Written in Ink (Montgomery Ink #4)

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  Autumn pressed her lips together, trying to hold in her laughter. These two always spoke to each other like this within the confines of their co-owned shop. Of course, she was pretty sure they talked like this to each other everywhere else, as well. If she didn’t know that either one of them would lay down their lives for the other, she’d have thought they had issues with each other.

  “I fired the fucking receptionist because she kept trying hump your leg!”

  Autumn gripped Callie’s hand and refused to look at her. If either of them laughed just then…well, Autumn didn’t want to think of the consequences.

  “Like I’d let her close enough to hump my leg,” Austin grumbled.

  “She got pretty close once,” Sloane added in, like the male he was. Damn fine male at that. All broad shoulders and thick thighs with a shaved head and a perpetual scowl. The man only grinned in truth for Hailey, though the café owner never noticed. Or maybe she did her best to not notice. Seriously, it was like a daytime drama in here sometimes, and Autumn loved it. If only she could work at Montgomery Ink and not for the big bastard author who refused to ask for help.

  “Yeah, and I pushed her away and didn’t make her cry like someone did.”

  “She deserved it!” Maya shouted.

  Autumn took a deep breath and placed herself between the two siblings. Sure, Austin sat on his stool and hadn’t moved forward, though he’d stopped tattooing once he turned his attention to his sister. The client just grinned, his full back piece looking like it had taken a few sessions. He had to be used to Austin and Maya by now. Maya had her hands on her hips, and her jaw looked as if it were ready to break, she’d clenched it so hard.

  “Okay, folks, let me work on the computer and get you settled,” Autumn said calmly. “I told you before that I would help with things like this.”

  Maya frowned then narrowed her eyes. “Wait. Aren’t you supposed to be at Griffin’s right now? I thought you were starting today?”

  Autumn raised her chin. “Your brother’s growl makes Austin sound like a puppy.”

  Austin barked out a laugh. “Fuck that kid sometimes. What did he do now?”

  “He doesn’t want an assistant.”

  “I could have told you that,” Austin said, laughter dancing in his eyes. “But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t need one. He’s just a bastard sometimes. Ignore him and do what you do best. Though I wasn’t happy that the girls and Mom went behind his back to hire you, I think you’re going to kick his ass in gear.”

  “Every Montgomery man needs a good kick in the ass sometimes,” Maya said.

  Austin raised a brow. “The women need the same thing, honey. Shall we talk about Jake?”

  “He’s just my friend!” Maya shouted. “How many times do I have to fucking say that?”

  “And we’re done,” Autumn interjected. “Back to your corners. Both of you.”

  Maya grinned at Austin, but it looked a bit more feral than a smile. Austin just smirked, his lips barely visible in his beard.

  “Do you think we could have one conversation without cursing?” Callie asked, her eyes bright and innocent.

  Maya snorted. “This from the woman who was just telling me how Morgan tied her to the bed and wouldn’t let her come until she said how bad a girl she was.”

  Austin’s shoulders shook, and Sloane chuckled as Callie, despite how red her face had gotten, raised her chin.

  “Well, I was a bad girl, and I deserved to be punished. And I told you that in confidence, you whore. Maybe you’re the bad girl and I should get Jake to punish you.” She grinned, and Autumn had to move to the desk so she wouldn’t fall down laughing.

  “Next person who comments on Jake gets my foot up their ass.”

  “Did someone say Jake?” Griffin asked as he strolled into the shop. “You finally hit that, Maya darling?”

  Maya growled while Autumn froze. What the hell was he doing here? He was supposed to be back at his home pretending to write and thinking about his asshole actions.

  Maya launched herself at Griffin, her fists raised. Instead of ducking, he caught his sister and twirled her around the shop.

  “I’m going to kill you,” Maya said.

  “I’m sure you’ll try. But before you do that, you have to work on my next set of ink. My appointment, remember?”

  Maya snarled. “I remember, but I’m surprised you did. In fact, how can you remember anything if you’re kicking out your assistant before she can even start.”

  Autumn straightened her shoulders as Griffin looked up from his sister and met her gaze. He swallowed hard then clenched his jaw. The couple of days’ worth of beard still looked mighty sexy on him. It wasn’t as if she’d been out of his presence for long. How was it possible that he looked even better than before?

  It was official. She’d gone crazy. Next stop: insane and drooling. And not drooling from how delicious the man looked. She would not be doing that. Ever.

  “I didn’t know you’d be here,” Griffin said casually.

  “You didn’t ask.”

  “You didn’t give me much time to ask, did you?”

  Autumn opened her mouth to yell, then remembered where she was and who exactly was watching them act like six-year-olds fighting over a stolen toy.

  “I wasn’t aware you had an appointment here today,” she said instead. With a few click of keys on the keyboard, she had the appointment book open and spotted Griffin’s longstanding appointment with Maya.

  “I had it down on a notepad in my office,” Griffin said easily. “I’m not going to forget ink.”

  “No, you’re just going to forget everything else.” She winced. Damn it. This man was still her boss. She needed to remember that.

  Maya snorted. “That’s the truth. Ink before life. Right, baby bro?”

  Griffin shook his head. “You’re only one step up in the line, Maya. You’re not that much older.”

  “Still counts.” Maya frowned. “At least until I get to the point where I’m saying I’m still twenty-eight or something. Then you’ll be older. Anyway, go sit in the chair and take off your shirt so we can work on finishing your shoulder piece. Don’t flex too much though, darling brother of mine. The only people in this room with breasts are either related to you, married, or seem to hate your guts right now.” She glanced at Autumn and winked.

  Oh, good. This was going to end well. Now she had to be in the same room as a shirtless Griffin while the buzz of the needle filled her ears and made her even more turned on when it came to the bane of her existence Montgomery.

  Autumn turned her attention back to the computer and did her best to make it a little more organized. Austin and Maya were totally methodical and ran one hell of a business that had a waiting list three years long for larger pieces and custom works of art. But the running joke of their lack of receptionist couldn’t make things easy. Back when Callie had been Austin’s apprentice and not a full-time artist, the younger woman was able to help out more, but now that word of Callie’s own talent was spreading, she didn’t have that kind of time. Autumn helped where she could and refused payment. Mostly because getting paid led to more paperwork, and the less paper trail, the better. So far, she hadn’t had to file anything with Griffin, but she knew it was coming. She hated lying, but honestly, she had no idea what else to do. If things got sticky, she’d run like she always did.

  Though this time, she knew running would hurt more than all the other times she’d done it.

  Damn those Montgomerys.

  She took a deep breath then turned toward Maya’s station, just about swallowing her tongue as she did.

  Griffin sat facing the back of the chair, his thick thighs spread so he could straddle the damn thing. He had his arms folded in front of his face, though he didn’t lean on them. Instead, he turned his head to look over his shoulder at Maya as they talked about placement or whatever.

  Autumn would not have an orgasm from the sight of him alone. She would not.

  She
pressed her thighs together and cursed the day Griffin Montgomery had been born.

  She wasn’t sure what Maya would be doing to Griffin’s shoulder and back that day, and she wasn’t sure she had the energy to stay there and watch. She had to keep whatever…this was to herself. There was no use lusting after a man she worked for—a man she’d eventually leave when it became too dangerous to stay.

  Instead of lusting, she went back to the computer and cleaned up what she could. It didn’t take that much time, and soon she found herself standing and rolling back on her heels, knowing she had to leave. She’d come to the shop to vent or at least calm down. But now that the source of her troubles was not only in the same damn room as her, but shirtless with just the right amount of chest hair to make her want to pet him until they were both begging, she knew she had to leave.

  “Hey, Autumn, come over here right quick,” Austin called out.

  She closed her eyes and counted to five. “Sure thing.”

  She did her best not to look at Maya’s station and act casual. She had a feeling she was failing miserably. What the hell was wrong with her? She blamed hormones. Maybe she just needed to get laid and all of this would go away. Of course, with that thought, she could only imagine Griffin standing behind her, flipping her skirt over her hips as he bent her over his thinking chair and fucked her from behind.

  Damn that Montgomery.

  Damn them all.

  “What’s up?” See? That was normal.

  Austin tilted his head, studying her face. “My client wasn’t on-call but still had to go into work.”

  She frowned.

  “Firefighter.”

  Her brows rose. “Is everything okay?”

  Austin shook his head. “Not sure. Hopefully, his gear won’t fuck up his ink, but fighting a fire is more important than anything I can do with his skin. Anyway, I have an hour now that’s free. Sierra isn’t across the street at her shop, or I’d just head there and see my wife. What do you think about sitting here and letting me work on that piece on your side?”

  “What the hell? I though I was the one who got her next?” Maya yelled from her station.

  Autumn held back a grin. She loved the way these two always fought over family but not usually clients. She warmed from the inside. Maybe she was getting closer…

  Damn it. That wasn’t good. She needed to leave town soon.

  But before she did, she could at least get new ink.

  “Sounds good to me,” she said softly.

  “Good. This’ll repay you for helping us out so much since you won’t take our money.”

  “But…but I can pay.” She might not have endless funds, but she could pay for what she needed.

  Austin narrowed his eyes. “Don’t argue. Now sit down and roll up your shirt and tuck it under your bra. Let’s get to work.”

  She opened her mouth to argue anyway, and the bearded, broody man in front of her raised a brow. Okay, then.

  She did as she was told; aware that someone was staring at her. While one part of her might have wanted it to be heat coming from Griffin’s gaze, she had a feeling attraction had nothing to do with it. When she ended up straddling the chair and facing Maya’s station at a diagonal angle, she wanted to scowl.

  Of course, she had to face Griffin and his sexy side and arms while she had her shirt tucked up. Why would the gods allow anything else?

  Griffin met her gaze and quirked a grin. “Not what you expected your afternoon to look like, huh?”

  She clenched her jaw. “Not exactly.” She sucked in a breath as Austin touched her with the needle for the first time. It always hurt like hell at first, then went to a happy buzz that sent shocks of pleasure mixed with pain straight down to her toes. Griffin smiled at her then, that same look in his gaze.

  She licked her lips, her heart racing.

  His eyes dropped down to her mouth, his pupils dilating.

  Oh, damn it. This was so not the place. So not the time. So not the guy.

  Instead of letting anyone know what he did to her, she lowered her head and rested her forehead on her arms. Austin spoke to her every once in a while but seemed to know she needed time to herself—even in a busy tattoo shop.

  Forty-five minutes passed in a blink as she focused on not focusing on Griffin. Soon she felt Austin wiping down her side for the last time and talking about aftercare.

  “I think you’ll be done with this one in one more session,” Austin explained. “I could have finished the final shading today, but you were swelling a bit and I want to make sure it’s perfect.”

  Autumn let Austin grip her hand to keep her steady as he led her to the long mirror. Her gaze traveled down the groupings of different bunches of flowers down her side—each flower representing a new place she’d been forced to occupy while never finding the space that was uniquely hers.

  “It’s perfect,” she whispered. In fact, it looked finished. If she had to hightail it out of Denver right away, she wouldn’t have to have anyone touch it up—not that she’d ever let anyone touch Montgomery ink. Only to a perfectionist’s eye would there need to be extra shading or lines done.

  “It’s almost there,” he said softly. “Now, don’t forget to take care of yourself.” He looked over at Maya and Griffin. “And kick his ass if you need to,” he whispered, his beard tickling her ear.

  She rolled her eyes then carefully slid her shirt over the plastic wrap he’d placed over her fresh ink. When she turned toward Maya’s station, it was to see Griffin’s eyes on her, his eyelids hooded as he raked his gaze down her. She wasn’t sure if that look was for her alone, or a mix of the pain and pleasure that came with his own ink as Maya worked on his shoulders.

  “I only saw a glimpse, but it looks fucking phenomenal,” he said. He licked his lips. “See you tomorrow?” he asked, his voice hesitant.

  She swallowed hard. She could do this. She could help him—then leave like she needed to. “Sounds good.” With that, she said her goodbyes and left the shop, a cool breeze of Colorado mountain air chilling her red cheeks. She’d miss the scent of fresh and clean most of all…

  By the time she drove home and pulled into her driveway, she was ready for food and a long shower. She couldn’t soak in the tub thanks to her new ink, and she never liked to drink until her tattoo had healed a bit more since it thinned her blood.

  When she stepped out of her car, her ever-present bag in her hand, she froze, the hair on the back of her neck rising. She swallowed hard then did her best to look casual as she searched her surroundings. Autumn might not have seen anyone, but it damn sure felt like someone was watching her.

  She knew what that felt like.

  Had felt it countless times before.

  She quickly made her way into her home, her keys and pepper spray in her hands in case someone came at her. As soon as she closed the door, she set the deadbolt, hurried to the kitchen, grabbed the big butcher knife she knew damn well how to use, and searched the rest of her small house.

  Alone.

  She was safe.

  At least for the moment.

  But she knew her time in Denver was ending. She’d been here too long already…long enough that she’d formed attachments she never intended to keep.

  Autumn would finish her promise to help with Griffin to the Montgomerys and herself and then she’d leave.

  It would be safer for everyone. Because if she stayed, she’d be responsible for the carnage.

  She always was.

  Chapter Six

  “You’re looking more energetic,” Griffin said with a small smile as his dad engulfed him in a big hug. The man may not be as large as he once was, the hugs not as tight as they’d once been, but there was no denying that Harry Montgomery was a force to be reckoned with. Griffin had come over for an afternoon meal, and honestly, just to see his folks.

  “I’m feeling like it,” his dad said softly. “You here for a reason, or to check up on me?” He grinned and leaned back. “It’s your turn,
isn’t it?”

  Griffin rolled his eyes. Busted. Whatever. His siblings wanted nothing but the best for their parents, and things had been a shitty rollercoaster for the past few years. Between Dad’s cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatments¸ Austin’s drama with his kids and Sierra, Decker and Miranda’s rocky courtship and almost ruined wedding courtesy of Alex, and all the hell that Meghan had been through before she’d finally been able to settle down with Luc, Griffin worried.

  Griffin worried about a lot of things. It was just something he did.

  “We kids can’t get anything by you. It’s my turn, but I like coming here anyway.”

  “Because your mom feeds you, most likely.”

  Griffin shrugged, his grin unrepentant. “Well, that’s a plus in the column for sure.”

  Marie came into the living room, a tray of drinks and an antipasto plate in her hands. Griffin quickly went to her and took the platter.

  “You should have told me to get my ass in there to help,” he admonished and set the tray down on the coffee table.

  “I’m not feeble,” she said then kissed his cheek as he handed her a drink. “But I like your help anyway.”

  Griffin bent and rested his forehead on hers as he’d done countless times before. He still remembered when she’d been the one to bend. Time flew, he knew, but damn, he didn’t want it to go too fast; not when his dad wasn’t out of the woods yet.

  He sucked in a shaky breath—the emotions too much—and stood. “All you have to do is ask. Anytime. Okay?”

  Marie met his eyes and nodded. “Okay, Griffin darling.”

  Griffin settled into one of the couches after his parents did the same on the other, and drank and ate while they talked of their day-to-day issues and accomplishments. He liked days like this; liked it when he could just sit and listen to the two people who had raised him, had loved him with every ounce of their being. Life wasn’t perfect—far from it—but sometimes he could forget his worries and just listen.