Ink Enduring (Montgomery Ink #5) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Author Highlights

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Ink Enduring

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  ALEX

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  TABBY

  Epilogue

  A Note from Carrie Ann

  About Carrie Ann and her Books

  Excerpt: Delicate Ink

  Tattered Loyalties

  Stolen and Forgiven

  Dust of My Wings

  Ink Enduring

  A Montgomery Ink Novel

  By

  Carrie Ann Ryan

  Ink Enduring

  A Montgomery Ink Novel

  By: Carrie Ann Ryan

  © 2016 Carrie Ann Ryan

  ISBN: 978-1-943123-11-7

  Cover Art by Charity Hendry

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person or use proper retail channels to lend a copy. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  All characters in this book are fiction and figments of the author’s imagination.

  For more information, please join Carrie Ann Ryan’s MAILING LIST.

  To interact with Carrie Ann Ryan, you can join her FAN CLUB.

  Author Highlights

  Praise for Carrie Ann Ryan….

  “Carrie Ann Ryan knows how to pull your heartstrings and make your pulse pound! Her wonderful Redwood Pack series will draw you in and keep you reading long into the night. I can’t wait to see what comes next with the new generation, the Talons. Keep them coming, Carrie Ann!” –Lara Adrian, New York Times bestselling author of CRAVE THE NIGHT

  “Carrie Ann Ryan never fails to draw readers in with passion, raw sensuality, and characters that pop off the page. Any book by Carrie Ann is an absolute treat.” – New York Times Bestselling Author J. Kenner

  "With snarky humor, sizzling love scenes, and brilliant, imaginative worldbuilding, The Dante's Circle series reads as if Carrie Ann Ryan peeked at my personal wish list!" – NYT Bestselling Author, Larissa Ione

  "Carrie Ann Ryan writes sexy shifters in a world full of passionate happily-ever-afters." – New York Times Bestselling Author Vivian Arend

  “Carrie Ann’s books are sexy with characters you can’t help but love from page one. They are heat and heart blended to perfection.” New York Times Bestselling Author Jayne Rylon

  Carrie Ann Ryan's books are wickedly funny and deliciously hot, with plenty of twists to keep you guessing. They'll keep you up all night!” USA Today Bestselling Author Cari Quinn

  "Once again, Carrie Ann Ryan knocks the Dante's Circle series out of the park. The queen of hot, sexy, enthralling paranormal romance, Carrie Ann is an author not to miss!" New York Times bestselling Author Marie Harte

  Praise for the Redwood Pack Series…

  “You will not be disappointed in the Redwood Pack.” Books-n-Kisses

  “I was so completely immersed in this story that I felt what the characters felt. BLOWN AWAY.” Delphina’s Book Reviews.

  “I love all the wolves in the Redwood Pack and eagerly anticipate all the brothers’ stories.” The Book Vixen

  “Shifter romances are a dime a dozen, but good ones aren’t as plentiful as one would think. This is one of the goods one.” Book Binge

  “With the hints of things to come for the Redwoods, I can’t wait to read the next book!” Scorching Book Reviews

  “Ryan outdid herself on this book.” The Romance Reviews

  Praise for the Dante’s Circle Series…

  “This author better write the next books quickly or I will Occupy Her Lawn until she releases more! Pure romance enjoyment here. Now go put this on your TBR pile—shoo!” The Book Vixen

  “I, for one, will definitely be following the series to see what happens to the seven.” Cocktails & Books

  “The world of Dante’s Circle series is enthralling and with each book gets deeper and deeper as does Carrie Ann’s writing.” Literal Addiction

  Praise for the Montgomery Ink Series…

  “Shea and Shep are so cute together and really offset each other in a brilliant way. “ Literal Addiction

  “This was a very quick and spicy read. I really enjoyed reading about Sassy, Rafe & Ian. I really hope there will be more of these three in the future.” Books n Kisses

  Praise for the Holiday, Montana Series…

  “Charmed Spirits was a solid first book in this new series and I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes.” RR@H Novel Thoughts & Book Thoughts

  “If you’re looking for a light book full of magic, love and hot little scenes on various objects, then this book is for you! You’ll soon find that tables are no longer for eating meals of the food variety … Bon appétit!” Under the Covers

  “The book was well written and had the perfect setting the steamy bits where really really hot and the story one of sweet romance. Well done Carrie” Bitten by Love Reviews

  Dedication

  To those who read the first chapter before I finished the book and begged for more.

  Acknowledgements

  Maya, Jake, and Border’s book was a blast to write. I don’t say that often anymore since sometimes characters break me along the way. Don’t get me wrong, these three bruised me a bit and made me weep, but I loved the way the three interacted. And because of that, I know I couldn’t have written this book alone.

  Thank you Chelle for editing, helping me plot while sitting in a beach cabana, and for telling me I’m not crazy. Thank you Charity for the fantastic cover and KP and Tara for everything you’re doing behind the scenes.

  Thank you Dr. Hubby for being patient with me while I try to describe issues with writing a contemporary ménage romances and for not walking out of the room when I started crying over them.

  And of course, thank you readers for loving the Montgomery Ink series as much as I do. The Montgomerys aren’t going anywhere anytime soon and I have you to thank for that!

  Happy Reading!

  ~Carrie Ann

  Ink Enduring

  The Montgomery Ink series continues with a forbidden love between three friends and a past that they can’t escape.

  Jake Gallagher knew from the moment he saw Maya that she was the one for him—it had the same breath-taking intensity as when he’d first set eyes on Border. Only life never turns out the way one plans, and now he’s falling for someone else...or at least he thinks he is.

  Maya Montgomery never should have looked past the friendship she already had. Now that she has, she can’t stop thinking about Jake and what he means to her. When a mysterious stranger from Jake’s past shows up at their door, she’s forced to admit that if she doesn’t take the risk of a lifetime, she’ll regret it for the rest of her days.

  Border Gentry walked away without a second glance once because of what could happen if he let go, but now he’s back and ready to see what he’s missed. He’s been on the road a long time and has seen things no man should ever s
ee, yet once he rediscovers the broody Jake and meets the inked and fierce Maya, they’re like a balm to his soul and he realizes what path his future should take.

  It will take more than sizzling chemistry and a heat that never dies for the three of them to overcome their pasts. And when someone from the outside wants to stand in their way, it’s not only their hearts on the line…but also their lives.

  Chapter One

  That damn skirt was going to kill him. It rose up with every move of her hips, every dip, every sway, every goddamn bend. There was nothing better than a tight, leather skirt that hugged those kinds of curves in all the right places. Her hair touched her ass when she leaned back and brushed the small of her back every time she moved. She wore a tank thing with no bra, and the wavy, long black strands slid over her bare skin. It made him want to wrap her hair around his fist and bend her over the nearest barstool. He’d slide right into her, and they’d both come until they were panting and sated.

  Jake Gallagher didn't even know who this chick was, yet he couldn't keep his eyes off her. He licked his lips and adjusted himself in his pants. The long swig of his beer did nothing to calm the urge. It didn't matter that she was with another man, dancing and grinding and having a hell of a good time, all he wanted to do was sink his teeth into her shoulder, his fingers into her hips, and his cock into that sweet pussy—because it would be sweet.

  He'd figure out her name later.

  Her ink glistened with perspiration, and he wanted to lick it off, taste each curve of her tattoos to see if they tasted differently than her bare skin. He loved ink, loved the way—if done correctly—it enhanced the art of a woman’s or man’s body. He was an artist at heart, though he couldn’t draw the way her artist did. Her body and ink were a masterpiece. One he wanted to have in his hands.

  The light glinted off her eyebrow ring, and when she turned to the side, he could see her tongue flick out and the piercing there press against her upper lip.

  He wanted that tongue on his dick, that tongue ring sliding up his shaft, and those fucking sexy lips wrapped around his cock. He swallowed hard, a little disturbed at his reaction to this stranger. He didn’t normally respond like this in public when a girl—or guy, for that matter—was just dancing in front of him. Jake usually had a little more control.

  A little.

  “You done eye-fucking that chick in leather?” Graham, his older brother asked as he ran his hand through his beard.

  Jake rolled his eyes and took another drink of his beer. “I’m not eye-fucking her.” He was totally eye-fucking her, and he might have felt bad about it, but from the look on her face when she caught others doing it, she liked the attention. If she hadn’t, he’d have stopped. He wasn’t a complete asshole.

  “You’re totally eye-fucking her,” Owen, his younger brother said with a grin. Newly twenty-one, he seemed happy as hell that he hadn’t had to use his fake ID to get in that night. Their youngest brother, Murphy, didn’t look old enough to pass a fake yet, but that would come.

  “Okay, fine,” Jake said as he shrugged. “She’s hot, and I’m single. Can’t blame me for looking.” He tilted his beer toward the very gorgeous woman dancing in the middle of the floor. There were other women in the bar and on the dance floor, but all eyes were on this one. There was just something about the way she moved, with a casual grace and a “fuck off” attitude that made people want to know more about her.

  Jake wasn’t any different than those with their hungry eyes all for her.

  “Well, she’s not single from the looks of it,” Graham drawled. “In fact, she looks clearly…attached.”

  Jake flipped his brother off even as he watched the woman wrap one leg around her dance partner’s hips and grind. Oddly enough, with the type of bar they were in, she was probably the most dressed woman there, and wasn’t dancing as sexually as the others. But either way, she made him groan. He wanted her to dance with him like that.

  “Speaking of attached,” Jake began, “where’s your wife? I thought you said she would be here with you tonight.” Jake liked Candace. She loved his brother, and Graham smiled when she was around. In Jake’s book, that worked.

  “She wanted to stay home tonight,” Graham said with a shrug. “Told me to get out and watch your ass.” His older brother grinned through that big beard of his. “And since the wife told me to…”

  He trailed off, and Jake punched Graham in the arm. “Fuck off.”

  “No thanks, I have a willing, young wife at home. I don’t need your help.”

  Owen snorted in his beer and shook his head. “I really don’t need to think about any of that.”

  “Aww, you and your hand going through a breakup?” Jake asked, ducking as Owen threw a punch. “Hey, watch it. Don’t get us kicked out of here. It’s my favorite bar.”

  Owen rolled his eyes. “Every bar is your favorite bar.”

  Jake grinned and tipped his beer at his brother. “True, but this one has her.” He pointed with his beer again. “I like the view.” When he turned toward the mysterious woman, though, he frowned.

  Some other dude had come up behind her, and from the look on the first guy’s face, this one wasn’t a stranger. But when stranger number two put his hands on the woman’s hips, all hell broke loose.

  “What the fuck, Mark?” the woman spat. “I already told you, I’m not going to do your buddy so you can watch.” She tried to wiggle out from between them, but the two douchebags held her tight.

  Jake ground his teeth and set his beer down. “Be right back,” he snarled.

  Graham growled, “We’re right behind you.”

  “No one touches a woman like that if she doesn’t want it,” Owen added.

  There was a reason Jake loved being a Gallagher brother, but he pushed that thought out of his mind as he stormed toward the three on the dance floor. Not a single other person looked like they were going to help. In fact, some of the women looked happy that one of their own was in this situation. Fucking people and their fucking small minds. Just because someone wanted to dance, didn’t mean they wanted to fuck. It was as simple as that.

  Jake held out one hand and opened his mouth to speak, only to come up short as the woman moved faster than he thought possible. In one move, she elbowed the one behind her in the gut and kneed the first dude in the nuts. When both of the guys leaned forward with a groan, she slammed their heads together. Just when Jake thought she might be done, she kicked them each in the nuts one more time.

  “No means no, assholes.” With that, she tossed her hair over her shoulder and glared at the rest of the crowd before letting her gaze fall on him. She studied him for a moment, and he forced himself to let his fists relax at his sides. She raised a brow at him before smiling.

  Damn, she was beautiful. Not just hot and sexy, but fucking gorgeous.

  “Thanks for the assist,” she said without a hint of sarcasm. “Buy me a drink?”

  He blinked a couple of times before letting out a rough chuckle. “That I can do, sweetness.” He held out a hand, but she smiled at him instead, moving past him and leaving the two dumbasses on the floor trying to pick themselves up.

  Jake let out a breath and followed her to the bar where she was already holding up two fingers at the bartender. He sidled up to her side and noticed that Owen and Graham had moved a little farther down the bar, giving him space with this new development. He loved his brothers sometimes.

  “You handled yourself well there,” he said as casually as he could. Kind of hard to sound casual with a hard-on from hell pushing against his zipper. “Jake Gallagher.”

  She smiled and held out a tequila shot. He took it and tapped glasses. Neither of them bothered with salt or lime, instead, letting it hit the back of their throats as they shot it back.

  “I have five brothers and about eighty cousins,” she said once they’d finished the shot. “I can handle myself anywhere.” She winked. “Maya Montgomery.”

  Maya. He liked the name. It fit her we
ll.

  “So, Maya, I’d ask what brings a girl like you to a place like this, but that’s cliché, and considering you just laid those two on the ground in two seconds flat, I figure I’d best think of something else to say.”

  She smiled again. “I like you, Jake Gallagher. No pretense, and yet you’re smooth.” She tapped her tongue ring on her tooth. “Or, at least you think you’re smooth.”

  He clutched his hand over his heart. “I’m wounded.”

  “You are not. You were totally checking me out the entire time I was dancing, and you liked what you saw. And from the nice bulge in your jeans, I’m thinking you liked it a lot.”

  He didn’t look down at his dick, but it was damn hard not to—no pun intended. “You take no shit, I’m guessing.”

  “If I did, I’d have to give a shit,” she said simply and held up two more fingers. “More shots?” she asked, even as the bartender worked.

  Jake ran a hand over his day-old beard. “Tequila isn’t really my thing,” he said honestly. “Plus, with the beer beforehand, I’m gonna have a hangover from hell.”

  Maya grinned. “Then I’d better make it worth it.”

  Jake studied her face and forced himself not to reach out and touch. “I thought you were with that dude back there.” He might want her, but he wasn’t about to poach. He had enough issues going on at home right now without adding women trouble to the mix.

  She shook her head. “We went on a couple of dates. He sucks at oral.” Jake choked, but she just grinned. “He wanted to bring in his friend. Now if this guy was as good as he thought he was in the sack, I might have. But I didn’t trust his friend. And I’m pretty sure both of them wanted each other but were too chicken shit to admit it.”