Fallen Ink

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  No matter how many yoga stretches she did, Adrienne had a feeling her back would ache for weeks after she finished this particular tattoo. Her wrists hurt, and she even had pounding in her temples that didn’t seem to want to go away. If she put it all together, it might sound as if she were on the verge of a cold, but she knew that wasn’t it. She wasn’t getting sick, but she really needed to start sleeping through the night.

  Of course, that would probably be easier if she didn’t have vivid dreams about Mace and his mouth, his hands, his dick, and all of that other yummy stuff every night. Mace Knight was haunting her dreams, and worse, becoming a very real distraction at work. She hadn’t meant for it to happen; yet, somehow, she couldn’t stop looking at him when she wasn’t working on her tattoos, and her body always knew what part of the shop he was in. It was as if she had a secret antenna only tuned to him, and no matter what she did to ignore it, she could always feel him coming near her.

  They were both acting as if nothing had changed when others were around, though. They had always been close, and everyone knew they were best friends, but now, there was a sense of knowing when it came to Mace, and it was hard to put that aside and react like nothing had changed. Whenever they were alone, it was hard to keep her hands off him, but she needed to. They hadn’t even defined what they were to each other, even though they kept talking about it and circling around the issue. How could she stay focused on what she needed to do when he was right there in all his sexy glory, looking all broody and refined with the white in his hair spreading over the rest of his scalp. That was one sexy, mature-looking daddy of a man right there, and those thoughts just made her want to scream.

  Why couldn’t she just be normal?

  No, instead, she had to become this obsessed weirdo who couldn’t stop staring at her best friend. And what was worse, she had no idea if he felt the same way about her. And because she couldn’t help but focus on that and didn’t want to obsess even more, she pushed all those thoughts to the side and kept working. Being in this position alone where she felt as though she were spiraling down the immaturity hole of doom wasn’t somewhere she wanted to be.

  Ever.

  So she looked down at the ink she was working on, ignored her aches and pains, and became whom she wanted to be.

  A fucking kickass tattoo artist.

  Damn it.

  Today, she had a very brave client who wanted a full ribcage tattoo that went all around her back to the other side of her body. While Adrienne had ink on her ribcage that sloped under her breasts, hers didn’t reach around her back to become part of one large piece. Hers was mostly smaller pieces put together with the shading of Mace’s and Shep’s art over time. She still had a lot of open skin for a tattoo artist, but she was picky when it came to what would be on her body for the rest of her life, and only trusted her brother and Mace to get it right. She didn’t want tattoos just for the sake of having them, and she knew the old saying of never trusting a tattoo artist with no tattoos wasn’t always correct. She had her ink, but most was under her clothes. At least for now.

  But for this particular client, her entire back and sides would be covered by the time Adrienne was done. It would take at least four sessions, five if either of them got too tired or the skin didn’t react well during a sitting, and she was honestly freaking excited about it—even if her body hated her at the moment. After this one, she might have to take a nice lower back or upper arm tattoo just to stretch out her sore muscles. God knew the desire for those particular tattoos was in abundance, and she actually loved doing them. Her job was to put her art on someone else’s body, permanently. They trusted her with their bodies and something they would wear for the rest of their lives, and that wasn’t something she took lightly. Hence why she had three of her favorite and most talented artists working at her shop. Shep, Ryan, and Mace were beyond gifted, and she was blessed to work with them—though, at some point, she’d like to hire another woman when she was able to afford a fifth artist because the testosterone was a little thick.

  Her client winced for the fifth time in a row, and Adrienne knew they were done for the day. Jenn was past her endorphin high and was now feeling every stab of the needle on her sore and swollen skin. They’d gotten pretty far on day one and would get back to it soon. For now, though, Jenn would only have the outline of most of the work on one side and her back. There was no way Adrienne was going to do both sides in one day, not when Jenn was most comfortable lying down during a session. That was just asking for extra pain.

  “Okay, hon, we’re done for the day. How do you feel?” She sat back and started cleaning off the area, prepping for the bandage Jenn would wear for a few hours.

  Jenn didn’t stretch since it would probably hurt, but she did let out a relieved breath. “I’m okay. Glad it’s over for the day, though. I was doing good for a while, but I think I hit a wall.”

  Glad she’d read the situation correctly, Adrienne went over aftercare instructions while helping Jenn sit up. Mace brought over some juice and a cookie just in case Jenn’s blood sugar was low, and the other woman took it gratefully, her eyes darkening just a bit as she took Mace in.

  It took everything within Adrienne not to claim Mace right there, but she knew better than to be an idiot at work. Her best friend was fucking hot, and the idea that countless women constantly checked him out was just something she would have to deal with if she were going to be with him—however with him she was.

  “Thank you,” Jenn purred, and Adrienne barely held in the urge to cross her eyes at the woman. She’d been in pain just a few moments ago, after hours’ worth of work, and now she was a sex kitten trying to woo Mace. Of course, she was. “Mace, right?”

  Mace smiled his polite smile, not the one that made Adrienne’s panties go damp because she knew the dirty words and thoughts behind that expression, and this time, she was the one to hide her own grin. Yep, she had no idea what she was doing in the grand scheme, but Mace was all hers.

  The internal alarm that sounded suspiciously like Star Trek’s red alert blared in her mind, and she did her best to ignore it. Just because she was calling Mace hers and wanting to lay claim to him didn’t mean she was falling for him or anything mistake-worthy like that. All it meant was that she was territorial when it came to those she casually slept with, knowing there were no real promises beyond making sure things didn’t get too serious.

  And if she kept telling herself that with a straight face, she might actually believe it.

  “That’s me. Addi’s doing fantastic work. Can’t wait to see the end result.”

  Jenn smiled again, this time wiggling off the bench so she could stand next to him. Mace quickly moved forward to help her, and Jenn practically sighed into his hold.

  Okay, so this was getting a little annoying, but it wasn’t as if Adrienne actually had any right to the jealousy currently swirling in her gut, and Mace wasn’t hitting on Jenn. In fact, he was being his normal, professional self, and Adrienne needed to get over herself. Quickly.

  “I’d love to show you what it looks like when it’s done,” Jenn said, leaning into him.

  “I’m sure Addi will make that happen. I love seeing her work.” Adrienne did her best not to preen at the disappointed look on Jenn’s face and went into her pure professional mode as she showed Jenn exactly what needed to happen next and then went to the front desk to schedule the next sitting.

  By the time Jenn was gone, Adrienne’s headache hadn’t abated, and Ryan’s client was the only one left since she and Mace had a thirty-minute gap between appointments. She needed to clean up her station, work on the books a bit, and see what was coming up tomorrow since she knew they would only get busier.

  Just as she was about to go back to her booth, Mace put his hand on her forearm, stalling her.

  “What?” she asked, aware that they weren’t the only two in the room. Ryan might be working, but she knew he could turn in their direction at any moment.

  “We need to t
alk.” He tugged on her arm, and she moved with him, her stomach clenching.

  Nothing good ever came from those words, no matter who said them, and they both knew it. Well, it was good while it lasted, right? It wasn’t as if they were serious. She guessed that they would be stopping whatever it was they were doing, so at least she could get back to normal and stop feeling so damn jealous when someone else flirted with Mace. This whole keeping everything inside thing was hurting her brain and making her act so unlike herself. And she wasn’t sure she liked this new neurotic person who couldn’t stop thinking about how she felt rather than getting things done.

  “Ryan, we’ll be in the back. Watch the front?” Mace’s deep voice brought her out of her thoughts, and her mouth sagged open. What the hell would Ryan think now that the two of them were scurrying off to the storage room? Together. With the door most likely shut.

  “No problem,” Ryan said, his voice that low drawl of his that made women swoon. Not her, since she had never swooned in her life. But still. Of course, just thinking that, she figured she might just swoon if Mace got all growly and demanding with her, but she was not going to think about that right then. For many reasons, but also because she didn’t like how much she’d changed. Ryan gave them a curious look but didn’t say anything, and for that, she was grateful. She wasn’t sure what she could say anyway.

  Adrienne let Mace lead her to the storage room because she knew pulling back and making a scene would only make things worse. But as soon as he had closed the door behind them, she tugged her arm away from his hold and shoved at his chest.

  “You don’t get to go all caveman on me, dragging me around my shop. That’s not how any of this works. You get me, Knight?”

  Mace folded his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes. “I get you, Addi. And you came with me without complaint. If you had tugged on your arm even the slightest, I’d have let you go. You know I won’t hurt you.”

  Did she? Because she wasn’t sure that was the case anymore. Oh, he might not hurt her physically. Or intentionally. But emotionally? She was afraid she’d already gone down the wrong path there, and she might not ever have any hope of finding her way back unscathed.

  The thing was, though, she hadn’t tried to pull away from him. She’d gone freely, his touch comforting even as she was afraid of what the others would see and what was in store. He had her so tied up in knots, she was afraid she’d never untangle them.

  “I know that,” she said. “But we’re at work, Mace. Ryan’s probably wondering what we’re doing alone in the storage room when there’s work to be done. Dragging me off in here wasn’t circumspect at all,” she added dryly.

  Mace crowded her then, her pulse racing as he backed her into the same wall he’d fucked her hard into. She could remember the sensation of her breasts pressed into the coolness of the paint and drywall, and how he’d pumped into her, making her cream all over his dick. She’d almost drenched them, and she knew she wanted to mark him as hers once again.

  When he hovered over her, his breath warm against her neck, she arched into him, her body needing him without her knowing.

  “Mace. We can’t.”

  He bit down on her neck, and her panties dampened. “I’m not going to fuck you here, not when the shop is open, and anyone could walk in. I didn’t lock the door, Addi. Anyone could come in and see me over you. Anyone could smell your need because I know you’re fucking wet for me right now.”

  He traced his finger between her legs over the seam of her jeans, and she bit her lip to hold back a whimper. “You’re so hot against my finger. I know if I undid your pants and slid my finger into your cunt, you’d soak my hand, drip down my fingers. But I’m not going to do that.”

  She pressed her legs together, pinning his hand between her legs as she rocked. When Mace put his other hand on her hip, stilling her, she held back yet another whimper. This man was killing her inch by delicious inch.

  “We need to go back out there,” she said, trying to find that control she’d once valued.

  “We will.” He licked her neck over where he’d bitten her, and she knew she’d have to wear her hair down for the rest of the day or anyone who looked would be able to see where he’d marked her. “But first, we need to get something straight.”

  She met his gaze, pulling away so she could focus. “What?”

  “I saw the way you looked at me when Jenn came on to me. She’s not you, Addi. It’s just you and me, remember? No matter who tries to come between us, it won’t matter because it’s just the two of us in the end. I’ve watched these guys come into the shop and drool as they kept their eyes just on your tits as you walked, watching the sway because you’re way more than a handful. Which, sidebar, I’m going to need to fuck them at some point. But I digress.”

  She blinked, holding back a laugh at the serious look on his face as he talked about fucking her boobs. Only Mace Knight.

  “You were the one who said you wanted to keep this secret, and I agreed because I don’t want to confuse Daisy. So, we’re doing what we’re doing and keeping it between us. Or, at least, out of her sphere so we don’t mess up what we have and what she has with both of us. We’re going to have to be careful not to look like we’re jealous and want to fuck each other on every flat surface of the shop, though. Think you can do that, Addi?”

  “You’re so damn confusing.” She let her head fall back, ignoring her headache.

  “You’re not much different,” he said. “But, honestly, we were pretty confusing before we started changing things. We’re still best friends, Addi, that’s not going to change, but you have to know, I’m not going to step out on you. I’m not going to flirt with someone else and be that asshole.”

  “And I don’t understand how I felt jealous.” She knew she probably shouldn’t be so open and honest about her feelings, but hiding them was only making things worse.

  He rubbed his thumb over her cheek. “Yeah. I get that. And it adds a new layer, doesn’t it?”

  She met his gaze, her chest aching. “We’re changing things again, aren’t we? I think…I think we need a label. Because without that, it’s just making things harder. And for all we say we need to focus on the other things in our lives and not let this hurt us, we’re spending so much time worrying about what this is, that it’s getting confusing.”

  “Friends with benefits doesn’t really work, does it?” He frowned, and she blew out a breath.

  “No, it doesn’t. But we haven’t actually gone out on a date.”

  “We have dinner together at least three times a week.” He tugged on her hair, and she let him.

  “We did before everything happened. And, honestly, I don’t know if I’m ready to go on a capitol-D date and all. I like what we’re doing. In bed. It’s good for us, I think. At least, stress-wise. But as soon as we get out of bed? I’m so confused.”

  His lips quirked into a smile, and she rolled her eyes. “I know what you mean.” He rested his forehead on hers, and she was afraid if they kept running from what they faced, they’d never find what they needed to. “So, why don’t you take some time to think on that. Think about what you want, but know that I’m not going anywhere, Addi. Yeah, I want to keep this separate from Daisy because she’s my daughter, my world, but I’m not going to hide completely.”

  Before she could even think what she could possibly say to that, there was a knock on the door, and the two of them split apart so fast, she was afraid Mace might end up falling on his ass.

  “Hey, guys, I think you need to come out here. The cops are here, and they don’t look happy.”

  She stiffened before looking at Mace. The police? What the hell could they want?

  And just like that, little problems like what she was doing with Mace went out the window, and the far more important things—her life, her shop, and the person who was out to ruin it—came forward.

  She pushed past Mace and made her way out of the closet, passing a stern-looking Ryan. She didn’t think t
hat look was for her, but for the two officers who stood in the front area of MIT, their arms folded over their chests and frowns on their faces.

  Mace stood at her back, and she knew all thoughts of their personal worries were now out of both of their heads.

  Someone was trying to hurt their shop, their second homes. And, sadly, she had a feeling this was only the beginning.

  Chapter 10

  “They seriously thought you were selling drugs out of the shop?”

  Mace’s friend Landon sounded incredulous, and he didn’t blame the other man for that reaction. Mace couldn’t really believe what had gone down the afternoon before either. In fact, he’d been so angry throughout the whole process—and after the cops had left—that he’d taken off after his shift because he needed some space to breathe.

  Adrienne had been even angrier than he was, and since they couldn’t use their anger to get each other off that night, they’d spent it apart. Frankly, he’d needed time to think anyway. Now, he was out for a beer with Landon and Ryan, trying to relax after several long days and attempting to wrap his head around everything that had happened over the past few weeks—especially last night.

  “I thought they were going to cuff you right there,” Ryan said, tipping his beer toward Mace. “You walked out behind Adrienne, looking all inked and badass, and I swear both officers twitched as if they were going to reach for their guns.”

  Mace ran a hand over his face before giving Ryan a look. “It wasn’t that bad, but having to stand behind Addi as she took the lead wasn’t easy.”

  “She’s the owner of the shop, so that makes sense,” Landon said, “but having to stand back when your woman is dealing with false accusations, and there’s nothing you can do but nod and be by her side…? Rough, man.”

  Ryan choked on his beer before grinning at Mace. “Your women, eh?”

  “She’s my friend. My boss. She’s not my woman.” And that was probably a total lie, but it wasn’t as if he could say anything different right then. “But the important thing is, they didn’t find any drugs, and were fucking pissed that they had to come in at all. The fact that this is the second false call in as many weeks…and then add in the graffiti… We have a serious problem.”