Tattooed Hearts (4 page)

After all these years of
the crushing yearning, she stood in Forrest’s arms, covered only by a purple
lace push-up bra with matching panties. Panic set in. What
if she was too skinny? Without the extra padding of her bra, her breasts were
only a handful. But he loved and wanted her. This much she knew.

Trepidation and excitement
coiled in her stomach. He s
tepped back, eyes hooded,
taking in her every curve. His face flushed with lust and love easing her
feeling of self-consciousness.

“You’re so beautiful.” His
lips were on hers again. There was an edge of urgency about his kiss, a hunger
that might suddenly
rage out of control, yet
strangely tender and sensuous, setting her entire body aflame with desire. His
hands explored, becoming acquainted with every inch of her body. Her hands
drifted to the waist of his pants, undoing the button. So hot in the kiss, t
hey stumbled on the bed as he stepped out of his pajama
pants.

On top of her, he mouthed
against her lips. “Tell me if I do anything you don’t like.”

She nodded, although she’d
bet her whole wee-bit savings that she wouldn’t have any complaints.

His touch
became firmer, more dangerous, going places he’d never gone
before. With heated kisses, his mouth journeyed over her shoulders and breasts,
sending electric shivers straight to her core. Her eyes watered when his tongue
traveled the line of her flat stomac
h and finished
with a little seductive suction action on her hip. She cried his name, her
breath coming short and fast. He settled between her thighs, his straining
erection pressed against the spot she needed him. Every muscle in her body
tensed with expe
ctation.

Their fingers laced. His
eyes, dark with desire, locked with hers as he slowly pushed himself inside
her.
Claire sucked in her breath. The slight pressure and pain
was expected, but still startled her.

 
Forrest swallowed and stilled, bracing
himse
lf on his elbows. “Good?”

The soft expression of
concern was a pure benediction of his love. She knotted her hands around his
neck and pressed closer to him. “Don’t stop.”

After a slight hesitation,
he stroked her cheek and kissed her lips. Then slowly, he
pushed deeper inside her, pausing once more to search her
face for any discomfort. She leaned into him and kissed his tanned chest. He
let out a low groan, rocking slowly into her over and over, breaking her
barrier, inch by inch, until her body was taken
by an
overwhelming feeling of pleasure.
It lasted only moments, but
when he shuddered in her arms as he gripped her hips, she knew nothing would
ever be the same between them. They had crossed that line they’d been teetering
for the last year and now they
were forever
connected, body and soul.

Breathless excitement
pounded in her heart as he showered her face, neck, and collarbone with gentle,
soft kisses before rolling onto his back.
She moved along with him, wrapped her
arms around his torso and hugged
him close. “That
was…” Her voice trailed as she searched for the right word. Perfect just
wouldn’t do.

“It’ll get better,” he
said in a promising tone.

She just had to take his
word for it. She had no complaints. For first timers, the experience had left
her breathless and wanting more. “It was beyond perfect,”
she said, circling his chest with her index finger. “I feel complete.”

“It was you, Claire.” His
voice had an unfamiliar tightness to it. “You made the experience perfect.”

Euphoric warmth flowed th
rough her, causing her heart to expand.
Not gonna cry. Not gonna cry,
Claire willed herself as
they lay in a sweetheart’s cradle position.

“This is for you.” He
handed her a small velvet box.

 
“Where did that come from?” she asked as
he handed her the box.

“My
nightstand.
It’s been here the whole time.” He smiled. “I told you I
bought you a gift.”

She pulled herself to a
sitting position and almost forgot she was naked until she followed Forrest’s
gaze to her breasts. Heat seared through her cheeks under hi
s scrutiny, and for a minute Claire thought her face was on
fire. Feeling a bit awkward and coy, she reached for the navy-orange Rugby
stripe duvet.

“Open your gift.”

With a slight nod, she
opened the box and gasped. A white gold necklace with an infinity
pendant gleamed at her. She held up the delicate metal with
trembling fingers.
“The infinity
symbol.”
She looked back at him, and her heart
fluttered inside her chest. “I love it. I love you…forever.”

He yanked her to him and
covered her mouth in a hungry
kiss. “At this moment,
we are infinite.” He stroked a finger over her temple, pushing back a loose
strand of hair behind her ear.

“We should get infinity
tattoos.”

His brows went up.
“You and me?”

Smiling, she nodded.

He let out a short laugh.
“That’s so
permanent.”

“Like us, forever,” she
said breathlessly.

“All right then, we can go
to Boston tomorrow and get tattoos before your birthday party.” His voice was
firm. Decision made. No hesitation. For as long as she’d known Forrest he’d
always been sure of
the things he wanted and the
people he surrounded himself with. And now he had given her the most precious
gift, his love. “Tonight,” he
continued,
a faint smile on his
lips, “we make love again, and again, and again.”

“I have to go back to the
house.”
But really she wanted to stay right here, in
his arms, forever.

He grinned back and she
could feel the excitement radiating out from him stronger than a hundred watt
bulb.
Pure energy.
One of the many reasons
she loved him.

“No chance. You’re staying
with
me.”

“But…”

“We’ll sneak you back in
before anyone can notice. I’ve done it for Jason a few times. Then we can meet
and go to Boston together for our tattoos.” He tilted her head to the side and
kissed her, his lips demanding. Smoldering heat ran deep with
in Claire as his grip tightened. With a sweeping movement,
he rolled her under him, crushing her body to his, gentle yet firm. He slanted
her head further, deepening the kiss.

He was right. The second
time the exquisite friction sent her flying.

Chapter Four

“You only hear the music when your heart
begins to break.”

My Chemical Romance –
The
Kids from Yesterday

Edgartown,
Martha’s Vineyard, Ten Years Ago…

“Happy B
irthday!” s
miling faces chanted.

Claire raised a hand
to cover her beating heart as she took in the scene in front of her. Colorful
balloons swayed in the soft breeze. A cupcake tower sat on a table at the far
end of the yard along with other treats. Streamers covered everything. Her moth
er, Jason’s parents, Charles and Victoria, held a big
banner that read
Happy 18th Birthday Sweetie
!

With quick steps, she
crossed the well-manicured lawn into her mother’s arms. “Thank you.” She hugged
her mother, then Jason’s parents.

“Anything for you, l
ove,” Jason’s mother chimed in. Her pale, petite hands
massaged Claire’s shoulder. “Nice tattoo, by the way.” She turned Claire’s
wrist to examine the fresh ink. “I have one as well.”

 
“Thank you.” Feeling her mother’s
inquisitive gaze, she glanced nervous
ly at the newly
acquired black ink. The infinity tattoo–a simple, yet elegant loop with a twist
through its center mirrored the number eight on its side, curved seductively
inside her left wrist. The permanent mark of her eternal love for Forrest
gleamed f
rom the A&D ointment she applied after
treating the sensitive area.

Her mother took her
hand and examined the ink.
“So
permanent.”

“It’s the infinity
symbol, Rosa.” Victoria chuckled. “Our little girl is in love.”

“Who’s the lucky guy?”
Charles asked
,
his
blue eyes
fixated on where Jason and Forrest stood talking.

Claire followed
Charles’ gaze and rested on Forrest. He was laughing, probably over some lame
story from Jason. She ached to wrap around his muscular form and nestle against
him, as she’d done all
night. But they were still
new, still processing everything between them, and Forrest had insisted to be
the one to break the news to his best friend that the two of them were
officially dating. While the others had relented a bit on their big brother mod
e, Jason’s had heightened.

Forrest’s eyes wavered
from his friend and locked into hers. Images of their naked bodies discovering
each other flamed her brain, making her private thoughts roasting hot. Feeling
her mother’s and Victoria’s watching
her
,
Claire
turned her head to the
side, averting their curious stares.

“Let’s not interrogate
Claire,” her mother chimed in. “Go enjoy your celebration with your friends. We
can talk about the tattoo later.” She smiled, a silent message telling her
daughter she coul
d care less about the permanent ink.

Summertime
, the go-to summer jam by Will Smith and
DJ Jazzy Jeff, blasted from the speakers in its exuberant beat, wooing the ears
of the crowd.
Boyfriends grabbed the waists of their girlfriends as everyone started to
sway to the tune. Boyfriend, she officially had one of
those. Not just any boyfriend–Forrest Montgomery Desvareaux, one of the
Vineyard’s favorites, a hunk with a capital H. The one she’d always wanted. He
was hers. Emotion coiled tight in her stomach. She
turned to her mother and Jason’s parents again. “Thank you for all of this.”

Charles hugged her.
“We love you. Have fun.”

Hours later, Claire
scanned the crowd. A feeling of joy filled the air. Twinkling lights hung from
tree limbs. Booming sound from the
oversized speakers
thumped in time with her heartbeat as though they were one. Chatter of voices
and people moving around drowned out by the music.

Her entire senior
class was here. Actually except for Blake and Adam, the whole island was here.
Blake had
chosen to start law school early and Adam
was busy making a name for himself as a Formula One driver.

Claire pressed through
the horde of people in search of Forrest. Through all the chaos and mingling,
other than a wayward glance and short conversations s
urrounded
by friends, they hadn’t been alone. She wanted to touch him, kiss him,
breathe
him.
Anything.
She wanted Forrest.

Her feet came to a
screeching halt. A short distance away, Forrest stood smiling, chatting with
two curvy and sharply defined colleg
e girls in very
short shorts. With lust in their eyes, his admirers stared as if he were a god.
The blonde’s head fell back in laughter
as
she pressed her chest a little closer to
Forrest. He didn’t appear affected by either of the sexpots, but he didn’t p
ush them away either.

Claire’s skin crawled.
Forrest was hers.

She had bruises on her
body as proof. Heart hammering in her chest, she swallowed the lump in her
throat and tried not to think of the worst case scenario. But the thoughts
nagged her mind. Wha
t if she hadn’t been good enough
in bed?

Umph!

She stroked the
infinity tattoo inside her left wrist and tried to ignore the jealousy burning
her chest.

“Smoke is coming out
of your head.”

Startled, she turned
to Jason. “What?”

He looked at Forrest
then ba
ck at her. His blond hair, similar to his
mother’s, was as wild as the jungle, untamable and unruly. “No need to be
jealous. He’s in love with you.”

Her brother-sister
relationship with Jason was strong. At times overwhelming so, but she loved
him. She
opened her mouth to deny she'd been secretly
hooking up with his friend, but Jason’s eyes, crystal blue, so much like his
father’s, twinkled with a mixture of arrogance and badass, told her not to
bother. She should have known he’d be onto her. He didn’t g
raduate top of his class, heading to Harvard Law, based on
his looks and the Montgomery name alone.

“He’s flirting with
them,” she mumbled.

Jason chuckled. “No,
he’s not. He’s being polite. There’s a difference. He’s into you.” He slung one
arm over her sh
oulder and squeezed her into a tight
embrace. “Even when I told him you were a scrawny pain in the ass, it was all
about you.”

Claire smiled a
little. “How long have you known?”

“That he’s in love
with you?” he chuckled.
“Definitely
before you started
sneaking up to the tree house.”

“I’ve never snuck…”

“Yeah, you did.
Still doing it.”

She tried to push him
off, but he tightened his grip and planted a kiss on the top of her head.

“Happy
birthday, punk ass.”

“So loving,” she
muttered
,
the
usual banter bet
ween her and Jason relaxed her a bit.

“You snuck out of the
house last night.”

She looked at him. Her
plan had been foolproof…unless. “You weren’t in the house.”

“I left right after
you.”

His voice had a solemn
tone that pulled her heartstrings. Jason was
more
than the son of her mother’s boss. As much as she annoyed him, he always looked
after her. Siblings didn’t always have to be by blood.

“Why do you sneak
out?” she asked with concern.

“I don’t. I walk out.”

Again, she noted
tightness in his voice. She
turned her head and
focused her attention on the man she loved like a brother. “Jason, what’s
wrong?”

“Let’s just say,
you’re lucky to live in the guesthouse.” It happened quickly, but for a brief
moment anguish flickered through his eyes. Claire followed
his gaze to his parents talking to Forrest’s parents. From
the outside looking in, his parents looked happy and loving, but perception was
not always reality.
“You
don’t have to listen to the constant bickering,” Jason continued.

Besides Forrest’s
parents,
Charles and Victoria, beautiful, rich, and
loving, were Claire’s epitome of a happy, loving relationship. “Your parents
love each other.”

Jason shrugged.
“Probably, but there’s deep-rooted anger.” He caught her wrist, dismissing the
topic as quickly as it
was brought up. “Come
on,
let’s go chat with that boyfriend of
yours. Cool
tat
, by the way.”

“Thanks. I like your
eagle.” She often admired the eagle tattoo covering Jason’s left shoulder to
bicep.

“Thanks. Dad hates
it.” He peered at Forrest again. “I ne
ver thought
he’d get one. He’s not really into body art.”

She knew that and the
fact Forrest had chosen to be permanently inked for her made her love him even
more. “Are you mad about me and Forrest?”

He shook his head.
“You’re the sister I’ve never had, a
nd he’s the
brother I wish I had.”
 
He squeezed
her hand. “He loves you. There's no one else for him. It’s always been you.” He
flashed her one of his charming smiles. “Forrest is the type of guy who loves
forever. You’re in good hands.”

* * * *

Claire
said goodbye to the few lingering stragglers. Dusk had
fallen, the mosquitoes were out, and goosebumps of anticipation spread across
her arms. She stifled a yawn. She was tired, but also excited.

She focused on her
boyfriend leaning on his Jeep, arms cross
ed over his
chest. Her skin tingled with happiness. Their relationship was officially
public, when she and Jason had walked to him and the two overly enthusiastic
girls, Forrest had pulled her to him and planted a possessive kiss on her lips,
claiming her
in front of his best friend and everyone
else on the island. His two admirers got the message. Good thing too, because
she’d been ready to go toe
-
to
-
toe with them.

“I never thought I’d
want my own party to end.” Claire twisted frizzy hair from the
blistering heat into a knot. “Forrest.”

“Hmm…”

“You’re going to
Dartmouth for medical school.”

“And you’re going to
NYU.”

Moving away from the
island, adjusting to college, the workload, the changes, all brought on
different emotions.
Excitement,
fear, an
d now melancholy, over the distance that
would exist between them.
“What will become of us?”

He pulled back a bit
and searched her face. “What do you mean?”

“I thought about it
and I don’t know…you’re going to be in New Hampshire and I’m going to be in New
York.”

He caught a strand of
her hair between his fingers and gently stroked it. “Not a big deal.”

He sounded so
confident, it was almost reassuring. But now that they were official, the
distance presented a new obstacle. Claire pressed on. “We’re going t
o be even further apart. What if…”

“There are no ‘what
ifs,’ Claire.” His eyes moved to her face in a slow perusal. “Stop worrying.
You’re it for me. You have to trust us, or else we won’t work.”

“I
trust us.” But her voice cracked on the words, and her st
omach tensed with angst. Not that Forrest had given her
cause to mistrust him. Her skepticism was an acquisition gained from birth. A
gift bestowed on her since the day her mother gently explained to her why she
didn’t have a father. Something her boyfrien
d would
never understand
.
H
e
was
the epitome of a well-balanced life with loving parents.