by Nicole James
“Hey, man, you change that needle out?”
The kid paused and looked over at him. “You talkin’ to me?”
“Yeah, I’m talkin’ to you.”
“Ain’t none of your business.”
“Where are your gloves?”
He paused again. “What is your problem, man? You don’t work here. I’m the tattoo artist, and I know what I’m doing.”
The girl in his chair suddenly looked concerned. “Wait. He’s right. You’re supposed to be wearing gloves, aren’t you?”
He patted her shoulder. “Don’t you worry about it. I know what I’m doing.”
“Apparently not, buddy. Or you’d have changed out that needle for a sterile one or a single use one, and you’d have gloves on. Did you even clean the tattoo area?”
“Look, mister, you need to get the fuck outta here. I don’t need you tellin’ me shit or scaring my customers.”
“Sweetheart,” Liam looked at the girl, “I’m just lookin’ out for you. I work down at Brothers Ink, and I know what I’m talking about. I’m just trying to save you from a bad infection.”
The artist tossed his tattoo machine down on his workstation and stood, charging toward Liam. He pointed toward the door. “I done told you to get the fuck outta here, you son-of-a-bitch!”
Liam stood his ground. “Where’s the owner? ‘Cause it sure as shit ain’t you.”
“He ain’t here. Now get the fuck out!”
“You want to try and make me, pipsqueak?”
The skinny kid shoved Liam, but Liam barely moved an inch.
“Stop it! Please, stop!”
From the corner of his eye, Liam saw two people come out of the back. He felt an arm on his, and he swiveled his head at the sound of the feminine voice he knew right away. He’d been expecting to find her here, but still, her sudden appearance had him freezing in motion, his words deserting him. All he could do was stare at her.
“Please leave.” She would barely meet his eyes.
“You want me to leave, then come outside and talk to me.”
The man who had followed her out of the back spoke. “She’s not going anywhere with you.”
“Shut up, Vano,” Velvet snapped at the man, and Liam couldn’t help noticing the tick in the man’s jaw when she spoke to him that way. She looked like she’d even surprised herself with those words. Liam wondered who this guy was, but the tension in the shop had their emotions charged, and for some reason Vano let it slide. She jerked her gaze back to Liam. “Fine. Come on.”
Liam trailed behind her out the door. The shop sat on the corner, and so she led him around the wall and out of sight of the storefront window.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Liam followed Velvet out the door and around the corner, irritation rolling through him. He ran a hand through his hair, pacing away, and then spinning back to her. In three steps he had her up against the wall. Wide eyes stared up at him. He only held them a moment before his gaze dropped to her lips, and then he was a goner. Christ, he couldn’t help himself.
His mouth descended on hers, capturing her soft lips under his. He felt and heard her quick intake of breath through her nose, and knew he’d taken her by surprise, but he didn’t give a damn.
She recovered quickly, and her palms settled on his chest, but they didn’t push him away. After a moment her mouth softened and opened for him. He took the invitation, and his tongue swept inside. Her head fell back, and her hands slid up to twine around his neck. He crowded her against the wall until her soft breasts pressed against the unrelenting muscle of his chest. Damn, that felt good, but he was a selfish bastard, and he wanted more. His hands landed on her hips, then smoothed up under her soft tank top to the warm skin of her curves, settling at her tiny waist. His grip tightened, and he dragged her pelvis against his, letting her feel the erection that pushed against the placket of his jeans, yearning toward her. He rubbed against her until she was moaning under his mouth, and her hands clutched him tighter to her.
When he finally broke the kiss to breathe, they stared speechless at each other. The need in him welled up, and he fought to tamp it back down.
Recovering first, she glanced toward the door. “Umm…you need to go.”
Was she worried one of those assholes would come outside? He wasn’t. They were the last things on his mind right now. “Why’d you run out on me?”
Her brows arched. “I didn’t run out on you. I merely got dressed and left that morning.”
“Why didn’t you at least say goodbye? We had a connection. We both felt it. We still feel it. So don’t pretend that night was nothing to you.”
She swallowed but didn’t deny it, and Liam was grateful for that at least, but he needed more. He lifted his chin to the shop. “What time do you get out of here tonight?”
Cute little frown lines formed as her brows drew together. “Why?”
He couldn’t resist pressing his mouth softly to them, touching the spot just between her brows. When he pulled back, her face softened. Had no one ever shown her tenderness? “You’re going to meet me tonight.”
She pushed him back a few inches, shaking her head. “No I’m not. I can’t. I—”
“Yes, you can and you are. And we’re gonna talk this out.” He glanced to the side. “Not here on the street, but at my place where we’ve got some privacy.”
“Liam—”
“I live in the apartment above Heinzelmann’s Bakery, down the street from Brothers Ink. It’s the blue door next to the bakery entrance. Can’t miss it. My apartment is top of the stairs.”
“I-I don’t know, I—”
“You don’t show, I’ll turn up here again tomorrow and every day until you do. That the way you want to play this?” He wasn’t about to let her off the hook.
Her defiant little chin came up, and all he could think about was kissing that mouth again. “Don’t boss me around. I don’t like it.”
He grinned. “You’ll get used to it.”
“Used to it?” There was a snap in her voice.
He bumped his nose to hers. “Yeah, I can be bossy, I admit it. But I can also be sweet and attentive and devoted.”
“Devoted?”
“Loving and affectionate and devoted to your every need.”
“My every need?” Her brow arched with her smirk.
He pulled her lower half against him for another slow rub. “Every single one.”
“That’s quite a promise.”
“One I intend to keep. Tonight.” He sealed the promise with a kiss and let her go, leaving her standing open-mouthed. He smiled to himself as he walked back toward Brothers Ink, a new jaunt in his step. He smiled at passersby; the sun seemed brighter, hell, the whole day seemed brighter. Yes, things were definitely looking up.
CHAPTER NINE
Velvet hesitated, her knuckles inches from Liam’s door. Her heart wanted her to go in, but her head told her this was a bad idea—for so many reasons—first and foremost because she hadn’t been honest with Liam. What was she doing? She knew if she let herself get close to him, she wouldn’t be able to resist. And then where would she be? She’d fall for him, and it would be hard and fast, and when she hit bottom and he found out her secrets, what then? He’d hate her. He’d want nothing more to do with her. Would she be able to handle that? Would being with him now be worth the pain that was sure to follow?
He’d been the mark in one of her family’s cons for God’s sake. She knew better than to get involved with him. That was rule number one.
She listed all the reasons being here, standing poised with her hand an inch from his door was a terrible idea. None of that mattered to her heart, though. And in the war between her head and her heart, it was no contest. It never had been and never would be, not where Liam was concerned. She took a deep breath and rapped against the wood.
When Liam opened the door, his eyes swept over her, taking in every inch. As his gaze traveled the length of her body, a tingling flush moved over her
skin, almost as if he were already touching her.
He stood before her in a tight t-shirt, his jeans hanging low on his hips.
Being here, seeing him again and knowing what might happen here tonight—hell, what probably would happen here tonight if she were being completely honest with herself—had her pulse beating rapidly and her breathing accelerating. Then seeing him—all that was him—took the words from her, and she had to lick her lips. “Hello.”
She barely got the word out before he drew her flush against him and claimed her mouth for a kiss. It was hot and passionate, and the way he took what he wanted was totally alpha male, and she loved everything about it, but she knew she had to keep her wits about her if she was going to maneuver this “reunion” with care.
She pushed away, breaking the kiss. “I thought you wanted to talk.”
He pulled her back. “We’ll get to that.”
After a longer, deeper kiss, he lifted her up and carried her down the hall to his bedroom.
Velvet had just barely time to take in a few quick impressions of his place. It was small with a living room that faced the front street on the left, a dining room/kitchen combination on the right, and a hallway in the middle that led to a bedroom. She noticed a flat screen TV and shelving cubes stacked under the windows filled with what might have been record albums. A brown leather couch and rustic wooden coffee table flashed by as he carried her down the hall.
The next thing she knew, her back was to the mattress of a big bed, and he came down on top of her. His weight settled over her, one leg thrown across hers, his upper body supported by his elbows, giving her enough room to breath.
His mouth ate at hers, nipping and licking, his tongue sweeping inside again and again until she was lifting her head to follow his, wanting more every time he retreated.
It was a mating dance as old as time. Her hands slid over his broad shoulders to twine around his neck, pulling him down for more.
His body moved against hers, and she felt the proof of his desire. It rubbed against her thigh, long and hard. Suddenly it was as if no time at all had passed since last they’d been together in his LA hotel room.
He lifted his head and one hand brushed the hair from her face, his eyes tracking the movement of his palm. “I love your hair. It’s so soft and silky.” He threaded his fingers through it, then grabbed a handful, tipping her head back for his kiss.
She loved the control he took and willingly gave it over to him.
His mouth trailed down her neck, his lips pressing soft kisses along her skin.
She exposed her neck further to give him better access. His warm mouth closed over a vulnerable spot and sucked deep, and her eyes fluttered closed as she reveled in the sensation. She knew there’d be a mark there tomorrow, but she didn’t care. She wanted his mark.
A big warm palm closed over her breast and squeezed, and a low moan rumbled up from her throat. His fingers went to the buttons of her shirt, making quick work of them. A second later he’d tugged the cups of her bra down, and her breasts popped free.
“Beautiful,” he murmured, and when he did nothing more, she tipped her head down, her eyes opening. He was motionless, his gaze locked on her chest. Then slowly, his hand moved over her skin, his thumb brushing softly over her nipple. Once, twice, three times.
Velvet’s breath came in soft pants as her nipples tightened into buds of tightly bundled nerve endings. The anticipation of his mouth on them was sweet torture.
Finally, he leaned down, and the flat of his tongue swiped over one red bud. Then he blew, and the sensation had her writhing and thrusting her chest up for more.
“Your nipples are just as responsive as I remember.”
Their eyes met as images of the night they’d spent together flashed between them.
He grinned and lowered his head, giving her what she longed for. His mouth closed over her nipple and tugged deep and long.
Her back arched, thrusting her breast up even farther, and her hands clawed at his sides, wanting the sensation to go on forever.
A jolt of erotic response shot straight to her pussy, and she knew she was drenched for him.
As if he read her mind, his hand moved down her body and his palm cupped her inner thigh, spreading her wide. He slid his thick fingers to the juncture of her thighs where he kneaded and rubbed and teased. All the while, his mouth sucked and licked and nipped, first one nipple, then the other until she was a puddle of need writhing under him.
Suddenly he raised off her and stood at the foot of the bed. He grabbed her knees and yanked her forward until her legs dangled off the mattress. He worked at the fastenings of her jeans and tugged them off her.
She shrugged her blouse off her shoulders and pulled her bra free.
She lay there in just her panties while he tore his shirt over his head.
God, she’d forgotten how gorgeous his bare chest was. She barely had time to take it in before he bent, shoving down his pants and dropping to his knees between her legs.
His hands stroked slowly up her thighs, his gaze on her panty-covered pussy.
She lifted her hand to him, wanting him to come up the bed and fuck her. “Please, baby. I need you.”
He shook his head. “I’ve waited too long for this, angel. I’ve lain awake too many nights remembering the taste of you on my tongue to rush this now.” His eyes bore into hers. “You gonna let me take my time?”
She nodded, eager to please him. Her response came out soft and needy. “Yes, baby.”
“Good girl.”
His fingers curled around the scrap of lace that was all that hid her from his eyes, and he dragged them down her legs.
When she was bare to him, he pressed her thighs wider, making room for those broad shoulders of his as he moved closer. His thumbs brushed over her pussy, and her hips shot off the bed in response.
He dipped and kissed his way up her thighs, her eyes slid closed, and she drowned in the sensations of his beard and tongue tickling their way up her leg. With every soft press of his lips, with every lap of his tongue, she fell a little more for him.
He had a way of teasing and tormenting her body until she’d do anything… give anything to have the release he held just out of reach. God, she couldn’t trust her body, the way it responded to him. He had more control over it than she did.
He paused, his mouth hovering just over her pussy. She trembled, trying not to move an inch, not even daring to breathe.
His hand came up, and he lightly traced her pussy with his thumb. “I’ve waited a long time to taste you again, Velvet. Dreamed about it night after night.”
Her body vibrated until every nerve ending was alive with anticipation.
“Are you going to tease me all night?”
“If you want me to, I will. For hours, baby; just say the word.” His thumbs played until wetness flooded down. He dipped his head and lapped at her, then lifted with a groan. “Goddamn, I’ve never tasted anything so fucking good.”
“I need you so bad.”
“Just relax, baby girl. We’ve got all night.”
What seemed like hours later, her pussy was swollen from his attention and her thighs were tingling from his beard. She was a melted pile of mush, unable to move, her skin slick with sweat and her chest heaving. God, she had no idea orgasms could be like that. No other man had ever been able to draw one after another from her body like Liam did.
“Please, Liam, no more,” she panted.
He slid up the bed, his weight settling on top of her at long last.
He brushed the hair from her forehead and dipped down to kiss her lips. Pulling back, his eyes locked with hers. “You ready for me, beautiful?”
Her breathing was still coming fast, but she smiled up at him. “So wet, so ready.”
His eyes darkened at her words, and his hips lifted. A moment later he thrust inside her. When he was fully seated, he stilled. “My dick’s been hard for you since you walked in the door. Been taking my time, mak
ing this so good for you, but this, babe? This is where I’ve wanted to be again since the morning you walked out that hotel room door.”
Before she could formulate a reply—not that it was easy to form words with all the sensations zinging through her body—his mouth closed over hers, and he began to move, drawing slowly out and thrusting in just as slowly, dragging along every nerve ending, drawing out the sensations as artfully as she remembered. The man was good at this, superb, a damn master at it. He stroked her skin with one hand, moving over her chest and hips while his other cradled her head. He pressed kisses along her temple, her cheekbone, her jaw, and down her neck to eventually climb her breast to her nipple.
Gradually his pace picked up, and his head dipped, his eyes focusing on where their bodies were joined. As he watched, his movements became more urgent. Soon his skin was slick with sweat as his strokes went on and on.
Big hands slipped under her, palms closing over her ass cheeks and tilting her hips up. The new angle had each long stroke rubbing over that very sensitive bundle of nerves inside her while he reached around and brushed his thumb back and forth across her clit.
The combination had her gasping and panting as she chugged closer to the top of the roller coaster that would soon bring her to the precipice and over the edge.
“Oh, yes. Yes,” she moaned. “Right there. Don’t stop.”
“I won’t, Velvet.”
His body slammed into her, again and again, dragging across all those nerves, and the whole while that big calloused thumb of his kept at her clit in slow tight circles until she couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Come for me, sweet Velvet.”
At his soft command, her back arched and she felt her body explode.
As she floated down from ten thousand feet in a long gentle free fall, he shifted, hands grasping her hips. He pounded into her until he too climaxed with a roar.
When his body collapsed down on top of her, she wrapped her arms around him, stroking his back as he breathed heavily from the exertion.
