Ink Enduring (Montgomery Ink #5)(53)

Yet, Border was big.

All muscles and power beneath a veneer she couldn’t quite break through. Sometimes he was sweet and helpful, other times he closed up. At times he took over and made her and Jake fall to their knees in this presence, still others he cherished them, going slow and letting them do what they needed. Then there were moments where he stood back and confused her all to hell. She didn’t know where he fit in their lives, and frankly, she was more worried that she didn’t know where she belonged in his life.

Border pinched her chin between his fingers, and the sweet pain brought her out of her thoughts.

“You’re thinking too hard, Montgomery.” His voice slid over her, a deep grumble that soothed her even as it turned her on. It didn’t make any sense, and yet she knew she’d become addicted to it if she let herself.

She cleared her throat and moved back. The loss of his touch was a visceral thing, but she did her best to ignore it. She couldn’t rely on him, on what he could mean to her, not when she didn’t know him. Not yet. She’d told herself she’d go into a relationship with Jake and Border as long as she tried to protect her heart. And that was what she was going to do.

It was the only thing she could do.

“Sorry about that, what kind of tattoo were you thinking of getting?” she asked, trying to keep her voice as businesslike as possible. From the look in Border’s eyes, she was failing at that. Miserably.

Border narrowed his eyes at her. “Why don’t you tell me what you were thinking?”

She snorted, trying to act as if nothing was bothering her. Because, frankly, nothing should be bothering her. This was a fling, maybe, and she shouldn’t get all bent of out shape that she was confused as all hell. She’d be fine once she got to know Border a bit more, and when things fell apart, as they always did, she’d be able to keep a friend out of it.

Because she’d be damned if she lost Jake, and that meant she wouldn’t lose Border either.

And if she kept telling herself that, she might just start to believe it.

“I’m just thinking about what we’re going to do once we get back to my place,” she said, not quite lying.

From the way Border’s eyes darkened, he was now thinking about that, too. Good. Because if he looked at her too closely, he’d see something she didn’t want him to see.

Border shifted in the chair, adjusting his cock in his jeans, and Maya had to swallow hard. Considering her brother was about twenty feet away from her right then, she needed to get her mind out of the gutter and onto ink. It wasn’t easy when Border and his very nice dick were so close to her mouth, though.

“I want feathers on my shoulder,” Border said suddenly, and Maya blinked.

“Feathers?” she asked as she picked up her sketchpad and pencil. “What kind of feathers and where exactly?”

Border pulled off his shirt, and Maya about swallowed her tongue. Damn man and his sexy as hell body. She had to click her tongue ring gently against her teeth so she wouldn’t say something along the lines of wanting to bite him. This was professional. She could do this.

Maybe.

“You know the scar I have on my shoulder?” he asked as he turned slightly.

“Yeah,” she said, her voice suddenly hoarse. It was from a gunshot wound, she knew. Jake and Border had explained it to her when she’d asked about it in bed after a particularly sweaty bout of sex. At first, she’d felt a little odd that Jake had already known, but he’d explained that Border had only just told him.

She had to get over any jealousy she had about the two of them. They’d known each other for years, the same as she and Jake, and now she had to get to know Border and form her own memories. Maybe when she did that, she wouldn’t feel like she was on the outside looking in. Of course, now she wondered if Border had that same feeling when it came to her and Jake. Living in a ménage wasn’t for the faint of heart and mind, that was for sure. It was easier when it was just a night of hot sex, yet this wasn’t that. She needed to know Border as they knew Jake, and that would take time.

She might as well start now.

“What kind of feathers do you want?” She studied his shoulder and the raised flesh that spoke of a history she knew he held close to his chest. She might know how he got that particular injury, but she didn’t know everything.

“Owl feathers,” he answered as he looked over his shoulder. “Not muddy brown or anything; a hunter’s feathers.”

She met his gaze and smiled. “I think that will look perfect. Do you want to cover the scar? Or go around it? With the way it’s raised, I can most likely do a tattoo over it, rather than around it. If it were any larger, it might be an issue like burned skin is, but this is a scar we can work with.” She was rambling now, and she didn’t know why.

He met her gaze and her breath caught. Oh, that’s why.

“Can you make it so the feathers go with it? Covering it but not hiding it?”

She studied his shoulder, her fingers grazing along the sides of the scar that had nearly taken his life. He might not have said as much, but the situation that had led to the wound had put him in danger, that was for sure.

“I can do that,” she said. “Depending on how big you want the feathers, it’s going to take longer than just a session today. So why don’t I trace you and work on the sketch and then do another session where I can actually do the tattoo.”