Pretty in Ink (Voretti Family Book 3) (20 page)

She fit him the way no one ever had. The way he’d been searching for all his life.

He tried to pull back mentally, to regain some perspective, but it was impossible when his lips were tracing that soft skin at the base of her throat. When she made that noise that told him exactly how much she loved what he was doing.

Just for now
, he reminded himself, but it sounded more like a question than a statement.

She tugged at his shirt. His body tightened viciously. He sat up, pulling the shirt off himself, because he couldn’t wait for her.
 

She stared at his chest. “Damn, Caleb. You’re so…” The heat in her gaze told him all he needed to know about how that sentence ended.

He got her clothes off, despite her overly enthusiastic help. His pants were harder, because the zipper was stuck. Or maybe because his hands were shaking.

Her skin was soft and hot and full of life. He ran one hand down her arm, careful not to get too close to the gorgeous swell of her breast, because if he did…

Liv grabbed his hand. Brought it right to the place he’d been trying to stay away from.

The weight of her in his palm made his head spin. She arched into his touch like she needed more. Closer. Deeper.

He’d never kissed anyone the desperate way he kissed her, but it still wasn’t enough. It wasn’t ever going to be enough, because the closer he got, the more he needed.

She writhed against him, and his body knew exactly what to do. He had her on her back in a second.

Just for now
.

“Mine.” He groaned the word against her lips, kissing her so hard and deep she couldn’t reply.
 

She didn’t have to, because her body conformed to his, giving him exactly what he wanted. Giving him everything.

She said something, but it took him a moment to process the word because his brain was more interested in the husky timbre of her voice. “Condom.”

That was a brilliant idea. He fumbled in the bedside drawer, finally making contact with one of the packets.
 

She arched up to him. Grabbed his hair. Pain stung his scalp, but then she kissed him and all he knew was need.

Condom. He had to get the condom on.

He ripped the package open and rolled the condom on.

Even inside its latex prison, his dick was hard and desperate. He forced in a breath. He had to slow down, or this was going to be over before it started.

He kissed Liv, slow and gentle. Drew his lips down her throat, lingering where her pulse beat hard and fast. Her skin was soft. So soft it reminded him exactly how hard he was.

He kissed his way lower. When he took her nipple into his mouth, she bit her lip, making a soft sound that destroyed him. She sounded like he felt. Desperate. Pushed to her limits.

He moved lower. Parted her legs and tasted her where she was sweetest.

She arched off the bed. He grew impossibly harder, a groan tearing from his lips.
 

“
Please
, Caleb.”

The need in her voice short-circuited the part of his brain capable of logic. There was only heat and urgency.

His body took over, bearing her down. Getting as close as he could without actually being inside her.
 

He entered her as slowly as he could stand. Despite the condom, he could feel how hot she was. How tight.

“God.” Her legs locked around his waist, bringing him deeper. “Caleb.”

He kissed her, penetrating her mouth with his tongue, because he needed to be inside her in every way possible.
 

Fuck, she was perfect—the way she clamped tight around him, like she’d never let him go. He’d been waiting for this forever. His entire life.

Pleasure crawled up his spine. His balls tightened, and he clenched all his muscles, desperate not to lose it without her.

Just for now
, said the voice in his head, but it was soft. Barely a whisper.

She tightened around him, crying out, and the pleasure took over, drowning that small, uncertain voice with a shout.
Mine.
Forever
.

L
IV
HAD
THOUGHT
she knew what sex was all about. After all, she’d been practicing since she was fifteen. But sex with Caleb was different than anything she’d ever experienced. She’d never imagined the pure, intense pleasure he’d given her. The sense of connection.

Afterward, she’d fallen asleep in his arms, her mind empty of everything but a fuzzy sort of happiness. And the strangest part? That blissful feeling hadn’t disappeared when she woke up. It stuck around, making her smile at the oddest times, like when she was basting seams or cleaning questionable substances off the floor at Hannigan’s. It made the whole world brighter. He had given her a gift, and she meant to return the favor.
 

So when Caleb agreed to a drink after they’d finished their dinner at Baker Street Bistro the next evening, she knew exactly where she was going to take him.
 

“I’ll drive.” She held out her hand for his keys as they walked to the parking lot.

“You want to drive my car?”

“I am capable of driving. I’ve had my license for six years now.”

“You also have two points on your driving record.”

“Checking up on me?” she asked, sweetly.

“You know how Rafe likes to gossip.” Caleb tried to slide into the shadows, but the parking lot was well lit, making the ruddy tint in his cheeks beyond obvious.

She grinned. “Captain Integrity blushing. Now I really have seen it all.”

“Fine.” He slapped the keys into her palm. “You can drive. But I reserve the right to take over if you do anything crazy.”

“You’re cute when you’re nervous.” She slid into the driver’s seat. The leather was soft and luxurious, and it held the rugged, masculine scent she associated with Caleb. She took a surreptitious breath as she adjusted the seat and mirrors, and clicked on her seat belt. Once Caleb was situated, she pulled out of the lot, making sure to keep under the speed limit. Five minutes later, she pulled into an empty space right in front of her destination—a
 
warehouse with blackened windows.
 

Caleb looked around, taking in the empty lot to one side and the convenience store on the other. “Where are we?”

“This, my friend, is
Revel
.”

His gaze locked onto the bouncer, who was carding a woman in a sparkly mini-dress, and the shutters over his eyes slammed shut. “I thought we were going to get a drink.”

“We are.” They were going to do a lot more than that, though. Last night in bed was the first time she’d seen him fully let go, and it had been glorious. She wanted to show him it was safe to do that even when he wasn’t behind closed doors. That the world wasn’t going to end if he had a couple of drinks and forgot he was Captain Integrity.

Or maybe it was more selfish. Maybe she wanted another glimpse of the man
 
who’d made her feel things she’d never thought possible. The man who wasn’t as different from her as Caleb had always pretended to be.

Either way, it didn’t matter, because Caleb was clearly not on board. He eyed the metal door leading inside
Revel
like it was the entrance to hell itself.

She’d pushed him too far. Too fast.

“It’s okay.” She fumbled with the key, trying to get it into the ignition, and it fell to the floor. “We’ll go somewhere else.”
 

Caleb grabbed it in one smooth movement. “No. You wanted to come here.” His voice was carefully devoid of emotion, but his focused stare told Liv he might not be as turned off by the idea of
Revel
as she’d thought.

“I do have plans for you on that dance floor.” She slanted him a grin. “And…
after
the dance floor.”

He twirled the key ring around his index finger.

“Your call.” She forced her muscles perfectly still, not even letting herself breathe, because she didn’t want to influence Caleb’s decision. This wasn’t only about a night out dancing. She didn’t know what kind of demons haunted him, but he was in a full-fledged internal brawl with them right now. And the outcome would affect much more than whether or not she got her groove on tonight.

“Okay,” he said, and she finally drew in a breath. “Let’s get a drink.”

*

The inside of
Revel
was a felony waiting to happen. The driving beat of the music pounded through Caleb’s blood and the darkness beckoned him.
It’s all right. Let go. No one will ever know.

He couldn’t breathe.

He stopped, taking shelter from the crowd in a narrow alcove, but he couldn’t escape the pulsing flash of the lights. The music and laughter. The heat of too many bodies packed into a room. How many nights had his parents spent in places like this, drinking and getting high and feeding off the manic energy until they lost control completely?

“I shouldn’t have come here.” He was talking to himself, but Liv must’ve heard, because she came in front of him.

“Why not?” There was no hint of judgment in her voice, only concern.

He tried to form the words she’d expect.
Not my scene. I don’t belong here.
“It’s not good for me. Being around this energy. I feel…out of control.”

She laid one hand over his heart. The wild pounding in his chest slowed. He drew in a full breath.

Damn
. He was a serious mess if Liv was calming
him
.

“Don’t worry.” She curled one arm around his neck, lifting onto her toes so that she could speak directly into his ear instead of yelling over the music. “I’m not drinking tonight. I’ll make sure things don’t get too crazy.”

“How are you gonna do that?”

“Worried I can’t handle you?” Her smile was full of wicked promises. “I managed last night.”

He swallowed. Tried to focus on the music, but even though it was blaring from the speakers, it still wasn’t loud enough to drown out Liv’s words, which were playing on repeat inside his head, reminding him exactly how well she’d handled him in the bedroom last night.

“Let’s get a drink.” Her palm traced down his chest.

He sucked in a breath. The
heat
of her. She set him on fire and made him crave the flames.
 

“One drink,” he grated out.
 

“One drink.” She said something else, but a heavy bass riff obscured the words. It didn’t matter, because all he had to do was let her lead the way.

They found a place at the bar and the bartender lip-read their order. True to her word, Liv was drinking water.

The music pounded around them, creating an invisible wall, the darkness obscuring everyone outside it. Caleb took a pull of his beer and let his tension drift away. This was why he’d come. Because he craved Liv. Because last night hadn’t been enough.

She leaned into him. He brushed his lips over hers, and that need that had been lying dormant roared to life.

“Hey, babe. Lookin’ good.”
 

Caleb froze. He hadn’t spoken to CJ since their encounter outside
Permanent Ink
, but he’d recognize that I’m-the-center-of-the-universe tone anywhere.
 

He turned slowly, keeping full-body contact with Liv. CJ was two feet away, which was several hundred miles closer than Caleb was okay with.
 

The opening band finished their set, and the lights went from midnight to dusk. The recorded music playing as the crew readied the stage for the main act was only half the volume the live music had been.
 

Good
. The hipster prince would be sure to hear what Caleb had to say. “I thought I told you to disappear.”

CJ’s shit-eating grin faded. Then he looked around. When he saw how many witnesses were present, the grin came right back. “I didn’t think you’d be
here
. No offense, man, but it’s not your scene.”

“You have no idea what my scene is.”

CJ shrugged. Instead of getting out of the danger zone while he had the chance, he turned to Liv. His gaze slithered over her bare skin like it had a right to be there.

Fury screamed through Caleb’s veins. He took a deep breath, locking his muscles down tight so he wouldn’t do anything stupid. “You need to leave. Now.”

CJ’s gaze wandered up Liv’s chest, making a brief stop at her cleavage before finding her left arm, where the edge of the tattoo peeked out from under her sleeve. “My name looks good on your skin.”

Caleb growled. “You little—”

Liv pushed him back before he could…
Shit
. He wasn’t sure
what
he’d been about to do. Tackle CJ?
 

His heart thundered in his chest, pumping out massive quantities of adrenaline. All he could think about was the satisfying crunch his fist would make when it connected with CJ’s jaw.

“You know,” Liv spoke calmly, facing CJ head on, a model of maturity while Caleb was regressing back to a cave man. “When I first saw the tattoo I was upset. It definitely wasn’t the design I would’ve chosen. But it turned out to be exactly the wake-up call I needed. Now I’m finally starting my design business, and I have a much healthier relationship with my parents. And, of course, I have Caleb.”
 

Caleb pulled her closer. Rested his hand on the curve of her hip and let his arm brush her breast, because he wasn’t calm and mature. Not with CJ this close.
 

CJ’s eyes narrowed. “Hey, if you’re happy with that poser, you got my blessing. I’ll even help you guys out.” Heedless of the danger, he
 
stepped into Caleb’s space, alcohol fumes wafting from his skin. “Thing is, this little vixen likes it freaky. You wanna keep her satisfied, you gotta—”

“Enough.” It was hard to form the word. The only thing his brain was wired to do right now was fight.

“Hey, man. Jus’ trying to help.”

“And when I told you to stay away from Liv, I was trying to help you. But you didn’t listen.”

“I can’t help it if all the chicks want me.” CJ ran his hand up Liv’s arm.
 

Caleb surged forward, crashing through a lifetime of rules and politeness. “Get your hands off her.”