Echoes & Ink: Raven by Emily Rose
Chapter Fifteen
RAVEN
Falcon gives me a pleading look and I sigh. I need to grow a damn backbone when it comes to this kid or he’s going to run roughshod over me for the next five years. I might be saving a shit ton of money on this place, but I don’t want to get into the habit of ordering pizza and junk food every night. Still, I find myself nodding at him and feeling a rush of pleasure at the happiness on his face.
He deserves this, I remind myself. I can give him a better life than I ever had.
No, I can’t think about that right now. Falcon signs at me, and now that I know a few signs, I can kind of pick up most of what he’s saying. I still write things down a lot, but we have another lesson with the interpreter tomorrow night and I’ll hopefully pick up more. I’ve been practicing really damn hard.
Falcon: Can we have extra cheese on it?
I nod again. I slowly sign back that yes we’ll have extra cheese, and I see him smirk in amusement when I mess up a few of my letters. Hey, at least I’m trying. I give him a mock glare and then roll my eyes when he corrects me on how to sign the letters before turning and heading for his room. Hopefully to do his homework, but I make a mental note to check on him in a little bit.
I call and place the order for the pizza before heading to my bathroom to shower and change. Stepping into the huge shower, with it’s glorious rainfall shower head, I sigh contentedly. God, today was long. Once the rest of the shop heard about me and Sloan, it was the only thing anyone wanted to talk about.
By the time I left for the day, I was ready to scream. Between the guys at the shop, and getting a bunch of messages from the girls, I had enough. Not to mention, I’m going to be getting back at Wolf for telling Ember instead of waiting for me to do it. Fucking men and their meddling.
I grab my shampoo and furiously work it through my hair. Why can’t men just butt out? I might be female, but I can take care of my damn self. All of this is Sloan’s fault. He just had to open his mouth and blurt that whole fake boyfriend shit to the social worker, and now I’m stuck playing a role I don’t want. I’m not the relationship type. People don’t stick around, and relationships get messy with feelings. Hell, the last relationship I had left me with a baby and heartache.
Pain wells up in my belly at the thought, and I have to firmly push it down before it overtakes me. All these years later, and it still feels like yesterday.
Instead, I latch onto my anger and wrap it around me like a protective cloak.
I don’t need a relationship, and I don’t need Sloan to save me. He can help me with the social worker since that’s what he wants to do. Past that, nothing can happen. No more kisses, no more teasing, nothing. We need to go back to where he’s an asshole businessman that looks at me as his sister’s friend, nothing more.
It’s better for everyone. Especially me.
You won’t forget about the way he kissed you, my mind whispers at me. The way he made you burn from the inside out with just one taste.
Heat sears through me, making me wet enough that I know it’s not the water from the shower. My clit starts to throb and I immediately shift, giving myself just enough friction to make me moan. The reminder of Sloan’s mouth on mine makes my lips tingle. God, does he know how to kiss. The man could probably conquer countries with that mouth.
No!No, I scold myself. I need to put Sloan out of my head and not think about him. That’s inviting trouble.
I finish my shower, being brisk and efficient, climbing out and heading for my walk-in closet to grab clothes. I look at all the empty space and snort out a laugh. God, there are so many people who would love this kind of thing and work on filling it up. Me? I’m thinking of all the shit that will just pile up in here.
I grab a pair of yoga pants and my favorite Star Wars t-shirt, quickly dressing, and heading out to the kitchen. Yeah, I know, I’m a super nerd. I see Falcon sitting on the couch and watching TV, subtitles rolling across the bottom of the screen. I smirk when I see him watching my favorite show, Big Bang Theory, and I discover he and I really aren’t so different after all.
A knock on the door startles me. I glance at my phone and realize the pizza must be here a bit earlier than planned. I grab my wallet and head for the door. Opening it, I smile, but it quickly drops when I realize who is on the other side.
Sloan stands there, smiling down at me, dressed in his suit and tie, and looking all kinds of sexy. The heat in my belly roars back to life. Damn, the man really shouldn’t look so damn sexy. I glare up at him, and when he opens his mouth to speak, I quickly beat him to it. “Do not call me anything but my name or those bags of peas are going to be coming out again,” I warn him. “And tell me what you’re doing here.”
“What? I can’t come and see my girlfriend?” he asks innocently, setting my teeth on edge.
“Sure you can,” I retort, “as soon as you find one.”
He chuckles. “Are you going to let me in?” he asks.
“Are you going to be an asshole?”
“Probably,” he says with a charming smile. “But we both know you secretly love it.” He moves past me, stepping inside, and I stand there for a moment, watching him. Unsure if I want him to leave or not. I’m half tempted to order him out, but I close the door instead.
Falcon, sensing someone in the apartment, turns and looks at him, eyes going wide. I step around Sloan so Falcon can see me and let him know it’s okay. Before I can reassure him, Sloan waves at him and slowly signs out his name. I don’t think my jaw has ever become unhinged so fast. Where the hell did Sloan learn that?
Falcon looks surprised, but he gives Sloan a small smile and signs back his name. Then he grabs the paper and pen in front of him on the small coffee table and writes something before coming over to stand in front of him. I feel my heart pounding in my chest seeing Falcon and Sloan interacting. I mean, I know it’s only names, but this has the potential to be disastrous if I’m not careful.
The last thing Falcon needs is another man in his life hurting him.
Sloan takes the paper from him and his eyes widen when he reads what it says. Then he bursts out laughing. I grab the paper from him to see what it says, and feel my own amusement shoot through me.
Falcon: I don’t know if you’re brave or stupid for coming back here. I saw you kiss her last night, and then her knee you in the balls. I wouldn’t piss her off again if I were you. Are you her boyfriend?
Sloan takes the paper and writes something back, chuckles still rumbling through his chest.
Sloan: We’ll talk about that in a minute. But you’re right, I shouldn’t piss her off again. Getting kneed isn’t fun.
Falcon smirks and takes the paper back to write another message.
Falcon: I had a girl knee me once in gym class by mistake and that fucking sucked.
I scowl at Falcon. “Language,” I mouth at him, but he just rolls his eyes.
Sloan chuckles again. God, the man is just full of them at the moment, I think sourly, glaring up at him. Not that he cares. He winks at me and takes the pen and paper back.
Sloan: Yeah it does. Hopefully your sister will be nicer to me tonight. I already had to ice myself today.
Falcon’s mouth opens and a soft laugh escapes him as he reads the words. Something inside me loosens. Maybe this won’t be so bad after all.
I spoke too soon. Falcon grabs the paper to write a response. Everything in me stiffens when I read it.
Falcon: Be glad she didn’t knife you in the balls. Mom tried to do that once to Dad. Dad got pissed and beat the hell out of her for it, but then they ended up fucking on the floor so they must have figured it out. It wasn’t like I could hear what they were saying though.
I swallow hard to keep the bile in my throat from rising any higher. I remember all too well those kinds of fights and how they ended. For Mom, and for me.
I sat in the corner of the room, my body pressed tightly into the corner, where the outer wall near the small window met the inside wall of the living room. On the other side of that wall is my parent’s bedroom; not that they ever used it. They were often out here doing what they always do. Fight, fuck, and get high. I don’t know why no one comes to stop them. I cover my ears, hoping that they’ll stop soon.
“You fucking bitch,” my father screams as he punches my mother in the face. She lets out a cry of pain, falling to the dirty carpet. “Where’s my fucking hit? You trying to hide it from me? Keep it for yourself?”
“No,” my mother cries, though there’s no tears on her face. Just some kind of sick satisfaction that she drove him to this point. It turns my stomach to see it, but I can’t look away. I don’t dare. I have nowhere to run. If I move, my father will turn those fists on me, or worse. I just have to hope and pray they’ll go at each other until it’s over.
“Give it to me!” my father roars, his booming voice echoing around the room, making me tremble. I know that tone. He’s working himself up into a rage, and no one will be safe. I glance at the window, but I know it’s hopeless. There’s no way I can get it open and get out before he catches me.
“Fuck you,” my mother sneers, then screeches out a cry when my father grabs her by the hair and hauls her up. She kicks and bites at him, making him grunt and curse as he roughly pushes her to the couch. I close my eyes because I can’t watch this. I can’t see it again.
I listen to their angry shoves and cries, the way fabric rips and the way my father groans when my mother does whatever she’s doing to him. I might only be ten years old, but I know what sex is. I know what they’re doing and what the sounds mean. By the time they’re done, my mother will be bloodied and bruised, and my father will have scratches and teeth marks everywhere. Neither of them will care. They’ll be happy, laugh it off then grab their next hit. From wherever my mother hid it this time.
By the time they’re done, I’m covering my ears and trying to be anywhere else. Thinking of anything else but what is happening a few feet away. I hear them breathing hard and turn my face away when I hear them moving around.
“You’re still hard?” I hear my mother laugh. “Damn, baby, you’re never this raring to go after all that.”
I hear my father’s chuckle. “Must be that new shit you got. Get me another hit, bitch. I’m going to have a word with our kid who’s acting like a little bitch herself, hiding in the corner.”
Panic sears through me. I need to run. I need to get away. I can’t let him hurt me again.
My mother laughs. “Don’t hurt her too much, babe. Don’t need CPS on our asses.” Then she’s gone, leaving me with him.
When I open my eyes, I see those bright blue orbs looking down at me, a cruel anticipatory smile on his face. Eyes that haunt my dreams.
“Raven,” Sloan says, pulling me out of my personal nightmare and I look over at him sharply. The concern on his face is evident, and I see Falcon staring at me, a frown marring his mouth.
“Sorry, what did you say?” I manage to get out tightly.
Sloan looks at me for a moment, seeing too much. Way too fucking much. “I asked if you want to tell Falcon our plan now.”
The last thing I want to do is talk about that right now, but I nod stiffly. Best to get it out of the way. Then Sloan can leave. I grab the pen and paper from Sloan and write out a quick explanation. I won’t lie to my brother, but I don’t need him knowing every detail either.
Me: Sloan isn’t my boyfriend, but he’s pretending to be. The social worker doesn’t think you should stay with me. Sloan told her we are together and she backed off because it makes me look like a much more stable option for you. So until she goes away, we’re going to pretend to be together. So if she asks you about us, can you go along with it?
Falcon reads the note, brows arching in surprise. Then he nods before writing down an answer.
Falcon: Sure. Why is she causing so many problems? Why doesn’t she like you?
Me: Some people don’t like people that work in tattoo shops and give piercings, and I think she’s one of them. She’ll back off soon though. Now that we have this place and you’re in school, she’ll just make a few visits and then go away.
Silently I add, I hope.
Falcon nods when he reads it. He looks at Sloan, writes something down and hands it to him. Sloan takes it, reads it quickly, then nods before writing something down and handing it back. I narrow my eyes when they do this a few times, neither of them letting me see. I give Sloan a glare that lets him know he’ll be telling me once Falcon isn’t watching. He just smirks at me. Damn, frustrating man.
There’s another knock on the door and I turn to answer it, leaving them to their male chit-chat. The pizza guy takes my money with a leer and I give him a cool smile before saying, “The tip is all you’re getting here, buddy.” I shut the door in his face and silently curse anything with a dick, because the male species is getting on my nerves.
Falcon and Sloan have finished their discussion and are looking at the pizza hungrily. “I hope you got enough for me too, I’m starving,” Sloan says as I set the boxes on the island.
“I don’t recall inviting you,” I snap at him, but I grab three plates and try to ignore the arousal that shoots through me at the sight of him. He strips off his suit jacket, loosens his tie, and pulls it over his head. That arousal pools in my panties when he rolls up his sleeves, exposing his forearms and the ink covering them. My mouth waters at the muscles that flex and bunch, and the way his hands move. His very large hands I remember all too well holding me last night.
Get a hold of yourself, I scold myself. Sloan isn’t here for anything other than to be a pain in your ass and talk to Falcon.
“Did you really think I wouldn’t come and say hello to my girlfriend?” he asks, feigning shock. “I was even going to bring you flowers, but I figured my presence would be gift enough.”
“I’m not your girlfriend. And your presence is more of a nightmare than a gift.”
Sloan arches a brow at me and then looks at Falcon. Falcon smirks at him, obviously having read enough of my lips to get the gist of what I said. Sloan grabs the paper and writes something down for him. Falcon laughs again and nods. He grabs a plate, piles it high with the pizza—damn, teenage boys can eat a lot—and turns to head back to the sofa and tunes back into his show.
I glare at Sloan. “What did you say to him?” I demand, reaching for the paper.
Sloan pulls it away and says, “That’s between us men.”
“What men?” I sneer. “I only see two boys sitting around here being pains in my ass.”
Sloan gives me a wolfish grin and says, “I think we both established last night I’m all man, baby. Or do you forget about the way you rubbed that sweet pussy all over my cock?” He stalks slowly around the island towards me.
I don’t move, refusing to back away, even though his words have soaked my panties further. My clit is throbbing and it’s taking everything in me not to squirm. “Is that what that was?” I ask, feigning shock. “I wondered what that tiny thing was. Though that would explain why my knee didn’t feel much when it met your balls.”
Sloan gives a dark chuckle, stopping mere inches from me. Close enough that I can feel the heat of his body; smell the scent of the oil in his beard. My mouth waters at the smell, but I ignore it. Instead I hold Sloan’s gaze, refusing to let him see any sort of arousal. “Don’t worry, snookums,” he purrs down at me, “I know you’re frightened of all this raw, male power. I’ll go easy, though, let you get used to it first.”
Those fucking pet names. I hate them, and he knows it. I shift closer, smiling slowly up at him, not letting him in on my plan. “You will?” I purr, so softly he curls down towards me to hear better. I see the heat burning in his eyes, the way his lips part as his gaze moves down to my mouth.
Moving quickly, I bring my knee up, but he blocks it with his hand, giving me the opening I wanted. Using my other hand, I bring it down quickly, slapping him right in the groin, making him groan and drop my knee. “Fuck,” he growls, glaring at me.
I sneer at him. “I told you about those pet names, Lincoln. You can take Tiny Tim and go eat your meal with Falcon. I need some time away from the Y chromosome or I’m liable to do something crazy.”
“Think that train already left the station,” Sloan grits out between clenched teeth.
I give him a cool smile, one that everyone says makes me look, indeed, crazy. “Best remember that, Sloan. From the way you’re always trying to piss me off, you’re going to see it more than most.”
Sloan says nothing for a moment, just straightens slowly, wincing when he moves to grab a plate and his own pizza. “You’re the one always trying to touch my dick,” he smirks at me. “If you want to see it, all you have to do is ask, baby. I’m a nice boyfriend like that. I’ll never leave you wanting.” He winks and walks away, limping a bit, towards Falcon and the TV.
I stare after him for a moment before I take my food and stomp down to my bedroom. Fucking men. Why couldn’t I be attracted to women? It would be a lot less annoying.