Inked Ever After Read Online Free PDF Page B

you I was coming in. I always do,” he
added, raising his eyebrows, his lips quirked up in a roguish smirk.
    In spite of herself, she burst into laughter. Yeah, he
always came in; there wasn’t a fitting room in Boston that could resist him.
She could attest to that. Fooling around in a fitting room was one of the many
raunchy fantasies he’d cajoled her into trying. Several times actually. That
they never got caught was a miracle; not only did she have trouble keeping
quiet when his hand—or worse—was between her legs, but heads turned wherever
James went. How he made it in without all the females following him was a
mystery.
    As his gaze locked with hers, his expression hardened.
    “Princess—”
    Not knowing what to do, Tate covered his eyes with her hands
and went for a chirpy tone she hoped didn’t sound fake. “James, you can’t see
the dress. It’s bad luck.”
    “Not watching the dress, baby.” He moved her hands away and
looked at her for the longest time. She tried ducking to escape his scrutiny,
but he tipped her head back with a finger on her chin and forced her to
withstand it.
    She offered him a tight smile, biting her lower lip so it
wouldn’t tremble, and braced herself for the interrogation.
    But it didn’t come.
    His jaw clenched several times. “Doing wedding stuff this
morning?” he asked, his gaze lowering to her necklace.
    She nodded.
    Then he just asked, “You all right?”
    She plastered on a smile. “Of course.”
    “Of course,” he repeated slowly, his expression tense. “And
that?” he asked, motioning at her with a jerk of his head.
    “This? It’s nothing. I just got something in my eye. My
eyes, actually,” she corrected.
    His face got harsher. He took a step closer, and she heard
her gown getting ruffled.
    “Baby, the dress!” She was far more worried about keeping up
the charade than the fate of the garment. Not that a size-ten footprint on the
cloth was going to be easy to explain.
    “I don’t give a shit about the damn dress,” he growled, his
savage tone dripping with disapproval and impatience.
    “Please, James.”
    He stared at her. He must have seen the look of desperation
in her eyes, the one she was fighting so hard to hide, for he let out a long
sigh. “Fine. Hop up, princess,” he said, encircling her waist and lifting her.
Before he could move her aside, she wrapped her legs around his hips and threw
her arms around his neck.
    James cursed, tightening his hold on her.
    “Baby.”
    With her still in his arms, he reached for the dress and,
without looking, tossed it out of the way to the corner where all her clothes
lay.
    She stayed like this for a long while, hugging him for all
she was worth, her face nestled in the crook of his neck, soaking in his warmth
and his strength. Being able to breathe again. She could feel his erection,
thick and hard, against her core, but his touch was not sexual. He held her
gently, protectively, one hand open and cupping the back of her head, the other
splayed on her back.
    God, she loved this man so much. His mere presence infused
her with fortitude. With him around she felt cherished and protected beyond
anything she’d experienced before.
    “I love you,” she whispered.
    “Tate,” he said against her hair. “Look up.”
    She didn’t move.
    “Not too fond of repeating myself, baby.”
    She lifted her head. His face was carved in tight lines, but
his eyes were gentle. And damn compelling. He curled his hand around her neck
and brushed her lips with his thumb.
    “You need to stop hiding and give me your mouth.”
    And she did. Soft, tender kisses and deep, hard ones, until
she was boneless and dazzled and her mind was full of only him. As she opened
her eyes, she stole a glance at them in the mirror, and her breath froze in her
lungs. What a view—him with his black T-shirt, his faded jeans, and those sexy
cowboy boots, standing tall and solid, his broad shoulders taking more than his
fair share of the room,