[Men of Inked 01.0 - 03.0] Boxed Set Read online

  “They look that bad?” he said in my ear. His low tone made my exhausted body buzz again.

  “They’re kinda scary, City. They remind me of criminals,” I whispered.

  He laughed. “Funny shit, sugar. They look scarier than they are.” He nuzzled into my shoulder, burying his face in my hair. “I don’t hang out with all those guys. Many of them are customers—some of them are my best clients. I stop there on the way home sometimes for a drink. Some of them are friendly and, well, some you’ve seen are assholes.”

  “You can say that again.”

  His body shook and I felt the vibration from his silent laughter. “I spend more time with my family than with those douchebags at the bar.” He brushed the hair off my cheek and ran his fingers down my throat before he rested his palm on my chest. I felt exposed. “Are you cold?” he asked as I shivered.

  “A bit,” I lied. I wanted to cover my body.

  “Did you want to leave?” He yawned.

  “Um, I’m sure you’re tired. I can stay if you want. It’s up to you.” I didn’t want to leave this hot, hunky man and go home to my empty bed. Don’t kick me out like a piece of trash.

  He grabbed the blankets and covered our bodies. Yes! Inside I was doing cartwheels and screaming with excitement. He pulled me against his side and wrapped me in his arms. His body felt hard and comfortable. I rested my forehead against his jaw and could hear his heart beating in his chest. The sheets were the softest cotton I had ever felt—not really what I had expected. I thought he’d be more of a flannel guy, or those scratchy sheets you find in hotels.

  “Comfortable?” he asked with a long, content exhale.

  “Very.” I hadn’t slept in the arms of a man in years. Usually I didn’t fit just right, or they were so bony that my head hurt resting against their body, but City was built to sleep on. He was built for anything that involved two bodies.

  I didn’t quite know where to rest my hand. Did I put it on his chest or leave it at my side? Sophia wasn’t going to believe this story when I tell her. She knew me as the good girl that lived in my controlled environment, unable or unwilling to move, but City was like a tsunami that started slowly and built into a giant wrecking ball of sin.

  “Hand, babe.”

  “What?” I mumbled against his chest.

  “Gimme your hand.”

  I moved my hand from my thigh and held it out to him, trying not to touch his skin. Grasping it, he placed my palm on his rock-hard chest, and put his hand on top. “Perfect,” he said.

  I didn’t have any grand illusions, and I wasn’t delusional. I knew I’d only have this night with City. We weren’t meant to be—he wasn’t what I was looking for. He wasn’t the type of guy that was part of my master plan. I’d just lie here and enjoy the night in his arms.

  I listened as his breathing slowed and changed. His hand twitched against mine as he squeezed my fingers and drifted into a deeper sleep. I felt exhausted, but I almost didn’t want to sleep. I didn’t want to miss a minute of staring at his body.

  Thoughts flooded my mind while I listened to his deep breaths. I wanted to see him again, but would it be a waste of time? Did I want to go down a dead-end street and become attached to him? I knew I could fall for him. Even though I wanted to find someone to spend my life with and have that great happily ever after, I didn’t open my heart to just anyone. Heartache was something I avoided at all costs. There wasn’t a need to risk my heart if the certain outcome would be disastrous. The war of words continued in my head for a few minutes, until I finally decided to enjoy the moment and worry about the rest tomorrow.

  ***

  The sound of metal clinking woke me, and I sat up in a panic. I thought someone had broken in while I slept. Looking around the room, I realized I wasn’t in my bedroom. Last night hadn’t been a dream. Reaching over, I felt the sheet where he had lain, and it was cold to the touch. Sunlight streamed through the sheer white drapes and bounced off the walls, amplifying the light. The room was tidy, except for our clothing from last night strewn about the floor.

  My body ached as I stretched, trying to relieve the pain from my muscles being over used the night before. I needed something to wear and had to find a bathroom. I tiptoed out of bed and wrapped the sheet around my body to keep the cold at bay. A flannel shirt hung on the back of his door, and I grabbed it and held it up to my face, burying it in the soft material. The hint of cologne and the muskiness of his skin made my pussy clench. I dropped the sheet, wrapped the flannel around my body, and rubbed my cheek against the wrist cuff. I felt surrounded by City.

  Walking to the door that I thought was the bathroom, I opened it and found his closet. Fuck. It was filled with t-shirts, jeans, and hoodies. I studied the contents, running my hand over the soft materials as they hung, before I closed the door. There were only two doors in his room, and neither of them led to a bathroom.

  My reflection in the mirror hanging on the back of the door made me cringe. My blonde hair was in tangles and looked a mess, and my eyes looked tired from the night in his bed. A messy ponytail helped to tame my mane, making me feel presentable. Good enough. Opening the door, I peered into the hallway before tiptoeing into the hall. A loud, long creak filled the air as I took my first step.

  “You up?” he yelled from the kitchen.

  “Yes,” I said, trying not to sound annoyed. “Be right there.”

  “I’m fixing breakfast. Take your time.” I could hear dishes, cups, and all kinds of movement in the kitchen. I didn’t think I’d ever had anyone besides my mom, Sophia, and Kayden make me breakfast. The smell of bacon and something sweet drifted down the hall and made my stomach grumble.

  An old claw-foot bathtub and white pedestal sink filled the white and black room. He didn’t seem too fond of color, which I found odd, since he described himself as an artist. Everything was clean and sparkling. I could tell that he took pride in his home. I searched his bathroom, looking for an extra toothbrush, but tried not to make noise. A knock sounded at the door and I jumped, knocking over some bottles under the sink and smacking my head against something hard. “Shit,” I said as I rubbed my head.

  “You okay? Did you need something?”

  “I’m fine.” So not fine. He caught me snooping and probably heard the bang from my head. “I wanted a toothbrush, do you have a spare?” I put my head in my hand, feeling like a fool but thankful that he didn’t witness the event.

  “There’s an extra one in the medicine cabinet. Help yourself.” I could hear his footsteps quiet as he walked away.

  My face was still red as I left the bathroom and walked into the kitchen, trying to avoid City’s eyes.

  “Eggs, pancakes, and bacon okay?”

  He looked amazing. He wore a pair of black track pants and a smile.

  My stomach rumbled over seeing all the food he had prepared. “Did you cook for an army?” I asked.

  “Didn’t know what you liked, so I made a little bit of everything.” He put the spatula on the counter and walked toward me. He was so damn hot. I licked my lips and closed my eyes.

  I could feel his hot breath on my lips, and I smelled his scent. “I’m gonna fuck you, right here, right now. Yes or no?”

  OMG, OMG, OMG, yes, yes, yes!

  I swallowed hard and nodded before I leaned forward.

  “Words, Suzy. Now the answer needs to be ‘yes, fuck me, City’ or ‘no, I don’t want to.’”

  How would I ever say no to this man? I thought about the possibility of never seeing him again, and I wanted one last shot at him.

  “Yes, fuck me, City,” I whispered against his lips.

  His mouth crushed mine and I could taste the coffee and sugar on his tongue. I could only hear our breath as the world around us fell away. His hands trailed up my thighs and cupped my ass. Fuck, this man was pure sin, and I wanted to be his minion.

  He broke the kiss and looked in my eyes. I could hear his breathing, fast and hard. “Hands on the counter,” he said with a
commanding tone. Yes, sir. Gladly.

  I turned my back to him and placed my palms on the edge. He pushed down on my back and lifted my hips. I rested my head on the cold tile and waited. Looking behind me, I watched as he pulled down his pants before palming his shaft. I heard a crinkling noise coming from his pocket. He’d planned this—he had a condom ready to go. Lord, help me with this man. Could I resist him?

  I started to stand up when I heard, “Back down, sugar.” I closed my eyes and followed his command. I felt him stroke my opening, and I sighed. When did I turn into a big ole pile of mush with a guy? He slid inside of me easily; I was slick and ready for him.

  He grabbed my hips, holding me tightly as his hardness worked like a machine inside of me. I gripped the counter and my fingers began to tingle from my death grip. He felt amazing, caressing my insides with the metal piercing. My muscles ached as I stood on my tiptoes. He pounded into me, the sound of our skin slapping filling the air, his grunts ringing in my ears. His grip intensified and became almost painful.

  “Fuck, your pussy is so damn tight,” he growled.

  “I love your cock,” I moaned. That just slipped out—like it was something I said every day.

  “I love being buried in your sweet pussy, sugar.”

  All the dirty words and the feeling of him stroking my depths pushed me over the edge. My body began to shake, and I moaned, “City.”

  I heard a loud crack and my ass began to sting. Did he just slap my ass? The pain began to radiate throughout my body and made my orgasm grow and build. My grip began to slip as my insides clenched against his length. Crack. Fucking hell.

  “Fuck,” he yelled as his stroke became more intense and erratic. I could feel him grow harder inside me as he slammed me against the counter. He rested his head against my back as we both stood there immobile for a moment.

  “You got me all kinds of crazy, Suzy,” he said, breathing heavy.

  “Makes two of us.” I was thankful the tile was cold. My body was covered in moisture and my skin was hot from the pounding I had just taken. He pulled out, and I instantly felt the loss of him. I waited for my feet to uncramp before trying to stagger to a chair. He removed the condom with a quick snap and tossed it in the trash. I swayed to my seat, thankful that it was only a few steps away. He adjusted himself inside his pants and walked to the stove with a devilish grin on his face.

  “Pancake?” His blue eyes stared into mine as he held the pan up, asking permission to slip it on my plate.

  I forgot how hungry I’d felt when I walked in. How did the man just fuck me like a maniac and now he was cooking like Guy Fieri?

  “Yes. I never met a meal I didn’t like.” I silently prayed to God the jitters that filled my stomach would subside long enough to eat the giant meal he’d prepared.

  “I love hearing shit like that. My sister is so fucking picky it makes me batshit crazy.”

  I buttered my pancake and watched him out of the corner of my eye as he grabbed the pan of eggs off the stove. An awkward silence filled the room as I looked at my plate. He’d just had his cock in me as the food sat on the stove, and now what? I wanted to keep the conversation flowing, and figured I’d follow his lead.

  “Just one sister?” I asked.

  “Just the one, but I have three brothers too. Eggs?”

  “Everything,” I said, moving my pancake to make room for the eggs and bacon. “Five kids, wow, your mother must be an amazing woman.”

  “Yeah, I think we caused most of the gray hair on her head, which she now dyes to keep her youthful appearance. We aren’t the traditional Italian family. You have any brothers or sisters?” he asked, plopping the eggs on his plate and then putting the pan back on the stove.

  “A sister, she doesn’t live here. She’s still up north, where we grew up.” I poured the syrup on my single golden pancake before cutting a chunk.

  I envied City. He had a big family and they had a bond that I’d never had with mine. He had something I always wanted.

  “Ah, I can’t imagine only having one. We’re kinda a gang. We do everything together.” He stuffed the eggs in his mouth and grabbed a piece of bacon. “You’ve missed out.”

  I loved that it seemed easy between us; we were comfortable, and he made me feel that way. “I guess so, but I have some friends that I’m closer to than any of my family.” I placed the forkful of buttery goodness in my mouth and let it sit on my tongue a minute before I chewed it. “My mom’s kinda a flake, and my dad works all the time, so I just have my friends.”

  “Damn, that fucking sucks. My family gets together every Sunday for dinner, and it’s usually a bit loud.”

  “Every Sunday?” I saw my parents every week, but sometimes it was only for an hour, and dinners only happened on holidays.

  I tried to go slow, not wanting to eat everything on my plate. I didn’t want to look like a pig, but I was starving.

  “Every Sunday. It’s required, or my parents think something is wrong. Sometimes my grandparents come over and it turns into an all-day affair. Mom usually wakes up early to make the sauce and meatballs. We’re required to be there at one for an early dinner.”

  It sounded nice. I’d never had anything like that in my life—never knew families did that kind of thing, besides in the movies.

  “Hmm, that sounds like fun.” I ate my breakfast and thought about all the family things I’d missed out in my life. My parents seemed too busy to deal with us at times, let alone have me over for dinner every Sunday. I knew they loved my sister and me, but we didn’t have the close-knit family that City had described.

  “It is, but I work with my brothers and sister and sometimes it gets to be too much. So, babe, do I get to take you on a proper date?”

  “Oh, sorry,” I said. “I’d love to go on a date with you. I mean, we already…” I moved my hand around, lost for the right word to describe what we did the night before.

  “Fucked.” He laughed. “I don’t know if I will ever get over your good-girl thing you have going on.”

  “I’m not a good girl, City.” I wasn’t, and I knew it. Good girls didn’t think about the things I did. They didn’t want the things I wanted, and they sure as hell didn’t go home with strangers. “What we did last night wouldn’t have happened if I was a good girl.” I smiled at him.

  “You’re a woman, Suzy. Sex doesn’t make you a bad girl; it makes you human. That shit was explosive last night, and this morning I needed to be in you again. I wouldn’t change a goddamn thing.” He must have sensed I was uncomfortable with the entire conversation. “I don’t think you’re bad. If someone does, then fuck them. I don’t give a shit what anyone thinks about me.”

  “I know. It’s not always so easy.” I wanted to change the subject. “Do you want me to call my friend to pick me up?” I didn’t want to dissect my qualities at the moment.

  “I’ll take you home after you’re done, okay?”

  “Thank you. I have a ton of things to do today.” I had to grade papers—it was the end of the grading period, and grades were due on Monday morning. I had to make lesson plans and pay the bills before the weekend ended. My work never ended, not even on the weekends. Teachers don’t walk out the door on Friday and leave it all behind—we work on the weekends and walk through the door on Monday prepared to teach the budding students not always so interested in learning. I sighed, thinking about all the work I had to do, but I was the only one that could get it done.

  “No problem. I have to get to work by noon, so no rush.”

  I wiped my mouth unable to consume another morsel. “Where do you tattoo?”

  “Inked. Ever hear of it?”

  “I drive by it every day on the way to work, I think.” I remembered seeing the sign, but had never set foot inside. “Looks like a nice place.”

  “Ever been?”

  “Oh, no. I meant from the street. Doesn’t look like the other shops in the area. Yours is pretty. How long have you worked there?”

  “
I don’t think I’ve ever heard it described that way. My sister does all the decorating. We own the shop and opened it about five years ago.”

  Well, maybe he wasn’t the starving artist I thought he was.

  “Why don’t you stop by sometime? I’d love to pop your cherry.” I started choking. “Ink, babe, I’d love to give you your first tattoo.” He laughed.

  I patted my chest and coughed. “Maybe someday I’ll let you. My parents are just anti-tattoo, and I never found anything I’d want to look at for a lifetime. How’d you pick yours?”

  “Each one signifies something in my life.” He pointed to the city skyline on his arm. “This is a reminder of where my family comes from, Chicago. It’s where I grew up, and I go back every summer to visit my friends. It’s part of me in more ways than one.” He laughed and rubbed the tattoo on his arm.

  “And the fish?”

  “Ah, the koi. Well, that one I had my brother, Anthony, do when we opened the shop. It’s a symbol of determination and power to achieve goals. We always talked about opening our own shop, and we’d finally achieved it. Plus, I fucking love the color orange.”

  “Looking at your house, I’d think you loved white.”

  He picked up my plate and laughed. “This place is only temporary. I don’t see a point in splashing color on the walls. I’m surrounded by color all day at work. It’s calming to come home to an empty canvas.” Artists—complex creatures.

  “I understand. My walls are actually white except for one blue wall in my bedroom. I’m not the typical bubblegum-pink girl.”

  He began to clean the kitchen and put the dishes in the dishwasher. His muscles rippled and flexed with each movement. My mouth watered as I remembered what it felt like for him to be above me and in me—I wanted more of him.

  “I’ll finish cleaning up. You go get ready to hit the road, okay?”

  I could get used to being waited on. Mind-blowing sex? Check. Good cook? Check. Sexy as hell? Check. Manly, yet nice? Check. He had all the right qualities and kind of reminded me of Kayden. I didn’t want Kayden, but I wanted someone that cared enough to take care of me.