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“I guess,” I said. “I… I wanted something that reminded me I could make my own decisions. And before you say it, I know it sounds lame.”
I expected his teasing, but he surprised me.
“It’s not lame.” His finger traced the broken chain. “Tell me about this.”
I covered my face with my arm as if that would make it easier to talk about. “I just… I hate the expectations, you know? My father. His position, and…” I inhaled and held it before blowing it out. “I want to do my own thing. I guess this was my attempt at reminding myself I could.”
He leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to the skin, enough to make goosebumps prickle up and down my arms and legs. Then he hissed and pulled back, rubbing his lip with a finger. “Fuck. The thorns got me.”
I shoved his shoulder but couldn’t help but laugh. “Jackass.”
Vaughn smirked before leaning down and licking the ink, almost like he was worshipping it. I stared at him as my heart took off again.
After another moment of his warm tongue and hot breath on my skin, he glanced up at me. “Tell me about the thorns.”
It was too much. Too close. And there was no way to explain I’d wanted something that represented the harsh reality of pain being hidden behind something pretty. It was too cheesy.
I shook my head and deflected. “Tell me about yours.”
He moved up to settle next to me, our heads sharing the same pillow and his limbs lazily tangling in mine as if it was easy. As if it wasn’t making me lose my mind.
“The angel stuff is for my mom. The feathers. And her name is hidden in the scrollwork on my back.” He shifted so I could see, and my fingers automatically began tracing the patterns. “I have a few motorcycle parts. Those are for bikes I’ve worked on. Things I was proud of. And then…”
He shifted again to show me a spot on his ankle where a little design combined the letters G and E together. “Twin tatt. Grace has one, too.”
As he lowered his leg and settled back next to me, I moved my hand to his back again. The designs he hadn’t mentioned. “What about the other things? There’s a sun and like a triangle thing.”
He laughed softly. “Nah. Those are just ones I got because I had a little extra money and a zero taste.” He met my eyes and grinned. “Not everything has to mean something, McNeely.”
It was a good reminder. Even though sometimes things meant something whether you wanted them to or not.
Vaughn’s fingertip smoothed a line between my eyes. “Hey. What’s with the thinking?”
I inhaled a breath and let it go. “Thinking I want you to fuck me again. How long do we have to wait?”
The rich vibration of his laughter was enough to make me grin into his chest.
And held there, secure against the warm, familiar comfort of him, I let myself slip off to sleep.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get my repeat the next night because Vaughn was out late at the Pit, and I needed a full night’s sleep before the game on Saturday.
Thankfully, the morning of the game, Vaughn was willing to let me wake him up early with a blowjob.
“Need the protein,” I teased when he woke with a sleepy what the fuck.
His hand immediately went into my hair to control the movements, making me relaxed and compliant in the very best way. “So fucking good,” he said. “Jesus, that mouth. Bett, fuck.”
I bobbed up and down hungrily, wanting and needing more of his sweet words, until we both came way too quickly.
“More tonight?” I asked, forcing myself up so I could start my game-day routine.
“Don’t you usually go to the frat house after a game?” Vaughn stretched like an Adonis in the rumpled sheets.
I shook my head. “That was before I had a hot dick to sit on.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Look at you, dirty boy. Way to stake your claim.”
I shrugged as I grabbed a clean pair of boxer briefs to slip on before starting a few knee lifts to warm up before my stretching session. “No point in lying about it. You already know I want your cock.”
