Fallen Ink

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  Now, though, her brother was all grown up and back home with his wife and child. Adrienne was so damn happy that she could be an aunt in person rather than through video chat, but even the idea of holding Livvy couldn’t really make her smile feel real just then.

  “How you holding up?” Shep asked before kissing the top of her head. His beard was long enough now to tangle in her hair and she pulled away, squinting her eyes at him.

  “I’m fine. We’re going to be fine. We just need to do the things on this list, and then we can open for the day.”

  Shep shook his head. “I don’t think we’re opening today, hon. Tomorrow for sure, but today? I think by the time we get all of this shit off the walls and clean ourselves up, the day will be almost over, and we’ll be too physically and emotionally drained to do much else.”

  “We’ll do a grand re-opening,” Ryan said, holding a stack of buckets with a hose wrapped over his shoulder.

  “You can’t do that three weeks after the first one,” she said quietly, then moved to help him and take some of his load. “Where’s Mace?” She hadn’t seen him since he held her to his side when he’d first shown up. She’d had plans to talk to him today about what…well, she really hadn’t known how that talk would go, but now she was pretty sure it wouldn’t happen this afternoon. Maybe ever. Not with everything going on. Mace had been right, their lives were far too complicated already to add more things that could ruin everything.

  Ryan lifted his head and pointed with his chin. “Getting the rest of the stuff out of his truck.”

  “On it,” Shep said and jogged out of the store toward where Mace had parked. Others had started to come out and help as well, and as much as Adrienne was grateful for that, she also really didn’t want anyone else to see what had happened to her place. She hated that it was so public, and while some people were nice about it, others were giving her looks that were far too pitying for her state of mind.

  And now she was just being whiny, and she hated that. So she rolled her shoulders back and headed out to help Mace unload his truck. He and Ryan had offered to gather everything while she and Shep worked at the store to deal with clients and starting the cleanup with what they had.

  As soon as she held her bucket and sponge in her hand and Mace stood hip-to-hip with her, she let out a breath, staring at the words on her walls that seemed to grow larger and brighter against the cream color of the original paint job with each passing moment.

  Mace leaned down and whispered in her ear, his warm breath sending shivers of sensation down her spine. “You’ve got this, Addi. You’re not alone.”

  Unconsciously, she leaned into him, aware that her brother was staring at her but not truly caring at the moment. To the outside world, she and Mace were friends, and her leaning on him wasn’t unusual. At least, that’s what she hoped.

  “We can do this,” she said. “Because we have to.”

  “You know it, babe. You know it.”

  * * *

  By the time they’d cleaned every inch of the face of her shop as well as part of Teas’d that had been defaced, as well—something she hadn’t realized until they’d gotten a closer look—the five of them were dirty, grubby, and covered in filth and paint. Abby hadn’t backed away when Adrienne had told the other woman they would handle her cleanup. Instead, she’d gotten dirty right next to them and had only just left to pick up her daughter from the sitter’s. Adrienne didn’t know the woman well, but she knew enough to know that her daughter’s father was no longer in the picture, though she didn’t know the whys and hows of it. Only rumors and she wasn’t sure she could trust those.

  Shep had been forced to leave as well because it was his afternoon with Livvy since Shea had to work, and Adrienne had told Ryan to go home, too. Her brother had been right. There was no way they would be able to open for the few short hours left in their long workday, so she’d given in and told herself she wouldn’t cry until she was home alone with some wine and her bathtub.

  Soon, she found herself alone in her shop with just Mace, and though she knew they needed to talk, she couldn’t help but wrap her arms around his middle and bury herself in his hold. She needed her best friend more than anything after a day like this, and he knew it.

  “It’s going to be okay, Addi. Everything looks brand new, and we’ll be back in business tomorrow.” He ran his hand down her back and kissed the top of her head. And though Shep had done the same earlier, there was nothing brotherly about the way Mace held and touched her.

  “It just sucks. I want to wallow for a bit.” She clung to him harder and sighed. “Do you need to pick up Daisy soon?”

  “She’s at school for a couple more hours, then my parents are picking her up. They like being more involved now that they get to see her more often, and Daisy likes the time with them. The routine is settling her because, sometimes, I have no fucking clue what I’m doing.”

  She frowned and looked up at him. “You’re doing pretty good, Mace. You’re going from a weekend a month to full-time, and putting your all into it. And you’re letting your family help. I know those sisters of yours would be down here in a minute if you asked them to come.”

  Mace had two sisters who lived up in Denver. They had already come down the weekend before to hang out with Daisy, but they worked long hours and couldn’t make the hour-long drive every night, though she knew they wanted to.

  “You’re pretty smart. Did you know that?”

  She batted her eyes. “Of course, I know that.”

  He grinned then surprised the hell out of her by lowering his mouth to hers and kissing her. His tongue swept along the seam of her lips, and she opened for him, craving him more than she ever thought possible.

  “The door locked?” he asked, his voice rough. His hands cupped her face, and she had to blink slowly so she could catch up with his words.

  “Yes?”

  “Was that an answer, or a question?” he teased before biting down on her lower lip.

  She sucked in a breath and pulled away, though she still kept her hands on him. “The front door is locked, and we have the shades down, but what exactly is it that you’re asking?”

  “I’m not really asking anything. But I’m thinking about taking you into that storage closet back there and having my way with you so you get your mind off all the shit going on right now.” He kissed her again. “That’s what friends are for, Addi. And that’s what I am, no matter what else happens with us, I’m your friend.”

  She swallowed hard, not knowing what to say to that, so she kissed his jaw so he’d lower his head and allow her to take his lips. When he gripped her ass and lifted her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist, she knew they might be making a mistake once again, but she couldn’t help her need for him.

  She didn’t know what would come next when it came to Mace Knight, but she honestly couldn’t stop herself from needing him.

  Not any longer.

  No matter the cost.

  Chapter 6

  Mace set Adrienne down on a stack of boxes in the storage room so he could close the door behind them. They were the only two left in the shop, and though the front door might be locked, Shep had a key. Having the man walk in on what Mace was about to do to his sister wouldn’t be the best thing for Mace’s health.

  “Shirt off,” he ordered, tugging it over her head.

  “We’re covered in paint and dirt and who knows what else. This is probably like the worst time to be getting each other off.”

  He lowered his head, kissing that sweet mouth of hers. “So I’ll suck your nipples and your cunt, then I’ll fuck you hard. No need to lick anything that has paint on it.”

  She raised her brow but reached around to undo her bra. The lace fell down onto her lap, leaving her breasts bare to his gaze. He loved the sight of her nipples, all rosy and pink against the paleness of her skin. She had script and branches on her side and cupping one breast, and he couldn’t help but trace the design.

 
He’d been the artist, after all, and it had been the hardest project of his life. Not only because it was for his best friend but also because he’d had the most unprofessional hard-on the entire time.

  “I love this tattoo.”

  She slid her hand up his side underneath his shirt. “My artist is pretty damn amazing.”

  His hand traced the rest of her ink before cupping her breast. “Yeah, he is.”

  She laughed and then moaned as he tweaked her nipple. “You’re supposed to say something along the lines of how amazing your canvas was.”

  He bent over, licking one nipple then the other. “You know I love your skin.” He kissed in between her breasts, kneeling between her legs. “Your taste.” Lick. “The feel of you.” Stroke. “The heat of you.” Bite.

  Before he could lick any farther down, however, she pushed him back and stood up. “As much as I really want your mouth on my pussy, there’s something I need to do first.”

  He raised a brow, then grinned when she went to her knees instead and tapped his hip. “Oh yeah?”

  “On your feet, Knight. I’m going to need that cock in my mouth. Like now.”

  She licked her lips as she looked up at him, and he had to take a deep breath so he wouldn’t come in his jeans. How she did that to him every damn time she was near his dick, he didn’t know, but he was starting to get a complex.

  Together, they undid his pants, their fingers fumbling. He’d never known he would be able to handle laughing when a woman was so close to his cock but, apparently, Adrienne brought out the best in him. Soon, his pants were down over his hips, and a wet heat surrounded his length. He slid his hand through her hair, his balls tight as she sucked him off.

  “Jesus, Addi, that mouth of yours.”

  She winked and opened her mouth slightly wider, then relaxed her tongue and swallowed more of him. His grip tightened in her hair, and he couldn’t help but rock in and out of her mouth. She kept herself open for him, and he quickened his pace, fucking her mouth gently enough that he wouldn’t hurt her but with enough vigor that the tip of his cock touched the back of her throat. The fact that she let him do that and moaned while he did, made it damn hard not to blow his load right there. But he didn’t want to come in her mouth, not then. He needed to be inside her and make sure she came, too. So though it wasn’t easy, he pulled out, leaned down, and picked her up under her shoulders and brought his mouth to hers. The taste of those little drops of come from the tip of his dick on her tongue stole a growl from him, and he rocked into her, his wet cock leaving a trail on her bare stomach.

  “I wasn’t done,” she panted, her body clinging to his. Her breasts were bare, pressing into his chest, and all he wanted to do was suck on her nipples until they were bright and shiny and aching for him.

  So he bent low and took one into his mouth, sucking and nibbling until she squirmed in his hold. Only when she was shaking in his arms did he let go and lick his way over to her other one, repeating the process.

  “Mace…I need…I need.”

  He lifted his head, claimed her lips, and growled in her ear, “I know what you need.”

  He quickly pulled the condom out of his back pocket that he’d put there since he knew he wouldn’t be able to hold back from Adrienne for too long, then turned her around so her breasts were against the wall in front of them. He quickly sheathed himself with the condom and shucked his pants down to his knees so he’d have more freedom to move.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, her voice breathy. “I thought you wanted to play with my tits.”

  He moved her hair out of the way and sucked on her mouth. “Your nipples are already wet and cherry red from my mouth.” He pressed her top harder into the wall as he slid his other hand in front of her so he could undo her jeans. “How do they feel against the coolness of the wall? Can you feel every inch of yourself, wet and aching?”

  Her head fell back, and he licked the other side of her neck. “You’re diabolical. Now get that cock inside me.”

  When her pants and panties were down below her luscious ass, he slid his cock between her cheeks and thrust. “One day, I’m going to take this ass of yours. Is it cherry? Because I damn well hope so, baby. I want to be the first inside you, the first taking you in every way possible.”

  “Just get in me already.” She paused. “Not my ass. Not…not yet. But inside my pussy? Yes, let’s do that.”

  She moved her head to the side so he could capture her lips, then pulled back, spreading her from behind so he could slam into her wet heat with one thrust. She clamped down around him, and they both froze, his body breaking out in a sweat just from the feel and temptation of her.

  “Oh, damn,” she moaned, her head falling back onto his shoulder. “I forgot how big you are.”

  “Am I stretching you?” he growled. “Stretching that tight pussy? Are you going to have to walk carefully tomorrow so no one knows you let my big, fat cock into that cunt of yours?” He thrust in and out of her, tiny strokes that sent heat up his spine and down to his balls.

  “I never knew you were such a dirty talker, Mace.”

  He kissed her again, increasing his speed as he fucked her hard into the wall. “Turns out there’s more to know about me, Addi. Want to give it a try?”

  She blinked at him, her cheek pressed into the wall along with the rest of her as he pounded into her sweet body. “I, uh…yes? Yes, I want to try.”

  Mace swallowed hard then dug his fingers into her hips as he sped up, her ass pressed out, meeting him thrust for thrust until they were both calling out each other’s names, their limbs shaking as they came. Her pussy spasmed around him almost painfully, and he knew she’d be sore tomorrow from the way he’d taken her. And though he never wanted to hurt her, the idea that she’d be marked in some way by his touch made him want to fuck her all over again. He was a caveman through and through right then, but then he remembered the fact that he still bore her marks on his back, a sign that he wasn’t the only one who wanted to claim.

  They stood there, his cock still deep inside her, leaning against the wall as they both fought to catch their breaths.

  “Did we just…did we just say we’re trying this?” she whispered. “Or was that just me saying it?”

  He slowly pulled out of her so he could turn her around. This was a conversation they needed to face each other for. “It wasn’t just you, but…” He swallowed hard. “I told you before, we can’t ruin what we have.”

  She reached out and cupped his jaw. They were both mostly naked, though for some reason he still had his shirt on, and he still had the used condom on his cock. They couldn’t have looked more awkward, yet he didn’t care, not when what they were saying meant so much more than what position they were currently in.

  “Then we don’t ruin it. We keep doing what we’re doing.”

  “Best friends who have great sex?” he asked cautiously. “Because we can’t say there’re no feelings. There will always be feelings when it’s the two of us.”

  “Feelings, yes. But we can make sure we don’t go into anything with more promises than we’re willing to keep.”

  He lowered his head, pressing his mouth to hers. “Just you and me then. Whatever this is, however long we add this part to who we are, just you and me.” The idea of her with another man right then made him want to scream, and that was something he was going to have to think about when he was alone. Because there was no such thing as casual sex, not when it came to the two of them.

  “Deal.” She looked down between them and grinned. “And I guess we should clean up because we don’t really look like we’re doing inventory, do we.”

  “I could make a joke about taking your inventory, but that seems a little crass, even for me.”

  She rolled her eyes and pushed at his chest so he backed up, careful not to trip over his pants since they were still around his ankles.

  “Just don’t leave the condom in the trashcan in here. Kind of hard to keep what we have just be
tween us if we’re leaving sperm everywhere.”

  He shook his head and took care of the condom as he dressed, his eyes on her movements as she put herself back to rights. Once again, he knew they were most likely making a mistake, but he didn’t say anything. His craving for Adrienne was becoming an obsession, and that was something he had to work through—mistake or no.

  * * *

  The next morning should have been more awkward than it was, but for some reason, they were acting as if nothing had happened all the while Mace knew something was different. If he hadn’t been confused before, he sure as hell was now.

  Shep was already working on a tattoo that would probably take the whole day and was in the zone. He had music in one ear while his client slept since it was a back tattoo and, apparently, some people could sleep through anything as soon as the endorphins hit.

  Ryan was coming in later for the closing shift and was really working well as part of their core group. It didn’t always work out that way. Their old shop hadn’t had the cohesive unit this one had, but Ryan was not only talented, he was also quickly becoming their friend.

  Adrienne was working on a walk-in shoulder tattoo that would take an hour, max. She was bent over the bench, her concentration on her work as she bit her lower lip and focused. He did his best not to make it look like he was ready to bend her over just a bit more and take her from behind at the sight of her biting that delicate flesh.

  While everyone else was working, Mace waited for his client to show up. He was already twenty minutes late, but Mace wasn’t surprised. He was one of his regulars from the old shop and was constantly late. Hence why Mace always padded the time around whenever the appointment was set for. George, the client, made up for the time cost-wise, so Mace didn’t mind too much, but it still left him pacing a bit because he wasn’t exactly sure when the guy would actually show up. It annoyed the hell out of Adrienne, but Mace just dealt with it. It wasn’t like he could control what George did, and honestly, he didn’t want any other artist messing with his ink.