Abiding Ink (Inked in the Steel City #4) (12 page)

“Yeah.” His lips gleamed faintly in the overhead lighting, still damp as he replied.

She missed the feel of his hands on her body, his cock against the inside of her thigh, as he turned to pick up his jeans and fished his wallet out of a pocket, pulling out a condom.

The sight of the package between his fingertips filled her with mingled relief and excitement. She might be caught in the grip of passion she hadn’t known she’d had the capacity for, but she had her limits and was glad to see he did too. The thought of going bare with him lurked in the back of her mind, a forbidden fantasy, for the time being.

She was still careful, even if only in this way. Knowing they’d be physically safe made the gamble she knew deep down that she was taking seem safer, somehow.

He tore the foil in a single motion and sheathed himself just as quickly, rolling latex over the head and down the shaft of his dick until it was hugged by the transparent sleeve. And then he was leaning in, gripping himself by the base as he guided the head to the wetness between her legs, the slit he’d traced and tasted with the tip of his tongue.

Without hesitation, he pressed himself inside her, sliding slow and deep on the first stroke, laying a hand on her hip – the one without fresh ink.

She gasped, arched and rocked a little against the unforgiving countertop, not caring that she accidentally brushed a hand through the sugar pile, scattering it further. He was hard and thick inside her and the way her body stretched to accommodate him there was the best thing she could ever remember feeling. Fighting to focus, she raked her gaze up and down his body, taking in everything from the tattoos scrolling bold and black beneath one broad shoulder to the trail of dark hair leading down to where he was joined with her, their bodies linked as tightly as a lock and key.

Reaching out, she snaked a hand around his side, gripping his back and letting her nails dent his skin, wanting something to hold on to as he pulled back and rocked into her again, harder this time.

She looked up and saw the same intensity she felt inside reflected in his eyes, but only for a moment. After that he leaned in, kissing her again, amplifying the pleasure of feeling him deep inside her as he slipped his tongue far into her mouth too, echoing the way he filled her below.

Kissing him back, she relished the rhythm that built between them, driven by his hips and manifested in her pussy, her mouth. She slipped her hand below, gripping one muscular ass cheek, and squeezed.

He fucked her harder, hips bumping her thighs, cock sliding farther inside her, touching a place that made her want to squirm. When she was about to succumb to the urge, he thrust a hand between her legs, applying pressure to her clit with his fingertips and rubbing, circling.

It was too much. Too much to endure without coming again, anyway. As he thrust into her, tension built in her core, drawing it tighter around the shaft of his dick. They were still locked in a kiss when she came, her moan making it past her lips but not his.

Coming with him inside her felt even better than the first time. Her core wrenched around his cock and he didn’t slow down, didn’t relent. Instead, he drove her second climax to a higher peak than her first, rocking more forcefully each time she tightened her grip, clinging as all the air rushed out of her lungs, lost.

She came down gradually, but he’d pushed her so hard and so high that it still felt like crashing. Thighs trembling, she still held on to him, liking the feel of his muscles flexing beneath her palm, his hip rubbing the inside of her forearm. Even after their kiss ended, she was still so intimately connected with him that letting go would have felt like giving up something precious, addictive.

She didn’t want it to end, and at the same time, she did. Not because she wasn’t enjoying it anymore, but because she could feel tension mounting in his body, making his muscles go a little harder. And was it just her imagination, or did his shaft swell a little more inside her? He felt harder than the countertop, his flesh just as unforgiving as he stretched her pussy in new ways, moving with unmistakable purpose.

When he came, it would be hot, satisfying in a way she couldn’t exactly explain. Gripping him internally, she rocked her hips a little too, encouraging.

He groaned and tipped his head forward, gorgeous eyes squeezing shut as he held on to her hip more tightly than ever, driving himself into her with delicious force, hitting that sweet spot with each stroke, making her gasp too.

His breath rushed hot against her forehead, sending a few curls flying as he thrust deliberately, holding her fast to him as the muscles and sinews in his forearms stood out, rippling beneath their cover of ink. It was unmistakably the sexiest thing she’d ever seen, ever felt.

When it was over he stilled but didn’t pull out. Not at first. Instead, he kissed her, and that sent a whole new thrill through her, one that lasted after he withdrew, peeled off the condom and tossed it out in the waste basket beneath the sink.

Piece by piece, he picked up her clothing and handed it to her before retrieving his own. Then, before she could climb down from the counter herself, he lifted her, setting her down far away from the broken glass that glittered against the linoleum.

“How about a cup of that coffee?” he asked, tipping his head toward the forgotten brewer, which boasted a full, steaming carafe. “We could drink some and stay up late. You could stay the night.”

* * * * *

Steam filled the bathroom, a soap-scented fog that clung to Mallory’s skin as she stepped out of the shower. Hesitating for a second, she eyed a towel that hung on a hook on the bathroom door. Was it Tyler’s? The idea of using his didn’t bother her – in fact, it gave her a little thrill – but she also remembered that his brother had been staying with him lately. After a moment’s deliberation, she opened the narrow closet across from the sink and took a fresh towel from a small stack.

Once wrapped, she stepped out into the hall, breathing in air that was cool and fresh in comparison to the steam she’d just stepped out of. It was laced with the scent of coffee, too. Unable to fight a smile, she breathed deeply, memories of the night before flooding back to her.

She hadn’t gotten much sleep. Still, she felt energized. After their countertop adventure, she and Tyler had shared way too much coffee and then – in his bed – way too much sex. If there was even any such thing. With him, it didn’t feel like it. Sure, she ached a little in her core where he’d been, and she could feel remnants of last night’s strain in her inner thighs. But she didn’t mind at all. Even an ache was a sweet reminder of what they’d done.

The coffee maker gurgled from out in the kitchen, and she took a step forward, her bare feet silent against the carpet. Notions of dropping her towel on the kitchen linoleum and cozying up to Tyler again flitted through her mind, but they were cut short when she heard a voice.

“Yeah, what about her?” Tyler’s voice.

It sounded like she’d walked in on a conversation, but no reply came.

“So what is it?” he asked after a few silent seconds. “I’m not going to waterboard you, for fuck’s sake. Just stop looking at me like you think I’m going to hurt you and tell me what’s wrong.”

Mallory froze. He definitely wasn’t talking to her. Which meant that someone else was in the kitchen.

“It’s just…” Another male voice came from around the corner. “You’re going to be pissed. Say what you want now, but I know you are. I’ve been trying to work up the guts to tell you ever since I got here, but I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want to ruin Christmas, you know, but after spending last night with everyone at mom and dad’s, I don’t think I can get through tomorrow with it eating away at me. I gotta tell you.”

The second voice had to be Tyler’s brother.

“So tell me,” Tyler said.

“Okay. She’s … she’s pregnant.”

In the silence that ensued, Mallory could’ve heard a pin drop. Instead, she heard the
thump
of something hard – a coffee mug, maybe – against the countertop.

“You sure?” Tyler asked.

No words, just a sigh that sounded like it had come from Tyler. Maybe his brother had nodded.

“And if you’re telling me, I guess that means she plans to keep the baby.”

“Yeah. Yeah, she seemed… I mean yeah, she sounded pretty sure about it when she told me.”

Silently thanking her lucky stars that her feet made no sound against the carpet, Mallory backed up, clutching her towel tightly as she disappeared into Tyler’s bedroom. Once inside, she simply stood, dumbstruck. Pregnant? Who?

Someone Tyler’s brother had slept with? Someone
Tyler
had slept with? The thought hit her like a cold bolt of lightning to the heart, sending her breath rushing past her lips in a little gasp.

His brother had been so sure that the news would upset Tyler. Why? Because of brotherly concern, or personal interest? Mallory’s stomach roiled even though it was empty and she was telling herself not to be stupid, not to jump to conclusions she had no right to draw.

Beyond the bedroom door, they were still talking, their voices low, muffled by distance. For several long moments, Mallory was tempted to draw near the door, lean on the frame and listen to what they were saying. Eavesdropping would be easy, and the notion called to her like a siren, urging her to either put her fears to rest … or have them validated.

Instead, she pushed the door shut, softly but all the way. She wouldn’t be that woman. She wouldn’t let suspicion control her, wouldn’t sneak around putting her nose where it didn’t belong because she was afraid of being betrayed. A part of her
wanted
to … but no. No, she was above that. Barely.

Picking her clothing up from the floor, she dressed quickly in what she’d worn the night before. When that was done, she pulled the elastic from her hair, freeing it from the knot she’d swept it up into in order to keep it out of the shower spray. It bounced around her shoulders, finally free, and she sank onto the bed, lowering her hands into her lap.

She’d give Tyler and his brother a few minutes – whatever was going on, they clearly needed them.

Time dragged by. Glancing at the digital clock on the nightstand every few seconds didn’t help. As she sat alone, memories of lying tangled with Tyler the night before flooded back to her.

The night had been amazing – there was no denying that.
He’d
been amazing. To her shame, a tiny part of her wondered what that meant – how often he did things like this, how many other women had been drawn in by his blue eyes and sexy tattoos, his perfect body…

They hadn’t talked about their pasts. They hadn’t talked about much at all the night before, besides dancing chocolates and silly jokes that had seemed fun at the time but made her feel stupid now. She’d definitely fallen head over heels and now that it was time to stand up again, it felt like the ground was shifting beneath her. The word “pregnant” kept echoing through her mind, reminding her how serious such encounters could be, and she hated feeling insecure.

When she couldn’t take it any longer, she rose and made her way down the hall, purposely making noise so they’d know she was coming.

“Mallory.” Tyler’s eyes locked with hers the instant she rounded the corner and entered the kitchen. “Find everything all right?”

She nodded, seeing that he’d prepared breakfast while she’d showered, just like he’d promised. “Yeah.”

“This is my brother, Dustin.” He gestured toward the guy standing to his left. Tall and blue-eyed, he was like a younger, leaner version of Tyler, only without tattoos. “Sorry I didn’t warn you – I didn’t know he’d be here so early.”

“It’s fine,” she said, more grateful than ever that she hadn’t skipped out into the kitchen and dropped her towel. “Nice to meet you, Dustin.”

“Hi.” Dustin’s eyes went wide for a few seconds, and she tried not to think about what that might mean.

Maybe he was just surprised that she’d spent the night. She should really stop trying to read so deeply into things.

“You eat breakfast yet?” Tyler asked Dustin.

“Nah. Wasn’t hungry.”

“Mallory and I were just about to eat.” Tyler frowned, as if he were deliberating whether to invite Dustin to join them.

“I could, uh, go grab something to eat somewhere I guess. There any place that serves breakfast near here?”

“Please, don’t feel like you have to leave because of me,” Mallory said. “I need to get going soon anyway.”

She really did. Mostly because what she’d overheard was still bouncing around inside her head, setting her on edge. Standing there with Tyler and Dustin, it wasn’t like she could just bring it up. What they’d been discussing had been private and she didn’t even want them to know she’d overheard, let alone butt into their business. Just the thought was embarrassing. She should leave, catch a breath of fresh air and get home. She didn’t really know Tyler all that well – a revelation Dustin’s presence emphasized – and she felt like she’d overstayed her welcome.

“I mean it – I can go if you want,” Dustin said, casting a wary glance at Tyler. “Don’t wanna be the third wheel.”

“Like I said, I’ll be leaving soon. If anything, I’m the third wheel.” Thoughts of dropping her towel and messing around in the kitchen seemed worlds away, now. Already, she was thinking of the drive home.

Tyler caught her eye, and for a second, he looked like he was about to say something.

He didn’t.

She wished he had.

“Eggs are in the fridge if you want to fry yourself up some,” Tyler said to Dustin. Turning to face the counter, he picked up two plates. “Here, Mallory.”

She sat at the table and ate with him, accepting a cup of coffee as she started on the scrambled eggs and toast. When he set the lidless sugar jar in the center of the table, her stomach tied itself in knots as memories from the night before came crashing down on her.

She hated that they seemed bittersweet now, that the boldness and exhilaration she’d felt the night before were tainted by worry. She hadn’t even left his apartment, and already, she was second-guessing the eagerness that had felt so right the night before.

Maybe she wasn’t cut out for taking chances.

Tyler caught her eye from across the table, and her heart melted a little as it sped, fluttering nervously against her ribs. No, she definitely wasn’t cut out for it. She wasn’t a risk-taker, she was … careful.

Except this time, she hadn’t been. And when Tyler looked at her like that – hell, looked at her at all – she realized that she was playing with high stakes, whether she’d meant to or not. She was pretty sure her heart couldn’t handle it.

* * * * *

“You know she left because you showed up, right?” Tyler said, setting down his empty coffee cup and shooting Dustin a hard look, unable to repress his irritation. Mallory had eaten a quick breakfast, grabbed her coat and purse and left. After a night spent tangled with her – lost in her – he felt her absence like he’d felt the winter chill when she’d opened the door and walked out.

“How do you know? Maybe she would’ve left anyway.” Dustin sat at the table in front of a massive pile of ketchup-covered scrambled eggs – eggs he hadn’t touched.

Barely biting back a “fuck you”, Tyler cleared his dishes from the table, depositing them in the sink. Dustin’s remark hit a nerve he’d rather pretend didn’t exist. The night he and Mallory had spent together had been amazing. White-hot and intense. And she’d definitely enjoyed it – he knew he wasn’t delusional about that. He could still feel her pussy clenching tight and hot around his dick, when he thought about it. It was enough to make him hard again, but doubt cooled him quickly.

She hadn’t seemed half as happy when she’d walked into the kitchen after her shower that morning as she’d seemed the night before. She hadn’t seemed happy at all, really. Had he messed up somehow, or had she been pissed to find Dustin there?

“Sorry man,” Dustin said. “I couldn’t stand hanging around mom and dad’s with a big storm cloud over my head. I had to tell someone.”

“Yeah, well.” Deep down, Tyler actually did feel a tiny twinge of pity for Dustin. Really deep down, beneath his anger. Finally, Dustin was facing serious consequences for his jackass behavior – he’d gotten a girl pregnant. Some chick who went to the same university he did, who he’d been dating for all of one month. “Wish I could say I’m surprised. What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know.” The bravado faded from Dustin’s voice, making him sound even younger than he really was. “What
can
I do?”

“I guess you’ll have to do whatever it takes. To be there for the girl, I mean. And the baby. Your girlfriend a senior too?” He could only hope she was about to graduate, that they hadn’t fucked her out of an education. Maybe she’d finish her degree before she had the baby.

“Nah. She’s a junior.”

It figured. “Well, you’re about to graduate. Guess now you have plenty of motivation to find a job.”

“Yeah, but… I don’t know anything about babies. I don’t even—”

“So what? The baby’s on the way, right? What does it matter if you know anything about them? You’re going to have to learn, because no way are you going to leave that girl out in the cold. You got her pregnant, so it’s your kid too. That’s just the way it is.” He practically barked his feelings at Dustin. The reality of the situation was what it was – Dustin needed to accept it.

“Yeah,” Dustin said eventually. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Man, I just…”

Tyler rinsed his plate, fork and coffee cup in a stream of hot water. “How long have you known?”

“She told me just before winter break. She came to my dorm and dropped the bomb and was on her way to Akron an hour later to spend the holidays with her family. That was the last time I saw her.”

“You talk to her since then?”

Dustin nodded. “A little. She said she’s gonna tell her family before she comes back for the spring semester.”

“When are you going to tell mom and dad?”

“I dunno. They’ll be pissed. Maybe I should wait until after Christmas – like the day after. What do you think?”

“Sounds fine to me.” He didn’t really want to spend Christmas day watching his parents and Dustin go at each other’s throats, either. Dustin’s announcement would be like a bucket of ice water thrown over all the holiday cheer – it wasn’t like anyone in the family would have any delusions about him being ready for fatherhood.

“Yeah. Hey…” Dustin shoved a forkful of eggs into his mouth. “Thanks.”

“For what – not kicking your ass?”

“For listening. But yeah, that too. I thought you might after your girlfriend left. Man, she’s hot.”

Like he needed Dustin to tell him that. “Say anything else about her and I
will
kick your ass.”

There was no question that she was hot, but he couldn’t stop wondering why she’d cooled toward him overnight, why she’d left without so much as brushing her lips across his when she’d spent the entire night so close to him that he’d barely been able to tell where he ended and she began.

* * * * *

Turning Christmas Eve into a mother-daughter girls’ night out had seemed like a good idea. After all, Mallory and her mother would be getting up early the next morning to cook, cook and cook some more, all so that the big dinner would be ready shortly after Danielle and Kevin arrived. The gift exchange would come afterward. In light of all the upcoming work, heading out for dinner had held a certain appeal, and so they’d gone to their favorite hibachi grill.

Now, snowflakes drifted down around them, settling on the asphalt and forming a fine film that hinted at a white Christmas. It was beautiful and festive, and dinner had been delicious. Mallory should’ve been counting her blessings. Instead, a distinct sense of melancholy gnawed at her from the inside, making her middle feel hollow despite the fact that she’d indulged in more hibachi shrimp and sushi than usual. The feeling had been plaguing her all day, ever since she’d left Tyler’s apartment.

She hadn’t spoken to him since then. What was the usual protocol for after-date contact when a date turned into a wild night in – and out – of bed? She wasn’t sure, mostly because that was something she never allowed to happen. After the morning’s turn of events, she was determined to cool her passion for her own sake – to get her head on straight – and so she didn’t call, even though her fingertips ached to dial his number.

And he hadn’t called, either. Maybe he had other things on his mind. Like a surprise pregnancy.

The thought drifted through her consciousness like an errant snowflake, a small but chilling possibility that she hated herself for dwelling on. As she made her way across the parking lot with her mother, she felt too much
like
her mother for comfort.

Was this really who she was – an insecure, suspicious woman who spent all day with her stomach in knots because she suspected the man she was crazy about just might have intimate ties to someone else? She’d spent years vowing not to ever be that girl, not to gamble with more than she was willing to lose. Only now, as she thought of Tyler – his blue eyes, his body that was hard and tattooed in all the right places and most of all, his addictive sweetness – she felt like she was losing her mind, piece by charmed piece.

Worst of all was the fact that deep down, she knew it wasn’t the conversation she’d overheard that bothered her. Dustin had almost certainly been talking about his own life – he’d probably gotten a girlfriend or maybe even a near-stranger pregnant. If that was the case, there was nothing strange about the fact that he’d gone to his older brother for advice, or maybe just to be listened to. Mallory wasn’t really worried that some woman was running around carrying Tyler’s baby.

She was worried over how she’d reacted when the possibility – however unlikely or fleeting – had occurred to her, though. The very idea had filled her with an instant dread, a near-panic that had made her feel like she’d been robbed of something precious. In that instant, she’d realized how crazy she was over Tyler. And it had scared her. It
still
scared her.

She’d never meant to fall for him so quickly. Hell, she wasn’t sure if she’d meant to fall so hard for anyone, ever. For the past eight years, she’d witnessed daily what a gamble love could be – what exactly one was putting on the line when they granted someone a special place in their heart. Really loving someone was like becoming one half of a whole, and if they were torn away – if they walked away – you were left incomplete, a broken piece.

And some people never recovered from that. Namely, her mother.

Mallory didn’t want to be like that. Ever. Up until today, she hadn’t thought she’d had the capacity for such lasting unhappiness, such stagnation. But she hadn’t thought she could fall head over heels so quickly for anyone either, so who knew what treacherous feats her heart was capable of?