Eli leaned on the glass jewelry counter, patiently waiting as the group of young twenty-something girls scanned the walls of flash art. The second Kenz saw the first girl pull the shop door open, she abandoned Eli with an “Oh, fuck no,” and disappeared to her station, completely out of view from the front counter.
They’d all seen it before; he’d bet money one of them would choose a butterfly or a fairy. Not so original, but it didn’t bother Eli like it bothered Kenz. Who was he to say what someone should get permanently inked on their body?
“What do you recommend?” a blonde asked him, staring at him as if she’d prefer him under her skin instead of the ink. She pushed her chest out in her barely-there tank and bikini top and swung her hips seductively as she approached the counter. Should I tell her? Eli laughed to himself as the rest of the group followed their friend and took up position behind her. The blonde stood in front of him now, twirling a strand of bleached hair as she bit her bottom lip. Now that they were all closer to him, the smell of alcohol was unmistakable. Not that he’d had any doubt, as soon as they’d walked in, that they’d been drinking.
“I recommend you get something you’d want on your body for the rest of your life.” He immediately regretted his choice of words when he saw the flash in her eyes.
“Is that an offer?” Jesus Christ, this girl has no shame. She licked her lips, letting her eyes roam over his chest and arms. Eli heard a snicker from behind him and knew Kenz was listening. Inkubus Tattoos had designated stations partitioned off by dark gray walls that stopped a foot from the ceiling. The walls gave the clients some privacy and still allowed you to hear everything else going on. With any luck, Novak and Ryder couldn’t hear over the machines they were using, or they’d give him so much shit.
He leaned a little closer to her over the counter, watching her smile in satisfaction as she also leaned in. “If you’re talkin’ tattoos, yeah it is.”
“Steph, are you getting one or not?” one of the friends whined impatiently.
“O.M.G. Maybe I’ll get my belly button pierced!” another said, and this time Eli couldn’t hold back the snicker when he heard the muffled “fuck” coming from Kenz’s station. She happened to be the only body piercer at Inkubus Tattoos. Man, if these chicks weren’t wasted, he’d totally push for the piercing, just to fuck with her.
“So, is there a succubus in this place?” Blondie began to lean on the glass in front of Eli, framing her chest with her upper arms and pushing her tits toward him.
Oh, for fuck’s sake. Like they hadn’t heard that one before. Eli stood up and leaned away from the chick, tempted to answer the question with, “Yeah. Me.” Instead he sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. “So, you gonna make an appointment?”
That got her attention. “Appointment? I wanna get one today.”
“No can do.”
She stood back up, the smile fading from her face. “Why not?”
Eli gave his best shit-eating grin and pointed behind the group of girls to the sign hanging on the wall. “Shop rules.”
One of the girls read out loud, “Must be eighteen or older for tats and holes. If you are pregnant, drunk, stoned, dirty, smelly, ignorant, or a fucking pain in the ass, come back when you are not.” The blonde’s friends all started to laugh, but blondie didn’t look amused.
She must have either been too drunk or too stupid to take a hint. “Oh, come on. I only had one drink.” Her friends all giggled behind her, a couple rolling their eyes, because clearly, they’d each had more than one.
“Is there a problem, ladies?” Eli turned and watched Novak come out from his stall trailing behind one of his regular clients.
The client took one look at the group standing in the front of the shop and laughed. “Good luck with that. See ya, guys.”
“Thanks, asshole.” Novak chuckled and turned back to Eli. “What’s up?
Eli nodded his head in the direction of the group. “Nothin’ I can’t handle. I was just informing them they’d have to make an appointment to come back another day.”
“Are all the guys who work here fucking hot?” one girl mumbled to the group, which probably came out louder than expected thanks to the alcohol.
“Nah,” Novak said to the group. “Only the owner.” Then the cocky bastard wiggled his eyebrows up and down.
“You’re the owner?” The blonde had a bit of a bite and condescension in her words.
Eli tried to suppress a laugh at the shit-show that was about to go down.
“Yeah, I am.” Novak squared his shoulders, crossing his arms in a firm, no-bullshit stance, practically challenging the girl to say something. The man towered over the rest of them and easily matched Eli’s brother, Zachariah, who stood at a freakishly tall six foot five. The girl had to crane her neck to look up at the guy, and yet, Eli could tell she wasn’t going to back down.
“This guy told me I can’t get a tattoo. What kind of business turns away customers?” Man, this chick really was stupid. Apparently, her friends thought so too. They all let out a collective groan. One pulled on the blonde’s arm, to which the blonde responded by yanking her arm away in a huff.
Eli turned his head and laughed at Kenz who was more than willing to come out of hiding to watch. “Where’s the popcorn?” She rubbed her hands together in anticipation.
Novak looked completely unimpressed. “The kind that doesn’t need business from bored, drunk-off-their-ass college girls with daddy’s money,” he replied, and the deep timber of his voice left no question: He was pissed.
“I’m not—”
“Come on, Steph. Let’s go.” Her friends seemed to be running out of patience.
“Fine. Who needs a tattoo from some creep who stares at your tits anyway?” She looked directly at Eli this time, and fuck if he could hold in the laugh.
“Unless you’re looking at her,” Eli hiked a thumb toward Kenz, “you’re barking up the wrong tree.” He watched the blonde think about that one before the light dawned in her glassed-over eyes. Then she quickly turned, shoving the door open hard, her friends trailing behind.
“What a waste of a sexy-as-fuck body.” Kenz shook her head in irritation.
“Please, she couldn’t handle Makenzie Dawson.” Eli smirked, flicking a piece of blue hair that had fallen out of her messy bun and hung by her ear.
“Ain’t that the fucking truth,” she quipped.
Ryder came out of his workspace with a woman following behind him. He reached his arms over his head, stretching out muscles that were sure to be sore after hours of working on the woman’s sleeve. He nudged his head toward her as she thanked him and headed toward the door. “Have a good one.” Stopping in front of Eli and Novak, he asked, “What’d I miss?”
“The usual…bleached blonde bitch vapin’ too much sunscreen,” Kenz told Ryder before heading back to her station.
Ryder looked out the window at the group that was now across the street then sat down on a stool next to the register and pulled out his phone. “You guys wanna hit up Jimmy Mac’s tonight? I need to get fucking laid.” Shocker. The guy didn’t have trouble finding a one-off on any given night. He also didn’t care if the hole was in a man or a woman. He liked to fuck, and his blend of geek and bad boy caught the attention of both sexes. Hell, even when Eli was hired two years ago, he’d taken notice of the guy. Ryder had been with Inkubus going on four years. He’d upped the geek since Eli started working there, with his blond hair side parted and slicked back and his classic black-framed glasses. Of course, he’d upped the ink too.
“What else is new?” Eli scrubbed a hand over his face. “Nah, man, I’m beat. Think I’m gonna pick up some Popeye’s, a six pack, and go home and crash.”
“Livin’ the dream, Eli.” Then Ryder looked at Novak. “What about you? You coming out with me or going home to beat off like this asshole?”
“Funny,” Eli deadpanned.
“I’ll grab a beer.” Novak walked to the front of the store and locked the door. He flipped the switch to turn off the neon “Open” sign.
“See what you’re missing out on, Eli?” Ryder said giving him shit. Eli rolled his eyes and turned, heading back to his station to clean. Of course, the place wasn’t big, and he could still hear the conversation going on up front. “Dude, we’re finding you some ass tonight.” Eli closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.
“Who says I need your help?” Novak shot back. “Best part of being single, my friend. I don’t answer to a goddamn person, and the Pier is a fucking buffet, especially in the summer.”
Eli laughed to himself as he began cleaning up his work space. A buffet in the summer… That really gave new meaning to the phrase All You Can Eat.
Eli took a walk on the boardwalk to clear his head before he finally got his food and went home. He wrapped his left arm around the six pack of River Horse, trying not to drop the glass bottles or the bag of fried chicken, as he reached in his other pocket for his keys. He abruptly stopped, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand up in awareness. Quickly, he turned his head and released the breath he’d been holding. “Jesus, Novak. What the fuck are you doing?”
“Took you long enough. Where the hell have you been?” The guy stood behind Eli, a little too close for comfort, as he unlocked his door.
“You keeping tabs on me now?” He flipped the switch on the wall just inside the door, flooding the living room with light. Crossing the room, he didn’t even have to look back to know Novak had followed him inside. Eli set the beer and chicken down on the peninsula counter that separated the kitchen from the living room. As he turned back around, he sucked in a breath, surprised to find the larger man less than a foot away. Eli crossed his arms over his chest defensively and studied his friend. “So, what are you doing here?”
“I live here, remember?” Novak took a small step forward, and Eli dropped his arms, his back straightening.
“No, you live in the building, not here. I thought you and Ryder would still be out. Correction—enjoying your buffet.” Eli sucked in a breath when the man closed in, caging him to the counter with a strong arm on either side of him.
“You jealous?”
“Fuck no.”
“'Cause you sound jealous.”
“You’re fucking craz—shit…” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling the warm hand cup him between his unsteady legs. “Fuck, Jake.”
“Now, that’s a good idea. Fuck Jake.” He leaned in, licking Eli’s neck, deliberately trailing his tongue over his jaw, stopping at his mouth, their lips barely touching. Eli tried to find an ounce of self-control, but it was slipping away with every stroke of that strong hand over his erection.
“Jake, we can’t keep doing this.”
The man pinned Eli with those big brown eyes of his while slowly sliding his hand to the button of Eli’s jeans. “You know you’re the only one of my friends who ever calls me that?” He licked a line up the center of Eli’s mouth then nipped his bottom lip. “I like it.” His voice was deep, husky and sent a chill down Eli’s spine. Jake moved his other hand from the counter, using both to open Eli’s pants. He didn’t waste any time, quickly sliding his big hand past the waistband of Eli’s underwear and wrapping it around his throbbing cock.
It was on the tip of Eli’s tongue to say no. He needed to stop this, and he needed to do it right goddamn now. How many times was he going to do this to himself? Who the fuck am I kidding? Eli reached up, grabbing the back of Jake’s neck, feeling the guy’s soft, dark brown hair against his fingers, and pulled. It was the same every time their lips met; that fierce, undeniable need for more consumed him with every stroke of Jake’s tongue against his own. Screw the damn buffet—Eli wanted to be fucking devoured by this man.
Reaching behind himself, he gripped the back of his black T-shirt and broke the kiss long enough to pull it over his head. As soon as the shirt was off, Jake took his mouth again, pressing his larger frame against Eli’s. Eli gripped the bottom of Jake’s shirt and pushed it up until they were forced to break apart again. Both men scrambled to get naked, kicking off shoes before removing the rest of their clothes.
Eli tried to ignore the pang of jealousy as he watched Jake remove a condom and packet of lube from his wallet. Now was not the time to wonder how often the guy had to replenish his supply.
“What?” Jake’s brows were drawn together.
Shit. Okay, so maybe Eli wasn’t hiding his emotions as well as he thought he was. He opened his mouth to reply when that big, strong hand wrapped around his cock again. Instead of words of protest, Eli groaned, gripped Jake’s biceps, and centered all thoughts on his dick in the hot cocoon of that hand. The hand that knew exactly how he liked to be stroked.
“Turn around,” Jake ordered, grabbing the condom and tearing it open.
Fuck if Eli’s body didn’t listen as he immediately turned and braced himself against the gray counter, spreading his legs. It didn’t take much prep; he didn’t need it. What he needed was… “Fucking do it already.”
“Like this?” Jake pressed his cock up against Eli’s hole, pushing it inside in smooth thrusts. The bastard knew how Eli wanted it…knew his body entirely too well.
“Fuck,” Eli hissed out, leaning further over the counter, almost knocking his food off as he gripped the far side. Jake’s fingers dug into Eli’s skin, and the sick thing was…he wanted it. He wanted the marks, wanted to see them for days.
He could hear Jake’s grunts behind him, punctuating every thrust inside Eli. He knew the man just as well and could tell from the tighter grip on his sides and the erratic, desperate pumping of Jake’s hips—the guy was close. Eli moved his hand down, wrapping it around his cock, and stroked to the beat of the wooden stool banging into the counter with each driving force. The second Eli let go, clamping his body around Jake’s hot shaft over and over and painting the counter and wall below it, Jake yelled out his release.
The men barely moved, panting from the exertion until, finally, Jake pulled out. Eli licked his lips, pushing off the counter as he slowly stood up. Yeah, he was going to feel that for a while. He looked to the floor, scanning it for his underwear which he found hanging from the bottom rung of the stool. He bent over to grab them, feeling the ache in his well-used muscles and the sweat cooling on his flushed skin.
As they both cleaned up and began to dress, Eli watched Jake as he pulled his jeans up over a fantastic ass. Why’d the man have to be so goddamn gorgeous? His chocolate brown hair glistened with sweat at his temples. Long muscles flexed and each tattoo followed the movement. Eli let his eyes roam up Jake’s chest, over the dark hair in the center that sprinkled over his pecks. Powerful black and gray wings spread out below his clavicle from one shoulder to the other. Eli’s breath caught every time he saw them. The skull underneath seemed like it was watching him. Then his view was blocked as the guy pulled his navy T-shirt over his head.
“You want to stay a bit? There’s enough chicken and beer for both of us.” Eli held his breath, bracing himself for the answer he knew would come but resented just the same.
“I gotta get goin’.” Jake awkwardly looked around as he patted his pockets. Glancing to the counter, his eyes landed on his wallet which he quickly picked up and shoved in his back pocket.
Eli’s heart constricted in his chest. What’d you expect? You knew how this would play out. “Yeah. Sure. Whatever.” The words were abrupt, and there was no hiding the anger in his voice. It was always the fucking same damn thing. Show up unannounced, fuck, escape…rinse and repeat.
“Eli —”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Novak.” It sounded like a dismissal because that’s exactly what it was. He was so damn tired of the whole fucking thing. That was it in a nutshell, wasn’t it? He was exhausted by Jake reducing what they had to quick fucks. Things had been different not that long ago. Eli was even stupid enough to believe they were actually growing closer…that there could and would eventually be more between them. What a fucking joke.
Jake hung his head, wiping his palms on his jeans. “Uh, yeah…right.” The man approached the door but stopped with his hand on the doorknob. He didn’t turn around, and Eli held his breath, waiting for him to say something…anything…that would give any sort of hope to what this was between them.
Rapidly, his heart fell to his feet.
Because instead of the guy staying…instead of choosing to figure this whole fucked-up thing out…Jake shook his head, opened the door, and left.