Skin Tight (Skin Deep #4)

Ian gave a short bark of laughter that had no amusement in it, whatsoever. “No. I definitely didn’t do that.”

Luke cleared his throat. “Do you want me to read it?” he asked Ian.

Ian gave a sharp, quick nod, his arms tightening even more in preparation, definitely moving into the borderline painful zone, but I didn’t protest. I buried my face back into his neck, knowing that, if the pictures set me off on top of what had happened at home, Ian was about to go postal.

Luke opened the note carefully and muttered, “Oh, mother fucker,” before he started to read.

‘I’m getting impatient, so I went ahead and packed for you, lover. I know I gave you time, but I’m sick of waiting. Anyway, your bed is super comfy and I know you’ll just love the pictures I took for you. Next time, though, I want you with me so we can take even naughtier ones. Oh, and I made sure to come extra hard all over your sheets. I know you’ll want to smell me all wrapped around you while that tramp pants all over you, smelling like desperation and cheapness. I did her a favor and disinfected her discount lingerie. Don’t worry, though. I left her church mouse teacher clothes alone. Wouldn’t want to give her any reason to spend my our money. Call me later, okay? I love you!’

Chapter 13

We stood at the door of the Jones’ residence, Ian’s finger pressing insistently on the doorbell. After what happened this evening, Ian was done. We’d agreed between us to not press charges for the moment; at least not until we talked to Victoria or her parents, which is why it was after eight in the evening and we were standing on their front stoop, waiting for someone to answer the door.

An old man finally answered the door, his face screwed up like he smelled something bad when he looked out at us.

“Is there something I may help you with?” he said with a sneer.

“Yes, Sweeny, there is. You can quit pretending you don’t know who I am and get Victor and CeeCee. I need to discuss something very important with them,” Ian said gruffly.

Sweeny huffed and motioned for us to follow him. We stepped into the foyer, one eerily similar to Ian’s parents’ house, and waited off to the side as the butler (I didn’t know people actually had those anymore) shuffled off.

Fifteen minutes later, the impeccably dressed couple swept into the foyer, calling greetings out to Ian in overly loud, saccharine sweet voices. But it didn’t take long for Ian to change that.

“You need to call off your daughter. I don’t want to press charges, though I will if she doesn’t stop interfering in our lives. She’s delusional, and it stops now. Are we clear?”

Victor Jones drew himself up, puffing out his chest. “You’d do well to remember who you’re talking to, Ian Thomas. I will be having words with your parents to let them know the outrageous things you’re coming in to my home and saying. I have lost all respect for you. Do you hear me?”

Victoria’s mom had her hand to her chest, repeating, “Well, I never!” over and over again.

Ian smirked. “I think you’d better hear me out before you go making threats to me. You can tell my parents anything you want because I plan on talking to them next. I’ve already pretty much written them out of my life, and you hold no special place in my heart, so don’t fool yourself into thinking I care one fucking bit what you think of me or how much you respect me.”

He stepped forward, his voice lowering as he went on. “Your daughter has a knack for showing up uninvited to places I’m at, calling herself my girlfriend, acting like we’re lovers…when that’s never been the case. I’ve found her naked in my bed before I moved in with Leah, and a few weeks ago, I caught her lounging naked in my office.” His jaw was clenched when he continued.

“But today your daughter decided to break into our house and destroy personal property, not to mention the lewd acts she documented herself doing on our bed. I have all the evidence I need to ensure that a protection order is granted, and that she possibly serves jail time.”

CeeCee gasped in outrage. “You are lying, you spoiled little…little…ugh!”

Ian just quirked an eyebrow at her. “Spoiled little what, CeeCee? I assure you that I am the most grounded person you have ever known. Tell Victoria that the game is done. Tell her that, if she contacts me or Leah or anyone else close to us ever again, I won’t hesitate to take what I have to the police, and to ensure that the Prosecutor’s Office has a hey-day with the pictures I have. Got it?”

“You’re bluffing,” Victor said coldly. “I don’t know what you’re trying to prove-”

Ian spoke over him, asking, just as coldly, “Am I bluffing, Victor?”

Ian swiped across his phone to wake up the screen, tapped the text message icon, and immediately, the final, most graphic photo Victoria had taken popped up on the screen. Ian held it up, not giving two shits that he was showing Victor a picture of the man’s daughter literally twaddling herself on our bed.

The man blanched, his skin going pasty white as his hand came up to clutch at his chest. CeeCee screamed and covered her eyes, stumbling back from Ian’s hand like it was a snake about to strike.

I reached out and gently pressed Ian’s arm down, effectively removing the offending image from everyone’s view. I hated the bitch, but no one needed to see that much of Victoria for that long.

On a sigh, Ian shoved his phone back into his pocket, and we he spoke again, his tone was almost gentle. “Victor, I hate that it’s come to this, but I can’t stand by and make excuses anymore. I’ve always said that Victoria’s harmless, that she just had a crush on me that she’d grow out of. I never encouraged her, no matter how much you and my parents have wanted us to end up together, but she’s still wreaked havoc on my life for years now. She’s conspiring with my mother for me to propose to her, which is never going to happen, and something I will be addressing with my mother as soon as I can.”

He pulled me into his side, his arm sliding around my shoulders. “Leah is the only woman for me. She’s the one I’m going to marry, the one I’m going to spend the rest of my life trying to make as happy as she makes me. She’s my world, and I won’t let your daughter hurt her ever again, in any way.”

My heart stuttered and melted when Ian uttered the ‘M’ word, and I had to bite my lips hard to keep from grinning, because it was totally not the time to be doing that.

Then suddenly, I didn’t have to worry about grinning in front of them, because I was fighting to keep my claws sheathed as the front door opened and Victoria sailed through, like she didn’t have a care in the world.

“Hi, Mommy, Hi, Daddy! What are you…Oh!” Eyes huge, she skidded to a stop, panic washing across her face fleetingly before it was gone. In it’s place was the carefree bimbo she usually presented.

“Ian! How nice to see you! Awww…and you brought Leah? Sweetie, we need to get together soon for drinks and to catch up.” She rolled her eyes and flapped her hands as she squealed and said, “Oh, the stories I could tell you about our little Ian.”

“Shut up, Victoria!” Victor thundered loudly, his voice making us all jump in surprise.

Victoria flinched and raised wounded eyes to her father. “Daddy, why are you acting like this?” she whimpered.