Poet (Avenues Ink Series Book 3)

by A. M. Johnson

  My hands shook as I slid them up her legs. Fear, adrenaline, basic human lust, had my fingers digging into her inner thighs as I spread them apart.

  My gaze was locked on hers, my tone rough and raw as I said, “I couldn’t stop if I wanted to...”

  I didn’t want to.

  My nose skimmed the curve of her core, the short-trimmed hairs were softer than I would have imagined. My tongue took its first taste, and her feminine scent enveloped every sense. Her quiet gasp, that soft cry, it set every nerve ending I had on edge. I’d given myself over to the temptation of her. I’d tasted what had always been forbidden. When my lips sucked on the sweet flesh, I fell and was perfectly content to never surface again.

  There was no end to it. To him or to me. There was only real, only raw, and I was dying. I’d never been with anyone, except for Chance. I’d touched so many men. Done horrible things for drugs, for money, but I’d never given them my entire body, never let them touch me. All I’d ever known was dirty, sex under the influence, but somehow, Kieran was showing me that I was worth so much more.

  My fingers tangled in his thick hair as I greedily pulled him closer.

  Oxygen… breathe… breathe…

  I couldn’t find a rhythm.

  All I felt was his mouth, his tongue, and I was so impatient… so fucking willing. The muscles in my thighs contracted, and my spine arched as I fought myself, fought all the feeling his hot mouth was giving me. His name was a mumbled plea, a prayer, a needy moan, and when I thought I couldn’t take anymore, he slid two fingers inside me. I shattered as his teeth grazed the sensitive bundle of nerves between my legs, and my body went rigid, exploded into a thousand different shades of red. Bliss and agony all at once. My nails dug into his scalp as I rode out the wave of pleasure surging through me.

  “Kieran.” I was breathless, but he didn’t stop. Wouldn’t stop.

  I leaned up onto my elbows as another wave hit me.

  “Please,” I begged and I didn’t know what for.

  He groaned and the sound of it bathed the length of my legs and arms with tingles as I fell back onto the mattress, limp and sated and owned.

  He licked me with lazy strokes as his fingers left me empty. Kieran pressed sweet kisses to my trembling thighs, my stomach, and then he paused. My mind was still thick with the haze of two fast and hard orgasms to realize what he’d noticed. It wasn’t until his strong fingers, his soft touch traced the long, horizontal scar on my lower abdomen that I finally came to a sharp reality.

  “What’s this scar from?” he asked as his lips kissed the raised skin reverently.

  Tears pricked the corners of my eyes. Maybe it was a post-orgasmic emotional overload. Or maybe it was the fact I liked Kieran too much to lie, but the truth was buried too deep to surface, at least for tonight.

  My fingers ran through his hair as he placed more kisses on my tummy. My breathing hadn’t yet slowed when I said, “I had surgery a few years ago.” It wasn’t technically a lie. A C-section was a surgery, after all.

  My tone was somber and maybe Kieran sensed it, but he didn’t ask any more questions. His fingertips lingered along the six-inch scar for only a few more seconds before they tickled a path of goose bumps along my hips. He shifted his weight and lay next to me on the bed, his lips hovered over mine. When he kissed me, it was deep, and I could taste myself on his tongue. My heart was still racing when he cupped my cheek and brought his lips to my ear.

  “I’ve never done that before,” he confessed and my heart squeezed.

  He was so honest, and I was the liar stealing his innocence and making it mine. I was too quiet and he cleared his throat.

  “Was it… I mean, did I—”

  I turned my head and kissed him before his insecurity could surface. I bit his lip, and pushed down all the stupid shit in my head. I wouldn’t allow my lies to ruin this… even if I was the most selfish bitch on the planet. My mouth explored his, explored the taste of him and me mingled together. A low groan rumbled in his chest as my hand skated down the hard muscle of his stomach and dipped below the elastic of his underwear. My thumb circled the soft velvet head of his dick and his hips shuddered. Kieran’s kiss became desperate as I gripped his length. I wanted to give him what he’d given me, give him a moment to let go, to forget, even if he had nothing to leave behind, I wanted him to break, to splinter into the now.

  My lips followed the line of his rosary tattoo all the way down to the cross, past the dips and valleys of his chiseled chest and abs as he rolled onto his back. My tongue slid along the line of the V that led me to the waistband of his sweats. His hand held my cheek, found my chin, and lifted my eyes to his.

  “You don’t have to do this,” he said. His voice was earnest and beautiful, and for the first time in years, I wanted to give a man a piece of me. Give him some portion of me simply because I wanted him to have it.

  I watched him from under my lashes. His tongue sweeping across his full lips as I whispered, “I want to make you come.”

  His jaw clenched and I smiled. My lips spread and his fingers twisted in my hair. He kept his eyes on me as I lowered his sweats. Kieran was velvet and thick, and as my lips kissed the crown of his dick, his deep growl heated my chest, my stomach, and my shaking fingers stilled. The nerves, my fear, that everlasting sense of loss, every last terrible thing I’d ever done, dissolved into the salty taste of him, into the quiet grunts and pleased sounds that spilled from his mouth as I took him in.

  I wasn’t a whore looking for a quick fix, or the girlfriend to a man who’d rather sell my affections, I was just Melissa, and Kieran was my choice. My choice. His whole body shuddered, and his fingers pulled the tendrils of my hair as he let go. After a few seconds, he let the strands fall free, and his soft thumbs found my cheeks. When our eyes met again, I wasn’t sure if I would ever be able to tell him everything, tell him the truth, because the way he was looking at me in this moment, if I told him who I truly was, it would be like telling him there was no God.

  We’d fallen asleep, a mess of limbs, just after one in the morning. When the muted daylight lit his room, I opened my eyes into slits. His cheek was pressed onto my stomach, his arms were wrapped around my hips, and as I ran my hands through his dark hair, down to his neck, and back up again, I eyed the clock on his nightstand. It read five past ten in the morning. I didn’t have to work today, but I couldn’t remember if Kieran had to. He didn’t stir as I continued my path through his hair, and I tried not to be self-conscious about the fact I had no underwear on. After all, Kieran had his mouth on every surface of my body last night, and I had returned the favor. It was the sexiest night of my entire existence and we hadn’t even had sex.

  I’d forgotten how good it felt to let someone in, to let a man touch me. Chance and I hadn’t loved each other, for such a long time, before he died. I hadn’t realized it for a while, that a man couldn’t really love you if he was willing to farm you out to others for money. Chance had asked me to have sex so many times with other guys, but I couldn’t do it. I somehow convinced myself oral sex and hand jobs weren’t as bad. After my overdose, the doctors screened me for STDs, and when the tests came back negative for everything, my doctor had told me how fucking lucky I’d been. Sex or no sex, I’d risked my life, I’d basically been committing suicide for years.

  Lucky…

  I felt lucky, especially this morning, and as I inhaled the heady scent of Kieran, soap mixed with incense and musk, my heart skipped three full beats making me feel a little bit dizzy.

  “Good morning.” A rough, gravelly voice tickled the skin of my belly.

  “Hey,” was all I could say.

  The night’s events rushed through my head. Every moan, every smile, every growl flushed my cheeks to crimson as his light blue eyes met mine.

  He lifted his body and rolled to his side. His smile was full and lopsided as he said, “I think I like waking up with you.”

  I closed my eyes. I liked waking up with him, too, but I was
n’t as ready to admit that as he was.

  “I think it’s still snowing,” I said as I sat up and stared at his window.

  The light filtering through the blinds was a mixture of gray and white. For some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to look him in the eyes. His face was too open, too happy, and I was a ticking fucking time bomb.

  “Should we start date number three?” he asked and the humor in his voice pulled me from my negative ramblings.

  “Huh?”

  “We’re technically on date number three, encounter number five, I think… whatever… I’m not keeping track.” His chuckle made me smile.

  “You’re not?” I cocked my eyebrow.

  “Nope.” He stood from the bed, and I had to stifle a gasp.

  At some point during the night we’d removed the remaining portions of our clothes. Kieran was standing in front of me completely naked. His body a freaking masterpiece. Tall, broad, and epically sculpted. Every muscle was cut stone. His wide shoulders narrowed down into his hips, and my eyes followed the blessed lines all the way down to his tight backside. My dry mouth watered, and I had to swallow a few times before I looked away. I pulled the sheet up, covering my own nakedness as I watched Kieran move with fluid motion to his dresser, he was oblivious to the blushing woman in his bed.

  “You like eggs?” he asked as he opened his top drawer and grabbed a pair of boxer briefs.

  “Um… sure,” I answered with my eyes on the ceiling.

  His cocky chuckle brought my eyes to his. “Shy looks good on you.” Kieran’s voice was warm, and I pinched my bottom lip between my teeth.

  He was standing there in just his black underwear, his eight pack on display, his strong thighs, his arms… I sucked in a deep breath and gave him a truth. “I think I’m a little overwhelmed.”

  I immediately regretted my honesty when his smile fell. He took a few steps toward the bed and sat on the edge of the mattress. His hand slid under the sheet and found my skin. His fingers working magic on the muscle of my calf. “Do you…” The confidence I loved so much wavered. “Do you regret—”

  “No. Not at all.” I didn’t regret staying here, or anything we’d done last night. I let myself smile, let myself get lost in the crystalline color of his eyes. “Best night ever.”

  A self-satisfied grin lit his features. “I could get used to hearing that.”

  I left my leg in his capable hands, but scooted closer to where he was sitting. The sheet was clenched inside my fingers, lifted almost to my chin, but when I leaned in for a kiss, his free hand tugged it down. His thumb brushed the curve of my breast and my eyes closed.

  “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this, though,” he said in a low hoarse whisper.

  Heat pooled between my legs as Kieran brought both of his hands to my waist, trailing up and then down. Once and then again before he rested his forehead against my brow. “I don’t want to wait anymore.”

  The beat of my heart hummed and stole my breath. My palms pressed into his chest, and the heat of his skin seeped into my fingertips. We both struggled for air until our lungs found a synchronized rhythm. I wanted to give myself to him. Maybe it made me a monster, but he was willing to give himself to me. To me. My head felt light, and I was sure my heart was beating beyond a healthy limit. I was racing each beat, running toward the high he was feeding me. Having sex with Kieran wasn’t something I would be able to walk away from, and I knew it would be the same for him if he gave himself to me. Neither of us would be able to walk away unscathed, but I wanted it… wanted him so much I was willing to risk it.

  I found my voice in the depths of my throat. “I don’t want to wait either.”

  His mouth hit mine with a possessive collision and my head fell to the pillow. The weight of his body pinned me down onto the cotton soft sheets. Kieran’s hands were on my face, his knee between my legs, and I was gasping, grasping for a small breath, something to keep my footing, to keep me grounded. His teeth were at my jaw, my throat, and the addictive, rapid beat of my pulse heightened as he nudged my thighs apart.

  This was happening and I was letting it.

  His hands were hot, searing his fingerprints against my flesh. I could feel the long, hard length of his arousal between my legs. When his tongue licked my bottom lip, I uttered a small cry and he rolled his hips, swearing under his breath.

  He said my name as my hands traveled down his back, under the elastic of his briefs, and rounded his ass. He pushed his hips against me, his body seeking mine with a moan. My name was on his lips again when the sound of a door slamming in the apartment made us both go stiff.

  “Shit,” he whispered and eyed the bedroom door that was opened slightly.

  “Kieran!” a deep, annoyed voice bellowed through the apartment, through the small crack of Kieran’s bedroom door.

  “Liam,” he said to me quietly and gave me a playful grin as he rolled onto his side.

  Kieran stood quickly, leaned over and threw the boxers and t-shirt he’d loaned me last night onto the bed. My bra had fallen onto the floor somewhere, and I wished my jeans and sweater weren’t folded neatly in his bathroom. Saying good morning to Liam in his brother’s clothes was not on the top of my “how awesome would this be” list.

  “I’ll be right out.” Kieran’s voice carried even though he was slipping a shirt over his head.

  “It’s a fucking shit show outside…” Liam’s voice grew closer and I panicked pulling my shirt on.

  Kieran stifled a chuckle. “Wait in the kitchen, I’m getting dressed.”

  Liam wasn’t easily deterred though, and I wondered if this was just an O’Connell trait, in general. “What the fuck, you jacking off? Get the hell—”

  Liam’s sentence died in the air as the bedroom door whipped open. At this point, I was just grateful my shirt was on. Kieran though was still hopping into his sweats.

  “Holy shit, I’m sorry… I mean…” Liam looked at me, his dark eyes wide, and then at Kieran as he swore again and slammed the door. I could’ve sworn I heard him laugh before he said, “I’ll be in the kitchen.”

  Kieran gave me an apologetic smile. “He’s never had to worry about a chick being here in the morning.”

  “Is it possible to die from embarrassment?” I asked, trying to scrub Liam’s shocked glare from my retinas as I fell to the pillow and covered my eyes.

  The bed shifted and I kept my eyes shut when Kieran kissed my forehead. “Don’t be embarrassed. You know how many times I’ve had to deal with Liam and—”

  “Please, stop. Kelly and Liam are basically my bosses. My boss just caught me in bed with his brother. I’m almost thirty, and I feel like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar.”

  “I wish we’d gotten to the hand in the cookie jar portion of this morning. But... my brother is officially a cock blocker. I’ll never let him live it down.” Kieran’s laugh made my cheeks hot and my eyes opened. He held my chin between his thumb and finger. “I have some sweats in the second drawer if you don’t want to wear the boxers… or I’ll grab your things from the bathroom.” His thumb swept across my lips. “If Liam closes the shop because of the weather, I want to spend the day with you.”

  “Okay,” I agreed.

  His calm tone eased my heart rate, and all I wanted to do was breathe him in. “I’d like to go home for a little bit, though. Change my clothes. I know I said you could claim two full days, but I didn’t really mean forty-eight hours.” I laughed at his slight scowl.

  “You look sexy in my shirt, and you know I have this fancy-as-fuck thing called a shower.” He raised his eyebrows when I shoved his chest. “I might even have a toothbrush.”

  “Kieran…” Were we on sharing toothbrush terms already? I didn’t know the rules. I’d never really had to abide by Dating 101. It had always been Chance, and all the rest of the fucked up, but my lips broke into a huge smile as I realized that I might be just as naïve as Kieran.

  “What?” he asked. His smile a gorgeous paral
lel to mine.

  I shook my head. “Let’s just get through breakfast.”

  “And if you’ll have me, I would bring you the horizon if I had to.”

  Hayley Stumbo~

  It felt fast, liking Melissa. Everything was spinning. One second the world was flat and straight, and my feet hit the ground with steady, sturdy steps. The next, she was a fucking storm, filling my sky with lightning, whipping wind through my skin and setting my world on fire. Tipping it, shaking it, holding it in her hands… at any minute it could drop, but when she smiled at me like that, sitting on my bed, a happy flame in her deep brown eyes, I’d hand her my reins any damn day.

  I wanted her and I was at her mercy.

  “I want to make you come.”

  I swallowed as the reminder of her words pumped my blood that much faster.

  Fucking, Liam.

  “Ready to face the big bad wolf,” I teased as she stood from my bed.

  She’d slipped her shirt on earlier, but now her lean, tan legs were revealed as she pushed down the sheets. I should go out into the kitchen, tell my brother to get the hell out, and then do the one thing I’d been dying to do since I’d set eyes on her.

  She grabbed the boxers from the bed and pulled them on as she said, “You go first. I’m going to get dressed in the bathroom.” She exhaled an annoyed breath.

  I lifted her chin with my fingers. “Everything okay?”

  She didn’t answer right away, and when my heart started to sprint, the pressure began to cave in, pushing down onto my lungs. It was more than just sex that pulled me to Melissa. More than just physical attraction. When she looked up at me, her eyes searching mine, worry burned in my empty gut. I couldn’t explain the urgency, but I knew I didn’t want to lose her.

  She reached her hand up and set it against my chest. “I’m fine. I… I’m just embarrassed.”