Hidden Ink (Montgomery Ink #4.5)(13)

“Let’s go,” she said softly and took a breath.

Sloane reached out and cupped her cheek. Without thinking, she leaned into his touch. “Okay, then, Hails. Let’s get some food.”

He let her go, turned off the hazards, and pulled out onto the road again. All the while, Hailey sat back, her cheek still warm from his touch. She had no idea what she was doing, but damn it, she couldn’t wait to figure it out.




“Do you want to come in?” Hailey asked a couple of hours later, her belly full and her cheeks aching from laughing all night.

Dinner with Sloane had been memorable to say the least. He was all big, bearded, broody, and inked. And oh so hers for the evening. He’d laughed with her, touched her when he could—a casual brush of fingers along silk. He would lean in close to tell her a joke and then smile wide when she laughed.

Sloane didn’t smile enough.

The fact that he would in her presence warmed her.

Sloane stood next to her on her porch, his large body towering over her but not scaring her in the least. He was the largest man she knew, and yet she knew, without a doubt, he’d never physically hurt her.

“I could get warm,” he answered.

She swallowed hard, unlocked her front door and stepped inside, feeling his warm body behind her. He helped her slide off her coat, his fingers brushing along her ribs. She shuddered out a breath.

When he pulled her to face him, she tilted her head up and licked her lips.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you for a long while,” Sloane said softly. “Should have done it before.”

“Then do it now,” she whispered.

When he lowered his head, pressing his lips to hers, she surrendered to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body to his, aware she was doing something she had not done since the diagnosis

Willingly allowing another to know the feel of her body.

It had taken years for her to allow herself to think of her body as beautiful. As brave. And with this kiss, she would take it one step further.

She would allow another to hopefully think the same.

His tongue slid along hers, and she moaned, loving his taste, the feel of him…everything.

When he pulled away, they were both breathless, a fundamental part of their relationship forever changed.

She met his gaze and knew there was something she had to do before she took the next step. It wouldn’t be fair if she didn’t.

“I…I’ve wanted to do that for far too long,” she finally said.

Sloane grinned, though she saw an emotion pass through his eyes she couldn’t quite name. Secrets, she thought again, they both had secrets. So, perhaps it was time she shared hers. She’d hidden them for so long, she almost didn’t know the words.

When she pulled away, he frowned. But he let her go, his fingers lingering on her hips as she moved.

“I’m glad we did it, then. How about we do it again?” he asked.

She licked her lips but held up her hand as he took a step forward. “I need to tell you something first.”

He tilted his head. “Okay.”

She let out a little laugh. “You’re always like that. You say okay and you listen. That’s what I’ve always liked about you, Sloane.”

He shrugged. “No use in being here if I’m not going to listen. You want to sit down?”

She shook her head. “No, but let’s go into the living room anyway. I don’t want to be so close to the windows.”

His brows raised, but he took her hand and walked with her into the living room. Her heart beat hard and her blood pounded in her ears once more, but this time, it wasn’t in breathless anticipation.

“So…you know how we were talking about secrets? Well, I think I should tell you mine…you know…before we do anything else.”

He shook his head. “You don’t have to tell me anything you’re not ready for. I know we started off tonight, hell today, on an odd note, but if we’re going to do this, let’s do it our way. Remember?”

“I want to do this.” She closed her eyes. “It’s so much harder to date someone you know,” she mumbled.

He let out a snort. “The ‘get to know you’ part is out of the way. You know my favorite drink, and I know the faces you make when you’re tired or annoyed. So yeah, we can’t hide things like that from each other. But I know you hold something back from everyone, from me. I don’t fault you for that. We all need our secrets.”

She nodded. “I know. And I should have told everyone long ago. I didn’t mean to keep it to myself for so long. It’s not that I’m ashamed...” She paused. “I’m not ashamed. But it’s…it’s not an easy subject. And all of us—the Montgomerys and crew—have been through so much. And since my…thing is in the past, it was hard to bring up.”

Sloane took a step forward but didn’t touch her. “Tell me, Hailey. You know you can tell me anything. What happened?”

She raised her chin, knowing it was all or nothing. “I had cancer. Breast cancer. In the course of my treatment, I had a bilateral mastectomy. The shape you see now isn’t who I was, but it is who I am now. I’m a survivor, Sloane, but no one knows.”





Chapter Four