Branded as Trouble (16 page)

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“So fix it.”

“How?”

“Channel that anger into a more productive activity.”

“Like what?”

Skylar slipped on her coat. “Do I really have to spell it out for you? Go out to his place, accept his apology, apologize yourself, and fuck his brains out until Monday morning.”

“Which would be a brilliant idea, except Colt and I aren’t having sex.”

“Excuse me?”

Crap. “We’re dating, not sleeping together.”

Sky started laughing.

“It’s not funny.”

Her sister had to grip the counter she laughed so hard.

“I fail to see the humor in this.”

“You’ve managed to hold Colt off for almost two weeks?”

“Huh-uh. He’s held me off.”

“Oh. That’s even better.” Skylar wiped her eyes. “I figured you guys would last about two days with the no sex rule.”

India sniffed. “We aren’t animals. We can control our baser instincts.” Maybe. Kinda. Sorta. Not really. Okay, it was a fucking miracle they weren’t balling each other’s brains out at every opportunity. They definitely weren’t lacking in the passion and chemistry department.

Skylar looked thoughtful. “Do you want to make the leap from friends to lovers?”

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“Like you wouldn’t believe. We’re good at the friendship part.

Actually, we’re great at it. Colt is my best friend. He’s been my best friend since six months after I met him. I trust him like no one else, I really like him, I can tell him anything and we have fun together.

He makes me laugh. He gets me. He doesn’t judge me. We have so much history…if we fuck this up, we lose so much more than I can even fathom. It’s sort of paralyzing me, to tell you the truth.”

“So don’t fuck it up. You’ve got the friendship part down solid.

Now it’s time to concentrate on the lover’s part. And in my experience the sex part is way easier.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.” Skylar grabbed India’s hands and pulled her to her feet. “Make the jump by jumping him. Do it now before you chicken out.”

India gave Skylar a quick hug. “Thanks, Sis.”

“I owed you one for giving me a kick in the ass about Kade a few years ago.” As India reached the back door, Skylar yelled, “But for God’s sake, don’t forget condoms.”

***

The universe fucking hated him.

At least it seemed as if the universe was conspiring to keep him from indulging in the most amazing sex in the history of the universe with the sexiest woman on the planet.

It was Saturday night. Two weeks had passed since he and India started dating. Technically, tonight could be
the
night.

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So why wasn’t his lover here in his arms, basking in the afterglow of smoking hot sex?

Because she was mad as a wet cat.

All due to a misunderstanding.

All due to you being a total dickhead.

Okay. Maybe he
had
acted like a dick, threatening to take her keys if he ever heard she’d ridden her motorcycle like a bat out of hell again.

Granted, he probably shouldn’t have brought it up while she’d been at work. But that was the root of Colt’s other problem: India had been working on Blake West. Namely, Blake’s chest.

So maybe he’d gone a little psycho when he’d seen his shirtless cousin stretched out in the tattoo shop, with India bent over his naked torso, laughing. Maybe he shouldn’t have dragged her away and laid a tonsil-scratching kiss on her. Maybe he shouldn’t have demanded they end their two-week abstinence right then and there, with Blake in the other room.

Big mistake steering her in the backroom, where she had easy access to tools. Heavy tools. She’d thrown a wrench at his head, for Christsake.

Then she’d thrown him out of her tattoo studio.

He’d done everything right. Romanced her. He’d taken her out for dinner—sure, Dewey’s wasn’t on par with The Four Seasons.

He whisked her to a show—sure, the movie theater in Wheatland wasn’t a Broadway play. He’d taken her bowling. And to a rodeo.

He’d toed the line of just kissing her.

Mostly. The hot incident in the truck notwithstanding.

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His showing off at the basketball game hadn’t turned out so well, yet…it’d given him a glimpse of India’s caring side. A side she showed to her sister, Kade, her nieces, and to Domini, but rarely to him.

Wrong. She showed it to you after she shot you in the ass with
the nail gun.

Well, she should have.

What about all those times over the last few years when she
arrived on your doorstep with chicken noodle soup, tissues and
Vicks VapoRub? Or with movies? Or with “a little something” for
your house? Or when she’s dropped everything to help you, even
when you didn’t ask? Or how she just always knows when you need
her around?

India showed him her thoughtfulness every time they were together. The fact she showed him her bitchy, violent side, made him feel…special, because she trusted him enough not to hide it.

Enough stewing. Enough supposing. Buck up and act like a man. In other words…grovel.

He dug out his cell phone and called her.

She answered on the first ring. “I was just about to—”

“Let me say my piece first and then you’ll get your chance.”

Silence.

And then Colt couldn’t think of a damn thing to say. Dammit.

He used to be considered charming. What’d happened to his silver tongue? Or had he been delusional and the booze was responsible for his sweet-talking ability?

“Colt? I’m waiting.”

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“Sorry I acted like a jerk.”

“Go on.”

“You deserve better from me.”

“Keep going.”

“I was an asshole, especially in front of Blake.”

“Yes, you were.”

“I saw your hands on him and I…”

“What?”

“All I could think about was I wanted your hands on me like that. I wanted to make it crystal fuckin’ clear to him that you’d never ever put your hands on him like that in private. Never.

Because that privilege was all mine.”

“I tattoo people for a living, Colt. I’m going to have my hands on a lot of men. On some interesting places on men.”

“I don’t think it would’ve bothered me if it’d been anyone besides him.”

India sighed. “Well, your message to your cousin couldn’t have been clearer. I half expected you to whip out your dick and pee on me as you snarled at him and marked your territory.”

“Jesus.” Colt winced. “I’m sorry. Really sorry, India. You have to believe me.”

“I know you are. And as long as we’re apologizing, I’m sorry I threw the wrench at you.”

“I’m glad Eliza didn’t get her rock throwing abilities from you, as I would’ve had another head injury to deal with.”

“How is your head?”

“Evidently I’m a lot more hard-headed than I realized.”

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“And yet, you sound so surprised by that statement, McKay.”

A slight pause. “How’s your ass?”

“You expectin’ me to say I’m a dumbass?”

“Or a smartass. Or you behaved like a jackass…take your pick.”

He smiled. “I’ve missed you like crazy the last forty-nine hours.”

“You’ve kept track of how long it’s been since you’ve seen me?”

I always do
. “Uh. Yeah. Does that make me a pathetic loser?”

“No, it’s very sweet, in a stalkerish sort of way.”

“Indy—”

“So you really missed me?”

Colt rested his hot forehead against the cool glass of the sliding glass door. “Like you wouldn’t believe.”

“You have a funny way of showing it.”

“You mean fighting with you in public? Or groping you in public?”

“Both, I guess.”

“I’m hopin’ you preferred one way over the other.”

“I did.”

“You gonna tell me which one?”

“Nope.” She let loose a husky laugh. “But I might be convinced to show you.”

“I wish you were here.”

The doorbell rang.

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“Hang on, someone’s at the door.” By the time he reached the foyer, he prayed his suspicion was right.

India stood on his steps. “I was on my way over to check on you before you called.”

“Why?”

“I thought I might’ve scared you away for good. I wanted to make sure you were all right.”

“All right as in…you wanted to check if I’d swung by the package liquor store?”

“No. I’m not here as your sponsor.” She frowned. “Especially since I’m no longer your sponsor.”

“Then why are you here?”

India locked her eyes to his. “Because I missed you.”

“And?” The moment of truth. Of intent. His heart raced. His body went on full alert.

“And you
do
realize our two weeks of strictly dating are up, right?”

Colt decided doing a victory lap would be a little over the top.

“Yes.”

“Can I come in?”

He set his phone on the library table. “As long as you understand the instant you cross that threshold, India Ellison, I’m gonna be all over you.”

Giving him a cocky grin, she stepped into the foyer.

He had India in his arms before her other foot met the tile. His mouth was on hers as he carried her into the living room.

Between frantic kisses, he whispered, “I need—”

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“I know, Colt, me too.”

“No foreplay.”

“Fine.” She kissed him. “Good.” She kissed him again.

“Whatever. We’ve had two weeks worth of foreplay.”

“Hell, woman, we’ve had three fuckin’
years
of foreplay,” he growled. “In my bed. Now.”

“No. No more waiting.” India trapped his face in her hands.

“Right here.”

“Where? Against the wall? On the couch? Over the chair?”

“On the white rug. Move the coffee table.”

“Done.” He set her down and dragged the iron and glass table out of the way as if it weighed nothing. Then he reached for her again.

The kiss was explosive. She tasted of mint and coffee. She fought him for control, her tongue dueling, then coy and teasing.

Colt could kiss her for days. And he would, right after he fucked her. At least twice. “I wanna see you. All of you. Clothes off.”

India whipped her shirt over her head. Unhooked her satin bra and tossed it aside.

He groaned. “Those pierced nipples are about the sexiest things I’ve ever seen.”

“Oh, trust me, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” She peeled the black denim down her legs and kicked it by the couch. A funny smile twitched the corners of her lips. Wearing just a teeny pair of dark blue panties, she raised her arms above her head, performing a whole body shimmy.

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When she spun around, his mouth watered. The fact India wore a thong didn’t surprise him. The sun and moon tattoos, one inked on each of her perfectly round ass cheeks—now those surprised him.

“Goddamn, I cannot wait to trace those designs with my tongue.”

“Come closer. I want you to take my thong off.”

“With pleasure.” Colt dropped to his knees and hooked his fingers into the elastic running across her hips. He paused to kiss the jewel dangling from her belly button. Keeping his hungry gaze on hers, he slid the thong until it reached the tops of her feet. He allowed his eyes to gorge on her as they descend the length of her body, taking in the beautifully long sweep of her neck, her delicate collarbones, the gentle swell of her chest. Her compact ribcage, the muscles of her torso and the body jewelry winking at him from the sexy indent of her navel.

His gaze moved to the rise of her mound. Her completely hairless mound. He grinned. “Sugar, I should’ve guessed you’d be a Brazilian kind of gal.”

“You approve?”

“Mmm-hmm.” Colt placed his mouth on the top of her pubis and brushed his lips back and forth across the bare skin. So soft.

Closing his eyes, he let his tongue follow the sweet cleft leading straight to paradise. At least, he’d intended to, but his tongue ran into a barrier. A metal barrier. He opened his eyes.

Holy shit. A thin bar stretched above her clitoris, piercing the skin above it.

“Surprise.”

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“Sweet Jesus. And I thought the nipple rings were sexy.” He closed his mouth over the piercing and her clit and sucked. Once.

Twice. Three times. He groaned at the sweet, musky, slightly metallic taste and the way her hands tightened in his hair.

“Colt—”

“I wanna spend hours with my mouth between your legs.

Sucking. Licking. Biting. Makin’ you come all over my face, drivin’

you to the point you won’t even know your own damn name.”

“God. Yes.”

He gave her one last lingering suck before he pushed to his feet. “Look at me.”

India locked her eyes to his.

With one hand he pulled at the edge of his shirt until the snaps popped. “Touch yourself as you’re watchin’ me get undressed. But don’t come. There’ll be hell to pay if you come before I’m inside you.”

“Oh. Umm. Are you always this…?”

“Demanding when it comes to sex?”

She nodded.

“More than this. Is that gonna be an issue for you?”

She shook her head. Her eyes roamed over his chest. His abs.

His arms. Back to his pecs.

“Indy,” he said sharply. “Are you supposed to be doin’

something for me?”

“Uh. Yeah.”

“So what’s the problem?”

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Her gaze finally made it to his face. “No problem. I’ve seen you with your shirt off, Colt. But it’s like this is the first time I’m really seeing you. You’re amazing. All golden skin and delineated musculature. I want to run my hands all over your chest and belly. I want to trace every muscle and vein with my tongue until your skin is shiny wet with my saliva. I want to suck on your nipples. And while I’m sucking on them, I’ll imagine how it’d be to tattoo such perfect skin.”