Throttle Me (Men of Inked) Page 8

  I breathed his air, no room left between us, as he held my body to his. He pulled back and left only a small gap between us, not releasing his hold on me entirely. “I want to taste you.”

  Fuck me. Every bit of my body felt hot and damp. I wanted City more than I had last night. “You do?” No one had ever talked to me like he did.

  “I will.” I could see his eyes change with his words, his pupils fully dilated. “I don’t make false promises.”

  I swallowed hard, unable to stop the barrage of sexy images from invading my thoughts. Why can’t he be a lawyer or something other than a biker tattoo guy? He probably wouldn’t have this effect on me if he was anything other than who he is – City.

  “Stop thinking and dance.” He released his hold on my hair and swung me out, pulling me back against his body with a thump. Christ have mercy on my soul.

  For once in my life, I felt like I could actually dance. The music was slow and sensual and let me move without feeling like an idiot. We touched each other constantly and never lost eye contact.

  The music slowed and everyone began to clap. “For our next song,” the lead singer said.

  “Want another drink, sugar?”

  “Yes, I’m parched.” City had me all kinds of crazy. I felt like I was drooling, but my mouth screamed for something cool and my body needed a break from the foreplay on the dance floor.

  City motioned to the bartender, snapped his fingers, and pointed at me. “Aren’t you getting one?” I asked.

  “Just a water. I’m driving, remember.” I respected him for sticking to his original plan. “Plus, I rather get you a little liquored up. We have an appointment down on that swing.” He pointed in the distance to a dark object.

  “What’s out there?” I asked squinting and trying to get a better look, but the beach was shrouded in darkness except for the glimmer of the moon on the ocean.

  “Darkness.”

  “And?”

  “You. Me. Darkness.” The corner of his mouth tipped up and swear to god his eyes almost twinkled.

  The bartender placed the margarita in front of me and I picked it up, needing a diversion. I ran my tongue along the salt before taking a mouthful of the cool sweet liquid in my mouth. I swallowed fast and the alcohol burned my throat on the way down. I looked at City and he was watching me intently, curiously. I licked the rim again, letting the salt dance on my tongue and saw his chest expand as he breathed in quickly.

  “Keep doing that, sugar, and I won’t let you take another sip.”

  “What? This?” I licked the rim again; keeping my eyes trained on him, and let my tongue drift as far as I could.

  “Fuck,” he muttered, running his hand across his face.

  Two can play a naughty game, City. I may not be the hussy he was used to being with, but I knew how to get a man’s attention.

  Smiling against the glass as I took another sip and looked away, I pretended to be uninterested. The salt tasted good, mixed with the sweet tangy drink as I let the liquid linger on my tongue before swallowing it. My legs felt tingly as the liquor spread throughout my system.

  “Damn,” I said my face becoming flush.

  “What’s wrong?” he raised an eyebrow, cocking his head.

  “Strong drink. Guess the first one never left my system,” I said, tipping it back again and sucked down the last bit of liquid.

  “That’s it. Come on, Suzy. I got something for you to lick.” He grabbed my hand and started to tug me away from the bar.

  “I can’t,” I protested as I set the glass on the bar.

  “Oh yes you can. You said you always follow through, and I’m cashing in on that promise, sugar.” Butterflies filled my stomach with the knowledge that we were not going to be watching the waves. City had plans for me and I couldn’t back out now.

  We reached the last step on the deck and I stopped before my feet hit the sand. “Wait.” My hand fell from his. “My boots. I don’t want them to get ruined.” I tried to give an innocent smile. I really didn’t want to ruin them. They cost me more money than I wanted to admit.

  He grunted and moved closer to me. We were eye to eye, with him flat on the beach and me perched on the step. He didn’t say a word as he reached down and picked me up. I laughed as he pulled me against his chest. “Wrap your arms around me.”

  My laughter stopped as I wrapped my arms around his neck and stared at his face. City was beautiful, his dark features and ice blue eyes that looked clear in the moonlight stole my breath. His jaw had a shadow from the stubble and I ran my fingertips across it remembering the night before. His lips were full and beautiful and screamed to be kissed. His eyebrows were manly, yet neat – no waxing, but he groomed them. His dark hair flopped with each step and I couldn’t help but smile. He was everything I wanted and exactly the type I ran away from.

  City sat down on the swing still holding me in his arms. “Straddle Me,” he growled in my ear as the swing moved back and forth.

  “But people can see us.” I looked around as my heart thumped in my chest.

  “Could you see the swing from up there?” he smirked.

  “No, I couldn’t, but if someone catches us we could get in trouble.”

  “Sugar, we won’t get in trouble and no one’s going to find us. Trust me. Now straddle me.”

  I scanned the deck area and he was right – no one was looking for us or even seemed to notice that there was anyone on the beach.

  “You a regular here, big boy?” I said as I adjusted my body.

  “I only come out here to be alone. You’re the first girl I’ve ever brought here.”

  “Hard to believe that I could be your first in anything.”

  “Sugar, no bullshit. You gonna kiss me or what?” he asked, grabbing my chin.

  “Depends on the what,” I said giggling, as he squeezed my waist, pulling me close, our noses touching.

  “You talk big, little girl. I’m going to get that taste I’ve been looking forward to.”

  Angles

  I couldn’t stop the thought of Suzy moaning on my lap, facing away from me last night as I finger fucked her. She was hesitant at first, nervous someone would see us, as I unzipped her pants enough to slide my fingertips inside. I wiped any thoughts out of her mind with a few strokes of my fingers. I watched her face as she rested her head against my shoulder – I watched her eyes roll back and a small sound escaped her lips. “Quiet, sugar,” I whispered in her ear and she obeyed. Stroking her insides, circling her clit until her body shook and her pussy clamped down on my fingers.

  She didn’t move at first as I withdrew my fingers from her lace panties and brought them to my lips. Wrapping my lips around them as I sucked her juices and she stared at me with an open mouth and wide eyes.

  “Mm. Taste yourself on me.” I bent down and pressed my lips to hers, dragging my tongue across her bottom lip.

  “City.” She moaned in my mouth.

  Reaching up and pulling her face to mine, I crushed my lips to hers.

  “Joey. What the fuck?” Something hit my shoulder and I blinked.

  “What the fuck, Iz.”

  “Your dopey ass has been sitting there in fucking la-la land for ten minutes grinning like a fucking mental patient. Snap. The. Fuck. Out.”

  “Couldn’t just leave me there?” I asked. “And Iz, stop fucking hitting me. You’re the only person that I let get away with that shit. You’re always poking me with those boney ass fingers.”

  “It’s time to eat. Mama’s been calling for everyone to come to the table.” She rolled her eyes at me, before walking away.

  “I’m coming, Ma.” Adjusting my dick in my jeans, my mind had become a little too engrossed in my fantasy and the relief I needed would have to wait. I climbed off the couch and slid my hand in my pocket looking for my phone that vibrated against my dick.

  Suzy: I love your idea of or what.

  Based on her message I could tell I wasn’t the only one thinking about our time on the beach
.

  “Iz, what the hell do you call the what, where, when, why, and how in English?” she looked at me confused as I sat down at the table.

  “Trying to impress the teacher?” she giggled.

  “Just answer the question, please.” I sighed and stared at her, placing the phone on the table.

  “What teacher?” Ma asked.

  “Iz, what’s it called? Throw me a bone.”

  “Interrogatives.” My sister rolled her eyes before turning to face our mother. “He’s stuppin’ a teacher, Ma.”

  “Isabella! That’s not appropriate at the dinner table.” My mom set the lasagna on the table. “I want details, Joseph.” Ma winked at me.

  Me: Wait until you feel the rest of my interrogatives.

  I placed the phone on the table and looked around the room. Everyone had their eyes glued on me instead of the meal as they usually were. “What?”

  “You’re smiling as you type – who is she, Joseph?” Ma said as she dished out the first steaming slice of heaven to my father.

  “Just a woman, Ma.” I held up my plate as I waited to be served. My mother was traditional in many ways, refusing to let us serve ourselves. She was the one to dish out the food and to sit last.

  She held the lasagna over my plate. “I’ve never seen you like this. You want your piece, baby? You hungry?”

  “Hell yes.” I licked my lips and moved my plate closer to the piece hovering just out of reach.

  “Then you’re going to tell me about her, yes? No information means no food.” She held the slice of lasagna to her nose and inhaled it. “Mm, it would be a shame for you to miss out on this meal.”

  I sighed. Women – the root of the evil in this world – if pussy wasn’t so fucking perfect I’d swear them off for eternity.

  “Fine, Ma. I’ll tell you about her after we eat. Can I please have a piece now?”

  “Sure, baby. You can help me wash the dishes and tell me all about her.”

  Fuck. “You’re an asshole, Iz.” Throwing me under the bus with my mother had been a skill and kept the heat off her. “What about Tommy? Still seeing him?”

  “Bella, you better not still be seeing that man. He’s nothing but trouble.” My mother chastised her. Iz glared at me across the table. Served her little gossipy ass right for airing my shit at the dinner table.

  The conversation turned to sports and football as it always did on Sunday. My grilling was soon forgotten as my brothers and Dad stuffed their faces and rubbed their stomachs. I finished my lasagna, wiping my plate clean with a piece of garlic bread, before picking up my phone again.

  Suzy: WTF. I teach Math - no clue what an interrogative is. Hello – I don’t get your angle.

  Me: At the end of my linear path I have a point for you.

  Did that makes sense or did I just make a complete ass of myself? Fuck. This girl had me all fucked up. My parents always wanted their children to ‘settle down’ and make babies, but I’ve always been more interested in perfecting my skills and not wanting to get tied down, at least not after Joni. We didn’t marry young and follow their path in life and I think my parents were secretly proud of us for waiting. They were happily married and have been for over forty years and tied the knot right out of high school. Times were different.

  Suzy: Ooo, you know just the right things to say to a girl.

  Me: Tuesday night = (dinner) + my linear path + your diameter

  “Joey, grab your plate. We have a date with a sink and some dishes,” Ma said from behind me. I looked up at her and saw her smiling and reading over my shoulder. Fuck.

  Suzy: No can do – grad classes. I’ll take a rain check.

  I turned off my screen and placed it in my pocket. Nothing was secret or sacred in this fucking house.

  “Everybody bring your plates in the kitchen. Come on. Clear off the table,” Ma said. The room filled with grumbles, but we all knew the drill. Thirty years later we didn’t need to be told what our roles were in this family. My father was the figurehead, my mother told everyone what to do and we did as told without giving lip.

  Ma waited for me by the sink as I set my plate on the counter. “Did you find someone?” She was beaming.

  “I just met her, Ma,” I shooed her to the side so I could start tackling the dishes.

  She threw the dishrag over her shoulder and eyed me. “Baby, the heart knows what the heart wants. Your sister told me you’ve been acting differently. It’s written all over your face. Sometimes fate steps in and throws you off the course we’ve set in life.”

  “Don’t go crocheting baby blankets yet, Ma.”

  She placed her hand on my shoulder as I scrubbed and avoided eye contact. “Joseph, I know the man you are. I know you’re guarded with your heart after Joni, but you have to open again sometime. You need to find someone to trust in life. Is this girl worthy of that trust? Is she worth the risk?”

  “Ma, I barely know the chick.”

  “Tsk, tsk. Someone doth protest too much.” She kissed my cheek, ruffling my hair. That shit made me crazy, but with my hands full of soap I had no other option but to let her do as she wished.

  “I can see you’re not going to stop. She seems like a good person. She’s different, Ma. She seems genuine, but I’m not rushing into anything.”

  “What about her? Is she madly in love with my baby boy?”

  “Ma,” I should hate her calling me her baby boy, but my mother could call me anything in the world. I adored the woman. “She isn’t jumping on the Joey train. I don’t think she really wants to see me.”

  “What? Why not?” she leaned against the counter, crossing her arms. “You’re perfect.”

  “That’s cause I’m your kid. I’m hardly perfect, Ma,” I cleaned the last dish and placed it in the rack to dry. “You don’t really know everything about me, no matter what you think.”

  “I know more than you think, sweetheart. Iz has loose lips, you know.” I could beat my little sister’s ass. I’m sure she doesn’t tell my ma about all her love affairs. “I know you’re quite the ladies’ man. I’m not judging you, Joey. You never bring any girls around, but I know you.”

  Fucking Iz. “When and if I find the one, Ma, you’ll be the first to know.” I kissed her cheek and her radiant smile lit up the room. “Suzy sees me as a tattoo artist that rides a motorcycle and hangs out in shit hole bars. I don’t exactly rank up there on her boyfriend material checklist.”

  “I kinda like this girl already,” she giggled. I loved hearing the sound of her laughter. “She doesn’t know everything about you and our family?” she raised her eyebrow.

  “No, I don’t tell anyone about us, Ma.”

  “Checklists are made to be changed. She needs to know the Joey I do. Are you going to ask her out? Makes her yours?” she asked.

  “That’s what I was trying to do at the table, but she has class.”

  “Ah, a smart girl too. Joey, don’t ask a girl out through text message. That’s what’s wrong with you kids today. She needs to hear your voice when you ask. Texting is too impersonal and I’ll never understand it. Call the girl.”

  “I will. I’ll call her later. Happy?”

  My ma wrapped her arms around me and said, “Very.”

  Broken Rules

  I couldn’t get him out of my mind and it had been less than twenty-four hours since he dropped me off with a soul-stealing kiss. His cocky smile, his muscles, the way he touched me, stayed with me long after he left. No one had made me want to break a rule more than he did. No matter how hard I tried to concentrate on my lesson plans for the upcoming quarter, my mind drifted to him.

  Trying to quiet my brain I flipped on “Catfish” as I crawled in bed. It had been my guilty pleasure since this show began. I loved watching the train wreck and the broken hearts of those that thought they fell in love with someone only to find out that they weren’t who they pretended to be.

  I used to tease Sophia and Kayden, my old roommates, mercilessly about how different
their little tryst in New Orleans could’ve turned out. Their situation was different; they had mutual friends and had checked each other out, so they felt it was a sure thing.

  On paper Kayden and Sophia didn’t work – it wasn’t a match made in heaven, but their love was undeniable. It was electric. Sophia followed her heart and his pull was inescapable for her. She fell for him hook, line and sinker. I never understood it until I got to know Kayden. He wasn’t anything like I thought – his heart was pure, but his path in life had been different than mine. I’d never believe Sophia would find a guy without a college education and a criminal record to fall in love with, but they’re the happiest couple I know and I want that kind of love.

  My checklist had been realistic in theory, but City had me questioning my method and requirements. I’d dated men that fit on paper but the chemistry lacked. City was just so City. I was approaching the end of my twenties, sitting in bed, eating bon bons, and watching “Catfish” alone.

  I am happy, aren’t I?

  My phone began to move across my nightstand. I popped the last morsel of chocolaty goodness in my mouth, “Herlo?”

  “Hey, Suzette.” The vibration of his voice through the phone made my heart skip a beat as I swallowed the chocolate slowly. Damn, why did I have to eat that last piece before I answered? Herlo? I sounded like I had a speech problem.

  “Oh, hey. How are you?” I grabbed the water on my nightstand and washed down the last bit of candy.

  “I’m well, sugar. Whatcha doin’?” I heard rustling in the background. Were those his sheets? Was he naked?

  “Just watching television and I’m about to go to sleep, you?” I wiped the chocolate from my lips and licked my finger. These little bitches are so damn tasty.

  “Just laid down too. What are you wearing?” he asked in a smooth and deep timbre.

  Omg, he didn’t just ask me that. Looking down I had my ratty go to clothes when I lounged around the house. “Um, a tank top and flannel pajama pants.”