Chapter Three
CHAPTER THREE
KATE
“I’m going to be late to work.”
Sawyer just grinned at me in that far too handsome way of his, and I had to press my thighs together. I knew we were playing with fire. We had to steal these moments together as it was. Between his long hours, thanks to his competitive artwork, and the Montgomerys, and my even longer hours, times where we could be with one another felt few and far between.
It was funny because when we had been hiding our relationship—for lack of a better word—it felt as if we had more time together.
But now, all our friends and family knew we were sleeping together, and everything seemed to ramp up.
Including my attraction to him.
I hadn’t meant to even be with Sawyer, let alone want him like this.
But I couldn’t hold back my desire for him. And the best part was that he was in the same boat.
Every time he looked at me, I felt as if I could melt in front of him.
Just like he was doing right now.
He stood in the doorway to my bedroom, jeans slung low on his hips with the button undone, and I swallowed hard. He hadn’t bothered to put on a shirt after taking his morning shower, so I could stare at the long lines of his body as well as gaze upon the artwork covering his skin.
Like most tattoo artists, he had the ink to show for it. He had done some of his own ink on his nondominant side, but most of it was done by friends and fellow tattoo artists over time.
He told me he had a vision of what he wanted, and every single piece had his own flair to it, and I loved it. Every piece was him. And I had licked every single one of those pieces.
I blushed hard as Sawyer slid his hands out of his pockets and prowled toward me.
Honestly, I couldn’t think of another word other than prowled. He looked as if he were a large jungle cat, and I was prey in his path.
Only I did not want to run.
“I can be quick for you,” he murmured as he came forward, his lips brushing my jaw.
My lips quirked into a smile at that.
“You say that as if it’s a good thing.”
Sawyer slid his hands underneath my towel and covered my bare pussy. “I can last all night. You know that. But I can get you off with just a flick of my fingers. You are so wet for me that my hand is soaked. Do I do that to you? You just look at me and you are already wet for me? Wet for me all night? Even though I needed to come four times last night? Is my Kate in desperate need for more? Am I not getting my Kate off enough?”
I leaned into his hold as he put his other hand around the back of my neck and pulled me closer. “I’m pretty sure I still have beard burn on my thighs from your attention last night. And that doesn’t change the fact that we will be late if we don’t get to work.”
He slid his fingers between my folds, as if he were gently taking his time, not a care in the world.
And I couldn’t help the moan escaping my lips.
“Sawyer,” I whispered.
“That’s it. That’s my Kate. I want to see you come before we leave. I need to see you come. I want you to ride my hand, Kate. Ride it and tell me who owns this pussy.”
I rolled my eyes even as he slid one finger deep inside me. He felt so thick within me, even though his cock was wide and stretching every time, I was still swollen from the night before so even his finger felt invasive. But in the best ways.
“I own my own pussy, thank you very much.”
He grinned at me before spearing me with two more fingers. The movement sent the shocked breath out of me, and I gasped, arching my back. The towel fell, and my bare nipples pressed against his chest, hard little points of pressure.
“Who owns this pussy?” he growled, sliding in and out of me so quickly that the sounds of wetness filled the room.
“I do,” I teased, and he stopped moving, leaving me breathless.
“If that’s the case, then you don’t get to come. You get to be on edge all day, besides rubbing your legs together, your clit pulsating knowing that it misses me. Because this is my pussy, Kate. You know the rules. If you want my dick, you need to know who owns this cunt.”
A whimper escaped my lips as I tried to rotate my hips. He tugged on my hair, the sharp pain sending delicious vibrations down my spine.
“Bad girl. You don’t get to get yourself off. Not until you tell me what I want to hear.”
I smiled up at him, loving that he was like this. Sometimes we were soft and sweet. Other times he owned me. In any other moment, it would bother me to the point of hatred in any other point of my life, but not now. I wanted Sawyer to own me. In body and soul and just in this bedroom.
“You own my pussy,” I whispered, my cheeks heating.
He moved his hand from my hair and down to my ass, squeezing. Then he slid his finger around my puckered hole, teasing. “Say it like you mean it.”
“It’s yours,” I rasped. “All of me is yours. Just let me come. Please.”
“Because you begged so nicely.” And then Sawyer leaned forward and brushed his lips so gently against mine, tears almost pricked my eyes.
But I blew them away quickly as he moved his hand, rubbing the heel of his palm against my clit as he speared me with three fingers.
I went off like a rocket, my knees going weak as my orgasm slammed into me.
I didn’t have to fear for my safety as I fell because I knew Sawyer would catch me. That should have worried me. Because I couldn’t rely on him like this. Not when we both knew that we needed to talk about what this was. But in that moment, I couldn’t care.
Because Sawyer lifted me up into his arms, the strength of him breathtaking. And he slid me down over his cock. I stretched for him, his dick wide and long and everything that I craved.
With my back against the wall, he pushed into me inch by inch.
I’ve brushed his hair from his face as I moved my hands to grip his shoulders.
“Sawyer,” I whispered, tears once again threatening.
“That’s it, Kate. Take me.”
I nodded, and then leaned forward to take his lips because I couldn’t let him see my tears. Only, from the way that his eyes tightened, I knew he’d seen.
But I pushed that away as he moved, his cock sliding in and out of me with the slow progression as I rolled my hips on him.
We moved as one, as if we had been doing this for a lifetime rather than just these stolen moments. I didn’t know what I was to him other than the fact that I loved him. He always took care of me, always made sure I came first, and yet in this moment I didn’t know what the movement meant.
When he slid his hand between us, his thumb rubbing over my clit, I shattered once more, coming along his cock.
I wanted him to follow me, needed him to follow me. But instead he pulled out of me and moved me to my feet. My toes were still curled from my orgasm, so it took me a moment to realize what he wanted. Then I put my hands on my dresser, facing the mirror as he stood behind me, bracing myself.
“I want to see your face. Let me see your face.”
I nodded and arched for him as he slammed into me from behind.
He had one hand on my hip, keeping me steady as he pounded into me. And the other moved up my body, grasping my breasts, plucking at my nipples. He moved up to my throat, squeezing. I moaned into him, needing every inch. When I met his gaze, I fell.
I was in love with Sawyer.
But his eyes had blinked. And I couldn’t read him. He finally moved once more, shouting my name as he came, and I followed him, even as my heart pulsed.
Because Sawyer was pulling away. Not physically, not when he was still deep inside me. But in every other way.
Finally, before I could say anything to put a spark in a moment that we weren’t ready for, I bent over to get the towel that I had dropped before.
“We are going to be late, and I should shower. Thank you for the orgasms,” I said, my voice so falsely cheerful, that it made my teeth hurt.
Sawyer frowned before cupping my cheek. “One more shower? I promise to keep my dick away from you so we can make it to work.”
I nodded, that same too bright smile on my face. “Of course.”
He studied my face, as I did the same to him. Only I wasn’t sure what he saw, because I couldn’t figure out a damn thing on his mind.
I had already washed my hair, so I put a shower cap on as we quickly washed off the evidence of our lovemaking. Only I wasn’t sure I could call it that. Not when I didn’t know what he felt.
Sawyer turned toward me, soap in hand, and I once again looked at the shattered mirror tattooed over his heart.
Without thinking I traced along the edges, along the names etched on his heart.
I had asked him before, just joking at first, and then he closed up.
So when I slid my fingers over the evidence of his past once more, and he froze, I quickly pulled away and turned so he wouldn’t see my face.
I didn’t say anything, just like I knew he wouldn’t either.
When we finished showering, Sawyer kissed me on the cheek before leaving to change. I did my hair and makeup, telling myself I was making too big of a deal of the evening. Sawyer didn’t owe me his heart. Nor his secrets.
I knew that deep down.
And yet part of me, the softest part, needed it. I needed everything. I deserved it. And I hated even thinking about that.
I was nearly finished getting ready as Sawyer came up from behind me and moved my hair away from my neck. He placed a soft kiss along my skin, and shivers wracked me even as I choked back tears.
“Ready for this afternoon?”
I nodded, my eyes closed. “Yes. I can’t wait for my appointment.” I finally met his gaze in the mirror, my throat tight.
“I’m still annoyed that Nick is the one who gets to do your tattoo.”
“Because he’s going to help me design it. And I’ve been putting it off for two years.”
“Then I get you next.”
I rolled my eyes, my heart swelling. I knew I was thinking too hard about everything. We just needed to take things slow.
“We can do that.”
He pressed a kiss to my temple, and then headed out as we had planned. We might work in the same building, but we had different hours. And he needed to head home to pick up a few things anyway.
I knew I would be sitting in Nick’s chair for a while, so I made sure I wore a comfortable outfit for work. I was the admin for Montgomery Security, but I was also on my feet often. While I helped with scheduling and being the face for customers when Noah wasn’t, I also had to go to certain client sites with the team. Sometimes they needed an extra set of eyes, or somebody to work with the person who needed security. My job had turned into a jack-of-all-trades, and I loved it. I loved constantly being in motion, even when sometimes it was just my mind.
So I put on flowing linen pants and a cute top, and boots that somehow still worked with the outfit. I could wear jeans if I wanted, most of the team did, but I was in the mood to feel a little more flowy. And my arms would be free for whenever I was ready for my tattoo appointment.
The perks of working where I did was that I got discounts at the coffee shop, the art house, and the tattoo shop. Not a huge discount because we wanted to make sure people made their money, but enough that it didn’t hurt my bank account if I wanted one of the best tattoo artists in the country.
Part of me knew I should have waited for Sawyer to do my piece, but he could do the next one. The fact that he was thinking about the future made me smile. Because he was thinking we would be near one another at that point.
Or perhaps I was the one overthinking .
I pushed all thoughts of that from my mind however and told myself that I just needed to focus on work.
Not on the fact that I had a feeling that Sawyer didn’t love me.
It had been all fun and games when we had been hiding, and now we were out in the open, and things felt different.
I stopped by Latte on the Rocks to pick up the coffee order for the team and smiled at Raven. Raven was married to Sebastian who also worked at the tattoo shop next door. The fact that most of the people that worked in these buildings were either Montgomerys or dating or married to one should probably worry me. But in reality, it just meant that people cared for each other, and they actually got along. That wasn’t the case with most businesses. We were all professional, and yet I knew that if I needed help, every single one of these people would drop what they were doing to help me.
Just like I would do the same for them. I might not be dating a Montgomery, but I was part of the family. Warmth spread through me at that thought before I looked over at Sawyer’s face.
“It sounds like a full house today,” Raven said as she handed over the two containers of drink orders as well as a bakery order.
I rolled my eyes. “We have a group meeting before our big install. And I know there’s a few other things going on that they’re going to need caffeine for. Thank you so much for getting it out ahead of time.”
“It’s what we do. Do want some help?”
“No, I’ve got it. You have thick handles on your bakery bags, so they don’t dig into the skin.”
Raven grinned. “That was a huge issue we had with our first bags. We had needed to go cheaper at first, even though it was still good quality, but they dug into our palms too much.”
“I appreciate it.”
But before I could pick up the bags in question, a familiar voice stopped me. “I’m here anyway. So you are going to have to deal with my help.”
I turned as Gus moved toward me, and a bright smile slid over my face. “I thought you were coming in late this morning?” I asked. I looked up at the clock and was grateful that I hadn’t been too late despite my extracurricular activities with Sawyer that morning. I just wasn’t as early as I usually liked.
“Things worked out with the sitter quite well. Thankfully Jennifer and I will both be there. I saw you coming in here and I know we have a full house so therefore you probably would have your hands full. So I’m here to help.”
“You’re the best, Gus,” Raven said as she beamed up at him.
Sawyer’s brother just shrugged. “I’m really excited about whatever’s in that big bag, so it’s a purely selfish thing.”
I snorted and let him help me gather the immense order as we headed out the door and toward our offices.
It wasn’t that long of walk, and I was grateful that the café shared the same building. Although with the delicious baked goods and the scent that always permeated the air, sometimes it wasn’t the best thing in the world.
“So, how’s Sawyer?” Gus asked.
I rolled my eyes. “You are not even going to try for subtle, are you?”
Noah opened the door for us as we walked inside, and Gus just chuckled.
“Of course not. But I haven’t seen my brother recently because he’s been a little busy with someone else.”
“Jealous, are you?” Jennifer asked her husband as she took the bags from my hands. “You smell delicious. I’m so glad that Greer and Raven moved in.”
“The best decision the Montgomerys ever made was allowing my place to pop up,” Ford said as he moved forward as well.
Noah, Ford, Daisy, Kane, and Kingston were all of the Montgomerys who owned the business. Aria had also been part of it, but had been bought out so she could pursue her photography business.
Hugh, Gus, Jennifer, as well as ten other contract workers, all worked full-time. And I was the admin that had to organize them somehow.
I loved it.
“We are very spoiled,” Daisy said with a grin. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek, and her husband just rolled his eyes.
“You say that but then our daughter always expects the same baked goods that we have. She’s going to end up with a cavity.”
“That’s when you have them brush their teeth. It’s called parenting,” Noah said, and I laughed as Hugh grumbled something, and everybody sat down with their baked goods and copies, and we began our first meeting of the day.
“Kate, can you come out to the Henderson property?” Ford asked.
I looked at my tablet and schedule and nodded. “In three days’ time, right?”
“Yes. It’s going to be a lot more complicated than what I really wanted but we’re going to need someone there to placate him. And since Noah can’t be there, I need you to do it.”
I snorted. “So I get to be the one in harm’s way of his attitude?”
“Hell no. If he’s an asshole to you, we don’t take the job,” Ford said precisely.
I nodded. “That’s good to know.”
“We don’t need to take a job that treats us like shit. We have a waiting list as it is,” Daisy said with a shrug. “The client wants us to go over everything twice, so he touches every step. Which might be fine in some cases, but instead, it feels as if he doesn’t trust us. And everything takes three times as long. It makes me feel like a jerk for getting annoyed, to be honest.”
“I don’t mind at all. Plus I get to learn more.”
“Thinking of getting your license?” Jennifer asked.
I shook my head. “No thank you. I like the paperwork part much more.”
“That’s like music to my ears,” Noah said with a laugh.
I joined in as the rest of the team made fun of him, and I sat back in my chair, taking as many notes as I could. I loved this job. I wasn’t treated like a second level person just because I wasn’t out in the field often. I wasn’t in charge of high-risk situations, and I didn’t do installs and I wasn’t a bodyguard.
By the time we were done with our meeting, I was ready to start the day, so I answered a few phone calls and got down to work.
Lunch passed quickly. I ate my salad at my desk, the amount of chipotle ranch dressing on it was probably illegal, and was surprised when my alarm went off.
“Yeah, it’s tattoo time,” Daisy said, clapping her hands. “If you’re still over there when we’re working, come on over to see it. If not, I’ll stop by on our way out. I can’t wait to see the art. Nick is so good.”
“And yet Nick has never done a tattoo for you,” he said dryly.
Daisy rolled her eyes. “Do you know how many tattoo artists are in my family? I have to get to all of them for at least two rounds before I can get to a non-family member. It’s a process.”
“Is there a list I should know about?” I asked, honestly curious.
“Yes actually. We each have it written down, at least for our own ink. I’m pretty sure Leif has one for every single person in the family. I don’t even want to think about it.” She gave a mock shudder, and I laughed.
“I’m going to go drop off a few things in my car, and then head over. I can’t wait.”
“Actually I need to head out to pick up something I left in the car too. I’ll walk with you,” Gus said.
I frowned at him. “Is there a reason you’re walking with me? I thought we had enough security cameras in the parking lot.” There had been a few issues recently, issues that still gave me nightmares. And I hadn’t even been the one shot at.
“Nothing like that. I just figured since you were going out, I would go with you. And maybe stop by to annoy my brother.”
That made me smile. “That always sounds like a plan.”
We walked to the parking lot and parted ways while I dropped off my things and picked up a bag. And then we made our way back to the shop.
I frowned for a moment as two people walked around back, both of them talking in low tones.
Gus cursed under his breath, but I couldn’t pay attention to him. Not when I realized one of the people was Sawyer.
“Kate,” Gus began, his voice low.
But I ignored him.
Instead I just watched as the woman in front of Sawyer reached up and cupped his face. And Sawyer didn’t move back.
Instead he lowered his head, his hands at his sides, as the two of them stood there in that moment, my heart shattering into a million pieces.
But before I could do anything, before Gus could explain his brother’s actions, I took a step back and must have made a sound.
Because Sawyer’s head shot up, and his gaze met mine.
And I did the one thing that I could do in this moment, when I knew I had been far more wrong than I ever thought possible.
I ran.