Ink (42 page)

I held back a smile. His words made me happy.

“
She won’t let us be together. Believe me. She has made it quite obvious over and over again. You have to go.” I pressed my palm into his muscular frame, pushing him to go away. But my eyes proved I was lying to him and he knew as well as I that I wanted him next to me.

Slade took hold of the arm that was trying to fend him off and pulled me close. He leaned in, bringing his lips to my neck and planted a kiss that jolted my entire body. Goosebumps rose on my skin, my heart crashed in my ears. My body was on fire from the feel of Slade pressed so close to me.

“
I’m afraid she will kill me,” I whispered in his ear.

He leaned down and kissed my forehead. “I’ll stay here with you the whole night. I’ve wanted to see you. To tell you I’m sorry. I only did it because I really care about you.” He kissed me again, this time a gentle kiss that made my heart ache. He ran his hand gently across my cheek, making me feel even more powerless in keeping him away. Savoring the way my skin felt against his fingertips, as if for the last time.

I tried to fight back the tears that were gradually building in my eyes, ready to fall if he said anything else that profound.

“
I like you too, Slade. No matter what I do I can never stop thinking about you.” He slowly lowered me down on my bed, so that we didn’t alert my dad.

“
You said you missed me. And I’ve been waiting to hear something that told me I wasn’t wrong for coming here.” He pressed his lips against my cheek.

“
You heard that?”

“
I felt it.”

My heart skipped a beat at the thought of our connection. A bond that was so concrete he could feel my private thoughts. It was the only thing I ever wanted out of anyone.

“
I wish this could work. Why can’t this work?” I said, my heart picking up beats at the idea of losing Slade again. It felt like the world was against us. I saw no way out.

“
I want you to give me some time to figure something out. Can you do that?” Slade asked.

I gave a quick nod and pulled his head down to mine, giving him a hot, piercing kiss. Slade’s kiss was just as forceful as he kissed me back.

I closed my eyes, letting him part my legs and quickly pull my bottoms off. He pulled my shirt over my head. It seemed he was dying to feel my flesh against his. Slade tore his shirt off, tossing it on the floor.

“
Do you want me?”

I nodded, biting my lip in ecstasy, “I want you.” I undid his pants, helping him out of them.

“
I want you, too,” Slade whispered in my ear, holding my thighs tightly in his grip. His intensity took my breath away as he drove himself deep inside of me, the motion of his body against mine bringing me to climax in seconds. I squeezed my thighs together, pinning him in place, bringing him to a halt.

“
You’re doing that thing,” I said breathless, feeling another rush of extreme pleasure invading my body and remembering the gift Slade had been given—the ability to make my body feel brand new and electric.

Slade ran his fingers across my breasts, his mouth teasing them and sending heat through my body. He looked up at me.

“
Do you want me to stop?” he asked, filled with concern.

“
I don’t want you to ever stop,” I said, bringing my hand to his lips. He lightly kissed my fingertips.

I wrapped my hands around his neck, pulling him down to me, his body pressed against mine. I ran my tongue along his neck, pleased when his body nearly convulsed under my touch.

Slade smiled, joining in on my new discovery of his most sensitive body part. I bit at his neck, making him lose it all over again. He pulled his hips away from me, ending my attempts at making him crazy. And as soon as I searched his eyes to see if there was something the matter, he drove himself back into me, dropping my head back to my pillow, losing my breath at the incredible feeling of him back inside of me.

I closed my eyes, running my hand against his glorious skin, across his perfect muscles as they flexed steadily against my body. I never imagined feeling any more wonderful than I already had with Slade. But once again he had proved me wrong, and now I was convinced that I would never be the same without him. I needed him and I was sure he needed me. That he wanted me.

I ran my hands over his powerful back, enjoying the feel of him. Taking hold of his hips and pleading with him to never stop, wishing we could stay this way forever.

Slade kissed my neck, sending tremors through me. He lifted my chin, his eyes connecting with mine. His breath short, he found my mouth, dipping his fingers in, I bit down. Lifting my hips, I matched his movement flawlessly.

Slade kissed me tenderly. I squeezed his arms, arching my back. “You’re amazing!” I screamed.

He covered my mouth, alarmed. He didn’t want my dad to hear us. It wouldn’t have been a good thing if Dad knew what was taking place in my bedroom, but I was out of control.

“
Is that all you can handle?” Slade asked, his mouth curving into a teasing smile. I swatted him in the chest as he rotated his hips, really going all out to drive the point across that he knew what he was doing.

It took every fiber of my being not to scream out, not to bring the walls down and send my dad busting down the door.

“
Is that all you got?” I barely pushed out, trying to show I was a champ and that he wasn’t getting the best of me. I, too, could play this game.

“
All I got. You’re a riot.” Slade laughed. “I want you to show me what you got.”

Slade coaxed me on top, laying back and enjoying the show. I raised up, allowing him to guide himself inside me all over again. Slade’s expression was a sight, he was enjoying every second, the look of pure ecstasy on his face.

I moved against him, watching him falter, watching his stone expression start to crumble every time my hips moved. “Can you handle me, Slade?” I teased.

“
All day every day,” he said raggedly, trying not to lose our battle. But I could tell from his voice and how weak and rattled it sounded that he was losing and I was driving him to the edge.

Just as I thought, I won. He raised his hips, going even deeper. I dug my nails into his chest, falling under his spell all over again. I bit my lip, fighting back the scream that wanted to escape.

“
I don’t think you can handle anymore,” Slade said, laughing at me.

“
I can too,” I said, breathless.

Slade smirked, tickling my navel with his fingertips. He dropped his hand lower, watching my eyes as he teased me with his fingers, his hips moving to the rhythm of his hand. He quickened his pace, pushing me to the point of no return once again.

I finally gave in, allowing him to be the winner. There were only so many times a guy like Slade could totally satisfy me before my body was spent.

“
You alive?” Slade asked as I pressed myself against him, the room doing a little dance, making me feel as if I was on a merry-go-round. My head felt like a balloon ready to take off.

“
I’m alive,” I murmured against his chest. We both were sweaty and hot, but it didn’t matter because I wanted him near me.

Slade laughed at me, running his hands down the length of my body, from my back to my hips and then all the way down my legs. It made my heart quake.

It couldn’t be any more perfect, I thought to myself, letting out a sigh.

I
smiled as I opened my eyes and found Slade sleeping peacefully beside me in bed. He looked calm. And he kept his promise to not leave me alone to fend off Ezra.

I kissed his bare shoulder, nestling my head against his skin.

“
Morning,” he said, waking up the minute I touched him. He ran a hand through my hair, stroking my head lovingly.

“
Morning to you too,” I said, accepting his warm kiss.

He smiled, his tired eyes up lighting up, even showing some teeth this time as he stared at me.

“
What’s that smile for?” I asked him, feeling a bit unsure of myself all of a sudden.

“
Nothing. You’re just really beautiful to look at in the morning.”

I scrunched my nose, feeling my cheeks warm. Giving him another kiss, which lead into an even heavier make out session. We were too into each other to realize Dad was standing in the doorway with my door wide open. That was, until he cleared his throat and shoved the door into the wall.

“
Dad,” I screamed, drawing my blankets over Slade and me.

“
I knew I heard something strange going on last night!” Dad roared, his face as red as a tomato as he gripped the doorknob.

Slade sat up, making it to the edge of my bed, he cupped a hand over the front of himself trying to hide the excitement his man downstairs had just went through after kissing me.

“
I’d get dressed a little quicker than that, buddy,” Dad warned him.

Slade stood up, locating his shorts. He threw caution to the wind, dropping his cover and pulling his shorts up. Dad let out a sickened groan at the sight of Slade’s anatomy out for all eyes to see.

Slade wasn’t shy as he gazed around the room for his t-shirt. Dad snatched the black t-shirt off of the floor, balling it up and hurling it at him. Slade tugged it over his head, heading for the window.

“
How about you use the door like somebody with a little decency?”

I stood up, wrapping my comforter around me. “Dad, please stop. It’s not Slade’s fault.”

Dad chuckled. “Is that your best argument, Hope?”

I dropped my mouth open, flabbergasted. What could one say after being caught by their parent in a bed, naked, with their tattooed boyfriend?

“
I want to see both of you in five minutes in my kitchen, with more than just your birthday suits on. If you’re bold enough to have sex in my house with my daughter, you’re big enough to talk to her father about it.” Dad watched Slade for any signs of refusal.

Slade ran a hand through his hair. “Sir, I have no problem talking to you about this.”

“
Is that right? Are you some kind of pervert?”

I bit my lip, hiding the smile that was creeping across my face. Dad was not thinking rationally and now thought Slade wanted to talk about our sex life with him.

“
Dad, he meant talk to you. Not about this,” I interjected.

“
Hope, put some clothes on. And I mean it, if you and your boy toy aren’t in my kitchen in five minutes, I will make you both regret ever playing
show me yours if I show you mine
,” Dad warned, his finger wagging in front of my face, his breathing audible.

“
Dad—” I began, but his fierce look cut me off mid-sentence. He took a look in the wastebasket and around the room.

“
You didn’t happen to have enough common sense in that tattooed vessel of yours to wrap it up?” Dad crossed his arms, waiting for an answer.

Slade moved quickly to the bed, tugging it away from the wall. He lifted not one, not two, but three condom wrappers from underneath my bed on the floor.

I wasn’t sure I ever saw Dad’s face as white as it was at that moment.

“
I’ll be out here trying to get my heart restarted,” Dad said, slamming my bedroom door shut.

I ran a hand through my hair, dropping the blanket back on my bed and rummaged through my dresser for some shorts and shirt to quickly clothe myself in. Slade came up behind me, pressing his groin into my rear.

“
That’s a hot look, you bent over like that.” He palmed my backside, sending shivers through my skin. But I fought against them.

“
My dad just caught us in bed together. That means he knows what we have going on. Now is not the time to be cute,” I said, slipping on some panties. Slade slid a finger between them and my skin teasing me more.

“
He’s your father, he is supposed to show distress when you let someone like me in your panties.” He stared down as his fingers ran across my stomach.

“
Slade, he is probably going to kill you,” I warned.

“
No, he won’t. He just wants to put the fear of God in me. Tell me that I better not hurt you. The usual.”

I ran a brush through my hair, watching him in my mirror. “Oh, really? Well, you don’t know my dad then.”

“
I know what to do,” Slade told me.

“
And what is that, all knowing one?”

“
I tell him that I’m in love with his daughter and I would be the last person to ever let anything bad happen to her, because the thought of something bad happening to her makes me as sick as it would him.” Slade smirked.

I felt lightheaded, excited, and ready to jump his bones all at once. But I settled on a quick kiss on the cheek. “That’s clever.”

He touched my cheek. “That’s the truth.”

I backed up. “How could that be?”

“
How could it not be?”

Love
. He had said he was in love with me. That was all I could think about as I sat at the kitchen table with Slade. Dad screaming for Elliot and Easton and even Crawford to get out of the house, because according to him, he had a lot to talk to me about.