Inked on Paper (17 page)

Chapter Thirty

Jake

For the second time since I’d seen her in the coffee shop two weeks ago, Presley Abrams didn’t have a hood covering her head, which meant I got the pleasure of seeing her in an entirely different light. Since the bar had been dimly lit last night, and afterward we’d been otherwise occupied, I hadn’t gotten the full impact.

Now, I had.

And she was even more beautiful than I’d originally thought. Her shoulder-length coral-pink hair was a culmination of short layers, framing her face and resting on her shoulders. She was small but not fragile. It was evident she could hold her own. Still, she brought out a baser instinct in me, something primal and possessive. And I fucking loved the feeling. It made me think of Justin—my lead character in
Forbidden
—and the way he felt about Jill.

Since she was wearing a snug black T-shirt, I also got a better look at the tattoos that snaked down her slender arms, though I did my best not to stare at them since she was looking at me as though I were the Ghost of Christmas Past.

I was still intrigued to know why she’d never thought she’d see me in here. I wasn’t sure whether she meant this particular establishment, or any tattoo shop at all.

“You assume I don’t have any tattoos?” I asked, coming to stand on the other side of the small counter.

“I never assume anything.”

I could see it in her eyes, she had made that assumption, but it didn’t bother me. I knew how most people perceived me. I’d seen plenty of articles that referred to me as the pretty boy author; some critics who didn’t like my work said I’d make a better living as a male model. Needless to say, I didn’t have anything to prove to anyone, so I didn’t bother.

But for some reason, I wished she’d seen all of me last night so there wouldn’t be any doubts.

“Is that why you’re here?” she asked. “For a tattoo?”

“I’m tossing the idea around a little,” I told her.

Honestly, I hadn’t given much thought to what I wanted yet, but yes, I intended to get another tattoo. Just not tonight.

Tonight, I had purposely stopped in to see if she was there. I had needed to see her, to make sure she wasn’t pissed at me. To find a way to fix this thing between us.

And seeing her now… I was once again inspired, but not necessarily to write.

“Well, I’m sure Gil could fit you in,” she said, glancing over her shoulder at the guy I remembered from the impromptu orgy a couple of weeks ago, currently working on a brunette who had a bad case of the giggles.

Leaning down, I lowered my voice. “And what if I wanted
you
to do it?”

Her gray eyes sparkled, turning darker as they widened.

“Well, I’d say that you better have a design on you ’cause I’m fresh out of ideas.”

“Back to tic-tac-toe?” I asked, understanding what she meant.

The very corners of her glossy pink lips curled up. It wasn’t much of a smile, but I’d take it.

“Maybe.”

I nodded. Looked as though we were both looking for our inspiration.

“Would you like to get a drink with me?” I asked, after gazing around to ensure no one was standing behind me. The instant it looked as though she was going to say no, I added, “Or coffee, dinner, dessert … anything.”

Her smile widened and I couldn’t look away.

“You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?”

I lowered my voice so only she could hear. “Actually, I’ve thought of little else
but
you.”

She seemed surprised by that and the sharp intake of breath made my body harden. I instantly remembered what she sounded like when she came.

Luckily, she pulled me from my erotic thought before I could let my imagination get away from me.

“Fine. Then I’ll take a milkshake.”

I laughed. Couldn’t help myself. It was thirty-seven degrees outside and she wanted a milkshake.

Her smile didn’t falter.

She was serious.

I could live with that.

“I’ll drive,” I told her, not wanting to give her a chance to say otherwise.

“Or we could walk.”

It wasn’t as though I was in any position to argue, so I nodded in agreement. “Or we could walk,” I echoed.

I watched as she turned away, then pivoted back to look at me as though confused. Another smile tugged at her mouth, and she spun away again, this time going to one of the stations and grabbing her coat.

On her way back to the front, she turned to the other tattoo artist. “Gil, I’m going out. I’ll be back for my bike later.”

“Sure thing. See you at home?”

Home? I looked at Presley, then back at Gil. They lived together?

But…

If that was true, then that meant Presley … lived down the hall from me?

Presley Abrams was my neighbor?

No fucking way.

“Yeah,” she told Gil. “But no orgies tonight, cool?”

Gil’s smile widened as he looked up at Presley briefly.

He was the roommate who liked screamers?

Based on the giggling still going on in the corner, I got the feeling he’d found his next conquest.

When Presley approached, I allowed her to pass me and then followed. Reaching over her, I pushed open the door and followed her out onto the sidewalk. The street was quiet, although there were a few people out tonight. Nothing compared to how it would be tomorrow night, but we weren’t alone.

“Did you have a place in mind?” I asked, shoving my hands into my pockets to keep from reaching for her hand. For some strange reason, I wanted to hold her hand in mine, to feel the smoothness of her skin against my palm. Fuck, what I really wanted to do was wrap her in my arms and feel her heartbeat against me.

Somehow I refrained.

“Yep,” she confirmed, peering up at me, still looking somewhat cautious. “Just a few blocks down. You don’t mind walking, do you?”

At this point, I didn’t care if she wanted to walk twenty miles. Being with her… I hadn’t felt this good in a long damn time. “I’m good.”

“How’s the book coming along?” she asked as we strolled side by side up Fifth.

“I’ve taken up playing tic-tac-toe,” I admitted, peering down at her.

Her smile was sweet. “Maybe we should play together.”

If she didn’t stop that, I was going to have some major chafing going on because my dick was already stirring to life. I knew she hadn’t meant that the way it sounded, but seriously, my hand simply wasn’t doing it for me these days, and after the quick taste I’d had of her last night, I was definitely in the mood for more of her. And since I wouldn’t be able to be with another woman until I could get this one out of my system, I knew I would only get more painful as the night wore on.

Not that I wasn’t willing to suffer.

Just being around her was enough for me right now.

Chapter Thirty-One

Presley

The walk to the all-night ice cream parlor didn’t take long, but with every step, I was incredibly aware of Jake. His scent—something woodsy and masculine that made me want to bury my nose in his neck and breathe him in—drifted on the breeze, and I couldn’t help but inhale it. The sound of his breathing and the deep rumble of his voice… Needless to say, it was a good thing we didn’t have far to go.

When we reached the parlor, once again, Jake opened the door for me, allowing me to enter first. I led him through the restaurant toward a table in the back. The place was relatively busy, but there were plenty of seats available.

“You been here before?” I asked him when we slid into a booth, trying to pretend that this wasn’t incredibly awkward. Truth was, I’d never had a one-night stand before, and I would’ve never expected to have a follow-up date after one, either.

Jake shook his head, his eyes on me.

“What can I get you, hon?” the waitress asked when she approached, drawing my attention away from the sexy man sitting across from me. I peered up at her and smiled.

The menu was beneath the glass on the table, so I perused it momentarily. “I’ll take a rocky road milkshake with extra marshmallows.”

“Soy or regular?” she inquired.

“Soy.”

“And you, sugar?” the woman asked Jake.

“The same, but regular. Not soy.”

“Coming right up.”

“Thanks,” Jake told her as she hurried off. He turned those blue-green eyes on me. “Vegan?”

I nodded. “I’m actually allergic to dairy and eggs, and since I don’t eat meat … it kinda worked out that way.”

“Makes sense,” he said, resting his elbows on the table and focusing his full attention on me.

For some strange reason, I liked the way he looked at me. As though he wanted to figure me out, and not just what my underwear looked like, though the heat in his gaze was unmistakable. I felt that all the way to my toes.

There was an intense attraction there; neither of us would be able to deny that. But still, the way he looked at me was different than a lot of men. In my line of work, I’d encountered all different types. The ones who looked at me as though I were a leper because of the tattoos and piercings, others who seemed worried that I didn’t know what I was doing because I was a woman. Then of course there were those who thought that, along with a tattoo, they were going to get something else from me.

Jake didn’t seem to have any presumptions, nor did it seem as though he’d formed an opinion of me yet, which intrigued me.

“So, do you live in the city?” he asked, his eyes roaming over my face slowly.

And now the awkwardness was back… Considering we’d already slept together, the getting-to-know-you part should’ve been out of the way, yet it wasn’t.

I frowned. “I … uh…” I was confused. “I live next door to you. I thought you knew that.” I’d specifically told Gavin not to say anything, but I honestly thought Jake had figured it out.

Jake shook his head. “I knew Gavin and Gil did, but didn’t realize you did. Not until Gil mentioned it back at the shop.”

I smiled. Interesting. “Well, I do. And I actually met you before I actually
met
you.”

A crease marred his forehead.

“The orgy from the other night. You were sitting in my chair.”

“Ah, hell,” he grumbled. “I swear I didn’t touch those women.”

Unable to help myself, I laughed. “I already knew that. Gavin told me.”

“You’ve only been there, what, a couple of weeks?”

“A little over a month now,” I confirmed. “But I’ve lived down here for about three years, right before…” Wow, I hadn’t intended to get so personal so quickly, but I found myself doing just that. “About a year before my father died, actually. I rented an apartment close to the shop, lived with Gavin for a while. Then Gil moved in with us a couple of years ago. I finally decided it was time to grow up, so I bought a condo. They now live with me. You?”

“Grew up north of Austin, lived in an apartment when I first moved out, then rented a house not far from here for several years until a couple of years after I got my first book deal. At that point, I moved to New York.”

“New York? That’s … a long way from here.”

“I was trying to expand my horizons, see different things.”

“So why’d you come back?”

Jake’s eyes dropped to the table and I knew he didn’t want to share the reason.

“It’s personal,” I said for him. “I get it.”

“My family needed me,” he said, but he didn’t explain.

“So, this author gig … pays well then?” I wasn’t digging, just trying to make conversation.

“It can, sure. I’ve been incredibly lucky.” He frowned. “Helps if I can produce something.”

I could feel his pain. “Maybe it’s in the air, a freak particle that’s zapped our focus. Maybe we’re only two of the millions currently wandering around trying to figure it all out.”

He seemed to consider that for a moment. “Or it’s an alien life-force. They’ve beamed down here and sucked all the creativity out.”

I laughed at that. I could tell he was kidding, but still, I liked that his mind had veered off the same as mine. “Or…” I smiled, meeting his gaze. “The CIA has determined a way to monitor imagination and has put a hold on it, for fear we’ll become too powerful.”

“
Or
…” Jake grinned. “Amazon has found a way to control everything, including our creativity.”

“That does make sense. Amazon is in the process of taking over the world.” I was laughing when the waitress returned with our milkshakes, her eyes wandering back and forth between us before she gave a small smile and disappeared again. “It could simply be the matrix,” I told him, trying to sound serious. “They’ve temporarily unplugged us, leaving us to drift aimlessly around until they’re ready to hook us back up.”

“Could be,” Jake said, pointing his spoon at me as though I were on to something.

I sipped my milkshake and snagged one of the marshmallows from the top and popped it into my mouth. “You have family here?”

“My sister and my niece live in Austin. And my mother and stepfather live in Round Rock.”

The way he said stepfather told me there was a story there. “Not a fan of the stepfather?”

“Haven’t been a fan of any of them, really.” He seemed to relax, leaning back and resting his arm across the back of the booth. The move made the thin, navy-blue sweater stretch across his chest, accentuating the muscles there.

“More than one? Tell me more.”

“Alan is number nine.” He smiled while shaking his head slightly. “He’s only three and a half years older than me.”

Nine? Holy fuck. Opting not to zero in on that particular detail, I asked, “Which makes him how old?” I didn’t care that I was fishing, although I already knew his age, and the lopsided grin he offered said he knew I was.

“Alan’s thirty-nine. Forty in July.”

“And your mother?”

“Fifty-five.”

“Good for her. Snagging a younger man.”

“Oh, he’s not the youngest one she’s snagged,” Jake said with a rough chuckle.

“I guess I can see how that could be creepy.”
Really
creepy.

“And what about you? I read somewhere you started tattooing at eighteen.”

That got my attention and pulled another smile. “I did. Gavin actually taught me, though it isn’t something he does often. I played around with the idea of doing something else with my life for a while, but realized tattooing is all I ever wanted to do. So, I apprenticed under this really cool chick Gavin introduced me to and the rest is history.”

Jake watched me and I couldn’t help but laugh. I knew he’d been trying to find out my age, which I had purposely held back.

“Fine,” I said with a chuckle. “I’m twenty-eight.”

Jake laughed, a dark, reverberating sound that I felt deep in my core.

“Good to know. You have other family here? You mentioned your father died.”

I nodded, trying not to let the sadness consume me. I still had a really hard time talking about my father. “And no, no other family. My grandparents all passed away. My mother did the honorable thing by having me, but when I was born, she took off, leaving my father to raise me.”

“Do you see her?”

“Nope. Never met her. My dad always told me he’d find her for me if I wanted.” I waved it off.

“You never wanted to meet her?” he asked.

I shrugged. “Sure, I’ve been tempted more than once, but for some reason, I always assumed I’d only be disappointed, so I haven’t bothered.”

Jake nodded, as though understanding. “My father moved on to greener pastures when I was two,” he explained. “He lives in Circle C. Has a wife and three kids.”

“You see him?”

Jake shook his head, leaned forward, and sipped his milkshake. I couldn’t help but look at the way his lips wrapped around the straw. I was once again transfixed by his mouth. He had nice lips.

When our eyes met, I realized he’d noticed I was staring at him. A warmth settled in my belly when his eyes heated, practically glowing as he stared back at me. The same way he’d been looking at me last night when he’d told me he wanted to kiss me.

Suddenly, I wished I had my sketch pad so I could draw his eyes.

“Any siblings?” he asked, pushing up the sleeves on his sweater, revealing…

Momentarily mesmerized, I glanced at the sleeve tattoo on his left arm. It wasn’t until he cleared his throat that I realized I’d been staring. I secretly wondered if there was more ink on his body, because obviously I’d been way off.

“Nice,” I said, pointing toward his arm with my spoon, which earned me a knowing grin from him. Okay, so I hadn’t pegged him for the tattoo type. Sue me. “And no. It was just me and my dad.”

“What did he do for a living?”

It was still hard to talk about my father. I missed him so much. He’d always been such a strong presence in my world. I’d lived with him until about a year before he died, not because I had to but because I’d wanted to. If I’d known I hadn’t had much more time with him, I never would’ve left. He’d suffered a heart attack, which had stolen him from me. However, I kept all of that information to myself.

“He was a mechanic.”

“Cars?”

“Anything, really,” I told him. “He restored Harleys on the side. We worked on them together.”

“Ah. Bike,” he mumbled.

I frowned, trying to figure out what he was talking about.

“You told Gil you’d be back for your bike. You meant motorcycle.”

I smiled.

Jake leaned forward, his voice low as he said, “I’m not gonna lie. I find that hot as hell.”

I laughed, enjoying his straightforwardness. It seemed with him, I would always know where I stood.

And that… That was not a bad thing.