Inked in the Steel City Series(64)

Was she being brazen? Maybe. But being with Jed – going out with him – didn’t feel sudden. She’d been waiting for so long; she’d been admiring him for months. She wanted him, bad – more than she could remember ever wanting anyone else. With any luck, by the time the night was over, he’d realize that, and they could put his absurd doubts behind them.

“We could head back to my place,” he said, turning the key in the ignition. “Or we could see a movie.”

“I like your first suggestion.” Butterflies took flight inside her belly as she spoke, and she sat a little straighter in her seat, practically on the edge of it as she imagined where they were headed.

“I have an apartment above Hot Ink. It’s nothing special. You sure you want to head there?” He looked away from the road as he rolled to a stop at the edge of the parking lot.

An electric thrill went through her as his eyes locked with hers. They appeared darker than usual, and they radiated an intensity he’d kept out of his voice.

“Yes.” She gripped her purse strap, imagining the feel of Jed’s hair between her fingers instead. It was just long enough to run her hands through, to grip – a fact she’d been conscious of ever since the first time they’d met.





CHAPTER 4





As Jed pulled out of the parking lot and onto the street, the car’s engine purred, sending slight vibrations through the seats and Karen’s body. They struck her breastbone, causing it to tremble beside her heart. The sensation was faint, but steady. She let it course through her system, calming her whirling thoughts.

Jed helped her out of the car when they arrived and together, they made their way to Hot Ink’s darkened display windows. The shop had closed an hour ago, and it was strange to walk through the dimmed interior, past empty chairs. There was no telltale buzz of a tattoo in progress, no chatter. Being alone with Jed in a place she was used to seeing full of familiar faces sent a frisson of awareness down her spine.

As they neared a narrow staircase in one of the shop’s back corners, she glanced at the door to the dual-purpose office and storage area. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she thought of all the times she’d made excuses to see him there, the little ways she’d found to prolong their conversations.

“Careful – the stairs are a little steep.”

They were narrow, too – a fact that created a sense of instant intimacy as they climbed toward the second floor.

Jed unlocked the door at the top of the flight of stairs, and then, Karen was staring square into the home of the man she’d been fantasizing about for months.

She’d spent so much time wondering about him and his life outside of work that everything was interesting, from the little white kitchen table to the red tea kettle sitting on the stove. She would’ve pegged him as more of a coffee drinker, and discovering something unexpected about him, however trivial, gave her a thrill.

“Nice apartment,” she said, and meant it. The building was an older one, and she loved that. His place had so much more character than her modern apartment did. Glancing around, she took in what looked like hand-carved crown molding and the arched doorway that led from the combined kitchen and living area to a hallway.

“It’s small, but it’s not like I need more room.” He closed the door behind them, and Karen savored the small sound that announced that they were alone together in his home.

It happened too fast for her mind to process – one moment they were standing at the edge of the kitchen tile, and then they were in each other’s arms, their bodies suddenly and completely entwined. He was hot and already hard against her, causing her head to spin as he pulled her tight against his body, making the embrace they’d shared in her photography studio seem chaste in comparison.

They kissed so deeply and so hard that her lips ached, but that didn’t stop her from wanting it to last forever.

It didn’t, though. Eventually they pulled apart just enough to breathe, just enough to be able to meet each other’s eyes.

There was no question of what would happen next. Karen’s entire body was tingling, burning up under the weight of delayed gratification. After all, she’d been imagining this for months. And he was firm against her, his every muscle taut with tension.

Wordlessly, he led her down the short hall and into what seemed to be the only bedroom.

The walls were a dark grey and there was a window above a queen sized bed neatly made with a dark blue comforter. Those things were all she could spare the presence of mind to notice as Jed picked her up like she weighed nothing, swinging her onto the bed and going down with her.