Tattoos & Unicorns Read online

  “I'm sorry for hurting you. I want you to know that the reason I still came to New York has nothing to do with you. It turns out there are a lot of things that my mom has been keeping from me. I have family ties here, and I think it's time that I explored those.”

  “What does any of that have to do with me?” I asked defiantly.

  “I didn't come here for you, but I still want to be with you. I still love you, Ronnie. All I've wanted since we were in high school is to marry you one day. To start a family with you. I know deep down you still want that too.”

  I shook my head. “No. I don't. Not with you. Not anymore.”

  “I've given you time, and space. What more do you want from me?”

  “I want you to leave me alone.” I said with conviction.

  He took three purposeful steps towards me, and placed his hands on either side of my head against the elevator doors. My eyes grew wide as he inched his face closer, and closer to mine. I used his distraction to my advantage, and reached along the wall to release the emergency stop button. The elevator jolted, and he chuckled as it made it's ascend up to the final floor.

  When the doors opened, I forgot that I was leaning against them. I squealed, steeling myself for the fall that I was about to endure, but surprisingly I never hit the ground. Instead, a pair of strong familiar arms caught me just under my own, and pulled me to my feet. I opened my eyes, and spun around to face my savior.

  “Owen.” I blushed.

  “Unicorn.” He said, arching a brow.

  Derek stepped off of the elevator then, and Morgan poked her head out from our apartment.

  “Maintenance is on- oh!” She yelled down the hall, stopping when she realized that I was standing there.

  “We heard a couple in the hallway talking about the elevator not working, and we got worried.” Owen said. “Morgan called maintenance just in case, but it looks like you were doing just fine.”

  “We were. Isn't that right, Baby girl?” Derek asked, with a wink.

  “I should have fucking known.” Owen scoffed, before pressing the button to bring the elevator back up.

  “Should have known what?” I asked, reaching for his arm.

  “Don't bother Ronnie. We both know that I was only a distraction. I don't fit in here with you. Go on, and go back to hooking up with pretty boy here in the elevator.”

  “What?” I asked, incredulously. “We were not hooking up!”

  “Yet.” Derek said snidely. “She's got a little more class than that.”

  “Fuck this.” Owen said, before marching towards the stairs.

  “Owen, wait!” I yelled, but when he didn't stop I started to go after him.

  I felt a hand on my wrist then, stopping me in my tracks. I turned to face Derek with so much anger that he instantly let me go. I took off running as fast as I could down the hallway, and I could hear Morgan tearing into Derek as I did. When I entered the stairwell, I could just see Owen's head disappearing as he headed towards the second floor.

  “Owen!” I called out desperately as I moved my legs as fast as I could.

  Somehow, by shear luck I managed to catch up to him. I grabbed a hold of his arm with both hands and clung to him as hard as I could, in an attempt to stop him. He tried to shrug me off, but I held tight, and he rolled his eyes before turning to face me.

  “Whatever you have to say Ronnie, I don't want to hear it. I know what I saw. He had you pressed up against the elevator door, with the emergency stop on. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to put two, and two together.”

  “In this case I think maybe it does!” I snapped.

  “Face it. We had our fun, but we were never meant to be long term.”

  I let go of his arm then, and shoved him as hard as I could. Tears were threatening to fall, and all I wanted to do was scream at him. I tried my hardest to keep it together. I didn't want him to see me weak. To see the effect he had on me. I didn't want to grovel, but the fact that he didn't believe me was heart breaking.

  “I hate you.” I whispered, with my bottom lip trembling.

  “I told you; you deserved better.”

  “Why are you doing this?”

  “I'm not doing anything. This is all on you.”

  “Bull shit!” I said, my voice shaking.

  “Just... go back to Derek, I'm sure he's still waiting for you.”

  “I don't. Want. Derek! I want you; you idiot!” I yelled, the frustration building up inside of me.

  “He fits into your life here, I don't!” He yelled back.

  “What life?” I tossed my arms up in exasperation.

  “Your perfect life! The kids, the wedding, everything you wanted! Those kinds of things don't just go away, Ronnie!”

  “Stop calling me Ronnie!”

  “It's your name, isn't it?”

  I couldn't hold back anymore. The tears that I had been struggling so hard to contain suddenly came pouring out so fast that I could no longer control them. He looked at me as if he wanted to say something, but at the last minute changed his mind.

  “You're a coward.” I sobbed, as I lifted my chin a little higher.

  “I'm a realist.” He said, setting his jaw. “I won't be your back up choice.”

  “You're my only choice!” I said, wiping the tears from my cheeks.

  He turned to walk away then, and I knew that it was now or never. He was taking the easy way out. Ending things before they got too complicated. Before it got too deep to just back out. But I wasn't going to let him off the hook that easy. I watched as he made it down one step, and then two, before finally getting the nerve.

  “I love you!” I called out, stopping him dead in his tracks.

  “I know it's too soon, and I know that you're scared-”

  I never even had a chance to finish my sentence. The second the words left my lips, he was turning around and bounding up the steps he'd just gone down. My words were cut short by his lips pressing against mine, and I smiled against them with relief. I put my arms around his neck, and then he lifted me in his arms. My legs were crossed around his waist, and he carried me up the stairs, and through the door that led to my floor, setting me down just inside of it.

  “I'm sorry.” He said, resting his forehead on mine.

  “Did you really not believe me?”

  “I don't know what I was thinking. I just... I saw you with him, the way you were with him, and I just saw red. A part of me thought it was better this way. You're going to wake up one morning and realize that you, and I are too different. I guess I was just trying to save myself some heartache.”

  “By making me the bad guy?”

  “I never thought that I- after Abigail died I just- why is this so damn hard to say?” He stammered.

  “Just say it.” I said gently, placing my hands on either side of his face.

  “I love you too, Unicorn.” He said, softly.

  I smiled wide, and he rubbed his nose against mine playfully.

  “You called me Unicorn.” I said in a sing song voice.

  He chuckled. “It's your name, isn't it?”

  SEVENTEEN

  AFTER SLEEPING IN HOTEL rooms for the past two weeks, the fact that I was finally in my own bed again felt amazing. It was made even more so by the man who was currently laying beside me. His arm was draped over my middle, my back to his front, and I couldn't help but run my fingers over the tattoos there. I felt him stir behind me, and I wriggled closer against him.

  He kissed the crook of my neck, and I smiled as his grip around me tightened.

  “Morning.” He said.

  “Morning.” I sighed with contentment.

  “How did you sleep?”

  “Like a baby.”

  “I'm sorry I acted like such a fool yesterday.”

  “Fool isn't the word that I'd use.” I teased. “But, you're forgiven.”

  He nibbled on my earlobe then making me giggle, before I turned in his arms to face him.

  “I wish you didn't hav
e to leave.”

  “You have to go by the boutique today, otherwise Morgan will be the one making all the decisions.”

  I crinkled my nose. “She is pretty fond of tulle.”

  He laughed. “If it makes you feel any better I'd rather avoid the third degree from my dad, and spend my day with you instead.”

  I pressed my lips against his, and he smiled as he returned my kiss. I let my hands roam up, and over his chest before wrapping my arms around his neck. He dropped his own hands from my waist, to my hips, and then my ass. I moaned into his mouth, and he thrust his hips towards me suggestively.

  “Please tell me we have time.” I all but begged.

  “Only if we take it to the shower.”

  I gave him a quick peck before flinging the comforter aside, and attempting to wiggle out of his tight grip. He laughed, holding onto me tighter so that I couldn't move.

  “Someone's got herself all worked up.”

  “It's a little hard not to be with your uh- thing pressed against me.”

  “My thing?” He teased, with a hint of laughter.

  “What would you like me to call it then?”

  “Thor? Vlad the Impaler? Excalibur?”

  “No. No. And no.” I said, placing my hands on either side of his face. “Can we go have shower sex now? Pleeeease?”

  He loosened his grip then, and I rolled away from him as quickly as I could before he changed his mind. I could hear him laughing as I darted into the bathroom to turn the shower on, and I smiled. I had never enjoyed life like this before. Just being with him, spending time with him. I was smiling so much that it hurt, and I was loving every second of it.

  I had just stepped into the shower, when Owen entered the room. I stood facing him, with my head tipped back under the hot spray. When he opened the glass door, the cool air quickly sent goosebumps over my body. That, or it was the anticipation of feeling his hands on me once again.

  Within seconds, he was pulling me into his arms and pressing his lips hungrily against mine. His erection was pressing against my stomach, and I reached down between us so that I could stroke it. He groaned when my hand closed around him, and then I began to work it up, and down using my thumb to tease his head.

  He twitched in my hand, and I angled my hips so that I could brush his length against me. He gripped my ass hard then, lifting me in his strong arms. I let out a little yelp, as I reached for him so that I wouldn't fall. With my arms around his neck, he backed me up against the cool tile wall making me gasp. My ankles were crossed around his waist, and he used the wall to help hold my weight as he carefully slipped inside of me.

  “Yes.” I whimpered when I felt him fill me, and he returned his hands to my hips to steady me.

  The water was coming down between us then, and Owen reached up to avert the spray. It was splashing against the glass door now, but I couldn't care less about the mess it would make. All I was focused on right now was the way that he felt inside of me.

  I dipped my head down to the crook of his neck, and gave him a little nip there just as he began to work his hips. I moaned, running my hands up the back of his neck to grip his hair. I held on tight, as he began to bounce me up, and down onto his erection.

  His legs were bent at the knees, and he used the wall as leverage so that he could press into me with more force. I bit my bottom lip as he dug his fingers into my hips. With every thrust he was hitting me deeper, and deeper and it took everything in me not to cry out in pleasure. The only thing keeping me quiet was the fact that Morgan was only a room away.

  My nipples brushed against his chest, and he buried his head in the crook of my neck. I felt his tongue dart out to lick the water droplets from my skin, and I shivered. He nibbled the place he'd just tasted, and licked the sting away. Every brush of his tongue, and stroke of his shaft was igniting every single nerve in my body.

  I could feel him everywhere. His hands, his mouth, his body. Every movement was designed to draw pleasure from me, and damn was he good at it. I tipped my head up, allowing him better access to my neck, and when he began to kiss, and suckle me there my legs trembled. My grip on his hair tightened, and he growled with pleasure.

  I needed more, but I didn't have to ask for it. He could read my body like a book, and without a second's hesitation he began to slam into me. This time I did cry out. I couldn't contain the pleasure that he was creating inside of me. Stroke, after stroke I felt myself being drawn closer, and closer to the brink.

  “Owen!” I rasped, and he quickly placed one of his hands over my mouth.

  I smiled behind it, and he continued to pump his hips until I couldn't take it anymore. I came apart in an explosion of pleasure, and pain as my body was pressed repeatedly into the hard shower wall. I tried to open my mouth, but my cries were muffled by Owen's hand as he too found release. I felt him the second he came, filling me, hitting me deep in my core. The impact was so powerful it was enough to send another shock wave through me.

  My body trembled as it slowly began to relax against his, and he smiled wide giving me a knowing look. I smiled back lazily, and then he slowly set me down onto my feet. My legs felt like jello, and I had to brace myself so that I wouldn't fall over. How he was still standing after supporting my weight for so long was beyond me.

  He reached up to adjust the shower head, and brushed a few wet strands of hair from my face before leaning down to kiss me.

  “I can officially check shower sex off my bucket list.” I teased.

  “Seriously? You mean you've never-”

  “You seen the man I was engaged to. Did he look like the adventurous type to you?” I asked, arching a brow.

  “That just means we've got some catching up to do. Toss your list in the trash, Unicorn. I'm making us a new one.”

  “I'm intrigued.” I said, placing my hands on his chest.

  “You should be.” He winked, before pulling me into his arms.

  I laid my head on his chest, and let him hold me as the water fell down onto us. He rubbed my back tenderly, and kissed the top of my head before growing serious.

  “I love you, Ronnie.” He whispered.

  AFTER OWEN LEFT, I felt like I was just going through the motions. I had grown quite attached to him over the last two weeks, and now that we were settling into our 'normal' lives I wasn't sure how I felt about it. Or how I felt about sleeping away from him. I needed to put my big girl panties on though, because Morgan and I were getting ready to head over to Sew New.

  Our opening was still pretty far out yet, but there were a few cosmetics that needed to be taken care of. That, and I hadn't even seen the space in person yet. Morgan was the one to fly out with her dad, and make the purchase. Thanks to our backers we were able to get a prime location, and I was actually kind of excited to see how far it's come.

  When I walked out into the living room, Morgan was sitting on the couch painting her toe nails.

  “You're not ready yet?” I asked.

  “Just give me a second.” She answered. “I can wear flip flops down, and they'll dry in the truck.”

  “Please don't put your feet on the dash.” I said, pretending to cringe.

  “I promise.” She laughed.

  While she finished up, I made sure that I had everything I needed in my purse. A few seconds later she came to join me in the kitchen, carefully slipping her feet into her flip flops. I held the door open for her, and the two of us made our way down to the lobby. Thankfully, we didn't run into Derek on the way.

  The doorman escorted us out to the parking lot, flirting with Morgan the entire way. If I didn't know better, I'd think that she was enjoying it. But he wasn't exactly her type. Although, she did hook up with the tow truck driver, so there was a first time for everything.

  When we were both fastened into the truck, and I pulled out onto the road I cleared my throat.

  “What happened with Derek yesterday? The last thing I heard before I went chasing after Owen, was you yelling at him.”

 
; “Oh, that?” She laughed. “I told him that you moved on.”

  “That's it?” I asked, skeptically.

  She rolled her eyes. “I may have mentioned a certain tattooed song writer, and the fact that the two of you had been sleeping your way through the states as we traveled.”

  “I mean... you weren't wrong.” I laughed. “What did he say?”

  “Does it matter?”

  “No.” I answered quickly. “I guess I'm just wondering what made him disappear so quickly. He was pretty dead set on sticking around.”

  “That was all you.” She laughed. “When you stared him down, and took off like a rocket after Owen I think it hit him right square in the man jewels.”

  “I don't even know what he was thinking.” I said.

  “I do. He was thinking that he fucked up his entire life for a piece of ass. That, and seeing you again looking the way you do now. It was probably enough to slap some sense into him.”

  “I look exactly the same.”

  “No. You look happy.”

  “I didn't before?”

  “Sometimes, but honestly? I've never seen you look like this before. It's like your aura or something. Not to mention your confidence has grown so much as well.”

  “No thanks to you.” I teased.

  “Hey!” She laughed, before getting serious again. “You don't owe me anything, but what happened in that stairwell last night?”

  I turned onto the road the GPS told me to, and thought about things for a minute. Despite everything that Morgan, and I had gone through she was still the first person that I wanted to talk to. Aside from Owen, she was still the one I wanted to share news with too. So much has changed, but it also hasn't. She was right. I didn't owe her an explanation, but I wanted to talk to her about it.

  “I told him that I love him.” I blurted out.

  “You did what?” She asked, with disbelief. “Why in the world would you do that? You've only just met the man!”

  “It's complicated. He's complicated, and if I hadn't said what I said... I would have lost him.”

  “So you don't love him?”

  “No. I definitely do. I just wasn't planning on telling him this soon.”