Chapter 7

7

MAURA

T hroughout my life, I spoke and behaved the way people expected me to. As the future CEO of my family's real estate empire, I wasn't supposed to laugh too loudly, act too rowdy, or even hang out with the wrong crowd.

It wasn't something enforced on me by my parents, but it felt kind of a given. I mean, my tutors drilled those things into me.

And then I met Tyler.

Everything happened too fast, too soon, and yet, I didn't feel an ounce of regret. I didn't feel anything other than happiness and elation. Like I was floating on cloud nine.

Even the incident at my birthday party couldn't dampen my spirits. Initially, I thought my attraction to Tyler was purely physical. He was, after all, the hottest man I'd ever met.

But then, even after the mind-blowing, toe-curling sex, I wanted him so much more. I liked talking to him. I liked spending time with him. I even enjoyed hanging out at his studio and chatting with Erika.

Part of me felt scared that I was throwing everything into this, but I had never felt anything remotely close to this before. Back in high school, I accepted the possible fate of getting married for convenience. Now, I don't think so anymore. I don't want anything less than what Tyler can give me.

And my heart always feels full with him, even when he's looking at me like I've lost my mind.

"A tattoo? You want a tattoo?" he asks for what's possibly the thousandth time in the last five minutes.

I sigh for the thousandth time. "Yes."

"You sure this isn't impulsive?"

"No! I thought about it for the past week."

Tyler looks like he doesn't believe me. He leans back in his seat and taps his fingers on the desk in front of him. "Okay. What kind of tattoo? Where?"

I slide my leggings down and point to where I want it. "There. A small one."

"Your hip." Tyler doesn't take his eyes off my exposed skin, and it gives me the boost of courage I desperately need.

"My hip bone, to be exact."

He nods. "That's a pretty painful site, Maura. It's sensitive because of the bone and nerve endings. You don't have a lot of flesh there to cushion the needle, too. How high is your pain tolerance?"

"High. I once dislocated my shoulder when I was a kid, and I didn't cry."

Tyler pinches the bridge of his nose and exhales through his mouth. "Maura, do you really want this? Like in ten or twenty or thirty years, how possible is it for you to regret getting one?"

"None," I say without hesitation. "It's just a small one, Ty. Look." I tap a photo on my phone and show it to him. "A watercolor crescent moon."

"How small do you want this?"

"Two inches."

"Do you want me to use topical anesthesia?"

I frown. "You don't normally do that, right?"

"No, because it might affect how the tattoo looks, but I can't risk hurting you."

With a smile, I round his desk and prop a hip on one edge. "Please? I honestly want this."

Tyler scrubs a hand across his face. "Fine. You want it now?"

"Yes!"

I'm starting to regret the decision fifteen minutes later when it feels like a thousand bees have been stinging my skin nonstop. It's intense but not exactly unbearable. The sharp sting turns into a deep burning sensation, and I know my skin feels warm to the touch.

Tyler is ever the professional because he hovers over my pussy but doesn't even try anything funny. I want him to.

The air is filled with the buzzing sound of the machine and soft music playing in the background. When the needle hits a particularly sensitive spot, I decide I need a distraction.

"This feels like that scene in Titanic?"

"What does?" Tyler asks, not lifting his gaze.

"This. You know, when Jack was painting Rose, and Rose was like, ‘You look so serious.'"

A ghost of a smile appears on his face, and I'm reminded of how ruggedly handsome he looks, especially with stubble. "Tell me if the pain is too much."

"I can handle it."

Can I, really? I want to ask for a quick break, but when I glance down, I see that he's almost finished. Whoa. That was fast.

Half an hour more, and it's done. Tyler takes a small mirror from his drawer and shows the finished product to me. Oh my God. It's so beautiful, exactly how I pictured it in my head.

The skin around it is swollen and red, but the discomfort is so worth it.

"Ty?"

"Do you like it, little fairy?"

"I do. Was I a good girl?"

The question throws him, and the way his eyes darken just like that makes my core clench. Tyler takes off his gloves and throws them in the trash, and when he faces me again, I spread my legs for him.

"How can I pay you, Ty?"

He knows what I'm really asking, and the smirk on his face is answer enough. He doesn't break eye contact as he unzips his pants and takes out his cock, jutting against his stomach. My mouth waters at the sight. It's thick, long, and veiny.

I don't need any encouragement as I slide from the reclining chair to sit on the stool, my face level with his cock. Wrapping my small hand around his thick girth makes me pulse with excitement.

It's my time to please him, and I won't stop until he's coming all over me.

I swirl my tongue around the head and hear him hiss. When I wrap my lips around him and slide my mouth along his length, his fingers grip my hair, guiding my head.

Tears sting the backs of my eyes, and drool slips out of my mouth, but I don't stop. I take as much of him as I can while I hold his balls in my other hand and grip them gently.

Tyler grunts as he moves his hips forward until his cock hits the back of my throat.

"Maura…"

That's the only warning I get as he cups my head and pushes deeper. I grab his ass so he doesn't pull out, and he swells inside my mouth before filling it with hot spurts.

Like the good girl I am, I swallow every drop and look up at him. His eyes are glassy and half-closed, but he drops to his knees and kisses me like I don't have his come on my tongue.

We freeze when we hear a loud knock on the door.

"Yo!" Erika opens the door a crack but doesn't come inside. Good, because Tyler still has his pants down. "You might wanna lower the moaning because you have two clients outside who probably think you're murdering a cat."

She closes the door before either of us can form a response.

Tyler and I look at each other, his eyes shining. "I love you, Maura Beck."

I kiss his lips softly. "I love you too, Tyler Reid."