Page 3 of Connected By Love
“Whyareyou here?” She peers up at me through her long dark lashes, her green eyes full of confusion.
“I have no fucking idea. I did leave, but something pulled me back here. I guess it was to save your ass.” I know I’m coming off as an asshole, but I can’t help it. The thought of that guy’s hands on her unleashed a fury in me that I can’t seem to get under control.
“I never asked you for help, you know.” She crosses her hands over her chest, and my eyes immediately go to her breasts in that black tank top. I see a hint of black lace peeking out, and my dick instantly reacts. Christ, I don’t need this. “I already apologized for the hallway incident, but I didn’t ask you to come back here. I was perfectly capable of handling the situation myself.”
My eyes dart back up to hers, and I see a fire brimming in them. “And how would you have handled it? He was clearly twice your size.” My eyes skim down her body in her tight black jeans and heels. I ignore the way my body reacts as I take in her long legs and toned body. It’s clear that she takes care of herself, and I can’t help but notice the fact that she’s gorgeous as I meet her emerald stare again.
“I’m not helpless. I’ve taken self-defense classes before,andI carry mace with me.” She holds up her keychain and waves it in my face.
I grab her wrist with the mace, and before she has a second to react, I’ve backed her up against her car and have her caged in. “You seem pretty helpless to me.” Her eyes go wide, and for a second, I think I’ve gone too far and scared her, but the fire appears again. She tries to wriggle free from my grasp, and I press further into her body to hold her in place.
She gasps at the contact, and I know she feels how hard I am right now. Her eyes get a hooded look, and when her full lips part slightly, all sane thoughts vanish in my mind except the need to taste her again. I’m so close I can feel her breath on my face as her breathing increases, causing her chest to move against me. The pull is too strong, and I find myself grabbing the back of her neck. I bring her lips to mine, and pain shoots through my lip and groin as she bites me and knees me between the legs.
“Fuck!” Letting go of her, I bend over, trying to catch my breath and breathe through the pain radiating through my balls.
“That’show I would have handled it.” She gives me a satisfied smile before unlocking her door and opening it. She gets in, and before I can say another word, her tires screech on the pavement as she guns the engine and takes off in her sleek black car.
Grinning, I wipe the blood from my lip and stand up as I watch her race down the road. I haven’t been this turned on in, well….never. With her dark hair and cat-like eyes, she reminds me of a panther—a wildcat—a wildcat I need to stay the hell away from. I have a feeling when she gets her claws into you, there’s no escaping, and I’ve been down that road before. It’s not just me I have to think about anymore.
I think about going back into the bar and salvaging what’s left of my free evening, but I quickly dismiss the idea. I’m not ready to replace the images of the wildcat just yet. I grab my black helmet off the back of my motorcycle and strap it on before roaring the engine to life. I don’t get to take my bike out very often, but when I can, I make sure to enjoy every minute of it.
Gravel spits out as I tear out of the parking lot. Instead of going straight home, I take her along the coast and enjoy thesalty night air and the adrenaline as I speed down the road before slowing down and taking in the view.
I’ve lived in Florida my whole life and never get tired of nights like this. Whenever I need to think or escape, I drive along the coast with nothing but the ocean and my bike to keep me company. The whole world just stills around me, and all my worries disappear.
I grew up about an hour north of here, but I started getting antsy and needed a change. My brother, Jake, and I own a tattoo shop called Inked. We have always talked about opening another one, and I’ve been itching to branch out on my own, so when I heard Charlie was selling his place in Crystal Isle, I made him a cash offer on the spot.
I’ve depended on my brothers for far too long, and it’s time I did things on my own. They need to have their own lives and not feel like my responsibilities are theirs, too. I know they don’t mind, but I can’t share a house with them forever. I should have moved out years ago, but when our parents wanted to travel more, they sold our childhood home and gifted us kids one of their AIRBNB properties. It made sense at the time to all live there together until we married off. And even then, we plan on keeping the house as a vacation home where we can all get together during the summer and holidays.
Despite being the oldest at twenty-eight, my brothers will probably settle down before I do. I came close once and have no intention of doing it again anytime soon. Hell, my sister, the baby of our family, and still in college, will probably get married before I ever do.
Slowing down, I make a turn and head to my house. It’s getting close to midnight now, and I’ve got to be up early tomorrow to drive to my brothers. I pull up to my white two-story house on the canal and park in the three-car garage beforewalking inside. I bought this house about a month ago. As soon as I saw the listing, I drove down that day to make an offer.
The owner, Noah, did a lot of work updating and renovating the house, and it’s exactly what I was looking for. I even kept the furniture pieces and decor that he said his wife, sister, and another friend picked out. It felt like home the moment I walked in, and that’s what I wanted to feel. I replaced the artwork with my own except for one piece. I laugh as I walk over to it now.
At the time, it was so out of place with the whole zen, relaxed vibe that is throughout the house, but there is something about it, and I can’t bring myself to get rid of it. A black panther sits surrounded by jungle leaves. She’s mostly hidden, but instead of the yellow eyes that are most common in paintings of panthers, piercing green eyes stare back at you. It’s like they can look right into my soul.
I run my finger over my bit lip and can’t stop the small smile that appears. Her green eyes match the ones that are staring back at me now. I remember the black silky hair that hung down her back and how soft it was when my hands were in it. Her slender body fit perfectly against mine but was full in all the right places as I think of her breasts and that gorgeous ass of hers. My body starts to respond again as images of her flood my mind.
I walk across the dark wooden plank floor to my bedroom on the right side of the house. I lose my t-shirt on the king-size bed as I step out of my black work boots and dark jeans. Lowering my boxer briefs to the floor, my dick springs out hard and swollen. I circle my hand around it and stroke it long and hard like I like.
Walking to the bathroom, I step into the shower as hot water sprays down on me. I will it to ease some of the muscle tension that’s got me bound up so tight. From the moment I sawher, I’ve been walking around in a state of need, and it’s left me on edge. It’s her fault I’m alone in the shower right now with my hand around myself. I should have just left and gone to another bar, and I could be leaving someone’s house right about now after a good satisfied fuck.
Instead, I’m jacking off to thoughts of her. I grip myself harder as my strokes go faster, picturing how she would look with those full pink lips sucking my cock. I have a feeling she would take me like a good girl, bringing my tip to the back of her throat as I fucked that pretty mouth of hers. Her green eyes would be begging me for more as I shoot into her, swallowing every last drop.
“Fuck!” I roar as I release all over the shower wall. I fist myself until every bit of me is gone. My vision goes dark as I squeeze my eyes shut from the sheer intensity of it. Breathing hard, my strokes lessen until I bow my head and let the water wash over me. Jesus, fuck. I haven’t cum that hard in a long time.
I clean the shower and myself before stepping out and running a towel through my wet hair. Throwing on some gym shorts, I go to the fridge and grab a beer before dialing my brother’s number.
“Hey, big brother. Shouldn’t you be enjoying your no-responsibilities night? You should be knee-deep in pussy right about now.” He laughs.
My brother, Jake, is two years younger than me, though we might as well be twins. We look exactly alike and are widely known as sought-after tattoo artists in the art community. People come from all over the world to see us, especially now that I’ve sold a few of my sketches to art galleries.
Don’t get me wrong, I love being a tattoo artist, but ever since my first portrait sketch, it’s quickly become my passion. To capture a moment in someone’s eyes or recreate a memoryfor someone that was otherwise lost is something I was born to do. Once Inked is up and running with a team of artists I trust and approve of, I’ll work with select clientele only. Most of my time will be spent in the art studio I’ve created upstairs.
“Sadly, my plans changed tonight, and I came home alone.”
“Don’t tell me there aren’t any girls down there? Are you losing your touch?” I can hear the grin in his voice, and I know one is stretching across his face right now.
