Are You Ready? (Everlasting Ink #3)

Chapter 13

CHAPTER

THIRTEEN

Forrest

Get yourself together, Huntley , I mentally scold myself.

My cock is hard as steel, and that’s not where my attention needs to be. It also doesn’t need to be on the softness of her skin, how her breasts were made for the palms of my hands, or how sweet she tastes. And I really don’t need to be thinking about the mewling sound that was almost like a moan that fell from those pretty lips as I tasted her pert nipples on my tongue.

Oh, and she’s fucking naked, minus a pair of tiny black panties that are doing nothing, regardless of their dark color, to hide her desire.

Basically, I’m fucked.

I need to block it all out so that I don’t fuck up her tattoo. This is important. They’re all important, but giving my girl her first ink, that’s special.

If Roman could hear my thoughts, he’d never let me live it down.

“Are you ready?” My voice is thick and raspy as I try to tamp down my desire for the beauty lying on my table .

“I think so.”

“Once we’re through the outline, we can stop if you want to.”

“Okay.” She offers me one of her sweet smiles, and I just can’t fucking help myself. I lean in and give her one more peck on the lips. Her eyes are bright when I pull away from her. She looks a little dazed but also happy. I make a vow to see that look in her eyes every damn day from here on out.

It's time to focus.

I ink a few lines and give her a break. “You doing okay?” Her body is tense. I’m hoping that I can get her talking and relax her a little.

“I am. It’s not as bad as I anticipated it would be.”

“Some places are worse than others.” I get back to work. “Tell me something,” I say to keep her mind and mine occupied. I need to think about something other than devouring her as soon as we’re done here. I know she’s not ready for that.

Fuck me, today was unexpected and is most definitely going down as one of my favorite days with her. I know there will be many more, but today, she opened up to me. I can feel her bricks starting to crumble one by one.

“Like what?”

“I don’t know anything. I’ll start. Green.”

“Green, what?”

“My favorite color is green. Like the color of your eyes.”

“Forrest Huntley, are you hitting on me while I’m lying on your tattoo table?” she teases. Her shoulders ease just a little.

Fuck me, I love getting to see this open and playful side of her. “Nope. Just stating facts. Okay, here’s another one. Lasagna.”

“Let me guess, that’s your favorite food?”

“Ding ding ding.”

She laughs. “I’m a pasta fan myself. Well, carbs in general, really. Bread, pasta, all the carbs. My ass hates me for it.”

“Briar!” I scold. “Don’t talk about my ass like that.”

“I said my ass.”

“Exactly!” I say as if I’m exasperated, and a small giggle fills the room. “Moving on. Fall is my favorite time of year. ”

“Me too. We used to spend a lot of time at the cabin. Well, our house now in the fall. Brogan and I liked to see the leaves change, and of course, Dad was always fishing. We’d have a fire and roast marshmallows.”

“Yeah? I’m always up for a good fire and some marshmallow roasting. We should plan that with the girls this fall.”

“That’s several months away.”

“I know. I need you to pencil me in now, so you don’t have an excuse to not bonfire and marshmallow with me.”

Another small laugh fills the air. “I’ll see what I can do. My social calendar is incredibly busy.”

“Hence the advanced notice,” I remind her. “Favorite holiday?”

“It used to be Thanksgiving because I love all things fall, but after the twins were born, that switched to Christmas. I guess it’s a tie, really. I love watching their eyes on Christmas morning.”

“I can’t wait to see that.” The reply slips out before I can think better of it. Not that I would have filtered it. I told her she was going to get all of me, and that I would never hold back.

“That’s even further away,” she finally replies.

“With that busy social calendar of yours, I need to start early. Pencil me in for that too, will ya?”

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to remember all of these dates,” she teases.

“Don’t worry, beautiful, I’ll remind you.” I smile even though she can’t see me. I love being here with her. I love that her first ink is from me, and I love even more that her shoulders are completely relaxed as we get to know one another. I want to know everything.

“My turn to start. Morning person or night owl?”

“I can do both honestly. If I have to choose, I’m going to go with a night owl. Who doesn’t like to sleep in? What about you?”

“Morning. However, that could be because I have two tiny humans who go to bed early and are up bright and early the next day. I don’t really have a choice in the matter.”

“Well, we can fix that. You and the girls can come spend the night or the weekend at my place, and we’ll let you sleep in. ”

“I don’t think we’re at the sleepover stage. Especially not with my daughters.”

“Sure, we are. I have a big, empty house just waiting for all of you.”

“Forrest.” I’m not sure if her tone is more warning or disbelief.

“Briar,” I mock. She sighs, and I smile. “Bucket list item.”

“I don’t really know.”

“Come on. There has to be something.”

“You don’t want to hear it.”

“I can assure you, I do. Come on, this is a safe space. We’re getting to know each other better. Tell me.”

She’s quiet. The only sound in the room is the hum of the tattoo gun. I’m giving her time to process, to decide whether she wants to give me another piece of her. Just when I’m about to tell her we can skip this one because she’s obviously uncomfortable, she speaks.

“I want to fall in love.”

My heart stops.

It starts again and thunders so hard against my rib cage, I’m shocked I don’t have a cracked rib. Can she hear the roaring beat above the sound of my tattoo gun? What do I say to that? That I’m all in? That’s what I want to say, but is that the right thing? I don’t want to scare her off. Tonight, this time with her has been nothing short of incredible and I don’t want to ruin any of it.

“Me too,” I finally answer. “Maybe we can work on marking that off our lists together.”

Her quick inhale of breath is the only reply I get. I’ve shocked her. I stay quiet, giving her time to get lost in her thoughts.

As I trace the lines of the stencil, I get excited again about her tattoo. I love the design and the concept, along with the meaning behind it. I’m honored that she trusted me with this. Not that I gave her much choice. I pretty much hijacked her as a client the day I heard her voice at the counter. Either way, she’s here, on my table, and it’s my work that is going to be a part of her for the rest of her life.

“Greatest accomplishment?” she asks, her voice soft .

“Let’s see, I have two actually. So it’s a toss-up.”

“Give me both.”

“First is this place. Everlasting Ink was a dream the guys and I had, and we busted our asses to not only open our shop, but to excel at the artistry. We’ve made a name for ourselves, and we have people from all over visiting our little town to have a piece done by one of us. It took a lot of hard work and dedication, but we pulled it off.”

“You should be proud of that. This place is incredible.”

“Thanks.” Hearing her say that has pride filling my chest.

“And the second?”

“Emerson. I love my little sister, and I’m so proud of the woman she is. She didn’t have it easy, and I did what I could, and to see her thriving, not falling to the life our parents lived, that’s—it gets me in my feels every damn time I think about it. She’s married to a man who worships her. She has a great job, good friends, and an adorable little girl. I’m so fucking proud of her, and I’m damn proud that I was able to be her pillar of support and guide her away from how we grew up.”

“You’re a great big brother.”

“She makes it easy. What about you? What’s your greatest accomplishment?”

“My daughters. How we started was— It doesn’t matter. They will forever be not only my greatest accomplishment, but my greatest gift in this life.”

I want to ask her what she was going to say. I want her to know that she can lean on me, that I’m here for anything. Everything. However, I don’t want to push her. She’s opened up a lot to me tonight, and we’ve moved past the idea that we’re just friends. She let me touch her, feel her soft skin, and taste her. She’s letting me put my mark on her in the most permanent way. Sure, it’s her design idea, but it’s me that will forever be a part of her. Tonight has been more than I could have hoped for, and I don’t want to ruin that.

“Do you need a break?” I ask her.

“How much longer? ”

“We have about another hour or so of the outline. Longer if we keep going.”

“Can you finish? If we were to keep going, is that too much for you?”

“Nah, I’m used to it, and I was off today, so I’m fresh. What about you? Do you think you can handle it?” Part of me wants her to say no so that I have an excuse to get her here, back on my table alone again, but I’ll follow her lead.

“Let’s keep going on the outline and reassess. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, baby. That’s more than okay. You sure you don’t need a break? Need a drink?”

“I’m good.”

“Let me know if anything changes,” I tell her and get back to work.

“You’re all set,” I say, wiping the tattoo clean. “You want to take a look?”

“It’s done?”

“Yep. You were a fucking rock star for your first time.”

Something flashes in her eyes, but it’s gone before I can figure out what it means.

“Take your time sitting up. I’ll help you.” Tearing off my gloves, I move to the opposite side of the table and offer her my hand. I hold the other out in case she gets lightheaded. She sits up and blinks a few times. I grab the blanket and hand it to her so that she can cover herself up.

“I want to see.”

“Are you good? Not lightheaded?”

“I feel fine.” She smiles, and damn, I could stare at this woman all damn day.

“Let’s do it.” I place my hands on her hips and lift her off the table, placing her on her feet.

She grips the blanket and takes small steps until she’s standing in front of the full-length mirror. She turns her back to the mirror, and I give her the handheld one so she can take a look. She stares into the small mirror, and her eyes fill with tears .

“Forrest.” Her watery gaze lands on me. “You’re incredible. It’s everything I hoped that it would be. It’s better than the drawing you showed me. I—thank you. I love it so much.” She steps forward, places the mirror on the table, and lifts her arms. The blanket falls to the floor, pooling around her feet, and her arms wrap around my waist.

I return her embrace, mindful of her tattoo, and hold her closely. “I’m glad you like it.”

She leans back just enough to peer up at me. “Love it, Forrest. I love it.”

Keeping one arm locked tightly around her waist, holding her closely, I lift the other to push her hair back out of her eyes. “I’m glad.”

Her eyes soften, and she licks her lips.

“If you don’t want me to kiss you, now is your chance to tell me.”

She’s quiet as a mouse.

I cradle her cheek as I position her to accept my kiss. I lean in close, my breath fanning across her lips. There’s not even an inch between her lips and mine. “Last chance.”

Still, she says nothing, yet her silence speaks volumes.

Closing the last remaining distance, I kiss her.

Once. Twice. Three times.

On the third pass, she opens for me, and I’m never one to pass up an opportunity. I slide my tongue against hers, and she moans. Her hands dig into the back of my shirt. She meets me stroke for stroke, but it’s not enough.

I need more of her. I need all of her.

Dropping my hands, I bend, never breaking our kiss, and grip the backs of her thighs. “Legs around my waist, baby,” I rasp before I dive back in for another taste of her lips. She squeals as I lift her, but she does as she’s told and wraps those sexy legs of hers around my waist.

My cock feels like a titanium rod pressing against my zipper. I rock her against me, and she moans. It’s a deep, raspy sound from somewhere inside her. Breaking the kiss, she buries her face in my neck and holds on tight as I rub her panty-covered pussy over my crotch.

“Forrest,” she murmurs.

“Do you want me to stop?”

“N—No.”

Thank fuck.

Turning, I walk toward the guest chair, the one that’s not on wheels, because I don’t need either one of us tumbling to the floor, and sit with her on my lap. Her head is still buried in my neck, and I can feel the rapid rise and fall of her chest with each breath, not to mention that it’s fanning across my neck.

“Briar?”

“I don’t know what to do,” she whispers in my ear.

Her confession has my mind racing. What does she mean? Does she mean she doesn’t know how to handle me? Does she not know what to do sitting on my lap? She’s a mom, so I know sex isn’t new for her. My wheels are spinning, but I reel it in and focus on the woman in my arms.

“Tell me what you need.”

“I—I don’t know.” Her fingers dig deeper into my shoulders as she holds on tight.

“Do you trust me, Briar?” I know that’s a loaded question where she’s concerned. “I promise I’ll stop as soon as you say the word. Besides, the first time I’m inside you, it’s going to be in a big comfy bed where I can enjoy you and take my time. Not here in my office.”

“I—I think so.”

Well, fuck. Looks like I got some more work to do. “You control this. You control me.” My voice cracks because fuck me, the thought of hurting her kills me. “How about this? I’m going to drop my hands to my sides, and I’m going to tell you what to do. You’ll have all the control. We can even tie my hands behind my back if that makes you feel better.”

Slowly, she lifts her head, and her big green eyes find mine. “You’d be okay with that?”

I swallow hard. “Yes. ”

“I think… arms at your sides. It’s not that I don’t want you to touch me.”

I cradle her cheeks again. “I know, baby. I know there’s a piece of you that you’re keeping from me, and that’s okay. Do you know why?” She shakes her head. “Because I’m still here. I’m still going to be here when you finally trust me enough to tell me. In the meantime, I need you to be open and honest with me and tell me what you need. I’m right here, Briar, and, baby, I’m all yours.”

Those big green eyes of hers stare into my soul. When she finally speaks, she breaks me open, and it’s painfully obvious that I’m hers. I’m all in.

“My heart and my trust were broken. I used to think that there was no putting them back together. However, I’m starting to think you might be the man to fix them both.”

I want to touch her. I want to pull her into my arms and never let her go, but my hands remain fisted where they hang at my sides. “I am that man, Briar. I’m yours. I’m all in, baby. We take this at whatever pace you need for us to go for you to feel safe. I want your heart and your trust. I promise you, with everything that I am, that they’re both safe with me. I’ll help mend them back together, but I’m keeping them.”

Her eyes shimmer with tears. “I want to try.”

I don’t know what she wants to try, but whatever it is, I’m here for it. “My hands are at my sides. You have my word. I won’t move.”

She nods. Her cheeks are an adorable shade of red, but that doesn’t stop my brave girl from rocking her hips. Her pussy rolls over my hard cock in my jeans and her eyes widen.

“Take what you need.”

“I don’t know what I need,” she replies quietly.

“Me, Briar. I’m all that you need. There is nothing you can do that will change that. You’re safe with me. Always.”

She rocks again as she bites down on her bottom lip. “Is this okay?”

I smile at her. “My gorgeous girl is grinding on my cock, and her tits are in my face. Yeah, this is more than okay. ”

She smiles and rocks again. This time, she doesn’t stop. Her movement grows faster as she finds her rhythm. She moans and closes her eyes, tilting her head back. I want to demand that she keep her eyes on me, but this is her show. I’m merely a spectator, and I’m doing my damnedest to memorize every moment. Every sound she makes. Every curve of her body. Every spark racing through my veins as she slides her body over mine.

Her breathing picks up, and her movements become jerky. I want more than anything to grip her hips and help her find her release, but I’m keeping my promise. Her fingers that are resting on my shoulders dig deep. I’m certain even through the thin material of my T-shirt there will be evidence of her hands on me.

I watch as she starts to shake. She doesn’t stop grinding until the last of her orgasm has raced through her body. Slowly, she blinks her eyes open.

“Can I touch you?” I blurt.

She nods, and I don’t waste a single fucking second. Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her into a hug. I just need to hold her. I need my hands on her, and I need to come. But that’s going to have to wait. This is her time.

“I’m sorry.”

“What?” I ease back and lift her chin so that her eyes are on me. “Don’t tell me you’re sorry. Not when I just experienced the hottest fucking moment of my life with you. You’re not allowed to apologize for that.”

“You don’t have to say that.”

“I don’t say what I don’t mean, Briar. You’re here in my arms, riding my cock. That’s a memory I will never forget.”

“But you didn’t?—”

“This was all you, baby. All you. I got a hell of a lot more out of that than you think I did. I got memories of you that will last a lifetime. That’s all I need.”

She nods and bites down on her bottom lip.

“What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”

“You kept your promise.”

“This one and every single promise in our future,” I assure her .

She rests her head on my shoulder, and I relax into the chair and enjoy holding her. She’s not trying to run from me, and that’s a huge fucking win. We lie in silence for I don’t know how long, but I do know it’s not long enough.

“It’s pretty late. I should get going.”

“Let’s get your tattoo wrapped. I’ll go over aftercare, and we can get you dressed.”

She nods and climbs off my lap. I miss the feel of her in my arms instantly. I quickly cover her tattoo, go over aftercare, and we gather our things.

“I’m going to follow you home,” I tell her.

“What? No, it’s late. You don’t have to do that.”

“I’m doing it because it’s late. It’s not a problem. I won’t be able to sleep unless I know you made it home safely.”

“I never imagined I’d meet a man like you, Forrest Huntley.”

“Funny, I always knew I’d find you.”

“How?”

“Because I was waiting for you. I was waiting for the woman who’d turn my world upside down. I was waiting for the woman who would make my heart race. The one who would consume my thoughts and feed my soul. That’s you.” I kiss the tip of her nose.

She smiles shyly as she climbs into her car. “Thank you for everything. Oh, I didn’t pay you.”

I laugh. “Right. If you think for a single second, I’m letting my girl pay for ink, you’ve lost your mind.” Leaning in, I kiss her softly. “I’ll be right behind you.”

“Okay.”

I close the door and rush to my truck, pulling open the door to climb inside. I flash my lights, letting her know I’m ready, and follow her home. The drive is quick, and I flash my lights again as she pulls into her driveway. I stop in the middle of the road. There is no traffic this time of night, and I watch as she climbs out of her car, waves, and makes her way to the front door, disappearing inside.

I drive to my place with a smile on my face and an aching cock. As soon as I’m inside, I don’t bother with the lights; I head straight to the shower to handle business. I come, embarrassingly fast, and within ten minutes, I’m in bed. I didn’t expect this turn of events, but I’m fucking stoked all the same.