Flame and Ink: An Anthology
Page 6
That’s how her parents thought.
Darn it.
Ambrose walked in the room, his pale white wings following him. “Come on, love, it will be okay. They didn’t hang up on you or yell. They’re just curious, and you can’t blame them.”
Jamie nodded then raised her chin, needing both Balin and Ambrose more now than ever. Balin grinned and kissed her softly.
He pulled back, leaving her wanting. “More for when this is over, darling. I’m not going to leave you flushed for your parents.”
Ambrose chuckled, and Jamie warmed. Her angel needed to laugh more. He leaned down and kissed her as well, just as softly.
With their strength beside her, they left the house and got into her car. She sat in the back while her men sat up front. They took turns with driving and where they sat, and they knew she needed some space to steel herself on the drive over.
Soon they were at her childhood home, not far from where she lived now. But far enough away that she hadn’t crossed paths with her parents since she’d found the loves of her life.
She got out of the car, and her men came to either side of her, each taking a hand and tangling their fingers with hers.
Balin turned toward her. “No matter what happens, I’m here.”
“As am I,” Ambrose said.
She smiled at both of her men. Yes. No matter what, she was lucky. She had her men, her life, and a long future.
She could do this.
“Well, honey, that answers that,” her mother said from the doorway.
Jamie blinked at her mother. “What?”
“Those two men love you so much I can feel it from here. I’m so happy for you.” Her mother opened her arms, and Jamie ran into them, still floored.
“You’re serious?” she asked as she pulled back.
“I love you, and I can see they do, too. And from the looks of them, you’ve got a nice angel and demon to hold you through.”
Jamie froze. “You…you know?”
Her mother grinned. “Oh, honey, I know more than you think.”
Her mother pulled away and opened her arms to Jamie’s men. Balin threw his head back and laughed at something her mother said in his ear, and Ambrose just shook his head.
Soon, Jamie found herself in her parents’ living room, her father telling tales of him and her mother going from realm to realm for his job, and how he had always hoped Jamie would find her way into that world.
Jamie leaned into Ambrose’s side and pulled Balin with her.
“This was not what I was expecting,” she whispered.
“The best things surprise you, baby,” Balin said.
“You are loved, Jamie,” Ambrose added in and hugged them close.
Yes. She totally was.
A Note from Carrie Ann
Thank you so much for reading FLAME AND INK. I love writing little scenes where I can go back and visit characters. Many of these stories were first featured in my newsletter so if you want to read any future ones, make sure you’re signed up!
I do hope if you liked this story, that you would please leave a review. Not only does a review spread the word to other readers, they let us authors know if you’d like to see more stories like this from us. I love hearing from readers and talking to them when I can. If you want to make sure you know what’s coming next from me, you can sign up for my newsletter at www.CarrieAnnRyan.com; follow me on twitter at @CarrieAnnRyan, or like my Facebook page. I also have a Facebook Fan Club where we have trivia, chats, and other goodies. You guys are the reason I get to do what I do and I thank you.
Make sure you’re signed up for my MAILING LIST so you can know when the next releases are available as well as find giveaways and FREE READS.
The Montgomery Ink series is an on going series. I hope you get a chance to catch up!
Want to keep up to date with the next Carrie Ann Ryan Release? Receive Text Alerts easily!
Text CARRIE to 24587
About Carrie Ann and her Books
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan never thought she’d be a writer. Not really. No, she loved math and science and even went on to graduate school in chemistry. Yes, she read as a kid and devoured teen fiction and Harry Potter, but it wasn’t until someone handed her a romance book in her late teens that she realized that there was something out there just for her. When another author suggested she use the voices in her head for good and not evil, The Redwood Pack and all her other stories were born.
Carrie Ann is a bestselling author of over twenty novels and novellas and has so much more on her mind (and on her spreadsheets grins) that she isn’t planning on giving up her dream anytime soon.
www.CarrieAnnRyan.com
Redwood Pack Series:
Book 1: An Alpha’s Path
Book 2: A Taste for a Mate
Book 3: Trinity Bound
Book 3.5: A Night Away
Book 4: Enforcer’s Redemption
Book 4.5: Blurred Expectations
Book 4.7: Forgiveness
Book 5: Shattered Emotions
Book 6: Hidden Destiny
Book 6.5: A Beta’s Haven
Book 7: Fighting Fate
Book 7.5 Loving the Omega
Book 7.7: The Hunted Heart
Book 8: Wicked Wolf
The Talon Pack (Following the Redwood Pack Series): Book 1: Tattered Loyalties
Book 2: An Alpha’s Choice
Book 3: Mated in Mist (Coming in 2016)
The Redwood Pack Volumes:
Redwood Pack Vol 1
Redwood Pack Vol 2
Redwood Pack Vol 3
Redwood Pack Vol 4
Redwood Pack Vol 5
Redwood Pack Vol 6
Montgomery Ink:
Book 0.5: Ink Inspired
Book 0.6: Ink Reunited
Book 1: Delicate Ink
The Montgomery Ink Box Set (Contains Books 0.5, 0.6, 1) Book 1.5 Forever Ink
Book 2: Tempting Boundaries
Book 3: Harder than Words
Book 4: Written in Ink
Book 4.5: Hidden Ink (Coming Jan 2016) Book 5: Ink Enduring (Coming Jun 2016)
Dante’s Circle Series:
Book 1: Dust of My Wings
Book 2: Her Warriors’ Three Wishes
Book 3: An Unlucky Moon
The Dante’s Circle Box Set (Contains Books 1-3) Book 3.5: His Choice
Book 4: Tangled Innocence
Book 5: Fierce Enchantment
Book 6: An Immortal’s Song (Coming April 2016) Book 7: Prowled Darkness (Coming May 2016)
The Branded Pack Series:
(Written with Alexandra Ivy)
Book 1: Stolen and Forgiven
Book 2: Abandoned and Unseen
Book 3: Buried and Shadowed (Coming July 2016)
Holiday, Montana Series:
Book 1: Charmed Spirits
Book 2: Santa’s Executive
Book 3: Finding Abigail
The Holiday Montana Box Set (Contains Books 1-3) Book 4: Her Lucky Love
Book 5: Dreams of Ivory
A Stand Alone Contemporary Romance Finally Found You
Excerpt: Tempting Boundaries
Next From New York Times Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan’s Montgomery Ink Series
Tempting Boundaries
There was just something about the scent of a grill, the feel of a cold beer in his hand, and the company of a family that truly loved him that made Decker Kendrick want to relax after a long day’s work. If he added in the fact that he could go home and have the woman at his side under him, over him, and all around him, it would be a pretty fantastic way to end the day.
Colleen, his date to the Montgomery family barbeque and engagement party, leaned into him and batted her false eyelashes. He had no idea why she wore them. He thought she looked decent without them. But whatever—it was her body to fake up any way she wanted to. He’d been seeing Colleen off and on for a few months, more often in the pa
st month since he’d called her up, hoping to get his mind off a certain long-legged brunette he shouldn’t be thinking about in the first place.
The woman in question hadn’t shown up to the party yet, and Decker was grateful. Hard to ignore her and keep her off his mind if she kept popping up everywhere he went. Though that wasn’t really fair considering she was part of his family.
More like he was part of hers.
He was an honorary Montgomery, and she was the little sister.
Totally not for him.
“Decker? Baby?”
He blinked and looked down at Colleen. Not the woman who haunted his dreams and kept him up late at night. Jesus, he was a bad man. A very, very bad man. Sure, he was keeping it casual with Colleen—something she’d put on the table to begin with—but he shouldn’t be thinking about a woman with long legs he couldn’t have when he was here with someone else.
That wasn’t the kind of guy he wanted to be.
“Colleen?” he answered back, keeping his voice low. He didn’t normally bring dates to the Montgomery family gatherings, and as such, he didn’t want everyone to hear everything he said. They were all nosy in the we-are-family-and-we-can-be-nosy-if-want-to sort of way, and he’d learned to deal with it. He hadn’t planned on bringing her at all, but when she’d called to ask him to dinner, he’d mentioned he had plans, and she’d sort of invited herself along. It hadn’t bothered him too much then, but now he felt kind of like an awkward ass about it. Since this was the first time he’d brought Colleen to any type of function with the Montgomerys, he’d been prepared to have the family question the two of them until they pecked them to death.
So far, that hadn’t happened, and frankly, that was more telling about what the others in his life thought of the relationship. Their politeness and lack of prodding meant they didn’t see a future. Considering Colleen hadn’t wanted a future to begin with when it came to her and Decker, that was just fine with him. He didn’t see himself marrying the woman anyway. They were friends. Sort of.
“You’re thinking too hard.” She rubbed the little spot between his eyebrows, and he frowned. She wasn’t usually so touchy-feely or attentive. Weird.
He pulled back, uncomfortable with the display of affection—or whatever it was—in front of the family that had taken him in so long ago.
“Just tired. Hauling a total of a half-ton of porcelain up and down stairs all day makes for a long workday. We also punched out our other project the day before. So I’m ready for a nap. Or another beer.”
She wrinkled her nose, probably at the mention of his work. Another reason he’d never get too serious with her. She hated the fact he was a blue-collar worker and not some suit-wearing businessman who could keep her in diamonds and silks. She worked her butt off at her job and wore the expensive clothes that came with her world. That wasn’t something he wanted in the long run. He worked for Montgomery Inc., the construction arm of the family businesses. He was the project manager right under Wes and Storm, the Montgomery twins who had taken over the family business when their parents, Harry and Marie, retired.
Wes was the OCD planner of the company and got his hands dirty daily with the bump and grind that came with being one of the top privately owned construction companies in Denver. Storm was the lead architect and a genius when it came to finding the right flow for a refurbished building or how to start from scratch with a piece of land that could be used carefully.
Decker had started out as a teenager working under Harry doing every kind of grunt work he could get his hands on. He’d gone to college only because the Montgomery twins had, as had his best friend, Griffin—another Montgomery—and because the state had helped him out. He wouldn’t have been able to afford it otherwise. He’d gone to the local university, busted his ass for his degree, then went right back to working for the family that had raised him when his own blood family had failed.
He ground his teeth.
Best not think about the others right then. Not if he wanted to stay civil—he looked down at the beer in his hand—and sober.
“Must you talk about those matters with me?” Colleen asked, breaking through his thoughts.
He shrugged. He honestly didn’t know why he’d brought her that evening other than because he was in a rut, and he hadn’t thought to say no. They liked each other well enough, but they weren’t in love. He hadn’t slept with her in months either. Despite the fact that his balls were so blue from lack of sex—his right hand could only do so much—he hadn’t wanted to sleep with one woman when his mind was on the other. Sure, he’d been trying to date to get those thoughts out of his head, but he wasn’t about to use another woman fully like that.
“I work with everything that goes in a house or building,” Decker said, his voice low. He had a deep, growly voice according to the-woman-who-shall-not-be-named, and when he got annoyed or emotional, his voice just got deeper.
Colleen didn’t care for it.
“Yes, dear, but you don’t have to talk about it.” She raised her chin and looked out at the yard. He’d helped with the initial landscaping years ago when he was trying to find his place within the business. He’d been better at digging the holes and lifting bags of mulch, rather than doing the actual planning. Marie was the brains behind that. She’d told them what to do, and he and her boys had hopped to it.
In the end, the place looked great with tons of vegetation that looked as though it was natural, rather than lines and perfectly square things that made no sense.
“Did you hear me, Decker? What is going on with you? I said don’t talk about things like that, not to stop talking at all.”
He barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Sorry to bother you,” he mumbled, not sorry in the least. “Why don’t you go talk to, uh, the girls over there while I get another drink?” He couldn’t remember the two girls who worked with Sierra, the newly engaged woman and star of the party, but they seemed to get along with anyone. Hopefully, they’d make friends with Coleen so this evening wouldn’t be a total waste.
She raised a brow and looked pointedly at his hand. Seriously? Jesus Christ. He shouldn’t have brought her here. Or rather, he shouldn’t have let her invite herself in the first place. She didn’t belong, and he didn’t know why he was kidding himself by trying to make it work when neither of them truly wanted it.
“I’ve had one beer, and I’ll have one more since we have a couple hours left. I won’t drink more than that.” He wouldn’t have had to explain himself to the Montgomerys. They knew enough about where he’d come from that him getting behind the wheel, even slightly buzzed, wasn’t an option.
“If you say so,” she clipped then strutted off to the girls on the other side of the backyard.
His shoulders relaxed marginally, and he cursed himself for it. He liked Colleen. He really did. She wasn’t a bad person. She just didn’t understand him.
Whose fault is that?
It wasn’t like he’d told her all that much about himself, and he’d never once mentioned his past.
“Shit, bro, you look like you ate something rotten,” Wes said as he walked toward him. He had the Montgomery blue eyes and chestnut hair, only his was neatly clipped and worked with his OCD persona.
Storm, Wes’s twin, walked beside him. While Wes was a bit lanky, Storm had more of a build on him. He was also a bit more rugged with his shaggy hair, light beard, and flannel shirt over another light shirt, while Wes had his button-up shirt over nice jeans. It never made any sense to Decker that the twin who worked with his hands more often than not as the other general contractor preferred dressier clothes on his day off while the twin who sat behind his desk drawing when he wasn’t in the field wore more rugged clothes. Well, considering each of them worked side by side with Decker and sweated their asses off regularly, it didn’t matter what they wore now, as long as they worked hard during the day.
Which they did.
“Bro?” Decker asked, a smile on his face. “You working with
the kids at Austin’s shop now?” Austin was the oldest Montgomery and owned half of Montgomery Ink, the tattoo shop side of the family business, with their sister, Maya. It was also Austin and Sierra’s engagement party and the reason they were all at the barbecue that evening.
Storm snorted. “We say bro sometimes. Doesn’t make us some college kids who want bad ink.”
“I don’t do bad ink, asshole,” Maya snapped as she came up to them. She wrapped her arm around Decker’s middle, and he hugged her back. Why couldn’t he be this comfortable around all the Montgomery women?
She pulled back before he could squeeze her tighter. Maya liked her space, and Decker liked her all the more for it. Her dark brown bangs were severe across her forehead, and she’d done a weird eyeliner thing that made her look like some fifties rocker pin-up. The red lipstick just made her look like she’d smile at you—then kick you in the ass.
“I meant that he wants bad ink because he doesn’t know what good ink is,” Storm said, backtracking. Wes and Storm might be the second oldest in the family, but no one messed with Maya and walked away without a limp. “Not that you give bad ink.”
Wes laughed then shut up as Maya glared.
Decker, being the smart one of the group, kept his face neutral.
Maya narrowed her eyes at the three of them then nodded. “Okay, so tell me what’s going on. Jake couldn’t make it today, and I’m bored.”
“When are you just going to admit that Jake is your boyfriend?” Wes asked.
Decker closed his eyes. It was like the twins wanted to die by her hand tonight.
“He’s not my fucking boyfriend,” Maya growled then lifted her chin, speaking softer this time. “He’s my friend. I don’t know why a guy and a girl can’t just be friends without the rest of the world wondering if they’re fucking.”
Decker raised a brow then looked at the space between them.
Maya waved him off. “You’re a brother, not a friend. So the world wouldn’t ever think you’d be fucking a Montgomery girl. That’d be all kinds of wrong.”