Chapter Five
Wren
”What the fuck is that noise?”
I pull my pillow over my head as I let out a groan.
I have no idea what time it is, but it feels like I just crawled into bed and I”m in no way ready to get up yet. But the yelling, music blaring, and banging next door is not letting me get back to sleep.
Rolling to the side of my bed, I blindly reach for my phone. Squinting, I swear under my breath when I see it”s not even 7am yet.
I guess the feeling of just crawling into my bed wasn”t far off.
Last night”s client is a famous musician and a notorious night owl. Thankfully, late nights don”t bother me. I”ve been tattooing this particular client for years. Even though I tell him not to, he more than overcompensates me for my work and me making the time and random hours work to tattoo him. I used to argue and refuse the extra cash, but I learned quickly it was a losing battle. Back then, if I wouldn”t take the tip, he would just bypass me and give it to Lark. Now, I usually take the girls out to eat and put the rest of the money towards splurging on something for the shop.
His schedule is crazy, so our sessions tend to happen whenever he”s close by and we can squeeze in a few hours to work on his sleeve. He had a show last night, so we didn”t get started until almost midnight. I was a little anxious about him driving to Sparrow Falls after a show, but he was still riding the high and didn”t mind traveling the half hour to see me.
We got started where we left off the last time I worked on his arm. He”s become a great friend over the years, like a lot of my clients tend to do, so the hours flew by as we got caught up on each other”s lives. Last year, he got married, and I fucking love his wife. Looking at the two of them, you would never think they were a pair, but their differences are what makes them an amazing couple.
We wrapped up around 3:30am, but by the time I got my station cleaned up and the shop locked it was almost 4:30 in the morning. I stumbled up the stairs to my apartment, thankful I didn”t have to drive to get home. I made it through the door and kicked off my shoes, tearing my clothes off as I bounced off the walls from sheer exhaustion. I didn”t do any of my nightly routine before burrowing under my covers. I have one of those cordless chargers for my phone, so all I had to do was make sure I had it on the pad for it to charge.
Glaring at my phone, I know going to sleep now is a lost cause. I fling the covers off me and stalk to my dresser. Too tired last night to worry about pajamas, I slept in my birthday suit, but if I”m going to find out what all the fucking noise next door is about, I need to put something on.
More yelling and banging grate on my already fried nerves as I grab the first thing I see. I pull the silk tank top over my head and the matching sleep shorts up my legs before making my way to my bathroom. My mascara ran in the few hours I did sleep, making me look like a raccoon. I grab one of my make-up remover wash cloths and vigorously scrub at my face. It doesn”t take long until my face is bare, and the cool water has woken me up fully.
Out in my kitchen, I decide getting some caffeine in me is a must, but before I can pull out my chai and oat milk, a particularly loud bang scares the shit out of me. Before I even realize it, I”m slamming my feet into my worn chucks and stomping down the stairs.
As soon as I make it to the first floor, the noise increases, which I didn”t think was possible with how loud it was in my apartment. I rip the door open and stomp the short path to my neighbor”s back door, which is propped open by a brick. The music, yelling, and banging are unbearably loud now.
Storming through the back door, I pull up short when I make it into the store. The gorgeous McSexy is shirtless and sweating as he swings a sledgehammer.
My nipples pebble as my clit throbs, all the while I stand there staring.
Another bang pulls my attention off of Brooks as I see two giants literally rip a huge bookcase off the walls with their bare hands. One lets out a roar, which explains all the fucking yelling I”ve been hearing. The entire thing falls to the floor with a deafening crash, pulling Brooks”s attention their way.
”What the fuck, guys? I told you I want salvage what we can. Letting it smash on the floor is not going to help save those shelves. And did you really need to fucking roar?”
”Of course I needed to. It was the effort that let me rip the shelf off with my bare hands.” The giant lifts his hands.
Brooks just shakes his head at him.
I”ve been standing off to the side, so they haven”t noticed me yet, but as they are somewhat quiet for the time being, I take a few steps into the room. Brooks”s back is to me, but the twin giants see me and smile.
Before I can say anything, Brooks whips around.
Our eyes lock. Getting a full view of his naked chest, I can”t help my tongue from sliding along my bottom lip. My eyes glide down his glistening abs, taking in the visible bulge in his worn jeans. I only stop my perusal when a throat clears and I realize the music isn”t blasting through the speaker anymore.
I pull my eyes back to Brooks”s face. His nostrils flare as he takes in my stiff nipples, which makes my teeth tug at my bottom lip and my cheeks flush.
”What the fuck are you wearing?” Brooks growls out as he clenches his jaw, and his hands fist at his sides. He takes a few steps towards me but stops before reaching me.
I shift to cover my hard nipples, crossing my arms over my chest, and realize I”m standing in nothing more than my silk pajamas in front of three guys I don”t know. I don”t have a bra on, and my shorts don”t even cover my ass cheeks. I obviously didn”t think this through, but I”m here now and I”m not going to let that stop me.
”Hmmm, I don”t know. Maybe my pajamas since I was fucking sleeping because it”s not even seven in the morning. There was no way I’d get some shut eye with the music blasting, all the banging, and the war cries coming from here. Why the fuck are you so damn loud?”
Brooks grimaces but doesn”t pull his eyes from me. He goes to speak when a hulking figure steps up to us. He”s also shirtless and has ink smattered across his chest. The tattoo artist in me steps closer to get a better look, but Brooks pulls me back. I stumble, not expecting the contact, and land with my back to his chest.
Before I can whip around and give Brooks a piece of my mind, the giant grins and thrusts out his hand. ”Sorry, about all the noise. That was my fault. I need the music to pump me up before a game, and I figured it would help get shit done on this place. I”m Carson, Brooks”s younger brother.”
I hesitantly reach my hand out to shake his, but Carson doesn”t stop there. He pulls me into his sweaty chest, lifting me off my feet as he gives me a bear hug.
”Put me down, you ogre!” I slap at his chest, making him laugh.
When my feet finally touch the ground, I can”t help but join in with his laughter. From what I can tell, he”s like a giant-ass teddy bear and knows how to have fun. Before I can say anything else, Brooks has my arm again and is spinning me around.
”Are you okay? My idiot brother didn”t hurt you?”
His hand is still on my wrist, keeping me in his space. His face fills with annoyance as he glances at his brother, but it quickly turns to concern as he looks down into my eyes.
”I”m fine, Brooks. But I”m seriously pissed at you.”
”I”m sorry about the noise. I didn”t think we would be disturbing anyone.”
”Well, newsflash, you are! I live on the second floor above my shop, and Daphne is on the third floor. All of your racket woke me up, which fucking sucks since I didn”t get to bed until after 4am.”
Anger flashes in his eyes as he clenches his fists again. I have no idea why he”s having that kind of reaction. But as quickly as the anger came, it”s replaced with a blank expression as Brooks finally lets go of my wrist.
”Right. Sorry for waking you. I”ll make these idiots keep the music down and the yelling to a minimum. I hope you can get some rest and that we don”t disturb your day too much.” Brooks spins on his heel and goes back over to where he was working. He lifts the sledgehammer and starts smashing the shelf he was working on.
I have no idea what the fuck just happened, but I”m as annoyed now as I was when I first came in here.
A giant hand lands on my shoulder, startling me. ”Don”t sweat his pissy attitude, babe. You”re the first woman in forever that I”ve seen get under his skin, and it looks like my big bro doesn”t know how to handle it. I am sorry we woke you up.”
”It”s okay. Now that you guys know I live there, we hopefully won”t have another early morning wake-up call.”
”Sure. My brother and I are only here for the day, so we won”t be in your hair too long. We have to get back for training tomorrow, and Brooks only has one mattress in his apartment.”
”What kind of training?”
”Do you watch football?”
”Nope. I”ve never really been into sports.”
Carson scans me head to toe as he assesses me. Between my haircut and the tattoos covering my arms and legs, I definitely don”t give off a sporty vibe.
”I can see that. Cameron, my twin over there, and I both play professional football. We”re in our off season, but we still have regular training we have to attend.”
”That”s really cool. Are you guys on the same team?”
”We are, and our coach loves and hates having us together.”
”I bet. If Cameron”s anything like you, I”m sure you keep everyone on their toes.”
”Oh, like you wouldn”t believe.” His grin is devilish as he wags his eyebrows.
I can”t help but laugh. Sure, he”s good-looking, but he doesn”t do it for me like his older brother does—who is glaring at the back of Carson”s head.
Wanting to push Brooks a little more, I trace the ink on Carson”s chest as I step closer. ”Who did your ink?”
”One of the guys on the team has a brother who owns a shop near the arena. The Parlor. Are you familiar with it?”
I smile as soon as the name leaves his lips. That”s my old shop, where Lark still works. I thought Carson”s piece looked like one of Mateo”s, but I wasn”t sure.
”You could say that. I worked there before I opened up this place. My brother, Lark, still tattoos there. Did Mateo do this piece?”
”No shit. What a small world. Yeah, Mateo worked on this one for me. His brother is the one on my team.”
I go to respond but don”t get a chance since Brooks comes storming back over.
”Are you going to flirt with Wren all day, or are you going to help me get this shit cleaned up so the guys can start the renovations?”
”Easy, bro. I was just getting to know your neighbor a little better.”
”Well, hurry up. I can use all of your help since you”re only here for the day.”
Before either of us can say anything, Brooks storms off again.
I raise an eyebrow at Carson, who gives me another one of those devilish grins.
”I better get back to it before Brooks blows a gasket. It was nice to meet you, Wren.”
”You too. Why don”t you come check out the shop before you leave. Maybe I can convince you to sit for me once you’ve seen some of my work.”
”Fuck yeah. That would be cool as hell. I”ll make sure to stop by.” Carson leans down and kisses my cheek before jogging back over to his twin, Cameron, who was working while we talked.
Cam tips his head in my direction and smiles. I wiggle my fingers at him then look back at Brooks.
He”s staring at me, eyes blazing. I don”t know what makes me do it, but instead of waving at him, I flip him off then turn and leave the shop.
Back in my building, I slowly make my way up the stairs to my apartment. I don’t have anyone scheduled today until this afternoon, so I try to take a nap.
Lying in my bed, I can’t help but think over my interaction with Brooks. He looked so fucking good with his muscles bulging as he worked, but his attitude leaves something to be desired. Of course, I tend to go for guys who are assholes, but something is telling me that Brooks is only like that with me.
I know I shouldn’t be so intrigued by him, but there’s just something about Brooks that gets under my skin. The way his eyes heated as he took in my barely there pajamas or how he snapped at his brother about flirting with me makes me think that he is just as affected by me as I am by him.
Feeling too warm, I toss my covers off and strip off my shorts. I hate sleeping with pants or shorts on. Now that I’m more comfortable, I will my brain to shut off and just let me get a little more sleep so I’m not a complete zombie today, but the throbbing in my clit is not letting that happen.
Every time my eyes close, fantasies of Brooks take over my brain. I rub my thighs together to relieve the pressure, but it only makes things worse. Knowing that I always sleep better after a good orgasm, I reach into my nightstand and grab out one of my tried and true toys. I have a couple of different vibrators and dildos to choose from, but immediate relief is my goal right now, so I reach for my favorite B.O.B.. It is a G-spot vibrator with air suction for my clit. The orgasms are fast and furious, which is exactly what I need right now. The best part about this vibrator is that it is hands-free, which lets me focus on the pleasure it provides.
I slide my toy in and turn it on to the lowest setting. My walls instantly tighten as the vibrator rubs my G-spot, sending waves of pleasure through me. My back arches off the bed as the suction intensifies the pulsing in my clit. Sliding my hands up my stomach, I lift my tank top until my fingers are brushing my nipples. Wishing I had grabbed my nipple clamps out of the drawer, I do the next best thing and use my fingers to pinch and tug at my stiffened peaks, pretending they”re Brooks”s teeth instead.
I gasp at the image as heat floods my veins. The tempo of the suction picks up with a click of a button as I imagine Brooks nipping and kissing his way down my torso to my aching center. I fantasize it’s his mouth wrapping around my clit, sucking and teasing it, until my orgasm tears through me with an image of Brooks smirking up at me as he licks my cum from his lips.
I don’t even realize I’m screaming until the haze wears off and I’m coming down from one of the best orgasms I’ve had in months. My foggy brain tries to figure out what the hell just happened and why Brooks, of all people, set me off the way he did.
I can’t figure anything out. I take out my toy, tossing it on the nightstand to clean later as my eyes become heavy and sleep pulls me under.
I’ve been at the shop for about an hour, manning the front counter since I’m in between clients, but Daph and Meadow are currently both working away at their stations. I miss River being here to help out, but it might be time to think about hiring an office manager.
I have my sketch pad in front of me and my phone beside me, with references to a tattoo that one of my long-time clients is coming in to get inked later tonight. I’ve been done with the outline for a few weeks, but the feeling of something missing has been nagging me. As I sit back to gain a different perspective, inspiration hits, making my hand fly to my pencil, which quickly moves across the page. I’m just finishing up the sketch when the front door opens, and Carson and Cameron walk in.
Letting out a low whistle, Carson spins in a slow circle as he takes in the place. He looks in awe of our shop, which makes me smile as I tuck my sketch pad away and stand to greet them.
Carson doesn’t hesitate to wrap me in a bear hug, which makes me laugh. Cameron shakes his head with a small smile before he nods hello to me.
“Babe, this place is fucking awesome.”
“Put me down, you big lug.” I smack his arm. “And you don’t have to tell me. I know it’s amazing.”
“What the fuck, Carson? Put her down.”
Carson’s arms release me, and I stumble as I drop back down to my feet, peering around the giant in front of me.
Brooks is standing in the doorway, looking fucking pissed, with a clenched jaw and arms tight across his chest. His hair is wet and he’s got fresh clothes on, but my eyes barely notice. My gaze is locked with his. His nostrils flare and his pupils dilate, making goosebumps erupt on my skin.
“Easy, big bro. Wren and I are buds. She was just about to show us around the shop. You should join us.”
I give him a questioning look. “I was?”
Carson rolls his eyes before giving me a subtle nod.
“Right, I was. Daphne and Meadow have clients right now, but as long as their curtains are open, I’ll introduce you.”
I walk the guys down the hallway. When Daphne and Meadow meet a very amiable Brooks, my brows can’t help but furrow seeing this side of him. I’m nervous when I make it to my station, which is not a feeling I’m used to. Thanks to Lark being so supportive, I’ve always been confident in my art and my craft, but having Brooks judge me has my stomach tied up in knots.
“Damn, Wren. Your work is stunning,” Carson mumbles as he looks at my flash and some of my favorite pieces I’ve done that hang on the back wall of my station. There’s not a ton of room to hang things up since we wanted the ability to have the top half open to make the space seem bigger than it is.
“It really is awesome.” Cameron tells me, looking impressed.
It’s the first time I’ve heard him speak. The low gravel in his voice takes me back, but the brief smile has me feeling ten feet tall. I get the sense that where Carson is loud and outgoing, Cameron is quiet and more reserved.
Brooks is staring at the only picture hanging up in my space. It’s a photo of a seventeen-year-old-me giving Lark my first tattoo ever. I don’t know who is smiling harder, which has made it one of my favorites of us.
“As much as I want to stay and steal your chair, Cam and I really do need to get back. Can I get your number so that we can figure out a time I can get your hands on me?”
Behind me, what sounds like a growl comes from Brooks, which makes Carson’s shit-eating grin that much bigger.
I roll my eyes as I push him out of my station. Cameron chuckles before following us out.
Back at the front counter, I snag one of my cards with my cell on it and give it to Carson. “Text me or call me, and we can go over designs and when I can get you on my schedule. I’m pretty flexible, especially since I live over the shop, so I’m sure we can find a time that will work.”
“Awesome.” Carson pockets my card and gives me another bear hug.
I laugh, but then feel a genuine smile spread across my face when he plants a chaste kiss on the top of my head. “It was great meeting you, Wren.”
“You too, Carson.”
I’m surprised when Cameron walks over and gives me a quick squeeze and a kiss, like his twin. When I smile up at him questioningly, he smirks before following Carson out the door.
“Huh,” Brooks mutters behind me, causing me to startle. He is leaning against the doorway, with arms crossed over his chest and one ankle across the other.
“What do you mean, huh?”
“Well, that was normal behavior for Carson, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen Cam that comfortable with anyone so quickly.”
“He seems quiet but sweet.”
“That describes him pretty well. He doesn’t show people how sweet he can be that often.”
“Well, I’m honored, then.”
“You should be.”
“Is there anything else I can help you with, Brooks?”
He slowly looks me up and down before his eyes settle on mine. “Sure is. I don’t want to be a hindrance to you, so is there a certain time you want me to wait until doing work at the bookstore?”
Is he seriously asking me that? I mean, it was a shock to the system this morning, but it’s his shop and he can do what he wants, when he wants it.
“Um, no. You can work whenever. Maybe just keep the music a little lower? Sometimes my clients are night owls, which makes for really late nights for me.”
Brooks studies me for a minute then he nods, taking a step towards me. He raises a hand and strokes his fingers down my cheek, making me gasp.
“I can do that. Anything else, love?”
I’m speechless from his gentle caress and the fire behind his eyes, so all I manage to do is shake my head no.
Brooks smiles before he leans down and places a kiss on my forehead. He’s got me so off-kilter that it’s hard to remember how much he irritates me. Taking a step back, he smiles as he heads towards the door.
“See you around, little minx.”
I stand there as I try to regain my composure. It isn’t until I hear Meadow giggle behind me that I shake off the stupor Brooks left me in. I spin around and point a finger at her. “Not a word.”
She laughs harder, raising her hands in surrender. I know she wants to say something else, but her customer is making his way to the front, saving me from a conversation I don’t want.
While her customer is paying, mine walks in the door, and I get lost in my work for the rest of the night. It isn’t until I’m stumbling up my stairs that my mind strays to my sexy but frustrating next door neighbor. Too tired tonight, I decide I’ll build my walls up where he’s concerned tomorrow.