Page 27 of Hidden Ink

When he started to move, she let her head fall back once more. She couldn’t breathe, not when her heart raced and her body felt warm, tingly, and on fire all at once. He put his hand on her back and she looked at him.

“I need a better angle,” he growled. “Can’t feel all of you. Need you to be able to move with me.”

With that, he pulled out and carried her over to the living room, one hand fucking her with his fingers, the other keeping her steady. She gripped him tightly, loving this side of him. When he sat on the couch and placed her on top of him, she slid right back on his cock and they both froze. At this angle, he was deep. So deep. She had to breathe a moment so she could accommodate all of him.

“You okay, Hails? This good for you?” His voice was low, his eyes dark.

“Yeah,” she gasped as she started to rock her hips. “Better than okay. Fuck me, Sloane.”

“Then move, darling. Move.” He gripped her hips and lifted her up before slamming her back down on his cock. She dug her nails into his shoulders and rode him, their bodies sweat-slick and her pussy clenching him as she neared the edge.

“Come for me, Hails. Come on my cock.”

She met his eyes and came, his voice so low it vibrated deep within her. He crushed his mouth to hers as he came with her, his seed hot inside the condom. Her body shook, but she kept moving, not wanting this moment, any moment with him to end.

Because she may have just had another bout of the best sex of her life, but she knew something was still off. There was something wrong with her Sloane.

Something that told her if she didn’t figure out what it was, he wouldn’t be her Sloane for much longer.

Chapter Seven

Sloane stood in the office of Montgomery Ink and tried to figure out what he was going to do next. His back hurt from bending over too long with the last client, on top of not being able to sleep that much the night before.

He hadn’t let Hailey spend the night, making sure he took her out to dinner before dropping her off at her place. But he knew she’d caught on that she hadn’t woken up in his arms. He’d never woken up with her pressed against him.

There was something wrong with him and he knew it. He had to talk with someone because not doing so would only make things worse. For Hailey.

There wasn’t much he could do about how he felt about himself at this point. As soon as he finished her ink, he’d find a way to let her go so she wouldn’t end up hurt because of him. Once she knew how he’d come to be, how he’d ended up in Montgomery Ink, she’d see. It wasn’t fair to keep at it, to keep having her in his arms. He’d already told himself that he wouldn’t sleep with her again—even if his body ached for it. It made him an asshole to keep having her with him, knowing he couldn’t keep her. Yes, it was better for Hailey in the long run not to be with a man such as him, but it didn’t make it any easier.

“Sloane?” Callie came up to him, her hand on the barely noticeable bump at her center. “There’s a man outside asking for you.” She bit her lip. “I don’t think he wants to come inside, but I was out there trying to get some fresh air and saw him.”

Sloane’s senses went on alert. “Who was it? Are you okay? Should you be going outside alone in your condition?”

Callie shook her head, a smile tugging at her lips. “You sound like Morgan. I’m fine going outside in the daylight. I promise. But I don’t know his name. He only said he wanted to talk to you.” She took a deep breath. “He’s wearing a uniform, Sloane. But it’s old and dirty. He also looks strung out, but I don’t exactly know. It could be that he’s homeless and tired, but it seemed a bit more than that.”

Sloane froze at her description then cursed. “Don’t go outside, Callie. Stay here with Austin and Maya. Okay?”

She frowned at him. “Who is it, Sloane? What has you so worried?”

He lowered his head and kissed her temple. “Just be safe, Callie. I’ll go outside and see what it is. If it’s a drugged-out guy, though, I don’t want you anywhere near him.” Nor did he want Hailey anywhere near him, but he couldn’t say that without drawing attention to the issue. If Callie were worried about him, she’d bring Hailey over and then he wouldn’t be able to hide his past anymore.

And he needed to in order to keep Hailey untainted.

He left a confused Callie in the office and made his way to the front of the store, aware that Maya and Austin were watching him. He ignored them and walked outside in just his Henley, picking up his leather jacket from the hook at the front of the store on his way.

The hauntingly slender man in front of him was a blast from the past. The guy was a few years younger than Sloane, but looked at least fifteen years older. It didn’t look like he’d shaved in over a year, nor did it appear as if he’d cut his hair. Normally a buzz cut, it brushed the top of his shoulders and hadn’t been washed in far too long.

He wore an old uniform, as well as a threadbare jacket that hadn’t belonged to him in the past. He shifted from foot to foot, his attention on the sky above them.

“Jason.” Sloane’s voice was gruff, but firm. He didn’t know why the man was here today, but damn it, it tore at him that Jason was like this.

If it weren’t for luck and some determination, he’d be right by Jason’s side, living on the street, strung out and in pain.

“Ever wonder what it feels like to fly?” Jason asked, his eyes still on the clouds.

Dread filled Sloane’s belly and he did his best to keep his voice calm. “I used to, but I found I like my feet firmly planted on the ground.”

Jason met his gaze and Sloane wanted to break down. The man wasn’t high, far from it. Instead, his old friend, the man he would have died for, the man he’d almost died for, felt everything. There weren’t enough drugs in the world to hide the pain of what Jason was feeling—of what Sloane felt every day. Callie had been right in thinking it could be a lack of sleep that led to the look of him, and now Sloane knew that was true. Jason may have used in the past, but it had never been something he constantly did.