Chapter 10 - Finding an Inroad
I woke the next morning to Izzy’s light snores in my ear. During the night, she’d shifted, turning her face toward me and wrapping her body around mine. Now, we were in the same position with her face buried in my chest.
I didn’t want to move. Izzy looked sweet and almost angelic lying in my arms, curled around me. I knew that, the moment her eyes opened, her wicked tongue and smartass words would be nonstop. The girl needed to stop running—or at least pretending to.
I never believed in love at first. Lust, yes, but not love. The problem was that I did love Izzy Gallo. She wasn’t like other women who’d spent time in my bed; she was in a class all her own.
I didn’t have to peel back the layers to find out who the real Izzy was. Her brother had already told me almost everything I needed to know about her. He had shared pictures with me, told me stories about his wild sister, and sung her praises for years. I had seen the fire in her eyes when I stared at her picture and listened to him talk about her. Meeting her in person had brought it all to life.
I loved her spirit. She grabbed life by the balls and played by no one’s rules but her own. I wanted a woman who would challenge me. Ladies caved too easily and gave no chase, but not Isabella. She was my prime target.
I eased her body away from mine, sliding out of bed to make a pot of coffee and some breakfast. I wanted to start the morning off on the right foot. If she hadn’t been so exhausted last night, I was sure she would’ve had a few choice words to hurl in my direction.
Sliding on my jeans, I looked at the bed and Izzy sprawled out amongst the dark sheets. The material hung just below her belly button and her breasts were uncovered, a tangle of brown locks framing her body. I wanted to crawl back in bed and wake her with my dick, but I knew she had to be sore from the pummeling I’d given her last night. I wanted her to remember where I’d been and how I felt filling her from the inside. Izzy Gallo wouldn’t be forgetting my territory for days.
I checked the coffee maker, the grounds and water already inside, and pushed the “on” button before heading outside to my bike. I grabbed the bag I’d packed, hoping I’d be spending a couple of days here, and stopped to look around the neighborhood.
A light fog covered the houses in the distance and hadn’t broken up yet from the sun. The birds chirped as a few people milled around the neighborhood walking their dogs and hurrying off to God knows where at this time of day.
The aroma of freshly brewed coffee hit me as soon as I walked back into the house. I needed to clean up before the princess woke from her slumber.
After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I grabbed two cups of coffee and headed to the bedroom. Izzy hadn’t moved while I was gone. I set the cups on the nightstand and kicked off my jeans, setting my phone on the nightstand. Once I’d crawled back in bed, I stretched out next to her and stared for a few minutes before I stroked her skin.
It was as smooth as silk and free from imperfections. Her long, dark lashes rested against her cheeks while she slept. I traced her lips with my fingers, restraining myself from devouring her whole. I kissed her softly, enjoying the velvety feel of them against mine until she began to stir. Her eyes fluttered open as her lips turned up into a small smile.
“Good morning,” I whispered against her lips.
“Good morning,” she said after turning her face away from mine and yawning.
“Sleep well?” I moved the hair away from her neck and planted a light kiss against her pulse.
“I’m so tired,” she mumbled, curling against my body and drifting back to sleep.
“Izzy,” I whispered, kissing her cheek.
“No,” she moaned without opening her eyes.
“I brought you coffee.” I ran my fingertips over her skin, tracing tiny circles and watching a line of goose bumps break out across her skin.
“What time is it?” she groaned, rubbing her eyes.
“A little after eight.”
“Why are you up so early?”
“I don’t need much sleep.”
Her blinks were slow as she stared up at me. “Did I hear you say coffee?” she asked with a groggy voice.
“I brought you a cup just how you like it.”
“I don’t want to move,” she said, closing her eyes.
I pulled her body against me and stroked her hair. “Just sleep. We have all day,” I whispered.
“Wait. What?” she asked as her body stiffened in my arms.
“I have all weekend off. I’m all yours for forty-eight blissful hours.” I smiled, biting my lip as I waited for her to freak out.
To my shock, her body relaxed and melted into mine. “Good. I can go back to sleep,” she said, closing her eyes and making noises of pleasure as I caressed her back.
Her breathing slowed as she drifted back to sleep. I held her, stroking her body as she snored softly. I’d expected her to throw me out or have a fit when I said that I’d be here for the entire weekend, but to my surprise, she’d fallen back to sleep.
That was the thing about Izzy. She was a woman full of surprises. I couldn’t nail down what her reaction to anything would be. She kept me on my toes, and for that, I’d be more than happy to keep her on the edge of her seat.
Just as I was about to drift off to sleep myself, my phone beeped and startled me. Izzy didn’t move when I jumped or when I rolled backward to grab my phone.
Tapping the screen, I saw a message in my inbox.
Thomas: Checking in. Quiet week. Hope you’re doing something more fun than I am.
Fuck. A wave of guilt rolled over me, settling deep in my stomach. Thomas was risking his life while I was busy fucking his sister. I couldn’t admit it to him, at least not yet.
Me: Good. Took the weekend off.
No reply came, as was usually the case. One message a week was what we were allowed before he’d wipe his phone clean of any remnants of our communication.
Izzy stirred in my arms, touching my face. “Everything okay?” she asked.
“Never better.” I turned off the screen and tossed the phone toward the end of the bed.
“Did you say something before about the entire weekend?” she yawned.
“Yep. I’m all yours,” I replied, kissing her forehead.
“Um, I have to work today.” Her body shook in my arms as she stretched.
“I’d love to see the shop.”
“Wouldn’t you rather do something else?” She pulled from my grip.
“I’ll find something to do today after I drop you off. We can go out later when you’re done.”
“I work late, though.”
“Don’t you own the joint?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Maybe you can get off early.”
“I was hoping to get off now,” she said, and laughed, covering her mouth with her hand.
I inched closer, bringing my body to hers. “That I can do,” I growled in her ear.
“James,” she said, pushing against my chest.
“Hmm mmm.” I nibbled on her ear before nipping a path down her neck.
She moaned as I bit down on the tender flesh above her collarbone. Using my tongue, I tasted her skin as I captured her nipple in my mouth and sucked hard, flicking it.
“Keep going.” She laughed and dug her fingers in my hair.
Izzy and I stayed in bed for a couple of hours, feasting on each other and drifting back to sleep. Finally, after showering, we were ready to head to the tattoo parlor a little after noon.
As she locked the door, she turned to me and said, “James, I’ve never brought anyone to the shop.” She kicked at the ground with her right foot and looked down.
“Izzy, I met everyone at the wedding. I’ll tell them I was in the area and you let me crash on your couch.”
Looking up, she rolled her eyes at me. “Yeah, ’cause that’s believable.”
“Listen, little mama. We can play it however you want to. I can say I fucked you mindless last night or that I just crashed at your place. I’ll let you explain it. I thought it would be nice to see the shop Thomas has told me so much about.” I climbed on my bike, lifting the stand as I straddled the machine.
“Skip the mindless fucking part,” she said, walking toward my bike.
“I’ll be your secret.” I winked at her, patting the back seat of my bike, and hoped she’d let me give her a lift.
“It’s not that I want you a secret. I just haven’t figured us out yet. I don’t know what I want.” She squeezed in behind me, gripping me with her thighs. She felt so fucking good wrapped around my body.
“You want me,” I replied, laughing as I turned on the engine and revved it. I took off before she could respond, and headed toward her business.
She yelled in my ear when I needed to turn. I didn’t tell her that I already knew where it was because of Thomas. Our jobs were dangerous and we had to share everything in our lives with our supervisors. Our families were monitored for their safety, and files were built about them. Thomas knew my life just like I did his. There were no secrets—until now, at least.
She climbed down, shaking out her hair as I turned off the bike. “I can’t believe I agreed to this shit,” she said loud enough for me to hear.
As I got off the bike and stretched, I said, “They’ll be more concerned about Thomas than what I’m doing here with you.” I twirled my keys in my hand as I followed her toward the front door.
“Let’s hope. This shit could blow up in my face.”
“What could go wrong?” I grabbed the door, opening it for her.
“Hey!” she yelled as she walked inside.
The reception area was empty, but there were voices and movement coming from the back.
“Yo! Back here,” a male voice called out from the tattoo area.
“Come on,” she whispered to me, motioning for me to follow.
I took a moment to look around the shop. It was stunning. Totally unlike some of the seedy shithole tattoo parlors I’d been in. This joint was classy, with colorful walls and beautiful decoration. It had Izzy written all over it.
“Hey, I brought someone,” she said as we walked into the back.
Mike, Joe, and Anthony stopped, looking up in unison. One by one, smiles crept across their faces as they recognized me.
“James,” Mike said, standing to shake my hand.
“Hey, Mike. Good to see you again.” I shook his hand, squeezing it firmly.
I didn’t feel out of place seeing the Gallo guys again. I’d met them all at the wedding. I’d spoken with each one of them, sharing the information about Thomas that I was able to without putting him at risk.
“Yo, James,” Anthony said, nodding to me without standing up.
I smiled, giving him a nod back.
“James, I’m surprised to see you here,” Joe said as he stood and held out his hand to me.
I smiled, taking his hand in mine and shaking it roughly. “I just wanted to see how Izzy was doing.”
“Ah.” He looked at me with squinted eyes and the corner of his mouth twitching. “I heard all about last weekend.” He released my hand, a dull throb in my joints where Joe had squeezed back as I hard as I had him. We were that type of man. We never showed weakness.
“Oh, did you?” I asked, a giant smile playing across my lips.
“Izzy never listens to us. We told her to stay the hell out of Daytona and stay the fuck away from Flash.” He sat back in his chair, looking at his sister. “She has to learn everything the hard way. Thank Christ she had four brothers to watch over her.”
I laughed as I looked at Izzy and practically saw steam coming out of her ears. No woman liked being talked about in this way, especially Izzy. She wasn’t weak and didn’t always need to be under the watchful eye of her brothers.
“Yeah, Daytona was rough. She’s home safe now and Flash is of no worry. I took care of him.”
“Good man,” Joe said, opening the drawers to his station and placing tiny cups for the ink on the perfectly laid-out paper sheet to keep the area clean.
“How’s Thomas?” Mike asked, leaning back in his chair.
“He’s well. It’s pretty quiet in the MC right now, but he’s kicking ass.”
“When the fuck will he be home, man?” Anthony asked.
I felt every eye in the place on me, waiting for the answer to a question I couldn’t give a simple answer to. “Soon. He’s so close he can taste it. You know Thomas. He won’t stop until he gets the job done.”
“Izzy said she saw him last weekend,” Joe said.
“Yeah. We both did.” I didn’t feel the need to expand upon the information. The details of which I was sure Izzy hadn’t given to them fully.
“She said he looked okay but a bit worn,” Joe prompted.
“The life he’s leading wears on a person, especially someone like Thomas.”
“I just want him home and safe,” Izzy commented as she walked up beside me and stopped.
I reached out, wrapping my arm around her, and drew her close. “He’ll be home soon, doll,” I promised, kissing her temple.
She stiffened in my arm. I looked down at her and followed her eyes to see three very curious faces.
“Want to share something?” Anthony inquired with one eyebrow reaching for the sky.
“Nope,” Izzy responded, quickly moving out of my grasp.
I grinned, happy with what had been done but knowing I’d probably catch shit for it.
“I’ll let you guys get to work. I’m going to head out for the day.” I nodded at them and turned to Izzy. “What time should I pick you up?”
“We don’t close until late,” she responded, looking up at me.
“Iz, you don’t have any appointments after six. You can take off after that,” Mike chimed in.
“Perfect,” I said, turning to him and winking.
She glared at him. “Thanks,” she hissed.
“I’ll be back at seven. Walk me out?” I asked, pulling her against my body.
“Fine,” she bit out.
“Oh hey, James,” Joe called out as we started to walk away.
“Yeah?” I asked, turning around to face him.
“My parents would love to talk with you. Mind going over there tomorrow for Sunday dinner?”
I smiled. The entire weekend was turning out perfect. I couldn’t have planned it any better if I’d tried. “I’d be more than happy to see them. I’ve heard amazing things about your ma’s cooking.”
“For the love of all that is holy,” Izzy muttered, rolling her eyes as she fisted her hands at her sides.
I laughed when her glare was now trained on me. “You okay with this?” I asked her, putting her on the spot with her brothers there for the show.
“Yep,” she barked. “Peachy.”
She was pissed off, and I loved it. When Izzy was angry, she looked even more beautiful.
“Good,” I said to her, and turned toward Joe. “I’ll be there.”
I grabbed her by the shoulders and ushered her toward the front of the shop and away from the watchful eyes of her brothers.
“Pissed off?” I asked as I stopped near the door.
“Not with you. Not entirely, at least.” She looked down and bounced on her heels.
“With them?” I motioned with my thumb over my shoulder.
“Yes.” She sighed. “They’re nosy bastards. And you.” She poked me in the chest. “What the fuck are you doing being all touchy-feely with me in front of them?”
“Just letting them know how it is,” I growled, drawing her against me.
She didn’t relax or melt into me like she had done when we were alone. “Only I let them know how it is.”
Moving my head back, I looked down at her and grinned. She was a pussycat. “I’ll behave from here on out.”
She rolled her eyes and pursed her lips. “I don’t believe a word that comes out of that sexy-ass mouth.”
“Probably smart.” I laughed, squeezing her tighter as I kissed her lips. Backing away, I stared at her. Her lips were parted and her breathing a bit uneven. She fucking wanted me and she couldn’t hide it any longer. “I’ll be back at seven.”
“Okay,” she whispered as I released her.
As she walked away, I reached out and smacked her ass. “Be ready, doll. There’s no rest for the wicked.”
“Jesus,” she whined. “Will you ever get enough? I ache all over.”
“When it comes to you, the answer is no. I want that body destroyed by the time I head home. I want you to remember who owns that pussy.”
“Caveman asshole.”
“Speaking of which, I want more of that too.”
“Get the fuck out of here,” she demanded, shoving me toward the door.
“Until later, doll,” I grunted as I touched her face, letting my fingers slide from her cheek.
I climbed on my bike, heading out to chill on the beach for the day and catch some rays. I’d be back for Izzy well rested and ready to ravage her body all night long. I didn’t want to miss a moment together. I’d have her ass loving me and wanting no one else but me before I walked out the door tomorrow.