Lauren Dane - Drawn Together

“You shut up. Jesus. It’s a fucking tattoo shop. I can limit hours or hire extra help, which I have. What you’re dealing with is way more important, so stop or I’ll be mad and sic Erin on you.”

She smiled, taking the tissue Jonah handed her.

“She okay? Alexander? Martine? Rennie? Poppy?”

“Everyone is fine. The kids miss you a lot. They’ve all gotten used to having you around so don’t go running off.”

“I won’t. Seems I’ve sort of hooked up with a dude there and I have a mortgage and a life and all.”

Jonah made a grumbly sound of assent and it soothed her. He was good at that. Soothing.

“We’ll be back day after tomorrow.”

“Don’t you dare come back to work for another two days after that. You got me? Can we do anything to help? All you need to do is ask.”

“I know, which is really all I need. Thank you.”

“You got it. You know where we are. I’ll see you soon.”

He hung up and she did too before putting her phone on the table and leaning back, tucking her feet beneath her. She needed to get a decent night’s sleep. They were waking up early and driving to Happy Bend first thing. She was going to confront her aunt and get some answers. 

She was up long before dawn. She’d tried to go back to sleep, but that hadn’t worked so she’d carefully gotten out of bed and moved into the main room. The hotel had a perfunctory gym so she got dressed, dashed off a note to Jonah in case he woke up, and headed down.

The nice thing about hotels at four in the morning is that they’re deserted. So she didn’t have to share the machines with anyone as she warmed up or even when she set the treadmill. She hated running. With all her heart. But it was a good way to deal with all this shit in her head.

That’s where he found her. Her hair in a ponytail, swinging back and forth. Sweating. She wore headphones as she ran. He used to not know what from. But now that he did, it hurt him to see her this way, even as he knew it was necessary.

He got on the one next to hers and started slow. She ignored him awhile, starting and then relaxing when she saw it was him. Her gaze had been blurred. Most likely in the past where she was a helpless kid with no one to protect her.

The entire trip had been hard on her. When they got back home he planned to help her through with lots of sex, pampering, and a trip to Maui in January after Carrie went back to school. He’d have taken her off right then, but she was anxious to get back to the shop.

He’d spoken briefly to Brody and Erin a few days prior. Erin asked if Raven had gone to any counseling at all and he’d said no, though the doctor had suggested it quite strongly and had given her some basic coping advice. Raven didn’t trust authority. And he understood why. But goddamnit, she needed someone to listen to her in a situation where she didn’t have to worry over burdening someone with her past. He knew she held back with him, trying to protect him.

When he’d first met her he’d thought she was the strongest, most vibrant kick-ass bitch he’d ever laid eyes on. He knew that for sure now. So much pain to have shouldered, and she had, mostly alone for nearly all her life. Christ, if all she took away from that was a bitchy exterior and a habit of speaking before she thought about it, the world was lucky. He wasn’t sure how she kept from going nuclear.

He saw on the monitor that she’d run eight miles. Jesus.

He’d only run two, but that was enough. He wanted her to stop. They had a day ahead of them. He turned his machine off and stepped to the rails and down.

She waved and he rolled his eyes, pulling her headphones off. “Come on. We have to check out and then stop and get breakfast before we get on the road.”

She scowled and he grinned. “Oh the first scowl of the day and it’s only five. We may just break records today.”

She took her shower first, coming back out looking marginally better. She’d said her good-byes to her mother the day before so they could leave first thing.

“You’re looking a little scruffy.” She examined him, running her fingertips through the ends of his hair and then over his chin.

“I’ve been short on time to go to the barber.”

She laughed. “Go. Sit over there. Let me take care of you for a change.”

She fiddled around in the bathroom for a while, gathering things until she came out where he’d been waiting.

A bowl of steaming hot water, scissors, his razor, shaving cream and a healthy supply of towels and washcloths were what she placed on the table next to him.

“Don’t worry, I’m a professional.”

He raised a brow and she leaned forward to kiss his forehead. “I learned how to cut hair when I was eight. My aunt has a salon.” She laughed. “‘Salon’ is not really the word for it. It’s in her garage. She does it on the side and the cops ignore it because there are better things to do than roust an old bitch trying to make a buck.”

“My delicate flower.”

“Anyway, so I actually got a job at a real salon when I was fifteen.” She ran her fingers through his hair, which was still wet. “I used to do the men’s side of stuff. Which was practically nonexistent because you must know dudes in small towns like Harperville and Happy Bend go to the barber or let their wives or mothers get out the clippers. But occasionally I’d do a shave and a trim.”

She draped a towel around his neck and massaged his scalp first, making him groan at how good it felt. “I can’t believe you haven’t done this yet. My god, this is fantastic.”

“Less pain than three hours of me jabbing you with ink and needles, hm?”

“You have many talents.”

She continued on, taking up the scissors and a comb. He heard the snip from time to time as she worked, moving around his body easily.

“You’re going to be with me at Christmas.”

“Um, that’s an interesting thing to say while getting a haircut. That’s a first.”

“You’re staying with me and we’ll have dinner at my house. Just me, you and Carrie. On Christmas Eve anyway. Then my parents have a thing on Christmas Day. A buffet. There are card games and all that sort of thing.”

“Oh delightful. Will Beth be there? I haven’t been kicked in the face in ages.”

He laughed. “I think she’s afraid of you. Or maybe she respects you. Anyway, I promise to keep myself between you.”

“For a lady like her, I think fear and respect are closely tied. You know I hate this stuff, right? All this family stuff and I have to be nice and not say the F word. It sucks.”

“But I’m there. That’s good right?”

“Maybe. Depends on how you compensate me later. I’m going to have to do something with Erin too. I try to avoid it by leaving town that week, but she sees blood in the water. Like a shark. She’s not going to let go until I agree to go eat turkey or whatever. Probably sing carols and make crafts.”

“You should stop acting like you hate it. I see how you are with those kids.”

She tousled his hair, brushing the hairs away from his forehead. “You’ll have to jump back in the shower to really get rid of all the little hairs. Now you need a shave.”

She put a pillow back and he rested against it. “Tip your head back.” And then she placed the warm towels on his face. “Relax, they’re not hot enough to do you any real damage. You have very nice shaving gear. It’s rare. Most dudes use electric shavers or soap.”

“The shaving stuff was a gift from Carrie. I think she liked the brush so much she got the rest for that.”

It felt good to be pampered and so he relaxed, his eyes closed, listening to the sound of her moving nearby. Then her fingers were back in his hair and against his scalp.

“It’s the oil I use. It doesn’t have a girly smell, I promise. It’s good for you.”

Like he’d argue? It felt so damned fabulous, her firm, strong kneading touch against his scalp. He’d nearly fallen back to sleep by the time she stepped back, removing the towel from his face.

“Now.”

She climbed into his lap, wrapping her legs around his waist. “This wasn’t part of what I learned. Just in case you were worried. I like being close and since we’re all alone, I can get really close.” Her smile did wonders for his cock. Nearly as much as her pussy being so close and her weight in his lap.

She lathered up the brush and made small circles on his face to distribute it. Then she would shave a bit, clean off the razor in the bowl of hot water, use another hot towel to clean him up and start again. Over and over until he relaxed again, letting her minister to him.

He wasn’t sure how long it lasted, only that when she managed to get off his lap, he opened his eyes to find her smiling down at him.

“All done.”

He moved to the bathroom to admire his haircut and the shave. He did look much better and it was special because she’d done it for him.

“I think you need to be my personal barber.”

“Certainly the benefits would be better than the person down at Gene Juarez. Or they’d better be.” She smiled at his reflection and then she got that look he loved so much. “Before you shower again, I should make you extra dirty.” She let her robe slip down off her shoulders to pool at her feet and he was on her in two steps. He grabbed her, moving back to the bed quickly, falling to it still holding her.

He kissed her hungrily, taking in her taste, never getting enough.

She let him lead, though she wrapped her thighs around his waist to hold him close. He had zero complaints with that. Then again, he rarely did when it came to Raven.

“I want you to ride my cock awhile,” he spoke, lips against her neck. “And then, because I’ve wanted it for a while, you’re going to suck me off.”

She shivered and he pulled away to look into her face, needing to see if he’d pushed her too far. If it was too soon.

Clearly it wasn’t either of those things. Her eyes had gone half-lidded and her mouth parted just slightly, lips wet from his kisses.

He rolled and she shimmied down. “I don’t want you suited up.” She slid her pussy over his cock. She’d very seriously asked him to take care of getting tested and he had. She had as well. The world had changed since he’d dated, before Charlotte. But it had been the right thing to do. “I’m on the pill and I want to feel you.”

He nodded and she got to her knees to guide his cock to her pussy and slide down, achingly slow, onto him. Hot. So hot he nearly lost his mind and came right then. He got his control back as he held her, his fingers digging into the flesh and muscle at her hips.

He watched as she licked her fingers and played them against her nipples and then down to her cunt, spreading her labia open with one hand to expose her clit and that hoop.

“So fucking sexy.”

She smiled, so open and beautiful, even as it was carnal.

And his.

“I love to see you like this. So sexy it blows my mind. There’s never been anyone like you.” He reached up, grabbing her breasts and tugging on her nipples. They’d left the chain behind, along with all his favorite toys. The last week had been exhausting for both of them. But they’d recharged each time they came back to this room and closed the door.

He learned more about her than how wet she got when he used the paddle or how she squirmed and sort of squealed when he plumped her clit between his fingertips while he fucked her from behind. This week she’d let him help. This week he’d learned about the spine of steel that made up the core of the woman he loved.

He didn’t need chains or paddles for that part. But he sure as hell planned to use them when they got back home.

“Can I come?” Her voice halted a few times before she got all the words out. From the way her inner muscles fluttered he knew she was close.

“Yes.”

She kept her gaze on his face but he alternated between her eyes and her fingers on her pussy. When she climaxed, her head tipped back as she groaned. A pretty flush worked up her body from her thighs, over her breasts, up her neck. Her nipples hardened impossibly more, darkened.

In one move he grabbed her hips and pulled her up, off his cock. “Suck me.”

She lay on her back as he knelt next to her, running his cock over her mouth. She opened her eyes. Lazy, pleasure-stunned. Her tongue darted out, slid against his skin.

“Hands above your head. I’ll put my cock where I want it to go.”

She whimpered and obeyed, her gaze still on his face.