Inked: A Driven World Novel (The Driven World)

by Tracy Lorraine

  My cheeks burn, and as much as I might want to deny it, to not allow her to think of all the things I’ve been up to, I can’t. I realize right there and then just how incredible my time with Corey has been. Even his meltdown yesterday morning. If anything, that just showed me how strong he is, how he’s just like me.

  “He turned up last night just because he needed to see me.”

  My aunt swoons.

  “Tell me what he’s like. What does he do for a living? What about his family, are they here too?”

  I tell her everything I know before coming to what I think is the most important part. “He’s lost people too. He… he gets it. He gets me. Neither of us have talked about it yet, but I can see it in his eyes.”

  “That’s good, Harlow. I mean, not that he’s lost loved ones. But that you both have that understanding of loss. Maybe you’re meant to be. Maybe he was sent to you to help you finally heal from everything and move on.”

  I’m not sure I entirely believe her, but I can’t deny that it sounds pretty damn good.

  “I hope so, something just feels so right, so comfortable when we’re together.”

  “So… when are you seeing him again?”

  A smile breaks out across my face. “Tonight. I’m cooking for him, for when he finishes work.”

  “What the hell are you doing here then?”

  “Um… checking in on you.”

  “Have you got everything in the car?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “Bring it in. I want to help.”

  I stare at her. “I’ll remain seated at all times and just give you orders. What are you making?”

  “Moussaka and cheesecake.”

  “Right, well let’s make sure it’s the best damn moussaka and cheesecake that man has ever tasted. You want to get back in his bed, right?”

  My chin drops in shock. “You did not just say that.”

  She gives me an innocent shrug and sips at her teacup like a lady. Lady my ass.

  “I was with your uncle all my life, my dear. Don’t you be thinking we were boring.”

  “Christ, I’m going to get the groceries.”

  I walk out of her house with a wide smile on my face and a new excitement for life that I haven’t felt in a very, very long time.

  With the best moussaka and cheesecake ever made sitting safely in the footwell of my car. I make a quick pit stop at home to shower and dress for tonight.

  I’m standing with one towel around my body and another bundled on top of my head when a knock sounds at my door.

  “Is it safe to come in?” Bailey laughs.

  “Like it would stop you.”

  “Seriously,” she says, poking her head inside and looking around as if he’s going to magically appear, “the last thing I expected to find this morning was a naked man in your bed.”

  I think back to what it felt like having the hot skin of his body pressed up against mine, and my temperature soars. It’s damn good after so long.

  “Trust me when I say I understand.” I let out a sigh as I continue staring ahead. “I don’t know what to wear.”

  “Something easy.”

  “Easy?”

  “Yeah, you’ve snagged the guy now, so while you still want to look sexy, you need to ensure easy access at all times. Don’t make him work harder than necessary to get the goods.”

  “Jesus Christ,” I mutter. “So jeans are out then.”

  “Unless it’s a skirt or dress—panties optional—then yes, it’s out.” She comes to stand beside me. “This?”

  I stare at the dress she pulled out.

  “No, too dressy. We’re just hanging out at his place.”

  “Okay, then… this?”

  “Yeah, actually. That’s perfect.” I take the hanger from her and hold the full-length maxi dress against my body.

  “It’s got a lot of fabric. I’m not sure how easy access that is,” she mutters.

  “Ah, but you’re missing something.” Reaching down, I pull the split in the dress open.

  “Ahhh… see, I was underestimating you,” she laughs, reclaiming her seat on the edge of my bed. “Honestly, I think you could probably turn up in a trash bag and he wouldn’t bat an eyelid. Have you seen the way he looks at you?”

  “Um…” I bite down on my bottom lip. I know how it feels when he looks at me. Chemistry and desire crackle between us, butterflies erupt in my belly, and things I’m not sure I’ve ever felt before happen between my legs. I might be a long way from a virgin after my former years, but no one back then ever turned me on like Corey. That was purely about escape, there was nothing more to it.

  “Well, let me fill in those gaps for you. He wants you, girl, and I don’t mean just out of that dress. He might not want to admit it, but you’ve got that man under your spell.”

  “We’ll see,” I say, taking a seat at my dressing table.

  “You will. And then, you’ll teach me how you did it.”

  “I didn’t do anything, B. I just kinda fell into his lap.”

  She thinks for a few moments. “As if sent from above.”

  “Whatever,” I laugh. “What are your plans for the night?”

  “Going to see the parentals. I was going to invite you before you had a better offer.”

  I smile at the thought of her parents. I haven’t seen them in ages. “Aw, I wish I’d known.”

  “Don’t even pretend you’d have blown off your hot date.” Okay, so she might have a point. “Anyway, you’ll see them at your fundraiser in a few weeks.”

  “They’re still coming?” I ask hopefully.

  “Of course they are. They want to support you and your first big event.”

  “Give them a hug from me.”

  “I will. And, I’ll even gladly fill them in on why you can’t attend. They’ll be thrilled you’re spending a night with a Brit between your legs.”

  “Please don’t say it like that.”

  “Can’t make any promises.” She makes her way to the door as I groan. “Have a good night. Remember, if you can still use your legs in the morning, then he didn’t do it properly.”

  “Have a good night,” I call back, ignoring her comment but blushing at the thought of dragging myself into work in the morning.

  With thirty minutes until Corey is due to finish, I leave the house and head for his studio. I told him I’d meet him at his place once he’d finished, but my impatience has gotten the better of me.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Corey

  Knowing I’m seeing Harlow again after work means my day drags. I used to crave my hours sitting on my stool and working on intricate designs for hours. But as I sit here now, all I want is her.

  It’s really fucking weird.

  I’ve never wanted anything serious with a woman. I joined the army when I was sixteen and knew that would be my life for the following God knew how many years, so I just enjoyed myself. I had a couple of regular girls I’d spend time with but never one I ever made any promises to. Even the one I probably should have never received any.

  I sigh as I think about Carla and what became of her. She was one of my childhood best friends, and guilt eats me that I was a huge part of her downfall. If we didn’t have that drunken night together at fifteen, then things could have turned out very differently.

  I sigh, trying not to be engulfed by my memories and mistakes, when a knock sounds out on my studio door.

  “Hey, man,” Oz says with a beaming smile on his face. I’m just cleaning up for the day and am more than ready to get the hell out of here to meet Harlow.

  “Hey, what’s the grin about? Shit your pants or something?”

  “Nah, man. I’m just happy for you.”

  “For me?” I ask, not having the fucking foggiest as to what’s going on.

  “Yeah. It looks like you’ve got a sweet night ahead of you.”

  “What are you—” It’s in that moment he moves aside and allows me to see through to reception.

/>   “Holy shit.”

  My eyes run over her light make-up and curled hair, and then the fabric of her dress that covers most of her body but reveals one hell of a cleavage and a hint at her curvaceous leg hiding behind the slit.

  She throws her head back and laughs at something JJ says before glancing over to where we are.

  Our eyes lock and something crackles between us. All the air rushes from my lungs as I stare.

  Her lips curl into a wide smile and her hand lifts to tuck her hair behind her ear.

  “Fuck, man. You need to get the hell out of here before I leave you with JJ,” Oz jokes.

  “Keep your fucking hands to yourself, man.” He holds them up in surrender.

  “Oh, you are so fucking whipped. Are your balls even still attached to your body?”

  “Fuck off. Like you can talk. JJ has been wearing yours as earrings for fucking months.”

  He winces as the visual hits him, but he soon shrugs. “It has its benefits.”

  Suddenly all the things I never wanted, the same woman every night, the thoughts of futures and all the serious stuff that comes with it, doesn’t feel quite so intimidating.

  “Right, I’m out of here.”

  “At fucking last.”

  I drop the last few things into my drawer before shouldering past Oz.

  “Here he is,” JJ announces as I fly past her. “Your girl here was just telling me—”

  Her words fade off as I take Harlow’s face in my hands and drop my lips to hers.

  JJ and Oz holler behind us in excitement, but I ignore them. My only focus is on the woman in my arms.

  “This is a nice surprise,” I say, running my nose against hers.

  “I couldn’t wait any longer.”

  “You and me both, baby.” Pulling away from her, I turn to look at my employees who both have giant smiles on their faces. “We’re out of here.”

  “Have a good night.”

  “You wanna drive?” Harlow asks me as we make our way to her car.

  She holds the keys out and I take them from her in favour of getting us back as fast as possible.

  “What is that smell?” I ask when my arse hits the driver’s seat.

  “That’s dinner.”

  “You cooked?”

  “Sure did.”

  “You are aware that I have no dining table or more than one plate, right?”

  “I’ve got it all under control. You don’t need to worry about a thing.”

  I shake my head, wondering how the hell this happened.

  Turns out that having it all planned means that, along with our dinner, Harlow’s car is packed with everything we could possibly need. She’s even got an old fold-away camping table.

  Once we get it all up to my flat, she turns to me and runs her palms up my chest.

  “I missed you today,” The words are out of my mouth before my brain registers them.

  “Yeah?” Her dark eyes light up as a shy smile tugs at her lips. “What happened to Mr. I Don’t Do Tomorrows?”

  “Suddenly tomorrow doesn’t seem so scary,” I say quietly, dropping down so my lips brush against hers.

  “What are you saying exactly?” She tenses in my arms. Her need to put a label on us amuses me.

  “One day at a time, baby. One day at a time.”

  “Okay,” she whispers, nodding and playing with the hair at the nape of my neck.

  Lowering down, I take her lips with mine. She lifts up on her tiptoes and presses the length of her body against mine. A groan rumbles up my throat as her soft curves line up perfectly with my hard lines.

  My fingers twitch to lift her into my arms and carry her to my bedroom. But I resist.

  “You go and shower or whatever, and I’ll get dinner sorted.”

  “You sure you don’t need help?” I ask, finding the slit in her dress and slipping my hand inside.

  “Distracting, you mean.”

  “Same thing,” I say, dropping my lips to her neck and licking her sensitive skin.

  “No, no,” she giggles, squirming against me and making the situation a whole lot worse. “Go.” She slams her palms down on my chest and attempts to push me away. She’s nowhere near strong enough to move me, but after a few seconds, I take pity on her and step back.

  “Okay, okay.” I walk backward down the hall, keeping my eyes on her.

  I reach behind me and pull my shirt over my head, dropping it to the floor before swiftly removing everything else.

  Her eyes watch my every move, taking in the inked skin I reveal.

  “Can I tempt you to join me?”

  Her teeth sink into her bottom lip.

  “Sorry, you’re on your own this time.” With a wink, she turns away and starts pulling things from one of the bags she carried in.

  The temptation to walk back to her and demand she comes with me is high, but after a few seconds of watching her, I turn toward the bedroom and have a very quick, very cold shower.

  “Holy shit, do I live here?” I ask when I walk back into my living area.

  Harlow has set up the table. It’s covered in a cloth and has candles flickering in the center.

  As I look around the rest of the room, I find candles on every surface.

  She stands in the middle of everything she’s done, looking unsure of herself.

  “D-do you like it?”

  I focus on her as she nervously plays with one of the curls around her shoulders.

  I open my mouth to tell her yes, but I find something else coming out. “This place hasn’t felt like a home since the day I picked up the keys. But suddenly, everything feels right.”

  “Yeah?” she asks, a wide smile spreading across her lips.

  “It’s incredible. Thank you.”

  Closing the space between us, I slide my hand into her hair and lower my lips to hers.

  She just opens up for me when the buzzer I didn’t know I had on the oven starts ringing and breaks our moment.

  “I need to get our dinner,” she mutters against my lips when I refuse to let her go.

  “We don’t need dinner. I can eat you instead.” Her cheeks brighten with my words. I fucking love making her blush.

  “As tempting as that is, I’m starved.”

  Releasing her, I watch as she effortlessly moves about in my kitchen.

  “Here,” she says, sliding a bottle of beer my way, proving that she knows I’m watching her.

  “Do you realise that you’re the first person to cook in this kitchen?”

  “I’d hardly call reheating something I made earlier cooking.”

  “It’s more than I’ve done.”

  “How long have you been here exactly?”

  “About two and a half months.”

  “And you’ve not cooked anything?”

  “Guilty.”

  “How are you still alive?”

  Walking over, I wrap my arms around her waist as she plates up the dinner. “I’m not sure you’ve ever heard of them, but there are these things called restaurants,” I whisper in her ear.

  She laughs, moving out of my hold and carrying our plates over to the makeshift table.

  I watch her sitting opposite me as she takes a sip of her own drink before lifting her knife and fork to dig in.

  “What are you waiting for? It’s going to get cold.”

  “Thank you for this.” Dropping a mouthful of her food into my mouth, I can’t help groaning in delight.

  “It’s nothing. I had fun making it all this afternoon. It’s nice having someone beside Bailey to cook for.”

  I can’t help but laugh at the mention of her best friend. “What?”

  “Nothing, just thinking how different you two are.”

  Harlow shrugs. “I told you.”

  “How did you meet?” I ask, desperate to know more about her.

  Her face drops immediately as she casts her eyes to the corner of the room.

  “I-it’s okay, you don’t need to tell me.”

&
nbsp; “No, it’s fine. It’s just weird talking about my life back then.” She thinks for a moment, chewing on a little more of her dinner. “I was fourteen, almost fifteen, when I moved into their house.” My brows draw together, not putting two and two together straight away. “I’d been in some awful foster and group homes up until that point. Living through those after losing my family hadn’t turned me into the nicest of teenagers. But Bailey’s parents never once gave up on me, no matter what drama I brought their way. And Bailey and I struck up an unlikely friendship that’s lasted us all this time.”

  “Oh wow. I thought you were going to say you met at college or something.”

  “It wasn’t quite that simple. Bailey has been through… a lot with me, and just like her parents, she stuck by my side the whole time. I owe her a lot.”

  “Are you saying I need to be nicer to her?”

  “What? Never. She’s a pain in the ass and deserves your banter.”

  I laugh. “Good to know. So you’re still close to her parents then?”

  “Yeah, quite close. My uncle died in service when I was almost eighteen and my aunt came back from where they were posted. I moved in with her. I couldn’t pass up the chance to be with the only family I had left.”

  “Jesus, Harlow.”

  She shrugs like it’s nothing. “It is what it is. If it weren’t for Bailey and my aunt, I don’t think I’d be here now.”

  My chin drops at her admission. “If it helps at all, I’m really fucking glad you are.”

  She looks up at me, her large, dark eyes staring into mine, making my heart beat a little faster in my chest. She might have been the last thing I expected—wanted—to find, but already, I can’t imagine her not being in my life.

  “So what about you? What about your family?”

  “My mum and sisters live in London,” I say, rattling off the easy stuff without second thought. “My sisters are both at university. Mum’s just come back from Germany. She was living with my dad. But he…” I trail off. There are only a couple of people who know about this, and those in this country who know thankfully didn’t need me to tell them, they found out through the family gossip. “He was cheating on her. He left and she was forced out of married quarters and sent home. Only, she didn’t have a home because my dad was everything.”