Tatted Cowboy (12 page)

“Good to see you again, Laura.”  He smiles warmly at me, giving his wife a squeeze.  “Congratulations on the salon.”

“You too, Jackson.  You’ve hardly changed a bit.  And, thank you.”

After I’ve said my goodbyes to the girls, I make my way into the bar area to find Luke.  He’s sitting on a stool at the end, nursing a beer and chatting with Skip.

“You’re out late, Skip,” I tease.  It’s not really late, probably ten pm.

“I was just keeping Luke company while you celebrated, Little Lo.”  The twinkle in his eye almost blinds me. He is such a special soul.

“You ready to go, sweetheart?”

“When you are.” I smile.

His heated eyes give me a once over and then he rumbles.  “We’re ready.”

“Be good, kids,” Skip chuckles as Luke takes my hand and leads us out.

The walk home is mostly quiet.  Luke keeps my hand firmly gripped in his and I match him stride for stride.  The air is still slightly humid and the stars have disappeared behind the thick storm clouds rolling in.  The breeze begins to pick up, blowing my hair all around.  The smell of rain hits my nose and I sigh.

“You okay?”

“I love the smell of rain,” I say by way of answer.

“Me, too,” he agrees.

“I think we’re going to get a storm.” I look up and around.

“Yep. S’posed to be a big one.”

“Really?”  I can’t keep the excitement from my voice.

He pauses and opens my front gate before letting me in first, never releasing my hand.

“Yep.”

“I love storms,” I say softly as we reach the top of the stairs.  He halts suddenly, so I do, too.  The look on his face causes my heart to pick up a notch and begin stuttering in my chest.

“Luke,” I breathe.  He starts walking towards me, his large frame intimidating me backwards until I hit my closed front door.  He releases my hand, only to grab both of my wrists in one of his meaty hands and lift them over my head, pinning them above me.  My chest pushes out and grazes his, causing my pussy to clench.

“Luke,” I breathe again, my head tilting upwards to retain eye contact with him.

“Told you, I’m not a patient man.  Feel that?” he asks, pushing his hips into mine.

“Yes,” I reply, my sex pulsing as his large erection presses into my stomach.

“All for you, baby,” he rumbles.  “Want nothing more than to fuck you outside on this porch while a storm rages overhead.  Then, I want to take you out there,” he says as he flicks his head slightly to the left, never tearing his blazing gaze from mine. “And fuck you in the pouring rain.  Want your body slick with sweat and rain, and your pussy warm, wet and wanting, and filled with my cum.”

“Oh god,” I whimper.  I want that, too. Oh, god,
I want that, too.

My body feels like it’s on fire, the trail blazing through, the scorch making my clit throb.

“Tell me you’re with me?”

“Huh?” I reply, my brain all foggy.  I can’t concentrate on anything except the large cock that’s pressing against me.

“Tell. Me. You’re. With. Me,” he grits out.

What does he mean? With him now, for tonight? Or, with him,
with him?

“Laura,” he growls.  “Told you, I’m not gonna fuck you until you’re ready.  Back then, I thought I had some patience.  Turns out, I don’t.  So, I need you to
tell me you’re with me
.”  

“I’m with you,” I reply instantly.

“Thank fuck,” he mutters, right before his mouth smashes into mine.  My lips part immediately and his tongue sweeps inside.  I moan and my legs go like jelly, my entire body becoming a raw bundle of sensation.  His hand releases my wrists so he can grab my arse and lift me upwards.  I wrap my legs around his waist and lock them at the ankles, anchoring him to me.  My hips begin to move of their own accord as I grind myself against him.  Our kiss becomes sloppy on my part, I’m too focused on what is happening between my legs to commit to the kiss properly, and so it’s really just me, with my mouth open, breathing heavy, and him sweeping his tongue through my mouth.  It feels fucking
divine.
  His short beard tickles my lips in the most delicious way. 
So good.

I grip the back of his neck and then run my hands down his face, holding them against his cheeks.  One of his hands goes between us to push my skirt up, while the other supports my arse.

“Stay still,” he growls as I try to shift to help him.

Then I feel it.  The warm, hard but soft head of his cock.  It slides through my slit and nudges my clit, causing me to moan low and deep.  He pulls back slightly and guides his dick down. 

“Ready?”

“Yes.” I barely get the word out before he thrusts in.

“Yes,” I cry out again, my back arching off the door.  He thrusts deep, hard, fast.

“Get your tits out.”

My hands immediately go between us to lift my tank top up over the swell of my breasts. I yank the cups of my bra down, so my breasts push up, offering themselves to his mouth.

He takes the offer, leaning down and tugging one hard, pebbled nipple into his mouth and sucking deep.

“God, yes,” I cry out.  “Fuck me.”

“So fucking beautiful,” he says as he releases my nipple and claims my mouth again.

I tighten my legs around him and move my hips to match his pounding.

The storm rolls in.  Loud rumbles of thunder fill the air as bolts of lightning sporadically illuminate the night sky.  Rain begins to fall and the humid night air turns cool.  But, I am too hot to notice. My skin is on fire, lit by a man who has the power to control my body with his presence alone.  I’m sure he knows it.  And, the only thing I have is hope; hope that he doesn’t take advantage of the power he possesses.

“Most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.  So fucking beautiful.  Tight little body, even tighter pussy.
Fuck.
  Wanna fuck you for days, sweetheart.”  He pounds harder and his thumb goes to my clit, rubbing in firm circles. 

I feel it coming.  My body tightens, locking him into me further. My fingernails dig into his back and my eyes clamp shut.

“Keep your eyes open when you come, baby.  I wanna see you burn for me.”

My eyes open and my orgasm hits me.  It’s hard, but I manage to keep my gaze locked to his throughout it, giving him what he wants.

“So fucking beautiful,” he murmurs softly against my lips as his hips still.  His eyes burn into mine as he groans low and his cock begins to pulse inside me.

My sex instinctively squeezes against him, milking him, eliciting every drop as he claims me.

“Gotta stop doing that, sweetheart,” he chuckles.

“I can’t help it.” I grin as my pussy convulses.

I whimper as he slides almost fully out of me before slowly sinking back in.

“Baby,” I breathe, the fire he just tamed, reigniting.

“So fucking beautiful.”

“So are you,” I whisper.

“Woman,” he growls, cocking his brow, his lips twitching.

I sigh as he slides out and back in gently. 

“Okay, you’re ruggedly handsome and insanely irresistible,” I tease.

He gives a shake of his head and then leans in, pushing his body firmly against mine and taking my mouth in a long, wet kiss.  By the time he pulls back, his cock is hard again and I’m dripping wet, still.

“Gonna take you in the rain now, sweetheart. You good with that?”

“Yes.”

“You’re fucking perfect,” he says, a look of wonder lights his eyes as he looks over my face.

His cock still buried inside me, he carries me down the stairs and out into the front yard.  The cool rain does nothing to dampen the raging fire burning in my core.

With a storm rolling over us and rain drenching our bodies, Luke fucks me slowly against the side of my house. 

It is perfect.

So perfect.

Each touch is deliberate and thoughtful.  Each thrust, determined and intent.  Each kiss, each lick, each nibble, all focused on bringing me pleasure.

He succeeds.  My body coils and I come around him, my sex clenching tight around him and sucking him in further to my already full body.

“Laura,” he growls, his thrusting picking up pace and then losing rhythm.  He stills, buries his face into the crook of my neck and bites the tender flesh as he groans through his orgasm.

He releases my skin and licks the sting away.  Sliding his cock from me, he lowers me to the ground and holds me until I’m steady on my feet.

His hand moves from my hip, down over my pubis to stroke through the wet between my legs.  Two fingers slide inside and then he brings them out, coated in our combined arousal and rubs them over my pussy.

“This is mine,” he says, as he continues claiming me.

Marking me.

“Mine,” he repeats, giving me a pointed look as his finger flicks over my sensitive clit.  “Do you understand, Laura?  You’re mine now.  I know you’ve got some reservations, but I don’t care.  You said you’re with me and that means
you’re with me
, in every way that entails.”  He continues pumping his fingers inside me and then spreading his cum over my sex.  “Who owns this pussy?” he growls.

“You,” I moan as his thumb flicks across my clit.

“All mine,” he whispers reverently.   “Let’s go get you a shower, you need to warm up.”

LAURA

Smoothing the warm wax onto the upper thigh of Melly, my client, I try my hardest not to get lost in my head.

“Do you offer massages?” she asks as I lay the muslin strip in place.

“Sure do,” I reply.  “I can give you a brochure to take with you when you go.” I hold her skin firm in one hand and grab the end of the strip in the other, pulling quickly.  She grunts, but that is all.

“That’d be great. Thanks.”

I smoother some lotion on her legs and then she is good to go.  I take her money, give her the brochure and clean up to prep for my next client.  Gwen, who is wanting her first ever Brazilian wax, will be here in about fifteen minutes.

While I am disinfecting the chair, my mind wins the internal battle I am fighting with it, and it wanders. 

Since the night we fucked in the storm, Luke has been present, and by present, I mean
present.
  Every morning, I wake up in his arms and every night I go to sleep in his arms, my body sated from mind-blowing orgasms.  Yes, it’s only been three nights, but those three nights have been the best I’ve had in a long while.  Yet, I still can’t help but wonder how we became what we are so quickly … and what exactly
are
we?

Tell me you’re with me.

Told you, I’m not gonna fuck you until you’re ready.  Back then, I thought I had some patience.  Turns out, I don’t.  So, I need you to tell me you’re with me.  

Thank fuck
.

His words roll through my mind, continuously on repeat.

Tell me you’re with me.

Yes.

Thank fuck.

My mind feels as if it’s in a whirl, but my body feels completely content.  I know most of my problem is fear.  I’m scared to let him in, only to lose him.  I’m scared of the way he makes my body feel, the control he possesses over my soul. The way he makes me feel like I’m losing hold of my firm grasp on the protective blanket draped around me. I’m scared to listen to the voice in the back of my head telling me that maybe losing control is a good thing.  That maybe I won’t be losing control at all, that maybe it’s about him helping me carrying the weight of my baggage, about him
easing
my fears and
soothing
my soul.  Not about him adding to my trauma.

Most of all, I’m absolutely terrified that when I tell him about my past, he’ll look at me with the same amount of disgust my ex-husband did.

It guts me to think he might feel that way about me if I let down my walls and show him just how much turmoil lives within.

The phone ringing pulls me out of my internal battle.

“Good afternoon, Inner Beauty Salon, Laura speaking.”

“Hello Laura, I was wondering if you do haircuts?”

“Sorry, I don’t.” I grimace. This is the third call I’ve had from people wanting haircuts and styles.  I might have to look into finding a local who can work on a part-time basis.  That or try and find somewhere to do the training myself.  I did a short course years ago when I did my beauty training, so I could probably manage giving someone a basic trim, but that’s about it.

“That’s okay. Thanks anyhow.”

I hang up and go right back to thoughts of Luke.  It’s almost laughable how much he is on my mind.

  We don’t see each other during the day, because we’re both flat out at work.  But, when I arrive home, he is either sitting on my porch in the love swing with a beer, waiting for me.  Or, he arrives a few minutes after me and then we go onto the porch for beers.

He is being patient, even if he thinks he’s not.  Yes, he is being assertive, but he is also giving me the impression I am in charge, leading the way.  Even if I know, deep down, I am not.

We talk a lot, getting to know each other stuff usually reserved for first dates – the surface kind of stuff.  Nothing deep.  Just basic stuff, building on the friendship we already established since I moved back here. 

I found out Luke lost his mum to cancer a few years ago and it was afterwards that Zeke went away, or
rogue
as Luke says.  He shared about his tattoo shop and asked me questions about the salon.  I answered them, gushing at times, because I couldn’t help myself. He listened intently to every one of my dreams regarding my business and the look he gave me said he believed in me.  If I didn’t get it from the look alone, he also told me. Repeatedly.  He encouraged me to go for gusto with my dreams.

“Only got one life,” he told me with a shrug.

Things were going well.  I was a little nervous and slightly anxious, but I kept reminding myself of the words Mum said when she was here.

“Promise me you won’t close yourself off. I know you still punish yourself, sweetheart.  But, don’t punish yourself for the rest of your life.  That’s no way to live.  We only get one life, Laura, and it’s up to us to make the most of it.  Denying ourselves things that make us happy is not a good way to spend our time on earth.”

Of course, she is completely right.  I know that, deep down. Sometimes, it just takes me a while to realize it.  I am slowly getting it, though.

Gran also gave me approving looks and comments when I stopped by quickly after work to check on her, or when she dropped into the salon to say hi.

“Luke’s a good man.”

“I’m happy for you, love.”

“That sparkle in your eye suits you, Laura.”

She would say these things randomly, or she would just look at me when I mentioned his name, her eyes shining bright, her face going lax and a look of pure peace washing over her.  Then she’d nod her head firmly and bustle off to busy herself. 

I hear the bell go over the door and I snap out of my thoughts once again to go and greet my client.

“Hi there,” I smile.  “I’m Laura, welcome to Inner Beauty.  You must be Gwen?” I say, taking in her anxious vibe.   She’s wringing her hands in front of her and biting hard on her lip.

“Yes, I’m Gwen. Hi, Laura, lovely to meet you.”

“You too.  So, you’re after a Brazilian wax today? Your first one, right?”

She nods woodenly and follows me to the private room at the back of the salon that I had the carpenters put in.  Now, I have two private rooms, one for massage and beauty treatments, and one for waxing.  The waxing one can also double as a beauty treatments room as well if I need it to.

“Just through here,” I say, gesturing with my hand.

She looks around, still wringing her hands.  “Gwen?” I say, catching her attention.

“Does it hurt?” she blurts.

“”That’s a common fear,” I say, trying to alleviate her worries.  “Have you ever had any part of your body waxed before?”

She nods.  “My arms, eyebrows and lip.”

“You’ll do fine.” I smile.  “Yes, it hurts, but all waxing stings.  The pain doesn’t last long.”

“Okay,” she says, breathing a sigh of relief. 

“Ready, then?”

She nods again.

“You’ll need to remove your shorts and panties.  Climb onto the bed and lay on your back.  I’ll give you a moment of privacy while I get sorted.  Just relax.”

I leave the room to give her a moment.  There’s nothing I need out here, everything is conveniently placed in the room, but I can tell she needs to gather herself.

I bet she’s going to scream.

Five minutes later, I tap lightly on the door to alert her I’m coming in.  She’s lying as I told her.  Her legs are straight out, clamped tight together, but she looks a lot more relaxed than she did when I left the room.

“Ready?”

“Yep.”

“Okay, let’s get started then.”  I stand beside her and make small talk while applying the wax to her pubis.

“Oh god,” she whimpers.

“Ready?” I ask softly.

“Don’t ask me that, just do it,” she begs quickly.

I smooth the muslin strip and pull it off firmly.  Her eyes squeeze shut and she lets out an almighty yelp followed by a loud, “Jesus fucking hell. Christ almighty. Holy fuck! That
hurt!
”

I bite back my giggle at her outburst.  Her features relax again as the sting eases and I repeat the process until she is bare.

“All done,” I tell her.

“Oh, thank god!”

After Gwen has left, I clean up and prepare for my next appointment.  It’s almost closing time, so this is my last appointment of the day.  A massage for Gran.  She called last week and asked for the last appointment of the day.  Of course, I obliged.

She should be here soon, so I quickly finish wiping down and then close the door to the wax room.  I make my way in the massage room and light the scented candles and press play on the relaxation CD.  The sounds of whales calling fills the room and I turn it down just a touch softer.  I hear the bell go over the door so I walk back out and find Gran shuffling in.

“Hey, Gran.  Missed you.” I wrap my arms around her and hold her tight, breathing in her soft floral perfume and talcum powder scent.

“You only seen me yesterday, love,” she mutters against my neck, but I can hear the smile in her voice.

“Only have to be away from you for five minutes and I miss you.” I pull back and smile down at her.  “Ready for your massage?”

“Uh.” She pauses to glance back over her shoulder quickly before looking back to me. 

What is she up to?

“Why don’t we have a chat for a minute first? You can tell me what you did today?”

“Um, okay.” My brows knit together.

She smiles in triumph and glances over her shoulder again out the front windows.

“Are you expecting someone, Gran?”

“No.  No. What makes you think that?” she rebuffs, shaking her head quickly.

“Oh, nothing,” I say, feeling more confused than ever.

“Right, so what did you do today?”

“Well, I…” I start to speak but the bell over the door goes and I bring my eyes up.  My heart stutters in my chest as Luke walks through.  I take him in. Faded jeans, rips in their knees.  White tank top with unbuttoned navy-coloured shirt over the top – short sleeved, so his tattoos are on display.  Worn in, brown cowboy boots on his feet.  God, he looks like a walking, talking, wet dream.

“Ladies.” He flashes us a grin.  I feel my nipples pebble at his raspy tone.

“Hey, Luke,” I manage to whisper. 

“Well.” Gran claps. “It was lovely to see you, love.  I’ll be off.  Talk to you soon, okay?” She leans up and I automatically lean down. Her lips press into my cheek and then she whispers in my ear.  “Just giving you an extra little push, love.”

“I don’t need an extra push, Gran,” I say tightly through my teeth on a whisper.

Her eyes sparkle with mischief.  “Well, then, you can thank me later for having the chance to run your hands over that body, uninterrupted for forty-five minutes.”

“Gran,” I warn.

“Don’t
Gran
me.  Haven’t you ever heard the saying, Grandmothers know best?” She doesn’t give me a chance to answer before she continues. “I know best, love.  I know you’ve been seeing him, but you’re still holding back.  I don’t know if you realize this or not, but you are. You need to just let go. Let it all go,” she ends on a whisper.  “
Just let go
,” she implores once more, firmly.

Then she turns, walks over to Luke, places her bony hand on his shoulder and I watch as he bends down.  She kisses his cheek and whispers something into his ear.  His eyes come to me and he nods thoughtfully, before righting himself.

“See you kids later,” Gran cheers as she exits with a wave.

I watch in stunned silence as Gran shuffles out of sight.

I look back to Luke and see him stalking across the room towards me.  Three strides later and he’s standing right in front of me.

“What just happened?” I ask myself out loud.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he murmurs.

“Hi.  How was your day?”

“Better now I’m here.”  Cupping my cheek, he leans down and places his lips on mine.  I open for him instantly and his tongue sweeps inside, his chest vibrating with his groan of approval.

“How was your day?” This time it’s his turn to ask me.

“Better now you’re here.” I grin.