Full Contact (Redemption #3)(47)
“Lunch?”
“Today. Noon. You did say you owed me.”
His eyes glitter and a smile spreads across his face. “Indeed I did. Lunch it is.”
Duncan coughs. Christos chokes. I shoot them a warning look as I direct Doctor Death to my chair. Although he is rumored to have slept with a lot of women, Doctor Death is known as a decent guy, a skilled doctor, and a pretty good fighter. Rose could do a lot worse.
“So what do you need covered?” I take a seat as Doctor Death slides into my client chair and then pushes up the sleeve of his T-shirt.
His sunny smile fades when he points to the heart tat on his bicep with the name “Syndee” in the center. “I thought she was the one.” His voice is thick with dejection. “First woman I ever really loved. I wanted her inked into my skin forever, so I got two tats with her name on them. Went by her place to show her and caught her in bed with her second cousin twice removed, Gaylon.”
“Oh my.”
He lifts an eyebrow. “Not quite my reaction. But I had my justice. Gaylon will never perform that trick in bed ever again.”
Eeeep. Doctor Death may be pretty, but he’s clearly got a dark side. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”
His face softens. “Thank you. Means a lot to me. Only had my heart broken twice before. But I don’t begrudge Amanda and Makayla their happiness. I’ve decided the cover for that tat should be a broken heart so I never forget the feeling.”
Amanda and Makayla? I’d heard rumors, but I never really believed them. “That shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll work up a few designs for you. What about the second tat?”
He gives me a cheeky grin. “We’ll need some privacy. It’s on my ass.”
Oh God. Nothing I hate more than ass work, even if the ass is as fine as I’m guessing Doctor Death’s ass must be from the way his jeans hugged every taut curve as he made his way to my chair. Doesn’t seem to matter how much the needle hurts, you put a guy alone in a room with a woman, close the door, pull down his pants, and you’re spending some time in the hall giving him a “moment.”
“Duncan actually specializes in ass work—”
“I want you, Sia. This ass is precious. I only want the best hands on it.”
Taking a deep breath, I think about Mom and Dad and their mortgage. I think about rent and car insurance and saving for the shop I want to own one day. I think about the difference between big, white, hairy asses and lean, taut, tanned ones. “Okay. I’ll take you to the back.”
I keep it cool and professional as I direct him to the private ink rooms, while inside I laugh at the irony. I know women who would sell their soul for a peek at Doctor Death’s ass and yet all I can think about is Ray and how he cared enough to spend the night holding me, but not enough to want more than a casual fling.
While I wait in the hallway for Doctor Death to undress, my cell rings. I answer when I see it is Tag, and almost immediately he launches into an apology. He doesn’t know what he was thinking bringing up the incident with Luke. He’s not thinking straight. He just wants me to be safe and happy, and when he saw me with Ray, he was worried I would get hurt. But now, he’s not so sure.
“Why?” I lower my voice. “What happened?”
“He was at the gym yesterday when I was prepping for my Sunday Baby Boot Camp class,” Tag says, his voice tight. “He said he knew something bad happened to you and he wanted to know what it was.”
I suck in a sharp breath, at once annoyed Ray would go behind my back and perversely pleased he cared enough to ask. “You didn’t—”
Tag cuts me off with an annoyed grunt. “Of course I didn’t. I told him if there was anything you wanted him to know, you’d tell him yourself. But, of course, he’s the Predator and he wouldn’t give up. He said he didn’t want to f*ck things up with you by inadvertently doing something that would make you run away.”
“He said that?” I walk to the end of the hall where I can’t be overheard.
Tag’s voice softens. “Yeah. I thought you should know. Still not sure whether I think he’s the right guy for you, but none of your other boyfriends ever threatened to bounce me around the ring if I didn’t divulge your secret. Tells me he cares about you. A lot.”
Reeling, confused, I slump against the wall. “He told me last night he didn’t want to get involved.”
“That’s not the message he sent at Amanda’s. He pretty much laid claim to you and warned everyone else away. It’s a guy thing.” Tag hesitates and then he says, “If you do decide to tell him, bear in mind that you don’t tell a man like Ray that someone hurt you and never paid for his crimes and think he’s just going to give you a sympathetic pat on the head. That happens with men like Charlie and James. Ray is…well, he’s like me. And when someone I care about is hurt and justice isn’t done, it’s almost impossible to bear.”
My breath leaves me in a rush. “I know I’ve asked a lot of you to keep that secret.”
Tag groans. “Sorry, Sia. I didn’t say that because I was trying to make you feel guilty. I don’t regret the decision we made and I would do it again in a heartbeat if you asked. It’s just all coming back because of this case I’m working on. It’s driving me f*cking crazy. I can’t think about anything else. Even going to the gym is an effort because it takes me away from the investigation.”