Rowdy (Marked Men #5)(41)
“We go way back.”
“You look like you belong together.”
We did? I didn’t know anything about that, but I didn’t hate the idea and we had always sort of been a matched set, so I just murmured my nonreply and settled in to do some serious tattoo work.
I WAS IN THE MIDDLE of trying to pick my place up and make it look less like a bachelor crash pad when I heard a knock on the door and Jimbo yip from the other side. Not having empty beer cans and fast-food containers littering every surface was going to have to pass as clean.
My place was pretty basic guy fare. Big leather couch, bigger flat-screen TV, and a fridge that was stocked with Coors Light and that was about it. It would never be considered homey, but most of my overnight guests I didn’t want to stick around for too long anyways, so it worked for me.
I pulled the door open and the little dog lunged at me. I wasn’t ready for him, so his fuzzy body hit the floor with a thud that made Salem gasp. I was going to pick him up and check him over to make sure he was all right when he scrambled to all fours and took off to explore the new place with his nose to the ground.
Salem shook her head at him and handed me the dog bowls and bag of dog food she had carted over. A little thrill raced across my skin that she had heeded my warning about not letting her go back to her place. She had brought enough stuff to keep Jimbo comfortable for the night.
“You can’t get mad if he pees on any of your stuff. He isn’t housebroken all the way yet.”
She waltzed past me with a flip of her hair and my eyes zeroed in on the fact she had a very short denim skirt on. It wasn’t what she had worn to work. Thank God. I could barely concentrate on my job as it was with her dressed in the formfitting outfits that she typically wore.
“I’m sure he’ll be fine. I don’t really have much for him to get into.”
As I said it, her gaze wandered around the sparsely furnished space. She looked back at me with a frown.
“How long have you lived here?”
“Five years.” I’d moved in shortly after settling into Denver permanently, right after my apprenticeship with Phil was over and I was working full-time at the shop.
“Everything looks brand-new.”
I set Jimbo’s stuff down and filled the bowls with food and water. The black ball of fur came barreling down the hallway to inspect the goods when he heard the food hit the dish. He jumped on my legs until I gave his ears a scratch and I figured we were friends again and I was forgiven for doing such awesome and unspeakable things to his master.
“I don’t spend much time here. Really I’m only home to shower and sleep.”
She made a face of disbelief at me and continued to prowl around. “That’s all?”
I shrugged and crossed my arms over my chest. “I never took a vow of celibacy and I never said I slept alone.”
“So after I leave tomorrow someone else takes my place?”
That was the way it had always been. Now I didn’t think there was a woman alive that could take her place.
“No. When you leave tomorrow I’ll just lie in bed and think about the ways I can get you back there as soon as possible. I haven’t been a repeat offender for a really long time, Salem.” I made sure she was looking at me as I motioned between us. “You are a first for me.”
I could tell she wasn’t sure if she believed me or not, but whatever hesitation she had about getting into bed with me, both literally and figuratively, always lost out to the fact that she wanted me. That was always there, hot in her black eyes and clear on her expressive face. I decided the subject needed to be changed before we got into stuff that was too heavy to get out from underneath of.
“You said you wanted to show me something. I’m hoping it involves you taking of several layers of clothes in order for me to see it.”
She snorted and rolled her eyes at me.
“No. Just one layer.”
She shrugged out of the red cardigan she had on and held up her hands in a ta-da gesture. “What do you think? It’s the first mock-up of one of the shirts I had the screen printer make.”
She was wearing a black tank top that was molded to her curvy frame. There was a fine ribbon of lace around the neck and the bottom, making it look very feminine and pretty. The old-style gypsy was on the front, looking even more like the woman that had inspired her when I saw the two faces together.
She turned around and I saw the Marked logo on the back along with the shop’s Web address. It was a lot more fashion forward than anything I would have pictured when we started talking about doing a retail venue along with tattoos. The girls that frequented the tattoo parlors were going to eat it up, and if they filled the tops out the way Salem did, their husbands and boyfriends were going to be throwing money at us to make it happen. She was really good at this and I had to admit seeing my design stretched across her chest gave me a certain kind of pride that made me want to pound on my chest like King Kong.
“It’s amazing.”
“Right? Once I get the ones Rule and Nash finally finished done, I’m gonna have just a few made for the girls to wear so we can build up some buzz. You guys did a great job with the designs. They’re all a little rough but still girlie enough that they won’t alienate the female buyer. I think this is going to be a huge success.”
I couldn’t stop looking at the face that looked so much like hers.