Brothers Ink Tattoo (Complete Box Set #1-4)

by Nicole James

He grabbed her arm and pulled her close. “Don’t say that.”

  She pushed him back. “I have to go.”

  “Wait. Please? I’m sorry I didn’t give you a chance to explain. I’m sorry about all of it. Can we go somewhere and talk?”

  He sounded so sincere and sweet. She gazed off in the distance, and suddenly everything came crashing down on her. She felt her eyes sting and flood with tears, and she couldn’t stop herself from breaking down in front of him. Her hand clasped tightly over her mouth to keep the sobs that shook her body from escaping.

  He frowned down at her, completely stunned. “What is it?”

  She shook her head and tried to push past him, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back, then drew her into the alcove of a doorway.

  He cupped her face. “Velvet, tell me what’s wrong.”

  She stared up at him, her body trembling and finally confessed. “I’m in trouble, Liam.”

  “What kind of trouble?”

  “The FBI is after Vano, and they’re using me to get to him.”

  “What? How?”

  “It’s a long story.”

  “I’ve got all the time in the world, Velvet. Talk to me.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t. I’ve been gone too long.”

  “Walk down the street with me. We’ll get in my truck and drive somewhere. You’re not going back to that damn shop. No way in hell.”

  “Liam, but…”

  “Come on.” He took her arm and led her quickly down a back street, over two blocks, and came up behind Brothers Ink. His truck was parked in the alley. He jerked the passenger door open. “Get in.”

  “Liam—”

  “Get in.”

  She quickly scooted in, and he jogged around and got in the driver’s seat.

  “Where are we going?”

  He twisted in the seat, his hand gripping her headrest, and stared intently into her eyes. “Do you trust me?”

  She did, with all her heart. “Yes, but—”

  “We’re going to go somewhere and talk, somewhere away from here. And I promise you we’re going to figure this all out together. Okay?”

  Relief flooded through her body. Someone was going to help her; not just someone—Liam, the most important man in her life. “Okay. But where?”

  “We once talked about camping, remember?” Liam looked over at Velvet as he turned the ignition and put the truck in reverse.

  “Camping?”

  “Yeah. How about it?”

  “Now?”

  He nodded. “I’ll stop by the farm and grab a tent and sleeping bags. We’ll be away from everything and everyone for the night.”

  That sounded wonderful to her. She needed that more than he could possibly know. It would just be one night, and she could deal with Vano, his scary cohorts, and the FBI tomorrow. She did want to get away, and right now letting Liam take care of everything sounded so tempting. Maybe they could work everything out, maybe she could relax and give her frayed nerves a rest, maybe she could even get some sleep. If there was one person on this earth right now that could make her feel safe, it was this man. “All right, yes. Let’s do it.”

  He brushed his thumb over her lips. Then he jerked his chin. “Buckle up, baby.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Velvet sat on a blanket on the ground, looking out over the lights of Grand Junction shimmering in the distance. The early evening sky was a hazy purple and a big yellow moon hung low across the valley. The view was amazing with the entire valley spread out before them.

  “It’s stunning. How did you find this place?”

  Liam had put up the small tent and built a fire. He sat next to her, unscrewed the cap on a pint of Fireball, and passed it over. “My brothers and I grew up around here. We’ve been coming up here camping and hiking for years. I know all the best spots.”

  She took the bottle eagerly and tipped it up. The flavor of Red Hots filled her mouth. It went down smooth and warmed her belly. She took a deep breath of the fresh mountain air and tried to relax. A couple more sips, and she felt her tight muscles loosen up. She rolled her head in an attempt to relieve the tension in her shoulders.

  Liam cupped her shoulders and began kneading and massaging. She dropped her head, letting him work his magic. “God, that feels so good.” He continued for a long while, until finally she felt the need to remind him why they’d come up here. “You wanted to talk?”

  “Yeah, I did.” His hands paused for a moment, and then resumed their ministrations. “Velvet, that night at the photo shoot… I overreacted. I should have listened to you; I should have given you the benefit of the doubt. I’m sorry I didn’t.”

  She put her hand over his, stilling his movements. “I understand why you did what you did. I should have told you right from the beginning. It’s all my fault.”

  He pulled her around to face him. “That’s not true. We should have talked it out. I just flew off the handle. I regretted it almost immediately, but at the same time I wasn’t sure if you were playing me for some reason.”

  “I wasn’t, I swear to you.”

  He nodded. “None of it made sense. I’d come on to you, not the other way around, so how would you be setting me up for another con? Then when I read that article I felt like a complete jerk. I’d been so cruel to you. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s all right. I understand.”

  “You forgive me?”

  “Of course, if you can forgive me.”

  “Can we start over?”

  She flew into his arms, hugging him tight. “Yes. Oh, God, yes. I’ve missed you so much.”

  “Me, too, baby.” He buried his face in her neck and held her for a long time before finally pulling her arms from around his neck. He looked down at her, his hand coming up to cup her face. “I don’t want you to be afraid to talk to me. I want you to feel like you can tell me anything.”

  “I want that, too.”

  “If we’re in this, we’re in this together, okay?”

  Her eyes filled with happy tears, and she smiled up at him. “Okay.”

  He brushed the wetness from her cheeks. “So tell me about the trouble you’re in.”

  Shame flooded through her. “I hate that I’m dragging you into this.”

  “Hey.”

  She lifted her head to look into his warm brown eyes.

  “I want to be the one you tell your problems to, the one you run to, the one you trust emphatically. I want to be it for you, Velvet, your everything.”

  “What are you saying?”

  He took a breath and his brows rose. “I want to be your husband, the father of your children, and the only man you’ll ever need for the rest of your life, if you’ll have me. Does that spell it out enough, baby?”

  “Oh, Liam.”

  “I love you, Velvet. I have since the moment you knocked on my door.”

  “I love you, too, Liam. I think I fell in love with you when I was fifteen. You were so sweet to me that day, like no one had ever been to me before.”

  He smiled. “Okay, then. We’re going to figure this shit out, and then we’re going to move on with our lives, and I promise you, baby, I’m going to give you the life you always wanted and make sure all those dreams you have come true.”

  She searched his eyes. “I know you will, because that’s the kind of man you are. My instincts were right about you from that first day I walked into Brothers Ink. I believe in you, Liam. I always have.”

  “I’m going to make sure you don’t ever regret it.” He dipped his head and kissed her long and deep. It was a kiss full of love and emotion. When he pulled back he pressed his forehead to hers. “Now tell me everything and we’ll figure it out together.”

  She gazed off at the city lights. “My brother was sent to prison a few years ago. He got out sometime last year.”

  Liam nodded. “Yeah, that’s about when House of Crap popped up in town.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know why he picked Grand Junction to s
et up shop, especially with you guys as competition. It never made sense to me, but maybe there’s another connection that brought him here, maybe one of those other guys—”

  “Guys? What other guys?”

  “He’s got two men hanging around the shop. They’re both ex-cons he met while he was in prison. I don’t know much about them except they scare the hell out of me.”

  Liam’s brows shot up. “Why didn’t you tell me?” He surged to his feet. “Shit, Velvet, that settles it; there’s no way in hell you’re going back there.”

  She touched his jean-clad calf. “Liam, I’ve got to, the FBI—”

  “Babe—”

  “Please, sit down. Let me finish.”

  He complied and raked his hand through his hair impatiently. “Yeah, okay. Finish.”

  “Vano’s been running cons since he was a teenager, but they were always small time.” She shook her head, looking at the horizon, hating to admit this part but knowing she had to. She was determined never to hide anything from Liam again. She blew out a deep breath and met his eyes. “I overheard something at the shop and discovered he’s been running a phone scam on senior citizens, conning them out of money. They’ve been sending it to him through the mail. A couple of days ago I went to the post office to get it from the box he keeps there. The FBI took me into custody on mail fraud charges.”

  “What? Are you serious?”

  She nodded. “The penalty is up to twenty years in prison. The agent in charge presented me with a deal: total immunity if I cooperated and helped them get evidence against my brother and the others.”

  “Jesus Christ.”

  “There’s more. When I bumped into you today, I’d just met the FBI agent at the diner around the corner.”

  Liam’s eyes were intently focused on her. “And?”

  “He told me Vano has multiple bank accounts for House of Ink and way more money is going through them than even what Vano’s con is pulling in through the mail. A couple of days ago, they had me plant some bugs around the place and—“

  “What?”

  “It was part of the deal. He told me today they overheard some kind of shipment was coming in tomorrow, but they couldn’t hear what it was. He wants me to try to find out.”

  “You? Are you kidding me?”

  “They suspect drugs, possibly cocaine or heroin.”

  “Let me get this straight. The FBI thinks your brother is laundering drug money through his tattoo shop?”

  “That’s what Agent Sanders said.”

  “This just keeps getting better.”

  “I know my brother’s done some bad shit, but he’s never been involved with dealing drugs. Liam, no one knows my brother like I do, and maybe Vano’s been a scammer all his life, but he’s never been involved with drugs. He’s always been a small time con man.” She shook her head. “It just doesn’t make sense.”

  Liam frowned. “Maybe he’s gotten in over his head with these guys and can’t see a way out.”

  She nodded. “Yes, maybe.”

  “Velvet if you go sticking your nose in these guys’ business, who knows what they’ll do if they catch you snooping around. You have to see the danger that puts you in.”

  “I know. I don’t want to do it; I don’t want to be involved with any of this, but what choice do I have?”

  “Babe, there is no way in hell I’m letting you do this.”

  “I have to. If I don’t, the immunity deal goes away. They caught me red handed, Liam. I opened the PO Box with the key and took the mail out. The payments Vano had scammed those people out of were in those envelopes. I’m looking at twenty years.”

  “Oh my God.” Liam surged to his feet and began pacing. He dragged his palms down his face. “I’m gonna kill that son-of-a-bitch, Velvet. I mean it. I lay eyes on him again, he’s dead.”

  “Liam—”

  He whirled on her. “You better pray the FBI get him first.”

  She went to him, putting her hands on his chest. “Please, Liam, I don’t want you to get involved. I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you or if you did something that got you arrested, too.”

  “Baby, if you think I’m going to stand by and do nothing, you don’t know me at all. They want to mess with the O’Rourke’s, they’re going to find out we don’t play by the rules. Not when it comes to people we love.”

  She turned away and buried her face in her hands. “I’m so sorry I dragged you into all this. It was the last thing I wanted to do, but I feel like I’m trapped and there’s no way out.”

  Liam stepped before her and pulled her hands away. When she wouldn’t look at him, he tipped her face up with a finger under her chin. “We’re in this together now, Velvet. Understand?”

  She nodded. “Okay.”

  He searched her eyes a long time. “I think I’ve got a plan.”

  “You do? What?”

  “We sneak in the shop after closing, and we tear the place apart. If that doesn’t work I’ll follow those guys and see where they go.”

  “We.”

  “Baby, I don’t want you anywhere near them.”

  “You just said we were in this together.”

  “I don’t want you hurt. I don’t want you within a hundred miles of dangerous men like these. That’s final.”

  She saw the hard determination in his face. He meant every word. She loved that about him. She’d never in her life had a man that wanted to protect her and keep her safe like he did. The love she felt for him bubbled up and overwhelmed her. She cupped his face with her hands. “Liam?”

  “I’m serious, Velvet.”

  “I know. But, Liam?”

  He visibly relaxed at her acceptance of his declaration. “Yeah, baby?”

  “Can we talk about it in the morning?” She dragged her thumb slowly across his bottom lip, hoping he’d take the hint. His eyes dropped to her mouth, and something shifted in his demeanor. His big hands closed over her hips, bringing her flush against him.

  “Absolutely,” he murmured as his mouth came down on hers.

  ***

  Liam took her hand and led her into the tent. There wasn’t a lot of room, so they both stripped, and he lay on the sleeping bags, grabbing her and pulling her on top.

  He played with her clit until she was wet, then he grasped her waist and lifted her, lowering her pussy onto his erection, slowly penetrating her silky softness. She moved on him, taking him farther inside, inch by inch, and the feeling was incredible.

  His hands tightened, holding her in place as he watched her pussy stretch around him. “Christ, I love watching you take me.”

  She rocked up and down, undulating against him.

  He lay back, content to watch this sexy-as-hell show she didn’t even realize she was putting on for him. Fuck, it was sheer torture watching her work her body against his, seeking out her orgasm.

  “Oh, God, Liam,” she breathed and began moving faster and faster. “I can’t…”

  “Keep going, baby.” He thrust his hips up and grabbed both her bouncing breasts in his hands, squeezing them and pinching her nipples.

  She looked down at him with half-lidded eyes, her mouth open and panting.

  “Jesus, sweetness, you are so gorgeous.”

  He dipped a hand, his thumb moving circles over her clit, and she clenched down on his cock, driving him fucking crazy. He couldn’t last much longer. Her pussy was squeezing him so tight, and the sight of her bouncing on his dick sent him over the edge. He gripped her hips tight and pounded into her.

  Velvet arched her back and tensed her body as she came on him.

  It was a beautiful thing to watch. The vulnerability written on her face called out to him, and he came hard, his hips lifting off the ground.

  She collapsed on top of him, and his arms went around her, catching her to his chest and letting her know he’d always be there.

  “Liam.” She sank down over him like a deflated soufflé.

  There was so much in that one wo
rd and in the way she melted against him. She was giving in to the safety of his arms; she was giving everything over to him, all the problems, all the worries, and she was trusting in him. He knew in that moment everything would be fine.

  For the longest time, she didn’t move. He’d lie there and hold her as long as she wanted.

  Finally, when her body stopped pulsing around his dick, he rolled her to her back and leaned over her, giving little licks to her nipples until he’d drawn every last shudder from her.

  Liam tenderly brushed her hair from her face and traced his fingertip over her temple, cheek, and down her delicate jaw. “I didn’t know it was possible, but you look even more beautiful.”

  She turned sleepy eyes to him, but even then, he could see the worry descending over her.

  He searched her eyes and ran his thumb over the furrows in her forehead. “I don’t want you to worry about anything, baby. Okay?”

  She stroked his bearded face. “I’m starting to believe that maybe there is a way out of all of this, Liam.”

  “There is, Velvet, and we’re going to find it. I promise.” He kissed her forehead. “You’re safe, baby. Get some sleep.”

  Her eyes slid closed, and she slept for the first time in week.

  ***

  Skin’s head snapped around to Weasel. “Where is she?”

  “I’m pulling up the app; give me a second, will ya?”

  The tattoo shop was closed and the shades drawn. Cooter and Finn had gone home ten minutes ago. Skin’s gaze swiveled back to where Vano stood by the register. “I told you to keep a close eye on her, goddamn it.”

  “She left this afternoon to run to the store. Said she was on the rag and had to get some tampons. What was I supposed to do, tell her no? Go fuckin’ get ‘em myself, for Christ’s sake?”

  “And now your fucking key’s missing; you think that’s a coincidence? You’re such a fucking moron.” He paced, lighting a cigarette.

  “Maybe she’s home now,” Vano suggested.

  Skin jabbed the index finger of the hand that held the burning cigarette in Vano’s direction. “You think I didn’t just come from there? You think I’m stupid. Ain’t nobody there. Ain’t nobody been there either.”