Tatted Cowboy (10 page)

LAURA

My head pounds.

“Fuuuuck,” I groan, throwing a hand over my eyes to block out the harsh morning sunlight.  I’m hot.  Too hot.  Ugh, I’m all sweaty. I can feel my shirt sticking to my back. 
Gross.

As my mind wakes up slowly, I realize I’m not alone.  I tense. There’s a rather large body pushed up against my back.  I know for certain it’s not Ava because she’s not that big and I’m positive she doesn’t have a dick. Unless she’s doubled in size and shoved a flash light down her pants for shits and giggles.  Somehow, I don’t think that’s her style.

“Mornin’,” is rumbled from behind me, his breath tickling my ears. Inadvertently, I squirm and he moans, low and deep.  “Stop,” he commands on a whisper, shifting his hips so his erection grinds into my arse.

Oh, wow.

Shit.

Memories from last come rushing in.

Ava and me drinking until we could barely stand.

Ava and I dancing around the lounge room.  Me doing my best stripper impersonation.  Ava doing hers.

Ava calling Jeremy to come and get her.

Luke arriving with Jeremy.

Me asking why Luke was with Jeremy.

Him explaining they’d been having a few beers, catching up.

Ava leaving with Jeremy.

Luke staying.

Us talking…
“Lukey,” I slurred.  “You’re sooo hot!” I reached out and guided my pointed index finger to his cheek.  When it made contact, I made a hissing sound.  “So hot,” I repeated on a slurred whisper. 
Can anyone say, mortified!

Me vomiting … Oh, god!  He held my hair and rubbed my back before getting me a washcloth and cleaning around my mouth, gently.

Him carrying me into bed and holding me until I fell asleep…

He chuckles behind me, bringing me back from my thoughts.

“I can almost
hear
the thoughts going through your mind.”

“Gee, thanks,” I mutter.  Ack! My mouth feels like it’s full of cotton.

“I must say, you’re quite the charming drunk, Miss Carlisle.”

I groan again. 
No doubt.
  I accidentally squirm again.  My body clenches as his cock pushes against me.

It feels nice. 
Really nice.

His hand goes to my hip and he squeezes gently.  “Laura,” he warns.  I can’t help myself, though. I push back into him again and a low moan escapes my lips.  My clit throbs and god,
god!
I want a release.

My entire body coils tight in anticipation. His breath skitters across my earlobe and my nipples tighten.

“Luke,” I whisper, as he grinds against my arse. 

“Sweetheart,” he rumbles, his tone still warning.  “You need to stop before I can’t help myself any longer and I slide my fingers inside your knickers. 
Fuck!
  I bet your pussy’s drenched, isn’t it, baby?”  His hand on my hip squeezes almost painfully.  My body throbs with awareness, knowing if he opened his hand, his fingers would graze the area where I need him.

I shift again and his boxer-covered cock slides between my legs, nudging my slit.

“God,” I pant, as I begin to rock against him.  “Luke.”

“Laura. 
Fuck!”
  He shifts away from me and I whimper at the loss of contact.  But, then he rolls me onto my back and looks down over me.  His eyes burn with lust.

“Tell me to stop,” he whispers, staring at my lips.

My tongue sneaks out to trace my lip, but I stay silent.

“Tell. Me. To. Stop,” he grinds out, this time more forcefully.

“No,” I reply without hesitation.

His blue depths become narrow as he waits for me to change my mind, and then his head lowers and his lips meet mine.  My body becomes a burning mass of sensations.  My lips tingle and my sex throbs.  My nipples harden to the point of pain and my face flushes.

Winding my arms around his neck, I hold him to me.  My mouth opens, allowing his tongue access and my taste buds explode when his flavour meets them.  I suck on his tongue and then his bottom lip.  His drags mine between his teeth, eliciting a moan from deep in my throat.  He settles between my legs, his hardness pressing
just right
against my soft flesh.  My hands run up and down the warm, muscular wall of his back and then down over the hard buns of his arse as I grip him, pulling him to me, trying to get him closer.

“Laura,” he whispers against my mouth before his head disappears into the crook of my neck so he can suck the tender flesh between his lips.

“Oh god, Luke,” I pant.

He moves slightly, balancing his weight on one arm, while the other hand goes to the hem of my top and slides it up, exposing my bare breasts to him.

He growls deep in his chest before sucking one puckered nipple deep into his mouth.

“Fuck, yes,” I hiss, my back arching off the bed.

His tongue works one breast while his hand works the other, pinching my pebbled bud between his fingers.  He gently rocks his hips against mine, frustrating me to the point of madness. 
I need more.

He shifts again, this time to start trailing kisses down my stomach, stopping to dip his tongue into my belly button; I writhe on the bed, desperate for him to touch me where I need it most.  My pussy
aches
for his touch.  My entire body feels like it’s on fire, a sensation I’ve never felt this strongly before now.

“You want this, Laura?  You want me to eat your sweet pussy?”

“Yes.  Please, yes.” I grip his hair, pushing him down.

He chuckles and nips at my pubis, sending shockwaves of pleasure straight to my clit.  The rough stubble of his facial hair tickles the insides of my thighs as he rubs against me, running his nose up the slit of my pussy.

My stomach clenches tight in eagerness.  My head falls back into the pillow and my eyes squeeze shut, desperately awaiting that first lick.

“Watch.” His tone brooks no argument.  I feel him spread my lips apart with his fingers.

Bringing my chin down into my chest, I open my eyes to see his tongue come out and lick me from bottom to top.

“Oh, god,” I moan, low and guttural.

He sucks my clit into his mouth and slides one long, thick finger inside me, curling up to stroke the elusive bundle of nerves there.  My muscles grip him as my orgasm overwhelms me without warning, sending shuddering waves of pleasure through my body.

“Luke!” I cry out his name, clutching his hair, holding him to me.  He releases my swollen nub and gently laves the sensitive flesh as I come down from my high.

Holy crap, that was amazing!

“That was …
amazing
,” I sigh, deliriously sated.

He kisses my stomach once and then comes to lie beside me.

He is looking down at me with a look of wonder, his features soft.

“Come here,” I say, trying to pull him on top me.

“Uh-huh.” He grins, shaking his head slightly.

“You don’t want to?” I ask, confused, and feeling slightly hurt. Rejection sucks!

He leans down and kisses my lips, the taste and scent of me lingering.  “Believe me, baby, I want to.  But, not today. Not right now.  You’re not ready for that.”

“I’m ready,” I protest.

“Last night you made a drunken spiel about only wanting to be friends,” he informs me. 

I so don’t remember that.

“When I do sink my cock deep into that delicious pussy of yours, I want you to know you’re mine.  There will be no doubt.” He kisses me again.  “So, no, you’re not ready.”

“Okay.  What, um, what happens now?” I ask, suddenly feeling vulnerable.

“Now, I feed you.  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and I’ve just had mine.”  He throws me a wink and climbs from the bed, his enormous erection jutting out his boxer shorts.

I can’t stop staring.  Wow. It looks large.

“It’s rude to stare, sweetheart,” he says, laughing as he disappears out of sight.

LUKE

Fuck, she tastes amazing
.  Her scent and taste clings to my lips, even hours after I ate her out.

After making her breakfast, I left to come into the shop.  I’ve got a client coming in to get his full sleeve finished and it’s an all day booking.  I know I’ll need to focus when he comes in, but for the moment, I can’t keep my thoughts away from Laura.

The way she tastes.

The way she moaned my name and pulled my hair when she came.

The sexy, sated, sleepy look that came over her as she lay sprawled out in her bed, spent from the orgasm
I
gave her.

When I returned with the food, she didn’t even freak out like I thought she would.  After the speech she’d given me last night when she was drunk off her tits about us being
just friends
, I thought she’d have a clear case of regret before I left the house.

“Lukey,” she sang in a slurred voice, making me chuckle. I hadn’t been called Lukey since I was a little boy. 

“Yeah, sweetheart?” I tucked a strand of her soft, blonde hair behind her ear.

She sighed deeply.  “Why do you have to be so hot?” she asked, breathing the last word, making it sound incredibly sexy.  “I wish things could be different,” she said sadly. 

“What do you wish could be different, beautiful?”

“You’re going to find yourself a gorgeous, young girl with no baggage … a girl who’s whole. Not broken.  Nobody wants girls who are broken.”  She rambled in jumpy sentences, making it hard for me to keep up.

“Do you think you’re broken?” I asked, hoping she’d say no.  Surely she doesn’t believe that.  She’s the most beautiful, kind-hearted and friendly woman I’ve ever met. She’s determined, focused and driven.  She’s a terrific granddaughter, and a loving daughter.  She’s definitely not some broken mess of a woman that a man would be loath to have in his bed and on his arm.

She laughs once humourlessly and my chest goes tight.  “I’m about as broken as they come, Lukey.”  I rub the ache over my heart away as she looks up at me through sad eyes.  “We’ll never be anything romantic, but you’ll be my friend, won’t you?  We can be friends, right, Lukey?” she slurs.

Fuck, why won’t this ache go away?  God, it’s killing me she thinks this way about herself.  “Yeah, sweetheart.  Of course,” I finally manage to answer.

There was no sign of shame, though.  She looked completely happy and carefree, and trust me, I was watching intently for any signs she might be regretting being with me, so I could nip that shit in the bud.  I know Dory said patience was a virtue, but fuck that.  Fuck patience. I’ve decided I’m going to seize the day.  Carpe diem and all that shit.

“Mornin’, Boss,” Bella says cheerily as I walk in to the shop, carrying two coffees from the Coffee House.

“Mornin’,” I reply, handing her one.  Her shocked expression makes me grin.

“You bought me a coffee?” She gapes.

I shrug. 

“But, you never buy me coffee … unless you’re really happy.”

I walk away, grinning, and she rounds the front desk to follow me.  “Why are you so happy, Luke?” she calls out, a playful lilt in her voice.

“Do your job, Bella,” I call back.

“But, Luke,” she whines as she reaches me just before I go into one of the private rooms.  “Did you get laid?  Did you win lotto?  Did you finally find yourself a woman?
Oh my god!
You fell in love, didn’t you? It was the kind of love at first sight that everybody just believes is movie mumbo-jumbo.  But, it happened to you in real life, didn’t it.  Oh,” she sighs, clutching her heart dramatically.  “There’s hope for us all.”

“Bella, go do your job. File some shit, sweep the floor, whatever.” I wave a hand in front of me.  “Don’t care what you do, just piss off,” I tell her, with no malice in my tone. 

“Awww,” she pouts.  “Don’t be like that.  Tell Aunty Bellsy what’s got you all happy.”  She puts on a puppy dog expression and I start laughing.

“Work.” I point a finger at her and then close the door in her face, still grinning.

“Fine
,”
I hear her mutter before she walks away, stomping down the hall.

After spraying and wiping down my equipment with disinfectant, I lay down some plastic wrap and set out the ink containers and make sure my gun is working correctly.

“Dan is here,” Bella says, tapping on my door twice.

“Thanks.  Send him in.”

A few minutes later, my client, Dan, walks in.  He’s been a regular customer for a few years, getting one or two tatts each year.  But, six weeks ago, he came in and asked me to design a full sleeve for him.  Last week, I completed half of it, and today I’ll finish it off.

“Hey, man, how’s it going?”

“Good thanks, bro.  How you been?”

“Fuckin’ awesome, mate,” I answer as I gesture for him to take a seat.  He pulls his shirt over his head and tosses it on the floor beside him before sitting down.

“Just rest your arm there, mate,” I tell him, pointing to the plastic wrap covered section of the table beside him.

“This all looks good.  It’s scabbing up nicely.  Been itchy?”

“Little bit. Not too bad, though.”

I give him a nod and then set about lining up the remaining stencil to transfer it to his skin.

***

Tap tap
.  “Sorry to interrupt, but I brought you guys some lunch.  You’ve been going at it for a couple of hours already.”  Bella sits two salad rolls down on the bench with two bottles of water.

“Thanks, Bella.”

“No problems.”  She walks out again and I finish off the section I was inking.

“We’ll give you a break for a minute, hey.  You hungry?”

“Yeah, I could use a smoke, too.  Most of my arm is numb and I can’t feel shit, but fuck, there’s a few tender spots there,” Dan says with a laugh.

“Tattoos don’t tickle, that’s for sure.  And, full sleeves hurt like a fucking bitch,” I agree, wholeheartedly.

“Don’t know how you got both arms done.” He shakes his head, looking at my inked up arms.

“Young and too tough for my own good, man,” I joke.  I toss him one of the rolls and a water and we sit in comfortable silence while we eat.

After he’s had his smoke, I spend the next four hours completing his sleeve.  The end result is even better than I imagined.

“That looks fucking wicked!” I tell him, honestly.

“Thanks, mate.” He holds out his hand to shake mine and then I lead the way out so Bella can take his money.

Well, I succeeded in not thinking about Laura for most of today.  Now I just have to find something to occupy my time to keep her off my mind for the rest of the night.

“I had to turn away
seven
walk-ins today,” Bella grimaces when Dan leaves.

“Fuck.”  Turning away customers is never a good thing.  It means I’m losing money and potential repeat clients.  I flip the sign to
closed
and lock the door.

“You’re going to have to hire someone else to come in and help you.  I wish I could use an ink gun, but we both know I suck at that shit.” She pulls a face of disgust and looks at my arm.  A few years ago, I gave in to her relentless pestering and let her ink me.  A small devil on my upper arm.  It was just a simple black outline, no shading or colour required.  The result was disastrous.  She couldn’t hold the gun steady and firm, so the lines look wonky.  I kept it the way she did it, rather than fixing it, because I think it’s hilarious.  Plus, every time she sees it, it’s a constant reminder to her of how bad she is.  Which means, she doesn’t pester me anymore. 

“That you do,” I laugh, rubbing the little devil.  “I’ll call Zeke tonight.”

“Good luck with that,” she smirks.

Hopefully my brother won’t need too much convincing…

***

He picks up just as I’m about to hang up. “Yo.”

“Hey, bro.  What’s happening?”

“Just having a beer by the camp fire.  How’re things going for you?”

“Good. Busy, but good.”

“Glad to hear it.”  A girl giggles in the background and I can hear him whispering something to her.  “So, what can I do for you, bro?”

“I’ve got an offer I’m hoping you won’t refuse.”

“Yeah?” His curiosity sounds piqued. That’s a good thing. It’s pretty hit and miss with Zeke; either he’s interested from the get-go or he’s not. 

“I’m run off my feet at the shop and I was hoping you’d come back and work with me.  I don’t want anyone else by my side, man.”  He’s not as good as me with a tattoo gun, but he’s definitely a close second.  Of course, he’d tell it the other way around. 

“I don’t know, Luke.” I can imagine him scratching his brow with his thumb, the way he does when he’s deep in thought.

“Shit happened a long time ago, Zeke.  A whole lifetime has happened since you left, man. It’s time to come home and start building a life for yourself.”

“How the fuck do you know that I haven’t been doing that?  I might have myself a fucking good life here,” he burrs up immediately.

“If you did, you wouldn’t be considering my offer,” I fire back.

“Fucking prick,” he mutters.

“Look, just think about it.  I need your help. I wouldn’t be asking if I wasn’t desperate, but I am, man. I’m turning customers away.” I hate the defeated sound in my tone. 

The line goes silent and just as I’m about to pull the phone back to look at the screen to see if the call dropped, he speaks.  “I’ll be home next week,” he says quietly.

“Yeah?” I can’t keep the hope out of my voice.

“Yeah, man.  You got a bed for me?”

Fuck.
  I don’t really. I’ve got a one-bedroom unit but I spend most of my nights on the too-small lounge at the shop.  Rather than tell him this, I nod, even though he can’t see me.  “Yep.”

“That didn’t sound too convincing,” Zeke says, a smile evident in his tone.

“I’ll find you a bed,” I confirm.

“See ya next week, then.”

“Thanks man,” I say, meaning every word.

“Don’t mention it.”

I snap my phone shut and breathe a sigh of relief. Thank fuck for that!  I’m going to the pub for a beer and a feed, and then I’m going to hit the hay. I’m wiped.