Rose (Thorn Tattoo Studio Book 1) Read online

  “And now we’re walking away,” Giovanni said with a grin. The way she held him left him feeling powerful, like he’d accomplished something far greater than winning a card game. He checked out of the game and slid his winnings off the table, leaving a generous tip for the dealer. “The most important part of gambling is knowing when to quit, and we’re done for now.”

  The crowd around them parted. He rose from the table and guided Riley back along the boardwalk, but before they could get far, an intimidating man in a suit stopped them. The hairs on the back of Giovanni’s neck stood on end, but before he jumped to a rash decision, he waited to hear what the man had to say.

  “We were watching your poker game,” the man said. His voice was low and gravelly, and Riley pressed tightly against Giovanni’s arm as though expecting an attack. He would keep her safe no matter what. “George Dyrman, owner of Royal Caravan Casino, wants to congratulate you on your stellar win. Please, accept a free VIP room, courtesy of the casino.” The man produced a stiff paper pamphlet, which Giovanni accepted with a nod.

  “Thank you.”

  “Enjoy your stay.”

  The man disappeared back into the crowd, melding with the visitors like he was a ghost. At his side, Riley released his arm and took an uncertain step backward. Giovanni glanced her way to find her eyes were drawn to the pamphlet, looking it over curiously.

  His eyes were drawn to her.

  Cheeks pink, dark hair shining in the bright casino lights, she was ethereal. The way her dress hugged her curves and showed off her cleavage behind the subtle netting of lace made his heart race. Memories of the times they’d kissed flashed through Giovanni’s mind. Riley, with her eyes lidded and gaze lost in lust, had burned an impression onto his soul that wouldn’t fade. Riley, her hair splayed behind her like a fan as she lay on his bed, amongst his pillows. Riley and her pale, untouched skin revealed to him. From the peaks of her breasts to the curve of her hips, she was perfect.

  She had to be perfect.

  High off his win, gifted with an opportunity to keep the night going, Giovanni took it as a sign. The moment they shared was meant to be. Tonight, she could be his.

  “A free room?” Riley asked unevenly, gaze wavering from its position on the pamphlet to look up at Giovanni.

  “It’s customary to offer high rollers free goods in exchange for their patronage. It encourages them to keep playing and spending money. They probably hope my luck will change tomorrow, so they’re encouraging me to stay here until that happens.” Giovanni shrugged. “You’ve never seen a VIP room before, have you?”

  “No.” Riley stepped closer, closing the distance she’d put between them. Like magnets, they came back to each other time and time again. All night, Riley had been near, and since the win, she’d always kept a hand on him. Piece by piece, the professional Riley was giving way to the wild woman who’d returned the passion of his kiss on the shop floor, not bothered by who saw. Giovanni wanted her in the worst way.

  “Why don’t you come see it?” he asked, flashing the pamphlet at her. Inside he felt a set of key cards. “If you think the casino is impressive, wait until you see one of the master suites above it. Every time I visit one, I’m blown away and I’ve lived in this city all my life.”

  Riley furrowed her brow and looked him over cautiously. “You’ve been in VIP suites often enough to be routinely blown away?”

  Giovanni snorted. “Do you think you get that good at poker overnight? When I was younger and more reckless, I used to play often. From time to time, I was given passes like these… although usually a little more discreetly. They’d wait until I was cashing in my chips before slipping me the key cards.” He shrugged. “I guess times are different now.”

  “It’s just…” Riley shook her head. “This world is so different from where I come from. Everything looks the same, but it feels like there are all new rules to learn.”

  The childish wonder and uncertainty in her voice appealed to the protector inside of him, and he tucked Riley beneath his arm and guided her along as they made their way back to the central staircase. She clung to his chest, and heat bloomed inside of him like a flower opening its petals to the sun. She was his sunshine, and as much as he hated what she represented at Thorn Tattoo, there was no way he could keep himself from being with her. Touching her. Claiming her.

  Hatred bled so easily into lust, and Giovanni knew that he was well over the line. By the way Riley kissed him, he knew she was in a similar place.

  “Life is about experiences,” Giovanni said as they made their way down the marble stairs. Riley was still pressed to his side, and her every touch made him feel more alive. For the first time in what felt like decades, Giovanni felt as though he was living instead of simply surviving. Art had been his sole focus for so long that he’d forgotten what the world was like beyond his microcosm. Riley painted a new world for him by simply existing.

  He wondered what color would taste like on her skin.

  “Sometimes, cutting loose is the only thing that’ll give us the chance to learn, so why not cut loose for the night? I have a VIP room and I walked away from the table with more than ten times what I started with. We’ve got a great conference room booked, people actually seem to be fucking stoked to attend our workshops, and Thorn Tattoo’s future is looking bright. Live life a little, Riley. You don’t need to be co-manager all the time. There’s a stunning, intelligent, witty woman in there who’s not shackled to her job. Will you let her come out to play?”

  Riley looked up at him, her pretty, dark eyes sparkling beneath the bright casino lights, and he saw her expression waver, then lighten. The full cupid’s bow of her lips quirked, the gloss she wore shimmering. The flush of her cheeks stole his breath away.

  There was only a moment where something untamed and passionate danced through her eyes, but the moment was enough for Giovanni to know that she took what he said to heart. The last of the tethers to her professional facade snapped free, and the Riley he craved more than anything was his.

  Before she said anything at all, he knew what her answer was going to be.

  “Yes.”

  10

  Riley

  Heat curled in Riley’s stomach, decadent and unyielding, as Giovanni took her beneath his arm and guided her down the marble staircase at the heart of Royal Caravan Casino. It dipped into her core and rippled until it claimed her in full.

  What she’d seen of Giovanni tonight painted him in a different light from the crass, loudmouthed man she knew from the shop. He’d worked the poker table with finesse and cunning, never wavering in his confidence and never misstepping despite the high-pressure situation and the hefty money on the line. Riley had honestly believed he didn’t have it in him. So many other men as outspoken as Giovanni was were all talk, no substance. She’d seen them crumble when put under pressure, only to lash out unpredictably.

  Giovanni had not only survived under pressure, he’d thrived.

  They left Royal Caravan Casino several thousand dollars richer than when they’d arrived and with key cards to an exclusive room in hand. Riley could hardly believe she wasn’t dreaming. Things like this only happened to people in movies.

  Tonight was Giovanni’s starring role, and she was his leading lady.

  The thought traveled like a low roll of thunder down her spine to strike between her thighs, and Riley shifted her hips as they walked to try to stop the tingling sensation from consuming her. It wasn’t until then that she realized she was slick, and her cheeks flushed deeper. This wasn’t like her at all.

  But neither was going out on the town with a man as jaw-dropping as Giovanni DeRose was.

  He guided her through the casino and back into the hotel, keeping her tucked safe and warm beneath his arm. His pace was just right, and she followed him easily, as though she’d been made to be at his side. The click of her heels matched the resonant clack of his polished dress shoes on the polished marble floor. As fine as they were, Riley could still see
the faint outline of the blue ink he’d accidentally spilled on them earlier that day and wiped away. It was a reminder that as polished as he was on the outside, on the inside, Giovanni was a man of his own wants and needs.

  Right now, he wanted her.

  They waited in front of gleaming chrome elevator doors. The cabin opened, empty, and by the time the doors slid closed, three other passengers joined them. In the awkward silence, Riley cuddled against his chest and let her hand boldly slip against his hip. The tight skin and muscles beneath his clothes thrilled her, and when she heard him make a small, breathy gasp at the touch, inaudible to those who surrounded them, and almost too quiet for her own ears to detect, that thrill doubled.

  God, did he want her. The signs were subtle, but Riley read them.

  In that moment, she wanted him as well.

  Passengers left the elevator at different floors, but Riley and Giovanni’s trip didn’t end until they made it all the way to the top. Once there, Giovanni took Riley’s hand and guided her down the hall. They stopped in front of an engraved wooden door secured with a key card reader. Riley took her time to examine the filigree of the design and the elegant carvings. If the hotel were going through such expense for a single door, what would the rest of the hotel room look like?

  It wasn’t long until she found out.

  Giovanni opened the door, and Riley found herself in paradise.

  “Welcome home,” Giovanni declared. He gestured into the room, and Riley entered cautiously, as though she were intruding. Luxury wasn’t new to her. She’d attended an Ivy League university, and although she’d skated by on scholarships and grants, she’d met friends whose families were wealthy enough to afford education of that caliber out of pocket. She’d been in cars that cost more than she could ever imagine making, and she’d been invited to parties on yachts and indulged in expensive champagne.

  The hotel room surpassed them all.

  Everything in the room was white, from the paint on the walls to the gorgeous marble floors. The elegance and fantasy of the single crisp color tore her from her thoughts of Giovanni, and for a second, Riley forgot where she was and who she was with. It wasn’t until Giovanni stepped in and laid his hand possessively on the small of her back that Riley’s thoughts unscrambled.

  A tremor ran up her spine from the touch, and she leaned in the direction of his body. Her skin was eager for contact, and his warmth and strength were drugs she was already hooked on. There was something else to Giovanni beyond the stubborn bad boy that she wanted to explore.

  Tonight was all about exploration.

  “This?” Giovanni whispered in her ear. His breath was hot, and it curved over the ridge of her ear and settled in her hair. Riley’s lips parted just slightly in ecstasy. “This is Las Vegas.”

  They overlooked a living room with a massive television mounted on the wall. To the left was a full kitchen with full sized appliances, pots and pans hanging over a breakfast island. Riley’s gaze swept from the left to the right, noticing the alcove containing the bedroom. The bed was huge and had to be a custom design.

  A bed.

  Her shoulders tensed, and she hesitated. Her body had wanted Giovanni since the second she’d laid eyes on him, but her mind warned her that letting things get sexual between them would only lead to trouble. She worked with him. She—

  Giovanni cupped her cheek and turned her head to look at him, and all of Riley’s thoughts stopped. The intensity in his eyes captivated her, and she couldn’t bring herself to look away.

  These last few weeks she’d been dodging his gaze and doing her best to keep her attention focused on her work because she knew Giovanni was a temptation. One look was all it took for her body to betray her and beg him to submit. How many nights had she spent on her own, imagining the rippling muscle beneath his clothes and how thick and filling his cock would be between her thighs? Giovanni was hot. Staggeringly, indisputably hot.

  Now the man she wanted, wanted her in return.

  “Stop thinking,” Giovanni commanded. Riley didn’t have to try—he stole her resistance away the second his skin touched hers. Looking into his eyes was the kiss of death. The way the air grew heavy between them, oppressive, smoldering and inescapable, bound her in place. In that moment, Giovanni’s gaze was the only thing she could focus on.

  No more thoughts. No more doubts.

  “Good girl,” Giovanni whispered. The words raced through Riley’s body and pulsed in her clit. She gasped, the sound almost too delicate for her own ears to hear. Their noses were so close they almost brushed. Every coarse hair on Giovanni’s jawline was defined, and his skin, rugged and inked, was flawless. “I want you to hear me, Riley, and I don’t want you to speak until I’m finished. Do you understand?”

  “Yes.” Her mouth had to be speaking on autopilot because Riley wasn’t sure how else the word could have toppled from her tongue. She held her head still as his thumb traced over her cheek, enjoying how rough his hand felt.

  How would those thick, capable fingers feel elsewhere?

  Riley’s sex throbbed.

  “I want you.” Giovanni spoke simply and slowly so she could follow along. Riley was grateful. The things he made her feel twisted her mind, and her thoughts processed slowly, like they were running through molasses. “I fucking want you, Riley, and tonight, I need to have you.”

  Riley’s lips parted even though she didn’t know what to say. Giovanni’s hand shifted from her cheek to her chin, covering her lips before she had a chance to say anything. The sensation of lost control rocked through Riley’s stomach and tightened in her gut, and she let out a shaking breath that dispelled against his hand.

  “I don’t want you to give me excuses, or fight me on this, or try to say that it’s wrong, because nothing in my life has been more right. And after the way you kissed me, you can’t tell me you don’t feel the same way.” Giovanni’s expression challenged her, and Riley fell to it. Her whole life she’d tried to be fiercely independent, and now one man was undoing her stitch by stitch until she fell apart at the seams.

  She wanted to let Giovanni do whatever he wanted to her, no matter how wrong it was. Her heart pounded in anticipation of it, and the heated space between her legs craved his touch. The fantasies she’d explored in the privacy of her apartment were about to become reality.

  Giving in had never felt so good.

  Giovanni’s hand smoothed back along her jaw until his thumb stroked her cheek again. “So tonight, I want you to give in to what you really want. I want you. It’s that simple. I need to know that you want me, too.”

  “I do.” Her heart slammed an erratic beat in her ribcage, and it felt like she was choking on her own excitement, but Riley couldn’t help herself. The chemistry between them was intense, and it had been since the beginning. Every act of defiance, every rule broken, and every time he’d shut her down had led to this point.

  After a long battle, Riley was admitting defeat. Her body was Giovanni’s spoil.

  His hand fell away from her face and he tugged her against his side, holding her tight. Before Riley had a chance to process what was happening, he stooped down and swept her into his arms with a grunt, bridal style. Riley gasped and locked her arms around his neck, shocked at his strength. Beneath her back, Giovanni’s muscles worked fluidly, skin stretched tight above them.

  Riley knew that tonight would be her first chance to see them in full.

  Giovanni carried her across the room and tossed her on the bed. The mattress absorbed her weight easily and didn’t so much as bounce. When Giovanni fell to his knees and straddled her hips, however, she felt the impact. He was tall and thick and solid in all the right places—it was what had drawn her eye to him in the first place, after all, but it was everything else about him that made her gaze linger. When his lips crushed against hers again, claiming what he wanted, she gave him everything he wanted.

  Lips against lips. Tongue against tongue. To Riley, it was tastes and sounds and sensat
ions. The way his lips were full enough to tempt her without being too soft paired with the scratch of his stubble against her chin. Each gasp of breath, or clack of teeth, or parting of their lips bled into the next. Riley rubbed her thighs together and shifted her hips as the heat between them rose.

  When was the last time she’d let herself enjoy something? Every good thing in her life had been stolen from her. It was time she let herself be selfish again.

  Riley arched her back and pushed up against his body as he kissed her. His thighs straddled either side of her hips, but the second she showed interest, he moved so that his bent knee pressed into the bed between her legs. Riley’s cheeks flushed, but she couldn’t help herself. As the kiss deepened and their tongues caressed, she ground down against Giovanni’s thigh and teased her swollen lips. The skirt of her dress rode up, exposing her bare thighs. She knew that she had to be making a mess of his pants, but she didn’t care.

  In that moment, Riley’s world was made up of pleasure and nothing else. Decorum didn’t matter anymore.

  Giovanni growled against her lips and pressed his thigh more firmly against her body. The pressure was bliss. Riley gasped and broke out of the kiss, grinding harder. The excitement racing through her wouldn’t subside, and she needed him. The weight of his thigh drove her crazy, and she clamped her own thighs around his and rode it for everything she was worth.

  It didn’t matter what he thought of her anymore. Riley was crazy about him, and she couldn’t bring herself to stop now that she had her chance.

  “Good girl,” Giovanni growled against her lips. Heat flooded between Riley’s thighs, aching with need. She cried against his lips and ground herself harder, teasing her clit through the thin material of her thong, knowing that she was soaking both of their clothes.

  Giovanni was going to make her come without even fingering her.

  “Gio,” she gasped against his lips, tears gathering in her eyes from the intensity of it. Riley had been with men before, but not one held a match to the fire that Giovanni lit inside of her. Need flooded her brain and shut it down, and all Riley could do was lock her arms tightly around his neck and grind against him as her pleasure clenched deep inside. “Gio. Gio. Gio!”