crazy when they’d gone out, but apparently, he hadn’t looked too deeply beneath the surface.

  A mistake he wouldn’t be making again.

  He looked at the readout and saw a text from Miranda letting him know that dinner was off because she had a date.

  A date?

  Seriously? Who the fuck was dating his sweet, innocent baby sister? She was only…wait, she was twenty-three. He didn’t even want to think about what he’d been doing at twenty-three, but, shit, Miranda shouldn’t be dating.

  He closed his eyes and prayed for patience. Meghan was married and had kids. Maya was out and doing only God knew what since she was proud of her body and sexuality. Her words. Not his.

  He should get over it and let Miranda date. Not that she needed permission, per se…

  Austin rolled his tongue over his teeth. Nope. Not gonna happen. He quickly texted back that no, that would not be okay, and she should cancel her date. He didn’t add that she could cancel all dates, but that would be implied.

  He was a force to be reckoned with and authoritative. She would listen.

  When his phone buzzed again, and he looked at the response, he cursed.

  No can do, big brother. I’m dating. Get over it. Love you! XoXo

  Didn’t his sister know anything? He was the eldest brother. His siblings should listen to him. He closed his eyes and knew it would be a lost cause. Plus, now he could see if his lunch date with Sierra could turn into something more.

  It was Sunday, and they both had the day off, meaning they’d planned to spend the afternoon together. He already had plans with his sister beforehand or he would have made a dinner date with Sierra in the first place.

  Now he had a chance to do both.

  He quickly called her to set it up, just in case she’d thought of getting out of it. He didn’t know why he was so nervous about this. At his age, he’d dated countless women—not that he ever wanted to really think about that vast pool. He should have been on familiar ground, but when it came to Sierra, nothing was common, and nothing was at all familiar.

  For some reason, he truly liked that.

  “Hey you. I was just about to call.”

  Her voice, usually a soft purr that went straight to his cock, sounded distracted. “What’s up, Legs?”

  “I wish you wouldn’t call me that,” she said absently. What was up? She usually put more effort into her denial of his nickname.

  “What’s wrong, Sierra?” There. He could learn. Besides, she didn’t sound like she’d appreciate his teasing.

  “I’m going to have to cancel lunch.”

  He frowned. He’d let her cancel their ride because she wasn’t ready for that—frankly, he didn’t blame her—but he wasn’t about to let her cancel again. Not when they had something. He knew they did, and he knew she knew it, too.

  “Why?”

  She sighed. “Because some kid broke my window. It was an accident, and his mother already made him come over and apologize, so I know it could have been much worse considering where I live…I mean…”

  He clenched his jaw. He knew she lived in Edgewater, and while it wasn’t the nicest ’burb of Denver, it wasn’t the worst either. From the sound of it, he should have been much more worried.

  “Are you okay? Were you near the window when it broke?”

  “Oh, no. I’m fine.” She gave a rough chuckle. “I was in the bedroom, and the broken window is in my kitchen. I cleaned up the glass, but maintenance said they couldn’t fix it until next Friday so now I’m stuck having to figure out how to put a board up or something. I can’t leave my house because of the broken window, you know? So, no, I can’t make lunch, but it’s not because I don’t want to. You get that, right?”

  He was already grabbing his keys and passed by the mail that he’d, once again, forgotten to check. He needed to get on that. Damn.

  “I’m on my way. Stay where you are, and I’ll bring a sheet of plywood I have in the garage. Then I can work on the window myself once I do some measurements.”

  “Austin. You can’t come and fix my window.”

  She kept telling him not to come over and help, so he mumbled and grunted as he went to his garage for supplies. He jumped in his truck after putting the sheet of wood in the back. “Yes. I can. You said yourself you can’t leave your house to go find something to block it, and this way I can still see you.”

  He hadn’t meant to say the last part, but from her happy sigh, maybe it was a good thing he had.

  “I’ll be there in less than twenty minutes. Don’t walk out of your house to get away from me or something. Okay?”

  “Okay. Austin?”

  “Yeah?” He put his phone on Bluetooth and sped up the driveway. She’d given him her address the day before so he had a relative idea of where she was. He knew Denver well enough it wasn’t a problem.

  “Thank you,” she whispered sweetly.

  “Anything, babe.”

  He hung up and drove on, antsy to see her and help.

  Damn. He had it bad, but right then, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

  When he pulled up, he wanted to curse, then pick up Sierra, pack all her shit, and head back to his place. Why the hell was she living here? Sure the place didn’t look dirty, but it was a hell of a shithole compared to Eden and his own home. There were couches on lawns, people smoking weed out in the open. It might be legal state-wide to own it, but smoking it out on the street corner wasn’t the smartest idea.

  However, in Sierra’s neighborhood, apparently, it didn’t matter.

  He pulled into what served as her parking lot. Well, it was mainly a lot filled with beat-up cars and potholes, but he found a spot near her car anyway. He got out, locked his truck, then pulled the plywood out of the truckbed. He knew she was on the first floor and cursed yet again when he saw the window.

  Austin needed to get her out of this neighborhood as quickly as he could. However, telling her, not asking her, to move into his house before they’d officially had their first date would probably be pushing it. Plus, he knew she was saving for Eden. He could remember the lean times he and Maya shared when they’d first opened Montgomery Ink.

  Yeah, it rankled that he couldn’t fix everything for Sierra, but he had to live with it. He’d just find a way to get her to stay at his house more often than not. He had two extra bedrooms, and she could stay in one if she didn’t want to sleep in his bed.

  The image of her in his bed went straight to cock, and he took a deep breath. There was no way he could fix her window and find a way to get her to his place when he had a hard-on the size of Texas.

  She walked out onto her back porch—more like a cement slab she shared with four other units—her feet in sandals and a frown on her face. “You got here fast.” Her gaze searched his, and he wished to hell he had free hands to brush that lock of hair from her face.

  “I’m not too far away.” He said that part loudly in case of any of her banger neighbors decided to poach on Austin’s territory. Call him an alpha asshole, but Sierra was his now, and they’d all just have to deal with him if they got too close.

  “Thank you.” She walked closer and put her small hand on his chest. He sucked in a breath. “Really. Thank you. I honestly wasn’t sure what to do since I don’t even have a vehicle to put the wood into anyway.”

  There was a dirty joke in there somewhere, and if Sierra had been one of his siblings, he would have been the first to call it, but he held it back.

  From the way Sierra’s eyes widened, she thought it too.

  “Uh, I mean… oh, whatever. Now, what can I do to help?”

  Austin grinned. “I’ve got this. It’s pretty easy here. Just make sure all the glass is cleaned up since you’ll be walking around barefoot in your house, I presume.” Unless he got her to move in. Nope. He had to stop thinking along those lines.

  “It’s all cleaned up. Are you sure there isn’t anything I can do?”

  “We’re good. My brothers are contrac
tors, remember? They do this for a living.” He started to work, grateful the board was the right size, so he wouldn’t have to cut it down with the tools he had in the back of his truck.

  “Yeah. They are. You’re a tattoo artist.”

  He looked over his shoulder and scowled. “You saying I can’t fix something like this? I learned with them, right alongside Dad. Just because I went into ink doesn’t mean I can’t work with my hands.”

  She blushed hard then, and Austin’s cock filled. Again.

  Damn dick.

  “You’re great with your hands. Oh, shut up. I get it. Hands. Sex. Whatever. You’re an artist, Austin. I don’t want you to hurt your hands and not be able to work.”

  He finished up quickly, shaking his head as he did so. “If I bang my thumb, it won’t kill me. I’m good at what I do.”

  “Don’t I know it,” she mumbled, and Austin grinned again. “Want something to drink?”

  “Sounds good to me.” He followed her into her small apartment, not surprised that she had nice furniture in a shitty place. From the way she walked and talked, he figured that she hadn’t always lived in a place like this.

  They drank in silence for a bit before she finally let out a breath.

  “I just don’t want you to get the wrong idea about me asking you here.”

  Austin tilted his head. “Wrong idea? I asked you on a date, and I came here to help on my own accord. Not sure what wrong idea I can get.”

  “I don’t know what you’re looking for here. Relationship-wise. I mean, I don’t even know what I want.”

  He set down his glass on the high counter then brushed his lips over hers. “One day at a time, Sierra. One day at a time.”

  “What does that even mean?” She scowled then set down her own glass. “One day at a time? For what? What are we even doing, Austin? I thought we didn’t even like each other when we first met. Now you’re asking me to ride with you, kissing me, and fixing my window.”