Unmistakably Us (Imagine Ink Book 5)

by Verlene Landon

  Once they were thoroughly coated, he dragged his hands down to her hips. Bringing her up over his mouth, he pulled the snaps free with his teeth. “Grab the headboard and hold on, because now I get to feast until this gray shit turns white.”

  Her flavor exploded on his taste buds at the first touch of his tongue. He licked, nibbled, and tongue-fucked her until he was damn near drowning in her essence.

  When his teeth closed around her clit, she cried her pleasure to the entire first floor of the Day Break Inn. He prayed that goop was white because he needed to fuck his wife more than he needed to breathe.

  They carefully removed the mold according to the instructions, and Logan shot off the bed. He reached in his duffle and pulled out a coil of silky black rope.

  When January spied the rope, the fire that sparked in her hazel eyes combined with her flavor clinging to his tongue damn near had him coming.

  “Are you ready? We’ll start simple tonight, but I promise you when I’m not riding the edge as hard as I am now, I’ll have you trussed up so beautifully, you’ll need to focus just to swallow.”

  Logan didn’t wait for her agreement, she had given it to him when her eyes flared to life and she licked her lips. He could practically hear her heart speed up as he demonstrated a basic knot on her non-injured outstretched wrist.

  “This is a basic square knot. I want you to see it. Take note of how it applies delicious pressure to your skin. When your wrist is completely healed, I’ll bind your arms behind you all the way to your elbow in a ladder of these. They’re one of my favorites because they don’t slip and the imprint they leave on the skin is perfection.” Logan’s words caught in his throat as his gaze ate up the vision of her porcelain skin with the black silken knot slightly digging into her pulse point.

  Untying the knot, Logan unwound the rope that he’d looped three times around her wrist. “Tonight, I’m going to indulge in something a little different that won’t hurt your wrist. I want to bind your hair.” Logan had fantasized about that multiple times. It wasn’t normally his thing. While it was elegant in its simplicity, it left no trace after the knots were gone. No red marks to tenderly care for after.

  His thumb brushed over the ever so slight color elevation of her smooth skin where the knot had been. “God, I wish my wrist was healed. Do you have any idea how transfixed you are right now? It’s totally hot.”

  Logan looked up at the beautiful woman who now shared his name and couldn’t resist slamming his mouth to hers. “Turn around.” It was an order, and she obeyed. Logan painstakingly wound the rope around her purple hair and knotted it. Loop, knot, and repeat, until the entire length was bound. The spacing was perfection. A half of an inch between loops with one knot kissing the next.

  Logan stared, completely enthralled by the sight before him. He slowly inched off the bed and stood mesmerized. January shifted her body until she was kneeling and sitting on her feet. Forearms crossed behind her gripped high by her elbows as if tethered together by invisible rope with her bound hair lying atop of them.

  “You’re fucking perfect and you’re all mine." Logan lost all control. He rejoined her on the bed, pushing her head forward which elevated that perfect ass. With one hand, he grabbed her bound hair by her nape and let five knots slip through his grip before he tightened his hold.

  With his other hand, he rubbed his cock head one time up her wet pussy before driving home deep inside her body. Her cry of ecstasy was a flamethrower to his jet fuel. Her chest anchored her to the bed as she left her arms behind her and Logan kept her head thrown back with his hold on her hair.

  “I fucking love you,” he repeated over and over as he pummeled her body. When he shouted his release just a few strokes later, they both fell into an exhausted tangle of sweaty and spent limbs. The last conscious thought he had was how both of their feet were somewhere near the center of the bed. No parts touched the edge. He wore the goofiest of satisfied smiles as he drifted off to sleep.

  Twenty-Three

  The ride back was another new experience for January. She took in the scenery from the back of a bike for the first time. She could see the appeal. Her hands wrapped around Logan with her attention focused on simply taking in the sights.

  The closer they got to the Gulf of Mexico, the calmer her soul felt. It didn’t take long for me to get attached to the ocean. She expected Logan to turn off onto Shoreline Drive to head to his room, but he headed east, right down Pirate’s Cove.

  “Frank and Francis’? Why?” she shouted over his shoulder. Logan slowed Demon before answering as he was pulling into the drive.

  “Because my phone was blowing up this morning with pleas to come here first, so I decided to comply.” After dropping the kickstand and shutting down the engine, Logan tossed his leg over the seat and deposited his helmet on the handlebar.

  Logan pulled her helmet off her head and hung it from the other handlebar. Then he picked her up off the bike and relieved her of the backpack.

  “The sooner I let them do their ‘ohhing’ and ‘ahhing’ thing, the sooner I can braid rope into your hair and get my cock sucked.”

  The chuckling sound he made caught her a little off guard. His words were typical Logan, but his mood was lighter.

  January adopted a semi-fake pout. “But I was looking forward to naked Tuesdays.”

  Logan groaned, cupped her right cheek, and rolled his head back. Score a hit for me. He was sexy as fuck when he was just being himself. Especially when his desire for her radiated from him.

  “You’re killing me here. It was your idea to do this whole family thing. You encouraged me to embrace it, and I fucking did.” Logan’s kiss was deep and binding. He tasted faintly of the designer coffee he’d had that morning. But it was his emotions she tasted most of all.

  When his lips left hers and his whiskey eyes shone with love, she knew she’d never doubt where his heart lay. It was firmly in her hands, and she’d never harm it.

  January made a silent vow right there in the Reid’s driveway, to not only protect his heart with everything she was and would ever be, but to ensure that not a day went by where he would ever doubt that it wasn’t an even exchange.

  “My heart for your heart,” she absently mumbled.

  January heard a, “Damn skippy, Rabbit,” a microsecond before Logan was everywhere. Lips, teeth, hands, tongue. January was about to wrap her legs around him and dry hump him until he agreed to skip family time for today when a voice reached through the lust cloud that was swirling around them.

  “If you two are going to fuck in the open like that, at least let’s get it on film and make some bank.” January’s feet touched the ground, and she accepted that their little make-out session was firmly on hold until after the family had their time.

  “Walker,” Logan greeted the figure up on the porch before turning to January and playfully slapping her ass. “Let’s get on with it then so we can get it on sooner rather than later.”

  This was the first time January noticed all the cars in the drive and yard. Shit, the whole fucking family was here. “Is that Jewel’s car…and Precious?” Logan turned his head toward the cars in question.

  He shrugged and brushed off her question. She was about to say something snarky when a blur came and launched at her. If Logan hadn’t steadied them, both she and Gus would’ve ended up on the ground.

  “Jan! I’m so sorry about Mom and all the bull crap. If I had known, I wouldn’t have let it continue. I really thought they were done.” Augusta was babbling and blubbering, and January let her. They were words that Gus needed to say even if there was nothing for her to be sorry about.

  Gus disengaged and held Jan by her biceps. “I’m the big sister, not you. You should’ve let me help you. Let me worry about my fate. You—”

  January finally cut her off. She didn’t argue; she knew it was useless. Instead, she said what she felt would appease Gus the most.

  “You’re right, sis. I underestimated you and didn’t thin
k and it was damn near a disaster. I’ll never keep secrets from you again.” Gus nodded once and embraced her again.

  It wasn’t that Gus needed to be right. She wasn’t the type. It was simple; Gus believed in forgiveness and learning from mistakes made. If January would’ve tried to explain, Gus would hold onto her guilt. She would try to ensure her little sister didn’t repeat her mistakes. This way, everyone won. Gus could forgive them both, and January could forgive herself for choosing poorly, too.

  Another figure emerged from the house, this one in heels and a pinstripe short suit. How anyone could look dressed up in shorts was beyond her, but Stacy managed. “Jesus H. Christ, you people hug more than a hippie commune doing a love-in. Can we break this shit up and get inside, some of us have…things to do.” January noticed Stacy’s eyes glance back to where Dax stood in the foyer behind her.

  “TMI,” Gus yelled back.

  “What, Pixie?” Stacy’s tone was laced with over-the-top innocence. “If you inferred anything from my statement that wasn’t there, well, that’s on you and your filthy little mind.”

  Her smile was radiant as she teased Gus, and it was returned. January wasn’t jealous of Stacy’s bond with her sister; she was thankful Gus had someone that helped her out of her shell and was there for her when January couldn’t be.

  Another vow went up in a matter of minutes. This one to somehow repay Stacy for all she’d done for her sister, and for her. It was partly Stacy who made her future with Logan possible. Had she not delivered the paper, Logan may never have come for her. He wouldn’t have known he was chosen.

  When they reached the porch, Walker and Logan locked hands and clapped each other on the back. Wow, he really did embrace this whole family thing.

  Stacy linked arms with January and led her in. She and Gus exchanged giddy looks the whole time, making January wonder what the hell they were walking into. No one else was in the house…which isn’t fucking suspicious at all considering there were about a dozen vehicles in the drive.

  Walker pulled back the blinds and opened the sliding glass door, and that’s when January saw all the smiling faces of the Reids beaming at them. The yard was decorated like a wedding reception with flowers in pale pink with big black ribbons. Each arrangement had just one deep purple verbena.

  The two long tables were draped in pink linen and set with black dishes. A small parquet dance floor sat on the pool deck. Old-fashioned street lamps tied with pink ribbons placed at the four corners added a romantic glow in the waning sun. Pale pink string lights illuminated the rest of the yard against the dusky sky.

  There were pink and black balloons floating on the entire surface of the pool with one purple one around the middle. Last, but not least, a giant banner draped across the front of Frank’s workshop congratulated Mr. & Mrs. Chapman.

  January took it all in with awe. She turned her questioning gaze to Logan while tears of joy threatened to burst forward. “Did you…”

  Her husband swept her up in his arms, her favorite place to be. “No, babe. I wish I could take credit for it, but I just answered a few questions. This is all them. I can only assume Andy provided them with some lead time because holy shit, I don’t know how they managed.”

  Their moment of awe was over as the family they chose rushed forward and jockeyed for hugs and congratulations. When Michael embraced Logan and called him brother, January let the tears fall, and when Logan whispered I love you back to him, she flat-out ugly cried.

  Logan wasn’t sure what shocked him more, that Michael had fully accepted and loved him as his brother, or that he had actually said the word himself. Other than January, it was an emotion he never thought to share with others.

  After a round of hellos and congratulations, some laced with tears, Frank popped bottles of champagne and Francis distributed the flutes.

  A few rounds of toasts later, Francis shooed everyone out on the dance floor. Someone fired up some tunes, and they all danced for what felt like hours. Logan only got to dance with January for the first song, which Michael made known was his contribution, “Colorful” by The Verve Pipe.

  After that it was Tori, Augusta, Stacy, Erika, Macy, Francis, Jewel, Ariel, even Marco demanded a dance with the bride and groom. Logan was too exhausted to dance much more, so he sat at the table with the men while the ladies danced in a circle to “Girl’s Just Wanna Have Fun,” even Francis. By the time Cyndi Lauper was fading, everyone returned to the tables hungry. After dinner came the part that normally made Logan uncomfortable, but tonight, he embraced the family share session.

  Under the table, he ran his hand up and down January’s clothed leg, relishing the hitch in her breathing every time he traveled just a little higher.

  “I’ll start,” Michael interjected. “First of all, I just want to say I am thrilled to have my big brother here, where he belongs.”

  Glassed clinked and everyone toasted. When the sound lulled, Michael continued, “As far as something to share, hmmm, let me see.” Tori slapped him on the arm.

  “You’re so dramatic, like a teenage girl. We’ve decided to become a foster home. We’ve met with tons of people, filled out a mountain of paperwork, and just got our approval last week. So, we should be getting our first foster this week.”

  Francis grabbed her daughter in a fierce hug. Frank embraced Michael, and everyone seemed to be misty-eyed. Michael had shared with Logan the issues they seemed to be having, and Logan was happy to see his brother and Tori ecstatic at the possibility. Looks like one apple didn’t fall far from her maternal tree, while the other was as far from his paternal tree as humanly possible.

  “Next,” Tori demanded and sat back down. “Top that, brother.” She taunted Walker good-naturedly.

  “I do believe I fucking will.” Walker and Erika stood. “But, I’ll let Dax go first.” He turned to Tori and stuck out his tongue, which she returned. “You’ll understand why in a minute while you eat your movie-loving heart out.”

  All attention turned to Dax with Stacy vibrating at his side, clearly proud of her old man. “Imagine Ink was named Top Tattoo Parlor in Florida by Fine Lines Magazine. We couldn’t talk until the formal announcement was made. Anyway, the crew that did the shoot for the big reveal is the same crew from that reality show from Destin, the one with the rich kids on the beach.”

  Stacy interrupted, “I love that show, guilty pleasure and I’m not ashamed. Oh, sorry babe, go ahead.

  “Anyway, one of the kids wanted his work done by the artist called Florida’s rising son—”

  A very enthusiastic Walker cut off Dax, “That would be me.”

  “Shhh, you said Dax was first, so let him finish.” Walker visibly deflated after being shushed by his mother.

  “Thank you, Francis. As I was saying, Walker inked the kid for their reality show, and we can finally tell because the episode should’ve aired about thirty minutes ago right after the magazine’s list came out. My phone is blowing up, so it looks like word is out and we are going to be so busy, I’ll need to think about adding a new artist or two now that the rising son is so far up in the clouds, he may never come down.”

  Another round of “good for you,” “congratulations,” and “very proud of you,” along with hugs went around the tables. Stacy is right. This family does hug a lot. But at least Logan could understand it; this was a huge deal for both Dax and Walker.

  Tori stepped up and hugged her brother. “Wow, Walker, that’s awesome. I’m proud of you, baby brother. I’m not going to lie, I’m a little jelly that you got to meet the rich beach bums.”

  “Oh, wait, hold on to your hat. It gets so much better.” Erika’s eyes were glittering with excitement while she teased her sister-in-law. Logan didn’t know what could be better than that.

  Walker grinned. “The producers were taken with my dashing good looks and fabulous personality. They offered me a small part in an upcoming film. Said I had the perfect look. It’s only one scene, but it’s with your favorite actor of all time,
Tori. I get to call him a cock stain or something, throw a punch at his stunt double, and then he wrestles me to the ground and puts a bullet in my skull.”

  Tori’s jaw was on the ground. “Get out! You mean—”

  “I can’t tell you who just yet, but yes, him. I get all the perks that come with being in the film too—VIP screening, red carpet walk, the whole nine. So, see sis, challenge fucking accepted and won.”

  Frank spoke up and reined in the chaos surrounding Walker’s announcement. “That’s great, son. Sounds like you have a very full life which is all we ever wanted for our children, all our children. Who’s next?”

  “Not that anyone wants to follow that, but, I’ll go,” Macy volunteered. “I got accepted in to UWF. I start this fall.”

  Big Dax swept his daughter up in his arms. “How about that? My baby is going to college.” When he set her down, she wrapped her arms around Stacy.

  “We are very proud of her. She’s worked hard, and she’s just the best.” Stacy released her step-daughter and smoothed her hair and dashed her face like she hadn’t just been crying a little. “John, Gus, anything to add?” Stacy asked like she already knew the answer.

  “I’m going to be a father.” John dropped his hand to Augusta’s flat belly. “My Gussy Girl is pregnant.”

  “Look at that. He’s the first to know this time,” Michael quipped.

  “Watch it, youngin’. I can still take you.” Logan wasn’t jealous of the easy brotherhood between John and Michael. They all had a place here. January leapt up and grabbed her sister fiercely. And everyone else lined up to rub her belly. A small pang tried to take root in Logan’s heart when January sat back down at his side.

  She placed a hand on his knee, and she leaned in.

  “I meant what I said, babe. Family isn’t about shared blood but how much you’d bleed for someone else. I will love our children the same as if they came from our bodies. I’ll bleed for them if I have to, that’s the blood that counts.”