He kept at me, licking and sucking until I was whimpering in need. My hips jerked up to meet each glide and thrust of his tongue. “That’s right, baby. Fuck my face and take what you need from me.”

  His dirty talk brought me closer to the edge, and he kept me on the brink until I could barely stand it anymore. “Please, Maddox. I need—”

  “What do you need, baby? This?” he asked as he drove two fingers inside me. Then he flicked his tongue over my clit, and my entire body clenched tight. When he tugged it between his teeth, I flew over the edge, shouting his name. He licked me softly through my orgasm, not stopping until the shudders subsided. Then he helped me down from the counter and held me close until I was steady on my feet.

  “Wow,” I breathed as he helped me step into my jeans and tugged them up my legs.

  “Did coming hard for me help with the ache in your pussy?”

  “Um, yeah.” My cheeks heated as I tilted my head to the side. “Isn’t that the whole point of an orgasm?”

  Maddox’s lips curved up in a grin, and his blue eyes filled with humor. “Not the ache you get because you need me, baby. I meant any pain you might still have from popping your cherry last night.”

  “Oh.” My blush deepened as I clamped my thighs together and noticed that the twinges from earlier were gone. “Yeah, that’s gone, too.”

  “Good.” He crushed his mouth against mine, his tongue sweeping inside and giving me a taste of myself. He kissed me until I melted against him with my eyes drifting shut. “When I have you in our bed tonight, the only thing I want you to feel is the pleasure I give you.”

  I’d never looked forward to the end of the workday any more than I did at that moment.

  Chapter 8

  Maddox

  It was incredibly tempting to strip Ariel completely bare and find the nearest chair so she could ride my dick. I’d already made a fucking mess of my pants while I ate her pussy, and picturing her coming while she sat astride me was only making it worse. It was a damn good thing that I kept a change of clothes at the shop.

  I continued to kiss the hell out of her until I knew that if I didn’t stop now, I wouldn’t be able to. “You’re delicious everywhere,” I mumbled against her mouth. “It’s a good thing I have forever to eat you because I’m never going to have enough.”

  My hands had wandered to her ass, and I gave each cheek a squeeze as I kissed the tip of her nose. “I have to get to Ink Addiction,” I said, shocked to find that for the first time since I opened my shop, I was dreading my afternoon appointments.

  It wasn’t that I didn’t love my job and business, but I hated being so far away from Ariel all day. I wondered vaguely if she could still work with her sisters if she did her baking somewhere other than the industrial kitchen attached to the chapel. I’d have to ponder it more later.

  I set her away from me and retrieved the bag I’d brought with me. Belle had given me the name of Ariel’s favorite deli, and I’d stopped to pick up sandwiches, salads, and dessert for us. We spread it all out on a small table situated in a corner with three folding chairs. As we ate, I asked her question after question, eager to know everything about her. She managed to slip in her own inquiries as well. I was having a great time just enjoying her company, and it almost made me late to my next appointment.

  “Don’t work too hard, baby.” I smirked after kissing her goodbye. “You’re going to need your strength for later.”

  Ariel groaned and I raised an eyebrow, shocked at her reaction. “I don’t think I’m going to have the energy to move tonight, Maddox,” she sighed.

  I shook my head with a smile, realizing she’d misunderstood my comment. “You’re already moved, baby. The company I hired already packed up your old place and unpacked everything at our house before I brought lunch over.”

  Ariel stared at me, her jaw slightly dropped in shock. “It’s all done?”

  “Yup.”

  “Damn,” she whispered. “You don’t mess around when you want something, do you?”

  I grinned and grasped her hips, dragging her body up against mine. “Nope. I suggest you keep that in mind since what I want most is you.”

  Ariel’s eyes sparkled, and she flushed happily. “You’ve got me.”

  I shook my head before putting my mouth next to her ear. “Not yet, baby. I want all of you, which means a ring on your finger and a baby in your belly.”

  She gasped but when I pulled back and looked at her face, she was sporting a half-smile and a cute blush on her cheeks.

  After giving her one last hard kiss, I said goodbye and forced myself to leave before I said fuck it and took another shot at knocking her up.

  I arrived at Ink Addiction with about twenty minutes to spare. After hastily changing my pants in my studio, I set up the station I used near the front of the shop. The bell jingled at two o’clock on the dot, and I walked to the lobby to greet my client. I stopped short, cursing silently when I saw who it was. I’d been expecting this confrontation, just not yet. Griffith was more than likely to blame for this, and I was going to kick his ass for it.

  An exasperated sigh escaped my mouth at the sight of Knox Dawson, Ariel’s older brother, standing before me with a dark frown on his face, his bulky arms crossed over his big chest, and his legs firmly braced apart. Clearly, he was going for intimidating, but it was wasted on me. I’d dealt with fuckers more badass than him in my line of work. One of your employees messes up the tattoo of a local mob boss or a member of a motorcycle gang (or worse, the prez), you better know how to make deals with the devil.

  Besides—I mirrored his stance—I was a pretty big motherfucker, too. A fight between us would be fairly even. “Knox,” I greeted, keeping my expression blank. “I take it you’re not here for another tattoo?” I’d been doing Knox’s ink almost as long as Griffith’s.

  “What the fuck is going on with you and my sister, Holt?”

  The bell over the door jungled again, and I glanced over to see another customer walking in. I nodded to them in greeting before I looked at Knox and jerked my chin towards the back. Then I spun around and marched back to my office.

  Knox shut the door quietly behind him, and I grudgingly mumbled my thanks. Sudden, loud noises could startle one of the artists and cause them to make a mistake.

  I rounded my desk but didn’t sit, choosing to stand so he didn’t have a perceived advantage. “Why the hell should I explain myself to you, Dawson?” I barked.

  Knox took a threatening step forward, then narrowed his eyes when I showed no outward reaction. “Because she’s my sister, and it’s my job to protect her. So, I’ll ask again, what the fuck is going on between you and Ariel?” He was yelling by the time he finished, steam practically spewing from his ears.

  I debated fucking with him just because it was really none of his business. However, I was glad Ariel had so many people protecting her back and if I’d had a sister, I imagined I would probably act like an overbearing jackass, too.

  Deciding to put an end to this shit, I walked over to a safe sitting on a table that was pushed up against the wall to the left of my desk. I punched in the combination, and the door swung open. There were several folders of important paperwork, the bank deposit envelope, and a small, black box. I took the last item out and shut the door, locking it once more before turning to face Knox.

  I tossed the box in his direction without a word, and he easily caught it. He lifted the lid and stared at the three-carat, pink diamond on a rose gold band. After staring at it for a couple of beats, he snapped it shut and met my eyes. “This is what I think it is?” he asked with an arched brow.

  “I’ve known Ariel was it for me from the moment I met her. I called in a favor and ordered the ring after she left my shop yesterday. They dropped it off this morning.”

  Knox studied me for a long minute, his face unreadable. Then he tossed the box back and lifted one corner of his mouth, which I assumed was his version of a smile. “You’re lucky I’ve known you for years and Griffith stepped in to convince me that you weren’t having a fling with Ariel,” he informed me in a gruff tone. “I’ll give you a chance to make her happy, but”—he stepped closer, and this time I actually felt a fucking shiver run through me at the deadly warning in his eyes—“if you hurt my sister, I will take one of these tattoo guns to your balls before I cut them the fuck off. Is that clear?”

  I held up my hands in a gesture of surrender. “Understood.”

  Knox grunted before pivoting and walking to the door. His hand was on the knob when he glanced back at me over his shoulder. “I better see that ring on her finger before I hear about her being pregnant.”

  “You’re pushing it with your demands, Dawson,” I sneered. “Just take the win, knowing that I love her and am going to marry her.”

  He grumbled something unintelligible before storming, albeit quietly, from my office and out of the shop.

  I stuffed the ring box in my pocket and sat at my desk to attempt to do some paperwork before my next client arrived. It was somewhat of a relief to have that confrontation done and over with. I would never have guessed that facing Knox would be a piece of cake compared to a protective older sister.

  Chapter 9

  Ariel

  I was still riding high from the orgasm Maddox had given me hours later when I delivered the second wedding cake to the chapel. It was one of my best creations yet—each of the four tiers were different flavors; chocolate with toasted marshmallow filling on the bottom, lemon and lavender buttermilk filled with lemon on the second, mocha paired with rum custard on the third, and vanilla with a sweet rose cream on top. Each layer was frosted with white buttercream, and I’d decorated it with buttercream hydrangeas flowing over the top tier and circling the bottom two that were a perfect match for the flowers in the bride’s bouquet. The beauty of what I’d created only added to my happiness.

  It’d turned out to be an excellent day for me. I’d gotten further along in my reception prep for tomorrow than I’d expected. And since I didn’t need to worry about moving my stuff into Maddox’s place like I’d thought I’d need to do, I was looking forward to being able to spend my evening relaxing with him instead of packing up a bunch of boxes. Especially with everything he’d said he had planned for us.

  More orgasms for me, a blowjob for him, and another round of sex, but in a bed this time, sounded like the perfect night to me. I might not have had any experience before him, but I had a feeling that I’d be able to drive Maddox past the edge of his control when I got my mouth on him. Just the thought of it had my lips curving up in feminine satisfaction.

  “Well, don’t you just look like the cat that ate the canary?” Aurora teased when she caught sight of my smile. “I thought I’d find you all frazzled and out of sorts since Belle dragged you with her to the tattoo parlor on your only day off this week, but here you are grinning like a loon.”

  I couldn’t help but think that the saying was kind of fitting considering what I’d been thinking about when she walked in—and also in reverse since Maddox had eaten my pussy plenty of times already. It made a deep blush fill my cheeks. In an attempt to hide my expression from my nosy, older sister, I turned my head and pretended to inspect one of my signature buttercream frosting flowers on the top tier of the cake. I should’ve known it wouldn’t do any good, though. Aurora was too perceptive to fall for tricks like that.

  “Hey, what’s going on? I joke around with you all of the time without getting a reaction like this out of you.” Wrapping her hand around my upper arm, she tugged until I faced her again. Her eyes narrowed as she asked, “Wait a second. Are you being all weird because you got a tattoo too or something like that? Fess up, little sis. You know you can’t hide stuff from me for long.”

  “Um. Well,” I stammered, my cheeks heating even more as I thought about the ink on my shoulder and what it meant. I highly doubted that my big sister would appreciate the fact that in less than twenty-four hours Maddox had literally marked me as his, popped my cherry, and moved me in with him. Aurora tended to be a worrier, and her favorite people to fuss over were her siblings. I figured that I should probably wait to show her the tattoo until after she’d met Maddox and given him her stamp of approval. But she was right about not being able to keep anything from her for long, so I didn’t hesitate to tell her about Maddox. “It’s just that I’m smiling because I met a guy and he’s amazing.”

  Aurora’s eyes widened in surprise. “You met someone? When?”

  “Yesterday,” I admitted, my grin growing wider.

  “Yesterday?” she echoed, her brow furrowing. “When did you even have the chance to meet a guy? I thought you were busy hanging out with Belle all day.”

  “Yeah, that’s how I met Maddox. He does all of Griffith’s tattoos and was supposed to do Belle’s,” I explained.

  Her jaw dropped. “The guy who put that goofy grin on your face is a tattoo artist?”

  “Uh huh,” I answered dreamily, thinking about how I wanted to trace my tongue over all of the ink covering Maddox’s muscular body.

  “I don’t get it. What could you and a guy like that possibly have in common?” Aurora’s incredulous tone pulled me out of my fantasy as she waved her hand at the wedding cake I’d made. “You’re butterflies and rainbows, looking out at the world with rose-colored glasses. You see the good in everyone around you and create sugar-filled masterpieces to commemorate one of the happiest days in a couple’s life. It’s hard to believe that a guy who does tattoos for a living would appreciate that in a woman.”

  My spine straightened in anger. “You don’t know anything about him, Aurora. Maddox might use ink instead of sugar, but he creates art, too. It’s just that it’s on people’s bodies, and I know for a fact that there are people with tattoos he’s done that mean a heck of a lot more to them than the cakes I bake do to our customers. Like Griffith”—I used him as my example instead of myself because I definitely wasn’t going to bring up my tattoo in the middle of an argument—“and the heart tattoo Maddox did for him with Belle’s name. You even said how beautiful it was when you saw it. Heck, I think you might’ve even cried a little.”

  “Fine, maybe I’m being a bit overly judgmental,” she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her foot on the floor. “But can you blame me? At least when Belle fell for her rock star, I had the chance to threaten him with bodily harm before things went too far between them. Judging by the dreamy look in your eyes and blush on your cheeks, I’m guessing that ship has already sailed with you.”

  “Um. Yeah, you could say that,” I admitted softly.

  “Then I’d better meet him soon.” Aurora wagged her finger at me until I nodded in agreement, and then she threw her arms around me for a big hug. “And don’t think for a minute that just because I didn’t get the chance to warn him that I won’t still castrate him with a spoon if he hurts you.”

  Thinking about the muscles on my big guy, I knew that wouldn’t stop her if she thought I needed defending. Patting her on the back, I agreed, “I know you will.”

  It wasn’t until I got in my car to head to my new home that the seeds of doubt sparked by my sister’s concern started to pop into my brain. I might’ve convinced her to keep an open mind about my relationship with Maddox, but our discussion left a niggling doubt in the back of my mind about how compatible we’d really be together.

  Being in charge of the bakery meant lots of early mornings for me, but tattoo parlors were more of a late-night business. Balancing our schedules was definitely going to take some work. The chapel was doing well, but we weren’t as wildly successful as Ink Addiction was. A-list celebrities didn’t come to us to get married like they went to Maddox for ink. At least not yet.

  Our lives were quite different, and I wasn’t sure how we’d be able to meet in the middle. The only thing I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt was that I wanted to figure it out. All I could do was hope that Maddox did too, even if my talk with Aurora made me wonder a little about what he saw in me.

  As I parked my powder blue Mini Cooper next to Maddox’s black Dodge Challenger in the garage—since he left the door up for me—it reminded me of our differences. Then I walked into the house and saw all of my things mixed in with his, and it was a bit of an eye-opener too. My stuff was pastel and girly, while his was so masculine and dark. We really were opposites who barely knew each other, and now I was living with him. After one day...and we’d had unprotected sex.

  My heart started to beat quicker, and my breath came in shallow pants, but then I spotted him standing at the kitchen counter and my panic eased a bit. He had a beer in one hand as he poured me a glass of white wine with the other. His piercing blue eyes darkened with need when his gaze landed on me.

  As he set our drinks down on the counter and prowled over to me, I held my hands up in a gesture meant to ward him off. There was something I needed to know before I lost myself in him again. Before he got to close, I asked, “Why me, Maddox?”

  Chapter 10

  Maddox

  I halted in my tracks and stared at Ariel in confusion. “Excuse me?”

  She cocked her head to the side, and her eyes darted away nervously before coming back to my face. “Why do you want me? We’re opposite in every way. I guess I just don’t understand what you see in me that makes you think I’m the right woman for you.”

  My eyes narrowed, and I glared at her as anger bubbled to the surface. I quickly closed the remaining distance between us. She watched me warily but didn’t step back when I reached for her. I wrapped my big hands around her biceps and brought her so close that the tips of our toes were touching. I was so much taller than her that she had to drop her head back to look up at me.