Tattoo Lust: A Tattoo Romance Collection

by Skyla Madi

  The moment I came up for air, I cried out when I saw the body in front of me. My feet slipped from beneath me, which caused me to swallow a mouthful of water. Hands gripped my arms and pulled me up. I coughed and blinked rapidly to clear the saltwater from my eyes.

  “Alia? Are you okay?”

  My eyes locked onto Stephen’s concerned green ones. I managed a bright smile, but it was broken by another coughing fit. Stephen surprised me when he picked me up and walked through the water to the beach. He gently placed me down on my towel and rubbed my back.

  “You scared me,” I managed to croak out.

  “I’m sorry,” he muttered. “I saw you dive under, and then you didn’t surface after a few minutes.”

  “I have strong lungs.” I giggled, pressing a hand against my chest.

  His eyes dropped. Stephen groaned and then leaned forward to press his lips against mine. Our lips barely touched when he pulled away again. I frowned up at him.

  “I’m going to get something to drink.” He stood and took a few steps toward the house. “Want anything?”

  “Some water, thank you.”

  My eyes followed him until he disappeared into the house. What the hell was his problem? Did he decide that he wanted our deal to end? Does he not want me anymore? I laid down on my back and stared up at the bright sky. What if we finally had sex and he wasn’t satisfied? He had sex with Kate. Dread filled my stomach as I thought of that. What if Kate was better at it than me?

  “Here.” My eyes snapped open. Stephen was hovering above me with a bottle held out.

  I sat up and took it from him with a muttered thanks. Stephen nodded then dropped a towel and another bottle next to me before jogging toward ocean. I sighed then took a sip of the cold water. For a few minutes, I watched him. He seemed completely different—a good different. I sank back down onto my back. Sometimes men were so confusing.

  ***

  Something cold dropped onto my leg then slowly slid down. I frowned, shifting slightly. I was having a wonderful dream. Stephen was pressing soft kisses against my legs. Sometimes he would stop to nibble the skin with his teeth before moving up again. I moaned, spreading my legs wider as he settled between them.

  His lips paused at the junction of my thighs before moving to the band of my bikini bottoms. My back arched as his tongue dipped into my navel. Goosebumps broke out over my skin when his lips trailed up over my stomach. His hands gripped my sides. A low groan fell from my lips as my eyes fluttered open. I wasn’t dreaming. Stephen was actually settled between my legs with his lips pressed to my skin.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Seeking the warmth of your sun-kissed skin,” he muttered, watching me from beneath his lashes.

  I gasped as his lips closed over my nipple through the fabric. He bit down slightly before soothing the pain with his tongue. I buried my fingers in his hair to keep him in place.

  “What happened to not touching me at all?” I breathed. “You’ve been avoiding touching me.”

  He raised his head and moved up my body until his face hovered over mine. “Since that day against the wall, I’ve been trying to keep my cool. Every second I spend touching you drives me closer to the edge.”

  “I thought you didn’t want me anymore.” I gasped as he settled his body fully against mine.

  His dick pressed tight against my pussy. He was fully erect. Stephen licked his lower lip as he started thrusting his hips slowly.

  “All I have to do is push your bikini aside and sink into you,” he breathed. “It’ll be as easy as that to fuck you right here.”

  “Then what’s stopping you?” My hands trailed down his sides and to his hips.

  He groaned. “Don’t tempt me, baby. Watching you walk around in this bikini is giving me a bad case of blue balls.” His lips brushed mine. “I have to think of my grandfather’s smelly old socks just to get my dick flaccid again.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Nothing,” he whispered. “Absolutely fucking nothing.”

  His lips smashed onto mine before I could say anything else. I moaned as his tongue slipped into my mouth. One of his hands trailed down my thigh and guided my leg over his hip. I did the same with my other leg. My head dropped to the side as he kissed down my neck to my collarbone. I dug my fingers into his skin when he started sucking and nibbling on the spot. My hips were moving along with his.

  “Tomorrow is your birthday,” he said as he raised his head. “I can’t fucking wait to be buried deep inside that tight little pussy of yours.”

  His words made my stomach quiver. The pressure started to build, but before I could crash over the edge, Stephen pulled away.

  “Kate is coming this way,” he muttered. “We’re leaving early tomorrow morning, so be ready. Pack an overnight bag just in case, and don’t forget the condoms.”

  ***

  “Come on, Alia, don’t be a pussy.”

  I stared down at the small glass with clear liquid in it. It could’ve been mistaken for water if it wasn’t for the strong smell. Derrick was fast asleep upstairs. Kate, Sebastian, Trina, and I sat around the small coffee table while Nathan and Stephen sat on the couch. My eyes drifted toward Stephen. He was watching me silently. Everyone else had already taken a shot except for those two and me. He even refused a beer. It left me speechless. Stephen had admitted to getting drunk before, so why was he refusing to tonight?

  “Take the fucking shot, Alia,” Kate urged again. “Come on, babe.”

  I swallowed, glancing down at the glass again. Unease settled in my stomach as I picked it up. My hand was shaking but thankfully not so bad that the liquid spilled. I glanced around the table as I raised it to my lips.

  “Don’t take small sips. Just drink it in one go,” Sebastian said softly.

  I sucked in a breath, opened my mouth, and then threw the drink down my throat. It burned all the way down into my stomach. I started coughing soon after. Kate started laughing, which made me glare at her.

  “The night is still young, people.” She stood and gave us all bright smiles. “I made some jelly shots earlier. I’ll go get them.”

  “I still can’t figure out how the hell you two became friends.” Sebastian shook his head.

  “Me neither,” I muttered.

  My throat still burned, but at least it hadn’t made me sick…yet. Kate returned after a few minutes with a tray. She held it toward Nathan and his brother, but they shook their heads. Shrugging, she took her seat on the floor again. Sebastian started dividing the shots.

  “Not that one!” Kate suddenly cried out. “I made that one especially for my best friend. She likes blueberry flavor, and that was the only left,” she quickly explained as she grabbed the small glass and placed it in front of me.

  After making sure everyone had a glass, she raised hers. “This is to my best friend. Cheers!”

  I groaned, feeling my cheeks heating up in embarrassment. I can’t believe she just said that.

  “Cheers.”

  The jelly shot tasted better than the first, but it had a strange aftertaste. I refused any more drinks but kept my place on the floor.

  “Let’s play poker!”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The bed dipped, and seconds later, the sheet was pulled from my body. I groaned and opened my eyed slightly. A blurry figure caught my attention. I blinked rapidly to clear the sleep from my eyes. He bent down and placed something on the bedside table. Seconds later, lips gently brushed against my forehead, and then my cheek, before moving to my ear.

  “Happy birthday, baby,” Stephen muttered.

  I opened my eyes all the way and blinked up at him. He was already dressed with his hair still slightly wet from his shower. Stephen moved the hair from my face then leaned closer.

  “We need to leave in twenty minutes. Do you think you could be ready before that?”

  “Where are we going?” I croaked, sitting up.

  Stephen handed me the cup he had pla
ced on the bedside table. I sniffed at the coffee and then tentatively took a sip. He hadn’t answered my question. He brushed some hair away from his face as his eyes trailed over my face.

  “You’re pale.” He frowned. “Are you okay?”

  “I have slight headache, but I’m fine.”

  He nodded and then got off the bed. “Wear something comfortable but not something you like.”

  Before I could ask him what he meant, he walked out of the room. I finished my coffee and then took a quick shower. I wasn’t sure what to wear. After debating on it for at least two minutes, I decided on an old dress and some ballet flats. The material of the dress was faded, but it had pockets for my phone and some money. I tied my hair up into a high ponytail and then made a bun. Just as I grabbed my phone and stuffed some money into the cover, there was a knock on the bedroom door.

  It opened a second later to reveal Stephen. I watched silently as he dropped his bag on the unmade bed. “Grab a pair of spare clothes for tomorrow and a box of condoms.”

  “We’re not coming back tonight?”

  “No, baby. We’ll be back by tomorrow morning.”

  “Okay.” I walked into the bathroom and grabbed a box of condoms from the cabinet. I felt like I was going to explode with excitement as I grabbed a pair of clothes. There was also some apprehension because I didn’t know what Stephen had planned for us. The house was silent when we stepped out of the room, but the moment we descended the stairs, I heard the television. Nathan sat on the couch. It looked like he’d just woken up and he didn’t look happy about it. Stephen dropped the bag by the door and then turned toward Nathan.

  “We should be back by tomorrow morning.”

  “Of course,” Nathan muttered. “Just be safe.”

  I barely caught the glimpse they shared before I was steered out of the house and into the cool morning air. He led me toward his truck. Stephen dropped the bag on the seat and then helped me inside before walking around the truck to the driver’s side.

  “Ready?”

  ***

  No matter how much I asked him where we were going, Stephen kept refusing to tell me anything. After about an hour on the road, we stopped at a roadhouse for breakfast before moving on. The scenery was beautiful once we left the town. There was nothing but long stretches of open spaces. Nature in its truest form.

  My phone pinged and then started ringing. “Hello?”

  “Happy birthday, dear Alia!”

  I laughed. “Thank you, Patrick.”

  “How are you? It’s a bummer you aren’t here.”

  “Why?”

  “I would’ve made sure you couldn’t remember shit about today.” He sobered instantly. “Has anyone else called you yet?”

  I glanced at Stephen and then turned to stare out the window. “I haven’t checked my messages yet, but I’m sure I have some.”

  “Check your messages and let me know. I’ll kick their asses if they forgot.”

  “Thank you, I’ll remember that.”

  “I have to go, Alia,” Patrick muttered after a few minutes. “I hope you enjoy your birthday.”

  Once the call ended, I stared at the screen. There were no message notifications. No missed calls or emails. I swallowed then locked my phone and pushed it back inside the pocket.

  “It’s still early, baby,” Stephen said softly. “They’re probably still sleeping.”

  I nodded but said nothing. He was trying to cheer me up, so I didn’t mention the fact that my parents were probably already up.

  “How much farther?”

  He chuckled. “About half an hour.”

  “Since we’re so close…” I trailed off. “Please?”

  “I noticed you like music,” he said softly. “I was thinking of buying you the newest CD of your favorite band, but you don’t have one of those.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “I went through your phone music to find out which you like the most, but turned out there was too much to choose from.”

  “You still haven’t told me where you’re taking me.”

  He winked at me then turned the truck onto a bumpy dirt road. Not even twenty minutes later, a makeshift parking lot was visible. My mouth fell open as I stared at the thousands of people. They stood in groups by their cars. Some couples leaned against their cars making out while others walked toward a large building. It took Stephen about thirty minutes to find a parking space that was close to the building. He parked the truck and then turned toward me.

  “This place is dangerous no matter how much security they have. Sometimes things get out of hand, and I want you to be prepared. Whatever happens, try to stay by my side, but if we get separated, go to the security building and wait there for me. Don’t take any drinks from anyone—even if it’s free.”

  “Got it,” I muttered. “Can we go now?”

  He chuckled but opened his door. My eyes widened when he reached under his seat and pulled out a gun. I expected him to take it with him, but instead he locked it inside the glove box.

  “Let’s go, baby.”

  I took his hand and allowed him to help me out of the truck. He locked it then started walking toward the building. I felt a little overdressed as I glanced around. Almost everyone was half naked—men and women. The building was overflowing. There were three rows of people, and half of them stood outside the door. Stephen pulled me in front of him and gripped my hips.

  “Keep walking,” he said against my ear.

  I followed his instructions and pushed my way through the crowd. A lot of them gave me dirty looks and muttered curses under their breath. When we reached the front, I finally saw why everyone was waiting. They had those things where you had to walk through to check for weapons. Beyond that was a shack where a man handed over something. Stephen pulled me to a stop next to the machine. The guard that stood there turned to us with a frown.

  “Is Johan in?”

  “Who’s asking?”

  “Stephen.”

  He nodded then turned and walked over to a door. A minute later, he returned with a man behind him. He was the scariest man I’d ever seen. He was tall—a little taller than Stephen—and muscular. His head was shaved, and tattoos covered his skin. A jagged scar ran from his temple, across his left eye, down to his chin. Pale blue eyes caught mine briefly before darting behind me.

  “Daniels,” he muttered gruffly, “and…girl. Come through to the back.” He led us past the security guard and down a short hall, straight into a small room.

  “You’re lucky,” Johan muttered as he picked up a box. “Tickets were sold out after the first week.”

  “That’s why I called as soon as I heard about it.”

  I stood silently by the door as they talked. Johan handed two purple bands and two tickets to Stephen. After some more small talk, we finally walked out of the room. Johan escorted us to the open doors beyond the ticket booths. I sucked in a sharp breath the moment we stepped outside of the building. Everywhere I looked, people were mulling about. It was like a festival. There were games set up, people selling stuff, and rides. Stephen gripped my hand and led me deeper between the stalls. The further we moved, the more I started to understand why the people were barely dressed.

  “This is only the beginning, baby.”

  It was hot, but the heat did nothing to dampen my excitement. With the purple armbands, we were able to go on all the rides without paying. We even played some games, but we didn’t succeed in winning anything until later on. Stephen managed to shoot out all the balloons within a few seconds. The manager wasn’t very happy when he handed me the big blue teddy bear. It was about three o’clock when the fun really started.

  The music could probably be heard from miles away. After dropping the bear off at the office, we made our way toward the stage. We got a front row seat of all the action. Someone was spraying water into the crowd while someone else was throwing paint powder. I laughed as we were hit with pink paint from somewhere behind us. Step
hen was standing behind me with his arms on either side of me. A new song started playing, one I actually knew. I cheered along with the crowd then started singing. All of my problems were pushed away; it was just me and Stephen.

  Stephen sang along, his lips brushing my ear.

  I smiled, wrapping my arms around his neck.

  His hands moved to my hips as his body slowly started moving. My body was starting to heat up the more we moved. The fact that he was also aroused didn’t go unnoticed by me. Halfway through the next song, thunder sounded above us, and a second later, it started raining. Stephen gripped my hand and tugged me through the crowd toward cover. Most of them didn’t seem to mind the rain, but it started falling harder soon after.

  “Let’s go,” he urged, tucking on my hands.

  I sucked in a breath, and then we were running through the rain. We picked up my teddy bear and made our way toward the truck. By the time we reached it, we were soaking wet.

  “Damn,” Stephen muttered, wiping his hair back from his face.

  I giggled and then started laughing as I saw the look on his face. “We should’ve stayed to dance in the rain,” I said.

  “And risk you getting sick? Not a chance.”

  “Where are we going?” I questioned as the truck slowed to a stop.

  Most of the people had decided to leave since the rain was falling harder—which meant we were stuck in traffic.

  “To a hotel.”

  The rest of the drive was filled with silence. I could barely see anything outside the windows, so I knew he was having a hard time driving. It was when it started hailing that he viciously cursed and pulled over. The only sound to be heard was the hail falling on the roof of the truck and against the windows. I was starting to get cold from the wet clothes.

  “Stephen?” He looked at me with questioning eyes. “How long do you think we have to stay here?”

  “I don’t know, why?”

  “I’m starting to get cold,” I whispered.

  He cursed again then opened his door slightly. “Stay here.”