Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 24154 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 121(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24154 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 121(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
I’m definitely not supposed to want him.
But rules blur when a broody, inked inmate looks at you
like you’re his salvation.
I’m the sunshine counselor that sees the good in him.
He’s the tattooed ex-con with a shady past.
We had one night the night before he walked free and
I told myself it was over.
But he watches me when I leave work.
He protects me from a distance.
He tells me we’re wrong together…
But he keeps coming back.
And when I show up at his door, desperate for answers,
he finally stops running.
He puts his mark on me the only way he knows how.
Ink on skin
Heat in every stroke.
A secret tattoo that says what neither of us can.
We don’t make sense.
We don’t fit.
But somehow… I already belong to him.
Welcome to Heat & Ink where hot possessive tattoo artists leave their mark in more ways than one.
The Heat & Ink series mixes Contemporary, Sci Fi Romance, and Paranormal in three standalone stories by best-selling STEAMY authors, Hope Ford, Michele Mills, and Olivia T. Turner
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
CHAPTER 1
FELON
I’m tense, sitting in my metal chair, with my gaze locked on Miss Riles. Her name is Emily, but we’re not supposed to call her that. She’s the only one in this place that offers any kind of light in all the darkness. She looks for the best in all of us, even the ones that don’t deserve it.
I’ve been here in Jasper Prison for a little over a year, and it was six months ago that Emily started working as a counselor to the inmates. I had resisted counseling up to that point, but one look at her, and I knew I wouldn’t skip another meeting. Hell, I attend more group meetings than is required of me, and the one-on-one meetings are the moments I cling to.
Emily fidgets in her seat, and I know it's because she feels something for me. There’s no hiding it even though she’s tried. But every meeting, I plant my ass in the seat closest to her and soak in her every move, every glance, and every hitched breath she has.
I arrived early to the conference where group therapy is held, hoping to talk to her for just a second, and she’s spent her time, head buried into case files, acting if she’s ignoring me. “Can we talk after?”
Finally, she lifts her big green eyes up to me. I wonder if she realizes that desire is plain to see on her face. She looks at the guard standing by the doorway across the room. He’s not paying us any attention because he’s more focused on his phone than anything. Just watching him pisses me off. He should be protecting Emily even though she doesn’t need protection from me. But that asshole doesn’t know that.
She sucks in a breath and slowly releases it. “I don’t think that is a good idea.”
I slouch down, trying to make myself smaller even though I’ve spent most of my life doing the opposite. I’m a big man compared to her, and the thought of her being afraid of me keeps me up most nights. “Are you scared of me?”
“No. I’m not scared of you at all,” she answers immediately, and I let out a sigh of relief. She’s not lying. I’d know if she was. She may not realize it, but every emotion, every thought, everything shows on her face. She doesn’t have the experience or the know-how to keep things hidden, and that’s why leaving her here scares the shit out of me. These guys in here will prey on her innocence. They will fuckin’ ruin her.
“Then talk to me after the group session.”
She looks at me, surprised. I’ve never pressured her, but today I feel like I have to. “Please, Emily. I get out tomorrow. I just need to talk to you.”
She wants to. I can see it in the way her eyes are sparkling and the way she’s looking at me. Just when I think she’s going to say yes, she shakes her head. “I can’t.”
I fist my hands in my lap to stop from reaching for her. The thought of leaving her here is making me crazy. I want to protect her. Hell, I need to protect her, and I’m not sure how I’m going to do it when I’m outside these walls.
The door swings open, and more inmates walk in. I watch each of them, and every fuckin’ one of them looks at Emily as if she’s a feast meant just for them. The thought sickens me and pisses me off at the same time. The urge to stand up and take down each and every fucker in the room is intense, but as if she senses my growing anger, Emily stands up and moves to the opposite side of the room. She appears to be putting away files, and when she’s done, instead of joining the circle, she sits behind her desk. I’m not sure if she’s putting distance between her and the whole group or just needing to put distance between the two of us, but I’m happy she’s over there, half hidden behind the big desk.
She starts the group session, and we all go around talking about anything we want to talk about since the last meeting. Every one of the guys has their eyes glued to Emily.
She doesn’t even seem to notice the effect she has on all the men here. She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on, and I’m not the only one to think so. She’s curvy and has a grace about her that makes me salivate just watching her. When she’s in any room, she commands everyone's attention. I’m not sure if that is her beauty or just the fact that whoever she’s talking to, she makes them feel like they are the most important person in the world. I’m in here with some of the worst men there are, but she makes them believe in themselves.