26. Ink
INK
He stopped dead in his tracks as he stared at Taz strung up in the middle of the clubhouse common room, a ball gag in his mouth and ropes around every part of his body, with intricate knots worked in along the way.
Instead of looking pissed off, the idiot was grinning around the damn ball in his mouth, slowly working himself free.
Karissa sat with Razor in the corner of the room, looking cool as a cucumber, but he didn’t miss the glint in her eyes.
“Do I want to know how you pulled that off?”
“I had help, but it was worth it. I got a few bruises from where the bastard put up a fight.” Karissa showed the growing bruise on her forearm. Which, of course, made Razor glare at Taz. Not that Taz seemed to care as he slowly worked himself out of the ropes. “He’s gotten slippery.”
“Probably all the fucking lube he carries,” Razor quipped, shaking his head. “Who the fuck needs that much? You’d think he was planning a damn orgy.”
“He probably is.” Karissa snickered. “That man gets so much tail that even I wonder how the hell he hasn’t caught anything, or that his cock hasn’t fallen off with so much use.”
“Gross. I don’t want to hear about Taz’s cock first thing in the morning.” Saylor groaned as she made her way over with a grinning Jax taking in the scene.
“No one wants to hear about Taz’s cock ever,” Karissa agreed. Taz screamed around the ball gag, but the muffled sounds were easy to ignore. Karissa gave Ink a quick once-over. “You’re up early. Trouble sleeping?” Her tone was sugary sweet, but he didn’t miss the impish glint.
Fucking terrible night. He spent most of it jerking off and trying to sleep, but all he could think about was Naomi and getting back to her.
It was a long night.
Instead of saying any of that, he gave her a bland stare and lied. “Slept just fine, thanks. Sounds like you had a longer night than I did.” He gave Taz a pointed look. “I’m heading over to see Naomi and Asher before I head to the shop. I assume Glitch is there with them?”
“Yeah, she’s taking the early shift today. Code’s watching her from their control room. And he’s cranky about it too.”
He rolled his eyes. “What, he wanted to go and sit on the roof too?”
“Something like that. He also wasn’t too happy that I barged in on him and Glitch last night when they were having some time to themselves to help her set things up for Taz.”
“Blue balls will do that to a man,” Jax quipped. “Not that I’d know.” He flashed Saylor a lewd smile, which she ignored, but her lips twitched.
It amazed him how annoyed he used to get at this. He’d see them all as wasting their time being with only one woman, but now, he was starting to see the benefits.
Taz surprisingly already had his wrists free and was now working double time to untie the ropes around his forearms. Shaking his head, Ink warned Karissa. “You know he’s going to kill you when he gets free, right? Just make sure that someone is watching over Naomi.”
“All good. I’m going to take a nap, and then I’ll go and relieve Glitch.”
“And sleep with one eye open,” Saylor muttered.
Ink didn’t even want to know what would happen next. It was a Savage problem if they took things too far.
He gave absent waves when those milling around called out to him. Probably all surprised to see him up and about so early.
When he reached the warehouse, he called out to Glitch but didn’t see or hear her moving. Not until she dropped down in front of him at the top of the steps to the apartment door.
He blinked down at her. “Are you all just going to clamber around like monkeys?”
She shrugged, grinning. “It’s fun. I haven’t had to do that in a long time, so I’m taking every advantage I can.”
“And giving your man a heart attack.”
Her grin widened.
“Is she up?”
“Nope, they’re both still asleep. Seems they had long, exciting days yesterday. And from the sounds of it, a steamy evening too.”
He didn’t rise to the bait. “How about you let me inside and I’ll get to work on feeding them before I head to the shop for the day.”
“You’re willing to risk that she won’t come out shooting at you again?”
Shit, he forgot about that. He had to hope she wouldn’t assume he was one of the bad guys.
“I’ll let her know I’m there.”
She narrowed her eyes on him before sighing. “I’m kind of hoping she doesn’t shoot you, but just in case, I’ll be close by. I’m not as fast as the others since I’m more of a computer genius, but I can help in a pinch.”
He tried not to let his unease show. This was either going to go really well or terribly.
The door opened into the quiet apartment, but they stopped when they saw Asher sitting at the table, coloring quietly.
“Looks like you’re up,” Glitch whispered.
Ink made his way silently over to the table to sit next to Asher. “Good morning, buddy,” he murmured. “Where’s your mama?”
“Sweepin’,” he rasped out, his voice husky. “H’gry.” He looked at Ink hopefully.
That, he could do. “Do you want to help me make some breakfast, and we’ll surprise your mama with it in bed?”
Asher nodded, but he looked back at his drawing. “’Inish.”
Ink chuckled and ruffled his hair. “Alright, you finish that, and I’ll get started. How does pancakes sound?”
Asher nodded, still uninterested.
Ink tried not to be too loud, shooting nervous glances down the hall. He had to hope Naomi would realize Asher was out here with him and not come out shooting.
It didn’t take him long to get the food going, checking in on Asher every couple of minutes to make sure he was all right. With each passing minute, Asher became more awake, but his focus was never pulled from his artwork.
Not even when Naomi stumbled down the hall, eyes wild as she looked around.
Ink turned, then relaxed when he didn’t see the gun in her hand.
He did, however, take in her tiny shorts and top that barely covered her tits, appreciating the view.
That certainly wasn’t going to help him avoid getting a hard-on.
Not to mention, her nipples were hard, and her hair was a tousled mess.
She was stunning, and he was definitely going to be late for work if he didn’t get a hold of himself.
Blinking, she looked at him then back at Asher, like she couldn’t figure out if she was still sleeping or this was some kind of dream.
He turned the burner down to low and moved toward her, unable to stay still a moment longer. “Morning, baby. I thought I’d stop by and see you before I headed for the shop. Asher said he was hungry, so …”
Naomi held up her hand, her face flaming as her eyes went wide. She walked straight to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Ink stood there, unsure whether to follow and make sure she was all right or wait.
The answer was made for him when he heard a thump against the door and a pained groan.
He hurried forward but stopped when she barked, “Don’t even think about it, Ink.
I’m not coming out until you go the hell away.
I look terrible. I can’t believe you saw me like this.
I look like a hussy. My tits and my ass are out. Oh my God, I have no bra on!”
He bit his lip to keep from laughing. “Baby, I’m not going anywhere, and there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You can have every part of you out as much as you want. In fact, I encourage it. You’re hot and—”
“Oh my God, shut up! It’s worse when you’re trying to make me feel better. Go make breakfast while I try to keep from melting into a puddle on the floor.”
He didn’t bother to hold back his laughter this time. “Okay, baby, I’ll go. But just so you know, I’m going to picture you in this outfit all day, and when I get back, I’m going to want to see you in it again. Maybe even peel it off you too.”
Another thump and a groan. “Go away, Ink. Savage is going to start charging me money for the length of all the cold showers I’m going to have to take.”
“Nah, he’s used to it. He’s had plenty in his time. You cool down, baby, but telling me you’re going to be naked in the shower without me isn’t about to help me out.” He adjusted himself, wincing. Yeah, it was going to be a long day.
And maybe he was putting it on a little thick with her, but hell, what did she expect? She kissed the hell out of him last night, so he wasn’t about to let her back track now.
After another groan from here, he made his way back to the kitchen, checking on Asher’s progress. “Nice job, kiddo. Are you making that picture for your mama?”
“No. ’ren.”
Ink smirked. Someone had a little crush. Wait until he told Rogue. That would really send him over the edge. Then the news about Scarlett’s pregnancy popped back into his mind. Yeah, maybe not. He was liable to get sucker-punched in the nose for the next little bit.
“I bet she’ll love it. Are you going to make one for Win too?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Now, are you going to eat first before you finish?”
“Do ’oth.”
He wanted to say no, worried he might choke, but if anyone could do it, it was this kid. After cutting everything into small pieces, he put the plate beside him. Asher narrowed his eyes as if inspecting it, then picked up his fork to take a bite before going back to his artwork.
Who knew a two-year-old could be so particular?
Ink made a plate for Naomi and one for himself. He vaguely heard the shower still running, so he put it in the oven to keep it warm while waiting for her to get past her embarrassment and come out.
A thought hit him. Was she hiding out in there because she didn’t have any other clothes? His heart jumped and his cock thickened. Damn, would she come out again in those skimpy pajamas or just a towel? He wouldn’t get his hopes up that she’d come out in nothing at all.
When the door opened, she was wrapped in a large fluffy towel, her hair piled atop her head, small damp curls clinging to the sides of her face. A face that never turned toward him as she rushed down the hall and slammed the door shut.
He looked up at the ceiling. This had to be divine punishment for all the shit he’d given the other guys over the years.
Attention back on Asher, he realized he’d eaten almost all his food, still drawing, but on a new sheet of paper. Time to focus on something else before he embarrassed himself completely.
“Can I see?” he asked, and sat beside the focused toddler.
Asher nodded absently. Carefully, Ink slid the finished paper forward and smiled.
The drawing wasn’t a Picasso, but Asher had put a lot of time into getting his shapes just right and coloring perfectly in the lines.
It looked like a girl holding a little boy’s hand. He smiled.
Definitely going to rub this in Rogue’s face. He would make sure to do it from afar.
“Nice job, Asher. You going to do one like that for Win?”
A quick nod.
“Alright, I’ll leave you to it and check on your mama.” He got to his feet and headed down the hall. Knowing he was pushing his luck this time, he didn’t care.
Tapping softly on the door, he called, “You hiding out on me?”
A soft, horrified gasp came from the other side. “N-no. I’m still getting dressed. Go away, Ink. I’m embarrassed enough.”
“Why? Do you really think I’m not going to enjoy seeing you in skimpy pajamas? Or in a towel? I was waiting for it to slip just a bit so I could get a nice view of your—”
“Oh my God, shut up!” Naomi hissed, and yanked open the door.
His brain scrambled to process what he was seeing.
She stood there in nothing but a white lacy bra and a pair of skimpy white lace panties that cut high over her hip and barely covered the parts he was aching to touch.
And taste. And have wrapped around his cock …
“Are you trying to kill me slowly, babe?” he rasped, gripping the doorframe to keep from caressing all that smooth, silky skin. “Because you’re doing a damn good job of it right now.”
Naomi seemed to clue into what she was wearing, and horror flashed across her face, along with a flush that seemed to cover her entire body. The screech she let out was shrill, and he barely had the brainpower to move his fingers out of the way before she slammed the door.