Indelible: Beneath His Ink (Teal and Trent Book 2)

by Inger Iversen

  Trent sneered at the sniveling puke, wishing he could wrap his fingers around the man’s throat for calling him out. He didn’t have a fucking answer for Jake, and it didn’t escape his notice that Logan had gone silent. Trent didn’t dare take his eyes off Jake long enough to gauge Logan’s expression. There’d been a few nights out with the boys, where loyalties to the Brotherhood were tested. Some men passed, while others failed.

  Though Trent had always passed, he’d always made sure the game was rigged for him. Was he going after a black man for the sole purpose of the color of his skin? No, but did he go after the men who had hurt his sister? Fuck yes. Still, no one—not even Logan—knew about Trent’s past and that he’d fallen in love with a black woman. He’d made sure to keep to the left of the train tracks that separated the “haves from the have not’s” and had never looked back. The tense silence went on forever. One wrong word and Trent would break Jake into bite-sized rich boy pieces.

  A smile spread across Jake’s smug face. “Ah, man, I’m fucking with you. He likes his liquor like he likes his women, cheap and brown.” His belly laughter made Trent roll his eyes.

  Sparing a quick glance at Logan, Trent’s eyes narrowed as he noted a hint of disgust in his buddy’s expression. Was he offended by the joke, or was he finally realizing what a piece of shit Jake was? Poe boy liked black women, and made no excuses for it. Still, with Trent's past fresh on his mind, he was in no mood to talk race. On top of that, he wanted to get back to Faye. His need to be with her one last time fueled his impatience.

  Trent shrugged. “Like I care what color the bitch is that he is fucking, when I’m over here talking with you two, not getting fucked?” Avoidance was the only way to get Jake off this race issue.

  Jake shrugged. “Whatever, let’s ride.”

  Trent turned and walked away with the hope of never seeing Jake again. “Leave without me.” The idea of leaving Faye without at least tasting her lips again, had Trent stepping away from the two men and heading back to the crowd of people.

  Jake muttered under his breath as he got in the car and slammed the door, while Logan jogged and caught up with Trent. “Wait up!”

  Trent turned, waiting for his buddy to catch up.

  “How do you plan on getting back? A fuckin’ two hour cab is gonna cost you an arm and a leg.” Logan rubbed the back of his neck as uncertainty lit his eyes. “You should head back with us.”

  Trent let his gaze drift to where the crowd had dispersed. “Nah, I’ll find a way back.” Being unable to see Faye in the dwindling crowd, Trent headed away from Logan. “And if I can’t, I’ll call you and you can come get me.” Unwilling to wait for Logan’s reply, Trent took off in a jog—back to Faye. He still had many hours left of his one-night stand. He didn’t want to waste another minute.

  “Grab that thick dick of yours and tell me how you’d use it if I were there. What would you want me to do to you?” Teal’s husky voice sounded through the phone, making its way straight to Trent’s groin.

  He reached down, pushed the covers away, and shoved his hand in his shorts. Touching his sensitive tip sent a jolt to his balls, as he grabbed hold and pumped his length. “What are you trying to do to me, woman?” Though he damn well knew her goal. It’d been seven months since they’d started dating and Trent thought this long distance shit was for the fucking birds.

  Each morning, his phone rang for his early morning wake-up call, as Teal liked to call it. He’d grown to both love and loathe them. Hearing her voice through the phone and not being able to physically reach out and touch her was near agonizing. It was a tease, a poor substitute to the real thing he’d tasted and touched. Even as he stroked his dick in one hand, while listening to her sexy voice through the phone, Trent’s heart stuttered in his chest.

  No man should have to be away from the woman he loved the way he loved her. It didn’t make sense, but Teal didn’t seem to feel the same way. She’d become a bit distant. The idea of moving to Kentucky gave her pause, and while his brain understood it, his heart and dick were a lot less sympathetic. He missed the slide of her slick heat as she took him so deep his toes curled.

  But each time he broached the conversation of her moving, it came to a halt and an argument ensued. His point of view was simple: he owned his house, and also his own business—while Teal had a mortgage and could find a job just about anywhere. He’d promised to support her until she was able to get back on her feet, but even that was met with anger and resistance. It was a lose-lose situation.

  While word got out amongst his old gang that he was with a black woman, no one had tried anything with him . . . yet that was one of Teal’s main concerns. That, and the fact she was an independent woman who didn’t need a man to provide for her.

  “Baby, you there?” Her husky voice heaved him from his contemplations.

  He sighed, pissed for allowing himself to be distracted. “Yeah, I’m here.” He pulled his hand from his pants, too frustrated to jerk off.

  “You got all quiet. I wasn’t sure if you were feeling this or not.” Teal moaned. “I sure as hell am.”

  He chuckled. “And I can’t wait to hear you finish. Come for me.” His hand found its way back into his pants, dick in a tight grip. Her bed creaked as she no doubt bucked beneath the covers. If he were there, he’d bury himself so deep inside, he’d take root and grow within her.

  “Baby, I’m about to come.” Her voice hitched and a moan purred in his ear.

  Trent closed his eyes and imagined how tight she’d be, shaking in release, milking his cock with each contraction. When the hell would he feel that again?

  “But I don’t hear anything from you, Trent.” Her voice sobered a bit.

  His eyes flew open. “No, woman, I’m here with you,” he lied.

  She knew him all too well, but he refused to talk to her over the phone about it. Not right now. He needed to hear her come, he needed to know just the thought of him tore a release through her.

  She released an exasperated sigh. “Yeah, okay.” Gone was the husky need. “Something is up. What is it?”

  He heard the rustling of her blankets and the moving phone as she adjusted it to her ear. His erection had gone limp at the “we need to talk” voice. Something about that tone made men around the world look for the nearest bridge to jump from.

  “Okay, what is happening with you? I noticed yesterday you were a bit detached, but I shrugged it off, thinking you were tired from the extra shifts you were taking at the shop.” There was a brief pause. “Shit. Has Shayla tried to come back or something? ‘Cause I’m not above beating a bitch’s ass.”

  Trent laughed so hard he coughed. “Nah, baby. She ain’t been around here in months.” And that was the truth. He’d heard his ex had moved in with some man she’d met at a bar. “As I said, nothing is wrong. I’m just not in the mood right now.” The words vomited out of his mouth before he could pull them back.

  Teal was silent on her end of the line, leaving Trent to search his dumbass brain for a better excuse. If he knew Teal—and he did—then his words had not only concerned her, but they’d hurt her as well. What man wouldn’t be in the mood for sex—unless he was getting it on the side, or couldn’t get it up?

  Teal cleared her throat before she spoke. “You need to tell me something?” Her voice was soft, yet unyielding. Trust was still an issue between them, which was completely understandable. Long distance relationships could be demanding, leaving both parties feeling isolated.

  Trent had made it more than clear he didn’t plan to be away from her for very long, but that wasn’t the problem. The issue was, who the hell was going to make the big move? She had a career in which she’d worked hard to excel in, true. But he owned his own business, and he couldn’t walk away from it.

  He glanced down at his deflated boxers and thrust his hand through his hair in frustration. “You sure you want to talk about this now?” He sure as hell wasn’t.

  Teal scoffed. “If it’s stopping me from fi
nishing, you’re damn straight I want to talk about it. Let’s get this over with, so it doesn’t interrupt us again tomorrow.” Her voice seemed a bit playful and Trent loathed what he was about to say.

  “Fine, I was thinking about Independence Day, and—”

  “Did you book your flight?”

  “No, I didn’t.” He paused, readying himself for the next bit. “But I booked you a flight here.”

  Her silence was deafening, yet still he waited, hoping she was pleasantly shocked into silence, and not fuming on the other end.

  After another beat, she finally spoke. “Okay.” Her voice was soft and slow, as if she were talking to a child. “I thought we discussed this. You were supposed to be coming here for the Fourth of July. You want to see your God-babies, and Katie and Logan, don’t you?”

  He did want to see them, but Katie and Logan had already figured their shit out. They were building an extension on their house, Logan’s gym had taken off, allowing Logan to hire a manager—which gave him more time at home; and here sat Trent, clocking hand jobs over the phone with his woman. And that shit wasn’t going to work.

  “Look,” he sighed, “I wanted to go up there, and I almost bought the fucking ticket to Vermont, but I had an idea.”

  Teal groaned. “Oh no.”

  He sensed she understood exactly where this was heading. They’d spoken about it plenty of times over the last few months. However, today, Trent wasn’t backing down. He sat up and moved the phone to the other ear, ready for whatever excuse Teal made.

  “Yes, ‘cause I can tell you now that this over-the-phone shit is weighing on me. You are my fucking woman and I want to do more than hear your voice when you come. I want to wake up next to you every morning, I want to shower with you, and make actual love to you. How hard is that to understand?”

  He stood and made his way to the bathroom as his frustration grew, words fell from his mouth faster. “And more than that, I want to make a life with you. I am not in this shit for anything else but the long run. This isn’t some seven-month fling. I want you in my life from here on out. You damn sure have to know that by now.” He paused.

  Jesus Christ. What the hell was he saying? Was marriage on the table? Trent wasn’t sure he was ready for that shit. He just wanted to move their relationship to the next level. What the hell was the next level for a couple in a long distance relationship?

  As if wondering or fearing the same thing, Teal sputtered, “W—what—what exactly are you asking?”

  Trent was on a roll now. “Calm the fuck down, Teal. I wasn’t on my knees as I spoke, and I damned sure haven’t picked up a ring.” He took her silence as relief, as he used the toilet and washed his hands. “I think it’s time we had a conversation, and not an argument, over where we are going next. And it needs to be done in person.”

  When the fuck had the roles reversed? In between his odd relationship with his crazy ex, and a few other women he’d dated, they were always trying to pin him down and get a move-in date. Some had even gone as far as to show him wedding dresses and floral arrangements. But, oh no, not Teal. She had to be a hard ass and make him fall to his knees for damned near everything.

  Trent was no pussy, but he’d reached the end of his rope. Maybe their relationship was lopsided. Maybe he wanted more than Teal was ready to give. Their relationship had started with an inevitable collision of lust and passion, but perhaps the fog had lifted for her.

  Or maybe, Teal wanted Trent to beg. But he wasn’t about to do that. He and Teal would get together this summer, and he would convince her to move to Kentucky—even if she killed him in the process. Because after the dust had settled, after he’d reached a new clarity in his life, all he could see, taste, and feel, was Teal.

  Trent calmed, the anger leaving his body in a whoosh. He’d been holding back his need for her, after recognizing her fear of what they had. He’d held back his love for her, for fear of drowning her in it. But he would do that no more.

  “I’m saying I bought you a ticket here for the celebration of the Fourth. I need to see you, and I fucking need to look in your eyes as you respond to the things I need to say.” When she was silent he added. “Logan already knows I won’t be up there, and he thinks it’s a fine idea that you head down here. I’ll see the girls some other time.”

  Only the rustling of covers alerted him to the fact Teal hadn’t hung up. He waited, hoping she wouldn’t lash out. He could only imagine the things rolling through her mind. The pressure to move forward in the relationship was building in his chest, and Teal was either going to give in, or Trent’s upper body cavity was going to explode.

  “Fuck, Teal.” His words came out in an exasperated breath. “Say something.”

  After a bit more shuffling and crackling over the line, Teal spoke. “How hot does it get in Kentucky? Am I headed to the bowels of hell, or is it more like the summers we have up here?”

  Trent’s heart flooded with relief, and words—unintelligible words—left his mouth in a rush. The ease in her acquiescence confused the fuck out of him, but he would roll with it. Trent only comprehended some of the babble that left his mouth. Words like the devil’s ass and hot as fuck left in a rush.

  Shock didn’t come close to explaining how he felt about Teal coming to his home. He’d been prepared to beg, threaten, and if necessary, go to Vermont and abduct her ass. The fact that he would soon have his woman in his arms sent him into a tailspin.

  He listened as she moved around her condo, mentioning the fact she would not deal well with heat . . . and then there was something about humidity and her hair turning into a cotton ball. But Trent didn’t care if she shaved the shit off, as long as she got her ass on the plane and ended up in his home. Soon.

  He sat back down on the bed and listened as her bitching and moaning changed into questions about his hometown and the places she’d want to see. Trent leaned back and closed his eyes, relaxing as he listened to her speak. When her shrill voice called his name over and over, he realized she’d asked him a question.

  He sat up and cleared his voice. “Yeah, baby? What’d you say?”

  Teal huffed. “I said, you got quiet on me. Normally, you gloat when you get your way. What’s up?”

  He hated cell phones for countless reasons; one of those being, his inability to focus on a person’s eyes when speaking to them. He couldn’t watch her eyes and her body movements to gauge what her lips weren’t saying. Was she genuinely excited, or would she flake when the time came?

  Trent wouldn’t bring up his fears though. Instead, he dropped his drawers and grasped his hardening member. “You know those little red panties I sent you?”

  She damn near purred in delight at the mention. “You mean that itty-bitty scrap of material that only covers an inch of skin?”

  He could hear the lust in her voice and imagined the little scrap of silk struggling to hide Teal’s generous ass. Trent gave himself a long stroke from root to tip, until his hand lightly brushed the head of his cock. Squeezing it, his voice strained. “Yes, that little bit of cloth.”

  She chuckled and he could hear her bed sheets ruffle. “Mmm . . . I get to come today after all?”

  Trent moaned at the thought. Perhaps—just until his woman came to Kentucky—he could get used to this.

  There was something about getting dressed in his best clothes that made Trent’s stomach churn. Always, he thought back to his Sunday’s best, and remembered how all of the times had turned out. At the thought of it, he stripped from the clean, white button-up and new jeans. Who the fuck was he kidding? He wasn’t that man; he was a cut-off T-shirt and a pair of maybe, maybe not, washed jeans kind of man.

  He grabbed the black cut-off shirt and shoved his legs through a pair of old well-worn jeans, then headed to the bathroom. In the mirror, he glanced appraisingly at himself. He’d grown out a neat, yet trimmed beard. Normally, he’d shave it off, but after a video call with Teal not too long ago, she’d mention that the scruffy shit suited him, so
he’d kept it. He brushed his fingers through his long hair and headed out.

  The midafternoon heat bore down on him like a hot iron, and he started sweating long before he even made it to his truck. He grinned, amused at the idea of Teal complaining about the heat. Though, the first class ticket he bought for her should buy him some points. He’d wanted her to be comfortable and as relaxed as possible. The heat was oppressive, and she hadn’t wanted to come.

  He’d arrived an hour early, as promised. So, he paced from one end of the airport to the other, checking his cell for missed calls or texts. The amount of people bustling around the airport sent tendrils of unease up Trent’s spine. Crowds made him uncomfortable.

  He bought a bottle of water, gulped it down, and pissed it out. Then, he started the process all over again. Yet, now that the time had arrived, and he stood waiting for her plane to land, sweat broke out over his body. Unsure if it were the growing crowd, his increasing unease, or nervousness to his woman’s arrival, he only knew that he wanted to fuck something up.

  Whatever it was, Trent forced his feet to stay were he’d ended. He yearned to look in her eyes the moment she stepped off that plane, but he wasn’t allowed close as the plane landed. He’d admitted to himself that her ability to calm him during the raging storms that brewed inside, was part of the reason he loved her so much.

  A simple touch, or a softly spoken word in his ear, and he was at her feet, purring like a punk-ass kitten. Trent vowed he would convince her to stay because he planned to use his mouth, his tongue, his dick, his love for her—anything at his disposal.

  So finally, when she took her first step around the corner and caught his eyes, he nearly rammed through passengers to grab her. Instead, he steadied his feet and waited for her to come closer. A smirk played across his lips as she cocked a brow. Huffing her carry-on over her shoulder, she sped up until they were face to face.