“Viv left it to me. I helped her pick it out. She would have gone for something much more modern.”
He slipped his fingers into her warm grasp. “What was she like?”
Charlotte sighed. “Wild, fun, vivacious, passionate, courageous. All the things I always wanted to be, but never was.”
Travis kissed her forehead. “You are those things.” At least she was to him. She was the most exciting woman he’d ever met.
“I always felt like a pale imitation of her. She was always that way. You helped bring it out in me.”
“You know, you started your list before you met me. I don’t know if I would have had the stones to climb a mountain in a country so far from home. I like all the things you are. Kind, sweet, classy.”
“I don’t think I would have been on your radar six months ago.”
He smiled remembering the picture he’d seen of her before. Yeah, if he’d met her six months ago, he still would have been interested. Just to taste her soft mouth. “Don’t be too sure. Tell me more.”
“If she hadn’t given me that list, I’d still be the same old boring Charlotte, just wandering through life. Now I want to embrace every moment. She gave me an incredible gift before she died.”
“Wanting your sister to have a threesome is a gift?”
“Living is the gift she gave me. For a while, I didn’t think I was going to go on without her. As different as we were, we shared everything. Now I have her lust for life. Not that I’m not still sad at times. When I found out about Preston, she’s the one I ran to. When she found out about her cancer, I was the person she ran to.”
Travis wished he could tell Andy about Charlotte. He would have loved her. Then he realized if Andy were still alive, he’d have never met her. “I know how you feel.”
“I realize that she’s never going to be my maid of honor, or be an aunt to my children, but I feel like by really living I’m honoring her. That’s what the ones who are left behind have to do. Live the life they never got to have.”
Maybe that’s what he needed to do for Andy. Live the life he’s never going to have. “I like that.”
She patted his hand. “You have to do the same for Andy.”
How did she always know what he was thinking? “I know.”
“You do it with your music, I’m doing it with my list.”
“I cannot be mad at that list. It brought you to me. And you make me enjoy my life. How do you do that?”
She tilted his head and studied him for a minute. “What do I do?”
“Say those sweet things and make me believe them.”
She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “You know what I want to do now?”
“Get all sweaty and naked with me?” he asked hopefully.
“Later, but I’m ready.”
“For what?” He was hoping it wasn’t the threesome, because he wasn’t ready. Hell, he didn’t know if he’d ever be ready for that with her.
“I am ready to get that tattoo.”
“You are?”
She nodded her head. “I’ve finally decided what I want.”
He let out a long breath, relieved she hadn’t picked the threesome. “Which is what?”
“A hummingbird.”
He wasn’t sure if he was surprised or not. That wasn’t something he would have thought she’d pick. Those little fuckers were mean and nasty. He would have picked a flower or a kitten. What the hell did he know? “Why a hummingbird?”
“Viv had one. I found the picture in a photo album at my office and I even want to go to the same place she had hers done.”
He rubbed her knuckle. “This is a commitment.”
She poked him in the chest. “This from the man who has seven tattoos.”
“I’m a musician not a socialite.”
She stood up and held out her hand. “Are you coming with me, or not?”
“I’ll come and hold your hand.”
Outside they were ready to get on the bike, when Gavin stopped them. “Are you two still dating?”
“Yes.” They both answered.
Gavin stuck his hands in the front pockets of his hoodie. “Where are you going?”
“Charlotte wants a tattoo.”
Gavin furrowed his brow. “That’s a dating activity?”
He didn’t get it either, but if that’s what she wanted to do… “In Charlotte’s world it is.”
“Can I come?”
“No.”
Charlotte smiled. “Of course you can.”
The last thing he wanted was Gavin tagging along as a third wheel. “He won’t fit on the bike.”
Charlotte waved her hand. “We can take my car.”
Travis looked at Gavin in his camo cargo shorts and Mr. Zog’s Sex Wax hoodie. “Did you bathe today?” he joked.
He scratched behind his ear. “I washed off all my cooties this morning.”
He grabbed his gray beanie out of his pocket and stuck it on his head. Most people didn’t recognize him if he hid his dark red hair. “Are you sure you want to put him in your Mercedes?”
“I’ll have it detailed tomorrow.” She reached up and pinched Gavin’s cheek. “Besides I like Gavin and his cooties.”
“Why do you want to come?”
Gavin shrugged. “I want to observe the male animal in a dating situation. You know, for research purposes.”
Charlotte dug into her purse and retrieved her keys. “Don’t you go on dates?”
Gavin slipped his arm through Charlotte’s arm and pushed him aside. “Not since the Sadie Hawkins dance in 5th grade.”
Travis’s mouth fell open but he didn’t say anything.
Charlotte led them to her car and pushed the alarm button. “What do you do on your dates with your girlfriend, Gwyn?”
“Well Gwyn is a girl and she is a friend, but we don’t date.” Gavin started to get in the front until Travis grabbed his arm and slipped into the front seat. Charlotte hurried around to the driver’s side and got in and closed her door. “What do you two do then?”
Gavin snickered as he settled into the back seat. “Do I have to have the mommy-daddy talk with you Charlotte? If so, Travis isn’t doing the job right.”
“He does just fine.” She gave Travis a saucy wink as she started the engine.
“Good ‘cause you’re a honey.”
Travis smiled at her. A jolt of excitement raced up his spine.
“Why thank you, Gavin.”
He stuck his shaggy blond head between the two seats. “You let me know if he doesn’t.”
If Gavin didn’t shut up and start just observing he was going to bust him in the mouth. Travis couldn’t believe he was so jealous of the baby drummer. The kid was a natural flirt. He flirted with every female over the age of ten and under ninety –– and they all loved him and his boyish charm. Shit, he was in this way too deep.
A few minutes later they arrived at the tattoo studio. Gavin ran out of the car, opened Charlotte’s door, and held her hand as they walked to the front entrance. As they walked into the tattoo studio, Travis was surprised that it was filled with regular people. No ex-cons or bikers, because he would have walked Charlotte’s cute little ass right out of there.
Okay he wasn’t sure what to expect. In L.A. you had upscale tattoo studios or tattoo parlors and no in-betweens. Since he’d made it big, he hadn’t been to a tattoo parlor.
The old guy at the front took one long look at Charlotte and leered at her. “Can I help you, darlin’?”
“The lady would like a tattoo.”
The man leered. “The lady has perfect skin for ink.”
Charlotte smiled. “Thank you.”
He gave her one long look. “Just tellin’ the truth. Give me five minutes. I’m gonna love puttin’ my mark on you.”
Oh fuck no, Travis thought. “Do you have a female artist?”
Charlotte glared at him like he’d been rude. He glared right back at her. He didn’t want this man touching her. Okay, that’
s how he felt. This ass looked like he was ready to start humping her leg right here.
The man’s leer turned to a frown. “Nariko!”
About ten seconds later, a tall exotic honey-skinned woman with wild curly hair walked out of the back room.
She stopped dead and her almond shaped eyes went wide. She held up a finger. “I’ll be right back.” She pivoted around and went into the back room. A door slammed and a loud scream came from the back room. Travis smiled. She was a fan.
She came back and held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Nariko.”
Gavin smiled. “I’m Gavin.”
She giggled. “Never seen you before in my life.”
Travis extended his hand. “I’m Travis and this is Charlotte. She’d like to get a tattoo.”
Nariko squinted. “Damn, you have no pores.”
Travis looked at Gavin who shrugged.
Charlotte blushed. “Thank you.”
Nariko grinned. “It’s a girl thing.” She took Charlotte’s hand. “Come on, let’s get you prepped. By the way, sorry for the straight up fangirl moment, but it had to be done.”
Gavin grinned. “No prob.”
Okay, maybe it was him, but it seemed to him that Gavin was into her. They walked to the back room and Nariko pointed to a chair. “Have a seat. So Charlotte, what are we doing for you and where do you want it?”
Before Charlotte sat down, she pulled the photo out of her purse and handed it to Nariko. “I want this.”
Nariko looked at the photo. “My dad did this.”
Travis stared at the photo. “How can you tell?”
“I’d know his work anywhere.” She extended her right arm, a green and red Oriental dragon encircled her entire arm, from wrist to shoulder. “It’s my design, but he did the work.”
Travis was in awe. Her dad was an artist. “Great work, both of you.”
“If he was here, he’d insist on doing you. I’m glad he’s in Kyoto with my mom visiting the grandparents.”
Travis looked at the photos on the wall. “Is that your work?”
She blushed. “Yeah.”
He’d seen his share of tattoos. This woman was an artist. “You are just as talented.”
“Thanks.” She giggled. “Why the hummingbird, Charlotte?”
Charlotte took a deep breath. “My sister had this done and she passed. I wanted to honor her.”
Sympathy glittered in Nariko’s dark eyes. “Do you know what the hummingbird symbolizes?”
“I have no idea.”
She patted Charlotte’s hand. "Hummingbirds carry our hopes for love, joy, and celebration. Like hummingbirds, we want to hover and savor each moment as it passes, embrace all that life has to offer, and celebrate the joy of every day. The hummingbird reminds us that life is rich, beauty is everywhere, every personal connection has meaning, and that laughter is life's sweetest gift."
Charlotte smiled. “It’s exactly who Viv was. It’s perfect.”
A tear slipped down her cheek. He had a moment of panic and tried to think of how to get her out of the chair and back home. “Don’t cry, Sweet Baby.”
“Happy tears.” She wiped them away.
“Okay.”
“Where are you getting it?” Nariko asked.
“Someplace discreet.”
“Tramp stamp?” Gavin leaned forward.
He was no help at all.
Charlotte shook her head. “Isn’t that on my lower back? How can I enjoy it?”
Nariko shook her head. “Charlotte you are not a tramp stamp kind of girl.”
No, she wasn’t, Travis thought. Frankly she wasn’t a tattoo kind of girl either, or so he figured.
“Travis, any ideas?”
What could he add? “Not a one. I like looking at all of you, even the bottom of your feet. I’m not going to be a lot of help.”
“You silly man.”
He shrugged. “What can I say?” Everything about her pleased him.
“How about the bikini area?” Nariko suggested.
“Okay.”
“So is it true –– my favorite band has taken up residence in the Big Easy?”
Gavin nodded. “We’re working on the new album.”
“No shit. I got tickets to your show at Diesel. The show was great.”
Gavin folded his arms over his chest. “How did I miss you?”
Travis kind of wondered about that himself. Gavin liked the creative types. Nariko was right up his alley.
Nariko scowled. “Your backstage goons weren’t in to Wasian.”
Charlotte look confused. “What is that?”
“White and Asian.”
“Dumbasses,” Gavin muttered.
Nariko grinned. “I had to give up every weekend for the next couple of months to get the night off, but it was so worth it. I was supposed get this weekend off, but look who turned up in my shop. I can’t wait to let everyone know.”
Gavin leaned toward Nariko. “I’m glad I get to see you work.”
Travis chuckled. Oh yeah, she was coming back to the house tonight. Gavin was totally into her.
It was interesting to watch her work. Her fingers flew over Charlotte’s skin, and in less than two hours, Charlotte had a hummingbird that looked like a stained glass window piece.
“So gentlemen, do I get a chance to ink my favorite band?”
Travis swallowed the lump in his throat. He’d been thinking of getting something to honor Andy, but frankly, he couldn’t think of anything that wasn’t cheesy. “I’ve been thinking about getting something for Andy, but I can’t seem to come up with anything.” And it was kind of killing him that he couldn’t come up with something.
Nariko pursed her lips. “I read an interview that Andy was into Tibetan Buddhism, right?”
Travis nodded. “He was getting into it.”
Nariko thought for a moment. “How about the Endless knot?”
“What’s that?” Gavin asked.
She grabbed a piece of paper and started drawing a diamond shape of interconnected boxes. “It’s an important symbol.”
“What does it mean?” Charlotte asked.
“The interweaving of the spiritual path, the flowing of time and movement within the eternal. It also represents eternal love and friendship, the endless cycle of suffering, birth, death and rebirth, and the interweaving of wisdom and compassion. Who said I’d never use my degree as a tattoo artist.”
“Comparative Religion?” Gavin asked, looking impressed.
“Yeah, my dad wouldn’t let me work here until I graduated from college.”
Gavin smiled. “I only had to get through high school, but I’m thinking of taking some college classes.” He looked at Travis. “I like it.”
Charlotte gripped his hand and smiled at him. “I think you need to do this.”
He pushed a strand of hair off her face. He did. Andy gave him the gift of music. Gave him a life he knew he hadn’t had the courage to dream about as a boy. But most important, he gave him the gift of his friendship. Even though he wasn’t here anymore he was always going to be a part of his life forever. Everything he was, everything he had –– even Charlotte –– was a result of his friendship with Andy. “Yeah, Andy would like it.”
Charlotte carefully dried her body off. She put on lotion and checked her tattoo again. She ran her hand over the plastic covering the hummingbird. My goodness, she was becoming the bad girl she yearned to be. A tattoo and a rock star boyfriend. What next? She smiled.
“You look like you are having a dirty thought.”
She lifted her gaze to the mirror to stare at Travis. “Maybe I am.”
“Need any help?”
She smiled, hoping she looked sexy. “Maybe.”
Travis took another step into the bathroom. “That isn’t your ‘maybe’ tone of voice.”
She liked that he could gauge her moods. “You know me that well already?”
He walked over to her and ran a finger up her spine. “You don’t hide a
lot, Charlotte.”
She shivered. She should, but she didn’t know how. Well, maybe it was just him she didn’t know how to play games with. She didn’t want to. She liked that they could be honest with each other. Not that she was sure of what it was, but they seemed to like each other as people and they certainly did well in bed together. “You don’t keep a lot of secrets from me either.”
“There’s no need to.”
“Why is that?”
“You look at me like a person.”
There was a second of hesitation before she asked. After the conversation with Declan she knew what he meant, but she wanted to be sure. “What do you mean?”
“You see me –– Travis. Not the rock star. It’s been a long time since a woman looked at me that way.”
Charlotte couldn’t help but smile. “Those women have no idea what they are missing.”
He actually blushed. “I … I’m not sure what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything. It’s true.” For a second she felt a sense of power she’d never had in the presence of a man. Once, Viv talked about how to be powerful and in control of her life. She didn’t understand it. Viv had said that self-confidence was the sexiest thing a woman could have. When she recognized that a man was putty in her hands. Charlotte only felt that when she was at work. Outside the confines of her office she felt clueless, especially where men were concerned.
“You are thinking some deep thoughts.”
Charlotte tilted her head. “About you.”
“Why don’t you come to bed and tell me about them.”
“I intend to.”
He placed his hand on her stomach right next to the tattoo. “You sure? I don’t want to hurt you.”
“We can do other things.” She put her hand on top of his. His skin felt warm and alive. She would never forget how his body felt next to hers.
“I like the sound of that.” He took a step closer to her. “What did you have in mind?”
Now it was Charlotte’s turn to blush. Actually, she always blushed around him. “I want to try something different.”
“How different?”
I want you to …” Oh my God, she thought, she really wanted to try this. “I want you to …” She swallowed the lump in her throat. She could ask. It’s not like he hadn’t put his finger there. It just seemed so decadent. It was the only word she could think of.
You Shook Me All Night Long (Scorned Lovers Book 1) Page 13
