“But I did tell him about the evidence logging incident, since I don’t think you did yet. Rachel overstepped. Way overstepped. She tried to get me in trouble for something I didn’t do and I won’t take that from anybody. For you to sit here and let her, still hurts.”
“I’m sorry about that.”
“Me, too.” She stood up, already feeling a load of stress off her shoulders. “I do wish you a great retirement. Bye, Scott.”
He didn’t say anything as she left his office. He had another month before he officially left. She figured his boss would hire the perfect fit for someone else to run the crime lab. Not her. She wasn’t ready for that. Maybe she never would be.
She didn’t want to go over his head, but when she came back to work to see Rachel still working, a smug little grin on her face, her patience snapped. She found out Scott never did a thing about the evidence room incident. So she did what she had to do. As far as she knew, Rachel was no longer employed with the St. Cloud Police Department. She didn’t feel an ounce of remorse for making that happen. She was surprised Scott didn’t know yet. Maybe he’d be getting his walking papers as well.
Soon, she wouldn’t have to deal with Scott either, which almost made her sad, considering how much she had looked up to him at one time.
Her life felt like it was getting back on track. Less stress. Less crap to deal with. Normal everyday life stuff.
The best part of it.
She had Stitch.
♡
He heard the garage door start to open, then close shortly after.
Damn it.
He wasn’t ready. Oh, well. When did his plans ever go as they should?
As soon as the door from the garage to the kitchen opened, he snagged a hand around Susan’s waist and gave her a kiss that said how much he missed her.
“Hey, beautiful. How was work?” His eyes glanced at the microwave. “You’re late.”
She kissed him one more time, something he’d never get tired of. “A lot happened today, besides the boring part of working a crime scene of a petty theft. How was your day? What smells so good?”
“Making some chili. It’s cold out today. Thought it might warm you up.” He bent his head and laid tiny kisses across her neck. “Among other things that might warm you up.”
She giggled as she took his assault of kisses without resistance. He held himself in check for an entire week. He couldn’t hold back anymore. He needed her. Under him. Over him. Whatever way she wanted it, but he needed her.
“When will the chili be done?”
“Well, even though you’re late,” he cracked a sexy grin, “it still needs another hour or so.”
“Works for me.” She wiggled out of his arms and around the island before he could stop her.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“To change.” Her eyes sparkled with delight. “Into something sexier.”
“Doesn’t take an idiot to see how sexy you are. Get back over here, shorty. Maybe I wanna take you right here in the kitchen.”
“And maybe I bought something for you and you just have to wait.”
Hmmm…well, he did like the sound of that. He honestly didn’t need sexy lingerie to know she was sexy in anything.
“Wait here. We can still have that dirty sex in the kitchen like you want.” She winked and started to walk away.
Worked for him. If she needed to change, he’d wait. He did kind of like the idea of taking her hard and fast in the kitchen, maybe on the island. Showing her he was here to stay. Marking his spot, in a way.
He turned to the stove to stir the chili when he heard footsteps walk back into the kitchen. “That was quick.” He turned toward her. She stood near the opening of the kitchen. His brows dropped in confusion. “Or not. You didn’t change.”
She tossed a hand behind her shoulder. “What’s with all the boxes in my hallway?”
“My shit. You know, clothes and stuff.”
Her brows puckered together. “Like, moving in stuff?”
“Yeah.”
“Did I miss the conversation where we decided to move in together, Stitch?” she asked with a laugh.
“No. I don’t think we had it. You got a problem with me moving in, shorty?” He cocked a challenging eyebrow.
“You didn’t even ask. Maybe I want to move into your house.”
A chuckle slipped out. “My house isn’t as nice as yours. Plus, this has a good school district. My place has a shitty one.”
“School district?”
“What, are you telling me you don’t want kids?”
She jerked back in surprise. “You want kids? Like, what…now?”
He couldn’t hold back a sneaky grin. “Come on over here, Suzey baby, and I’ll knock you up right now.”
He didn’t miss the flash of desire in her eyes as she laughed. “Don’t tempt me.”
“Oh, I’m trying my damndest to tempt you. You better either go change into your sexy shit, or I’m taking you now without waiting.”
“I had a crazy day at work. I didn’t expect to come home to…this.”
Doubt, for the first time, started to seep in. He hated talking. He hated sharing his feelings and dealing with all that relationship stuff. He figured it was easier to make the decision and move in. Skip all that mushy stuff and do it. He didn’t think she’d have a problem with it. She loved him. He loved her. What more did they need to talk about?
But maybe she wasn’t as invested as he was.
Maybe he read everything wrong.
He slowly crossed the kitchen to where she stood and kept walking until he had her backed up against the wall.
“You don’t want me?”
She bit her bottom lip, almost as if she were trying to drive him crazy, which he wouldn’t doubt. “Of course I do.”
“Good. Why do we gotta beat this topic to death? I’m moving in, we’ll have kids…and yeah.” He pressed lightly into her, his hard dick waiting to slide deep inside her as he boxed her in with his hands to the wall.
“We haven’t even started this topic to beat it to death yet.”
“What’s there to talk about? I love you. I want to move in and do all that shit couples do.”
Her expression as she laughed was a mixture of happiness and pain. “That sounds so romantic. Could you possibly use the word shit any more than you are?”
“Shit.” He snapped his fingers as he grinned and winked. “I almost forgot the best part.” He dipped his hand into his pocket and then pulled something out without her seeing it. Grabbing her hand, he slid the ring onto her finger he bought last week. Actually, the same night that asshole almost took her away from him.
“There. We’ll get married, too. Can’t believe I almost forgot the best part.”
“Are you even going to ask me?”
“I just did.”
Her eyes couldn’t stop staring at the small princess cut diamond he paid an arm and a leg for, as another sweet laugh rang around the kitchen. “That was more like cave man behavior. Me man. You woman. Together. Done.”
Romance and him? Not something he excelled at. Like an idiot, he did practice in the mirror how to ask her. What does he do? He skips all that and shoves the ring on her finger, which looked mighty damn good on her.
Maybe he was doing it all wrong. Even though her eyes were twinkling with delight, she wanted him to ask. She wanted a little bit of romance.
He pressed his hands to her hips and lifted her, joining their bodies perfectly together against the wall, suddenly wishing they had no clothing between them and he could slip right inside her. He couldn’t resist thrusting against her once before kissing her gently.
“Suzey baby, will you marry me? Have babies with me? Do stupid shit with me, like have dirty sex in your office?” He smirked like the devil as her eyes lit up with bliss. “Is that better?”
“It’s an improvement,” she said with a giggle as he attacked her neck with a bout full of playful kisses. �
�You know my answer was always going to be yes.”
“Well, yeah. That’s kinda why I put the ring on your finger, moved some of my stuff here, and…”
Her smile almost dimmed as his nerves must’ve been suddenly obvious.
“And?”
A tiny breath escaped as his voice lowered, “And I took my beautiful woman’s advice and made an appointment with the doctor about my wrist. Even though I didn’t want to. Hate it, actually.”
“See, you have this couple thing down pat.” She kissed him soundly on the lips, the tension that entered vanished as if it never existed. He moaned at the loss of her lips. “You know I’ll go with you to the appointment. Hold your hand and everything.”
“Damn right, you are. I ain’t going alone.” He grinned to hide the fact he was dead serious. He was nervous as hell what the doctor would say. If he couldn’t tattoo ever again, he didn’t know what he’d do.
“Are we engaged?”
His eyes grazed downward to her hand that rested on his arm. “Yeah, Suzey baby, we are.”
“Then what are you waiting for? Love me like an engaged woman deserves.”
“No need to tell me twice. But I need to take my time loving you. So a bed is needed.”
He gripped her tightly as he moved away from the wall and walked quickly to her bedroom. He set her down gently, then slapped her ass playfully when she turned around to scoot further onto the bed.
“I’m dying to see this sexiness. Go change already.”
She giggled and disappeared into the master bathroom. His eyes followed her the entire way. When she walked out less than a minute later in the sexiest, delectable piece of lingerie he had ever seen, he had no idea how he came to be the luckiest man alive.
This woman.
A woman he didn’t even want to take to a dumb ball over six months ago when Deena originally asked him, turned out to be his everything.
He’d have to thank Deena someday.
Because his life was finally complete.
Hell, even if he could never tattoo again. He was happy.
With Susan by his side.
Epilogue
Two months later
“Damn it, shorty, get your ass off that chair and put that thing down.”
Susan turned slightly, her eyes lit up with laughter, her mouth curling into a devious grin, her hands holding a semi-large portrait that looked ready to topple her small stature over.
“You don’t like it here. I thought it would look nice hanging over your desk.”
His eyes bulged. “You are not hanging that. Now get off that chair before I spank your ass.”
Her eyes glittered with delight. “Don’t tempt me. You have to pick a spot.”
“I don’t have to do nothing. Don’t make me say it again.”
She had the nerve to widen her smirk.
“You. Are. Not. Hanging. That. Up.”
“But you worked so hard on it. It’s beautiful.”
He stalked over to the desk and took the portrait from her, then grabbed her hand to guide her down off the chair.
“Yeah, I did work hard on this. But not for prying eyes. This is for my eyes only.”
“I think it would help you and your teeny, tiny, overprotective streak you have with me. You don’t even like it when a man dares to glance in my direction.”
“No, Suzey baby, this will not help. This will only further my rage and commit murder if I see one man even think about looking at a picture of you half naked.” He lifted the portrait, his eyes grazing the delicate sketch he did of her a week ago, lying only in her red lace panties on their bed. The sex after he finished…whew! He wouldn’t be surprised if he knocked her up. With triplets or something.
Every time he looked at it, he knew it was the best sketch he ever drew. Shit. If he ever dared to tattoo it, it’d probably be the best damn tattoo of his life.
But he wasn’t sharing this with another soul.
She was nuts if she thought he’d hang this up in his office for clients and his coworkers and anyone else who dared to step in here and see her naked hanging on his wall.
This would not help his protectiveness of her. Far from it. Nothing probably would. He worried about her all the time. Especially working with the police department. He thought he was doing pretty damn good. He hadn’t hit anybody recently. She should give him credit for that.
A soft hand cupped his cheek, then moved to brush his hair back. “I didn’t think you’d go for it.”
His eyes met hers. “Then why’d you bring it here? Aren’t you supposed to be working?” He set the portrait behind him on the chair and snagged an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. “What are you doing sneaking into my office?”
“Well, I wouldn’t call it sneaking. I walked through the front door and said hi to Stacey.”
“Yeah, but she had me go on a crazy mission to find a dumb box of pens in the back room. Obviously, you were sneaking in here with help from her.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Except, the wily grin said she did. He always loved this sassy, sexy side of her. With a searing kiss, he told her exactly how much he loved her.
“I have the rest of the day off. I hear you have no more clients.” Her eyes softened. “How’s the hand feeling?”
She asked him that regularly. After seeing the doctor, who didn’t officially diagnose him with carpal tunnel syndrome, said he needed to relax a bit on the constant strain he put on his hand and wrist. He needed to keep its strength by doing regular exercises.
So far, the dumb exercises he hated doing, but did it because Susan was like a drill sergeant, were helping. He also cut back his client list, not taking as many personal tattoos as before. People still wanted him, which put his wait list even crazier. He wasn’t complaining, because business was still thriving, but he did feel bad the wait was ridiculous. But hell, if they wanted a tattoo, they had to wait. Because if his hand ever became so bad he had to quit, they’d be shit out of luck.
Overall, his hand felt better. If it flared back up, crazy with pain, maybe the doctor would change his mind and say surgery was necessary. Right now, he was managing. Or, more like, Susan was managing him. Nobody knew about his hand issue but her. Just the way he wanted it.
“The hand’s fine.”
“Don’t be a baby. You better have done your exercises this morning.”
He snagged a kiss before muttering, “Am I in trouble if I didn’t?”
“Well, don’t think I’m pulling out the whip or anything?”
That sounded like fun. He’d be up for something like that. She slapped him playfully on the shoulder after reading his expression as such.
“Come on. I haven’t had lunch. Are you hungry? Can I buy you lunch?”
“As long as you put that damn portrait back in your car and make sure no one sees it.”
She chuckled as she stepped out of his embrace and grabbed a large tote bag from the floor near his desk. “Don’t worry. I hid it well.” She rolled her eyes, almost reminding him of Deena. “You don’t really think I want people to see me half naked, do you?”
“Then why the hell did you bring it here?”
Ignoring him, which he thought was a fair question, she tucked the portrait back into the tote bag.
“I’m hungry. Let’s go.”
She grabbed her jacket, eyed him with a motherly gaze every time he refused to wear one, then she grabbed his hand. Not even caring how sissy it might look walking out of his office and down the hallway of his shop holding her hand, he dared anyone to make a comment. Although, besides Stacey, who grinned at him with a little bit of mischief mixed in, nobody was paying attention to them. Jensen sat with a client on the couch near the window going over a sketch. Stewart and Todd, his other two artists, were applying tattoos. Stewart had a young girl sitting in his chair, probably just turned eighteen, who didn’t look like she was handling the pain well. Todd had a guy who didn’t so much as
flinch as the needle pierced his skin, considering his arms were covered with tattoos, not an inch of skin to be seen.
“Where do you want to…” His words died as he stepped outside and lost all train of thought. Not even the cold weather penetrated his mind.
Tears started to well in the corner of his eyes. Something he never did. Susan squeezed his hand, making him divert his attention from the beautiful car in front of him to the gorgeous woman beside him.
“Suzey baby…how did…what is…”
“Do you like it? I’ve felt terrible since that day I totaled your car.” She pulled him toward the only other thing he had loved deep in his heart before he met her. “It’s the same car. Restored to its original glory.”
He dropped her hand and stepped toward his baby. His original baby that he had polished and shined and waxed and took care of as if he’d die if he didn’t.
His hand glided across the smooth surface of his baby, feeling revived, feeling alive. Feeling damn grateful.
“She looks just like she did. Restored completely? Original parts and…everything?”
Susan smiled wide, shaking her head enthusiastically. “I didn’t do it myself. I had no clue what to do, but Dee helped me. She knew a guy, who knew a guy, who knew a guy, or something. She even made them do it as fast as they could.”
He laughed, his smile as bright as the sunny blue sky. He was so damn happy to have his baby back, he couldn’t even express it to her. She squealed in delight when he grabbed her around the waist, the tote falling from her hands, and he twirled her as he kissed her fiercely. His desire for her soared, wanting to take her right here and now, be damned who saw, in the back of his ‘69 Chevelle. No woman had ever been lucky enough to have sex in his car.
But his Suzey baby was going to get lucky. He couldn’t wait to love her in the back seat of his car.
He twirled her one more time, then let her go gently to hug his car. He didn’t care who saw him or what they thought. It was like floating to heaven.
“Geez, okay. Get a room already. I have no idea whether to say to get a room for you and Susan, or you and the car.”
The feisty voice behind him made him stand up and turn around. He didn’t hesitate to pick Deena up and twirl her, too. He even thought about giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, but he finally noticed Sauer standing to the side, who looked panicked and ready to take him to the ground.
One Taste of Sin (A One Taste Novel Book 4) Page 23
