Inked on Paper (11 page)

Chapter Eighteen

Jake

I couldn’t help but think about what could possibly be going through Kora’s head when she was walking into that restaurant. I wasn’t sure I’d ever experienced something like that, though I was sure many people had.

With my pen to the paper, I turned the tables on Kora, and put myself in
her
head—instead of her in mine.

From the
minute
moment she stepped through the doors of the banquet room that had been reserved for the baby shower, Kora had wondered how she hadn’t gone up in flames. She could feel the stares, hear the whispers, as everyone watched her as though she were a dangerous animal that needed to be caged.

Little did they know, but she wasn’t a danger to anyone tonight. Except maybe herself.

I stared at the page, practically feeling Kora’s resolve radiating from her. She could do this. She would do this.

Taking a deep breath, Kora made sure her shoulders were squared and her chin was up. She would not let these assholes get to her.

The first thing she did was order a drink, then, when the waitress delivered, she ordered another so she would have a backup when needed. Which turned out to be a good thing because she’d drained the first one in three gulps.

Alcohol would definitely make it easier for Kora, but I needed to remember what decisions she would be making. Whether or not her inebriated state, or lack thereof, was essential to the direction they were headed. If she was too intoxicated, would a guy like Donovan go after her?

I guess that depended on what baser instincts she brought out in him.

I continued writing.

Now, half an hour in, Kora was on her third with a fourth on the way. Probably wouldn’t have been a major issue, except she was drinking vodka and 7Up—doubles, light on the 7Up.

“You’re hittin’ it hard tonight.”

The deep baritone came from her left, and Kora turned her head to see a handsome stranger leaning against the wall, a
glass
tumbler tilted to his lips. It was possible she recognized him, but most of the people at the shower were friends and family of the parents-to-be, so that wasn’t surprising. She just couldn’t place him.

Was the alcohol obscuring her thoughts?

I knew that they hadn’t met, but how that played out, I wasn’t so sure. If she’d been dating Donovan’s brother for two years, how was it that she hadn’t crossed paths with this guy at least once? Like, at holidays? I’d have to think on that.

“That was always the plan,” she told him honestly.

“You know the expectant couple?” he questioned, though it sounded as though he already knew the answer to that.

Apparently brushing him off wasn’t going to work. When she said, “My sister and my ex,” the guy chuckled, causing Kora to turn. “You find that amusing, do you?”

Emerald
green
eyes leveled on her, pinning her in place.

Her head spun and the room suddenly got warmer.

Unfortunately, she didn’t think it was the booze this time.

No, I knew I didn’t want it to be the liquor affecting her. This was all chemistry between the two of them.

For a moment, the heat she felt racing through her veins had nothing to do with the alcohol and everything to do with that seductive smirk that tilted his perfect lips.

“I’m thinkin’ you’re the lucky sister,” he finally drawled.

“Why’s that?”

“Sam and I go way back.”

Kora tried to place this guy, searching the dark recesses of her memory to see if she’d ever met him. Surely, if he was a friend of Sam’s, she would’ve at least heard of him. She and Sam had been together for almost two years before she’d found out he’d been screwing her sister.

“And you are…?”

“Donovan,” he said, tossing back what was left of his drink.

Kora would’ve definitely heard his name, even if she hadn’t met him, so I knew he didn’t need to elaborate.

“Sam’s brother?” She couldn’t keep the disbelief from her tone.

“The one and only,” Donovan said.

Well, that explained why he looked familiar. Now that she knew who he was, she noticed the family resemblance.

And, yeah, she’d definitely heard of Donovan, but oddly enough, though he was Sam’s only sibling, she’d never met him.

What was it that had kept Donovan away? Why hadn’t she ever met him? What did he do for a living? Okay, this was a critical piece. I knew Donovan needed to be someone who could get shit done. He was strong, smart, business savvy. He didn’t hold back, going after exactly what he wanted. What did I want him to do?

NOTE: He owned his own company, but what did he do? Real estate would be good. Was he a millionaire? Billionaire?

“The infamous real estate mogul?” she questioned, trying not to appear impressed.

Truth was, she was. Not only because of the stories she’d heard from Sam, but also because of what stood before her. The man was something else. Tall, dark, devastatingly handsome. And that air of reckless abandon clad in an expensive suit… Yeah, it called to her inner hussy, all right.

Perhaps it was the alcohol making her knees go weak. Yeah. She should definitely blame it on the alcohol. Much safer that way.

Donovan didn’t answer, but the smirk told her everything she needed to know.

When a waitress passed by, her eyes slowly regarding Donovan, Kora was tempted to snort. Instead, she smiled to herself when Donovan ordered himself another drink, and then one for her.

“Figured since the happy couple was footing the bill…” Donovan grinned, a full-fledged smile that set her panties on fire.

And for the first time since she’d received the invitation to the baby shower, Kora was no longer worried that she wouldn’t survive tonight. If she could find a way to sneak this guy off into the nearest storage closet, it would possibly get even better.

Hmm. I liked the idea of Kora letting loose, living in the moment. She had plenty of reasons not to, but to me, she seemed like the kind of girl who would go after what she wanted. And it looked as though she might have met her match.

On to Donovan once again. I briefly stared at the page, thinking about what he saw when he looked at Kora. He already knew what he wanted from her, but was it too soon? Maybe a scene with the family, something to show the tension? Or possibly just get right to business, not giving Kora a chance to think too hard on it?

I decided to keep writing, just to see where they took me.

While he waited for his drink, Donovan watched Kora. Although he only knew about her from Sam’s stories, he could definitely tell that Sam hadn’t been thinking clearly when he’d done the deed with Kora’s sister. Not that Trina wasn’t a nice girl. He was sure she had some upstanding qualities, but stealing your sister’s boyfriend...? That was petty and childish bullshit right there. And when Sam had informed him of the abrupt change in his life, Donovan hadn’t felt the least bit sorry for the guy.

Why would he? If the asshole slept with Kora’s sister, he deserved all the shit life could throw at him.

Not that I was going to insert that in there. It was just my personal opinion, and everyone knew that there was always a little piece of the author in every book. I wasn’t the exception to the rule.

For the past hour, Donovan had listened to the whispers, most of them talking about how Kora had been the one to cheat on Sam, pushing him into Trina’s arms with her wandering ways. Part of him had wondered why the hell she didn’t step up and tell the truth. Still, somehow he’d managed to keep his mouth shut and not interfere. As long as they weren’t spouting derogatory remarks, he felt it unnecessary to intervene. And since he’d put the old guy in his place already, Donovan figured word was out about him.

But he was still trying to figure Kora out.

Now that he’d looked into those intriguing gray eyes for himself, he understood why. She’d been labeled already, and if he had to guess, she was rebelling in her own way. No lie, that was a fucking sexy trait right there. The bad girl rebel.

Definitely a bad girl.

My thoughts instantly drifted to Presley again. Was she a bad girl?

God, I hoped one day I would get the chance to find out.

Without remorse, Donovan allowed his gaze to slide over her, slowly. When she caught him staring, he offered her a smile. And when she didn’t move away, he decided to move closer. A lot closer. So close he could smell the sweet scent of her hair and feel the warmth of her arm against his.

Before he could speak, Kora turned to face him, her face lit up, her eyes glassy. She was intoxicated; he knew that already.

Her voice was a soft murmur when she said, “If you’re gonna ask me to meet you in the bathroom in three minutes so you can blow my mind with what you’re packing”—her eyes dropped to his fly, then moved back up—“then ask already.”

Holy fucking hell. That hadn’t been what he’d expected her to say, but Donovan would have to admit he was tempted. So fucking tempted.

Was Kora bluffing? I needed to figure that one out. I liked the idea of her making the first move, and it definitely shocked Donovan. He hadn’t expected that from her. These two characters would surprise one another at every turn. At least I thought they would.

Keeping his eyes locked with hers, Donovan smiled. “You think you can handle me?” Leaning in so that his mouth brushed her ear, he added, “Because what you’re asking for, Legs, will likely take awhile. Once
I’m
my cock is buried inside you, I get the feeling I won’t be able to stop.”

Her sharp inhale made his cock thicken, his body hardening as he waited for her to answer him.

“I think I can handle it,” she whispered, sounding more self-assured than he’d expected. “The question is … can you handle me?”

Donovan didn’t know the answer to that question, but in three minutes, he was damn sure going to find out.

Yes, Donovan was definitely going to find out, and honestly, I couldn’t wait until he did.

Chapter Nineteen

Jake

I had slept for an hour and a half, but that was all I could muster. For whatever reason, I’d launched out of bed, taken a shower, pulled on jeans and a sweatshirt, along with shoes, and headed down to the coffee shop with my notebook and a pen.

Since a few minutes after five, I’d been sitting at a table near the window, sipping coffee and writing. For the first time in almost an entire fucking year, it seemed that the words were there. Flowing endlessly since last night. The sexy heroine was mixing it up with the bad boy hero, both of whom were ready to spontaneously combust, and I was anxious to see that happen.

“Fancy seein’ you here.”

I paused in my quest to set the scene for Kora and Donovan when I heard the familiar voice. Looking up, I saw Presley making her way through the tables with a cup of coffee and the same pink sketchbook she’d had the first time I’d seen her. Her head was still concealed, this time by an oversized black hooded sweatshirt. I had yet to see her without the hood, and I briefly wondered what she looked like without it.

Then I wondered what she looked like without clothes.

On my bed.

Beneath me.

Placing the pen on the table, I wrangled my thoughts and smiled back at her as I reached for my coffee. “Are you stalking me?”

Her grin widened, and her gleaming white smile captivated me. She was beautiful in a very sweet-meets-sexy sort of way. The tattoos, strangely colored hair, and the piercings gave her a sensual edge that I found sexy as hell.

“It’s possible,” she tossed back. “What’re you writing?”

I glanced down at the page. “Uh…”

“Your secret’s out now, Clark, I know who you are. No sense hiding that
S
on your chest any longer.”

I won’t lie, it stroked my ego that she’d compared me to Superman. I laughed. “Join me?”

“If, by that, you mean, feel free to have a seat at a table nearby, then sure, I’ll join you.”

I watched as Presley removed her coat, placing it over the back of her chair and revealing the black hoodie beneath. She was wearing black leggings and lace-up boots, with the oversized sweatshirt concealing what I assumed had to be some wicked-ass curves. She looked comfortable, as though she’d just tumbled out of bed and slid right into her boots—something I personally wanted to see one day.

As I sipped my coffee, I tilted my head just so and discreetly admired her very, very nice ass. Those leggings… Whoever created those was fucking brilliant.

But then she cut off my view when she sat down at the table adjacent to mine.

“Trouble sleeping?” I asked, curious as to why she was at the coffee shop so early.

“You could say that.” Presley leaned in closer. “I’ve got a roommate who likes his females loud. Makes sleeping difficult.”

“I know the feeling. I’ve got a loud one at home, too.”

A frown replaced her smile and Presley’s eyes instantly darted down to my hand. I realized she was looking for a ring. I didn’t need to say how much I liked that she did.

I held up my hand, showing her there wasn’t one. “Cat.”

“Ah. Gotcha. I’ve heard some men like loud pussy, but that’s kinda taking it to the extreme, don’t you think?”

I leaned back in my chair and regarded her momentarily. I liked her. Liked the way she said what was on her mind. She seemed to be lacking a filter, which was nice in an oddly arousing sort of way.

“It keeps the women at bay,” I told her. “When I tell ’em I’ve already got pussy at home, they tend to leave it at that.”

Presley’s throaty chuckle made the hair on my entire body stand on end. It was fucking hot, just like the rest of her.

“So, no wife?”

I smirked and noticed her cheeks turn pink. Today, Presley wasn’t wearing any makeup at all. Her skin was flawless, her lips a soft pink. She looked young. Very young.

“No wife,” I confirmed. “No mistress, no girlfriend, no booty call.”

“Ah.” Presley took a sip of her coffee, regarding me seriously. “You’re gay.”

I choked a laugh. “Not that I know of, no.”

“Hmm. So what’s a handsome, successful writer doing single?”

I glanced down at the notebook, ignoring how much I liked that she’d called me handsome. This girl was certainly good for my ego. “Writing.”

“I see that. More words than last week?”

I nodded, then glanced down at her sketchbook. “And you? What’re you working on?”

Presley placed a small hand over the sketchbook. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”

“Well, we can’t have that, now can we?”

We let the silence settle between us briefly, neither of us speaking, until finally her grin reappeared and she met my gaze.

“I’d ask if you come here often, but that’s a cheesy line,” Presley said, taking the lid off her coffee and blowing into the cup.

My body hardened instantly, my dick twitching to life when her pretty pink lips formed a perfect O. I noticed her tongue was pierced and my cock swelled more. I immediately looked away, pretending to be distracted by something outside. Not wanting her to know that I was suddenly imagining her lips wrapped around my dick, her tongue doing wicked things to me.

I shook off the image, cleared my throat. “I come here often, yes. You?”

“Not much, no. But I like the coffee. And the quiet.”

I knew when to take a hint, so I nodded and raised my cup toward her in a silent salute.

Then, with a beautiful woman sitting not too far away from me, I put down my cup and picked up my pen.

Two hours and another cup of coffee later, I looked up to see that Presley was still there, still sitting at the table next to mine. She was leaning forward, sketching something in her notebook. Since her arm was in the way, I couldn’t see what she was drawing, but I decided to leave her alone, not wanting to interrupt.

Instead, I got up to stretch my legs and went back to the counter.

“It looks like you’re writing,” Kim said when I approached. “Tell me it’s true.”

“It’s true,” I confirmed.

“Your next book?”

“Maybe.”

Her smile widened. “What can I get you?”

“A large coffee and whatever she orders,” I said, nodding toward the table Presley was at.

Kim gave me a knowing grin. “One large sugar-free vanilla soy latte and a large coffee. Coming right up.”

I paid and waited for the drinks while I watched Presley. She seemed to be lost in her own world, and it gave me a chance to admire her from afar. I had so many questions I wanted to ask her, but I knew it would be rude to interrupt, which was one of the reasons I had opted to get her coffee, hoping she could pause long enough to chat.

“Here you go,” Kim said, pushing two cups toward me. “Good luck.”

I nodded with a smile.

Luck.

With Presley, it felt as though luck was already on my side. Seriously, what were the odds that I’d see her three times in two weeks in a city the size of this one? It didn’t seem likely unless some higher power was tossing me a favor.

That and the writing. For whatever reason, since last night, the writing was back with a vengeance, and I had a feeling I could thank Presley for that.

“Brought you this,” I announced as I stepped up next to her table.

Presley sat up straight and that was when I noticed the drawing. Thankfully she took one of the cups because I would’ve dropped it as soon as my brain registered what I was seeing on her paper.

The drawing. The woman’s face. That was…

No, it couldn’t be.

I lowered myself into a chair, still admiring the sketch.

When Presley started to place her hand over it, I instantly reached for her. The moment I touched her, I felt an electrical current start in my fingers, winding through my body until it stopped somewhere dangerously close to my groin. Lifting my eyes to meet hers, I tried to see if she felt it, too.

Her eyes were locked on mine and I noticed she swallowed hard.

That electrical spark thing… I’d honestly thought it only existed in romance novels. Yeah, sue me for writing about shit I’d never experienced before. I’d really thought it was something someone had made up, but based on the tingle in my arm and the throb in my dick, I could now say it was real.

Breaking the spell between us, I released her hand and mumbled an apology before dropping my gaze back to the drawing. “This is amazing. It looks like one of my characters.”

“Jill,” Presley said softly, hitting the button on her phone and then holding it up for me to see.

I leaned in, scanning the words on the screen. “You’re reading my book.”

“Guilty,” she said.

Regaining some of my composure, I leaned back in my chair and realized I was sitting at her table, not my own. Still, I didn’t move. “What do you think?”

Presley gave me a one-shoulder shrug and the most adorable smile I’d ever seen. “It’s all right.”

“That’s exactly how I imagined her,” I told her, tapping the paper with my finger.

“I drew her based on your description. I have to say, it wasn’t hard.”

“Are you saying I’m good?” I smirked at her, loving the way she blushed slightly. It wasn’t something I would’ve expected from her considering all the badass tattoos and piercings.

“I didn’t say that,” she offered with an easy chuckle, picking up her latte and taking a sip. “I’ll have to keep reading to determine that.”

“Well, by all means.” I got to my feet and moved back to my own chair. “Don’t let me stop you.”

Presley’s eyes met mine, and it was in that moment that I realized I wanted this woman to be important, to be something more than a meaningless fling. It felt as though there was a reason she’d been put in my path, or I in hers.

Either way, I was looking forward to finding out more.