The Ink That Brands Us: A Colorado Ink Novel

by Terra Deason

  “Please, Frey!” She stuck her bottom lip out, going into full pout mood. “He’s a great guy and I think you guys would really hit it off. If anything he would be a good lay. Plus, I kind of already told him to pick you up tomorrow night. I didn’t expect you to say no.”

  “Saw!” I couldn’t believe she was doing this to me. She still looked at me with those pleading eyes and I have to admit that totally worked. I was such a sucker. “Ugh! Just know I hate you and if this turns out to be a bust then we are no longer friends!”

  She threw her arms around my neck and squealed. “Thank you!” She pulled back and headed for the door. “Thank for supper,” she called as the door closet behind her.

  I groaned, picking up my plate and carrying it into the kitchen. I sat my plate in the sink and turned to look at Jensen. He had his back to me, still facing the living room. He was completely rigid.

  “You okay?” I asked, walking around the bar to stand beside him.

  “Just grand,” he said, his voice sounding weird. His accent was deeper and when he looked up his face was almost unreadable.

  “Can you believe, Saw?” I asked trying to lighten the mood, but his face only grew darker.

  “Yes, luv, I can. Its typical Saw. She’s always forcing someone to do something they aren’t ready to do.” He pushed to his feet, grabbing his plate off the bar and taking it into the kitchen. He dumped it into the sink and stomped out of the kitchen and down the hall. Why was he angry? If anyone should be angry, it should be me. I was so confused.

  “Thanks for dinner,” I called as his bedroom door slammed shut. I shook my head in disbelief and headed into the kitchen to clean up. Some mindless cleaning was exactly what I needed right now.

  Once I finished the kitchen, I went into the living room to grab my book, but I couldn’t seem to concentrate on the pages. I was too keyed up and needed to do something. I looked around trying to figure out what I needed. Watching TV was out, I’d never be able to sit still.

  I pushed to my feet and paced the living room for a minute, then headed for my room. In high school, I used to run to clear my head and it was great to wear me down enough to sleep. It was exactly what I needed right now, and it didn’t matter that it was already after seven at night. I had to get out of here for a while.

  I grabbed my old running sneakers out of my closet and pulled on a pair of workout pants and a light jacket. Shuffling through the crap on my dresser, I found my headphones. I grabbed my phone and headed back into the living room.

  Jensen was sitting on the couch and I tried to ignore him fiddled with my phone and headphones.

  “Where are off too?” He asked.

  “For a run.” I bent forward, touching my toes and when I straightened Jensen was standing right in front of me. “Whoa,” I said, teetering on my heels. He reached a hand out to steady me

  “Alone?” he asked, his voice hard. I could hear the residue anger lingering and I still couldn’t figure out what had made him mad.

  I nodded and backed up giving myself space to finish my stretches. When I looked up I found the room in front of me empty. I shrugged at nothing and stuffed my headphones into my ears and headed for the door.

  “Wait up!” I heard Jensen call as I was walking out the door. I turned to find him jogging down the hall. He was in basketball shorts and a hoodie. He looked ready for a run.

  “Um, what are you doing?” I asked, pulling a headphone out of my ear.

  “Coming with you,” he said, putting in his own headphones.

  He didn’t wait for me to object or say anything. He walked past me and out the door, pausing at the stairs to see if I was coming. I wanted to object, but I knew that it would be useless. Something told me that no matter what I said I wouldn’t be going on this run alone. So much for me clearing my head. With Jensen beside me the whole run, there was no way I’d be able to think of anything else.

  I was dying.

  Well, on the inside, at least and I was struggling to keep that fact from showing on the outside. We ran two agonizing miles according to my phone. Jensen had no problems keeping pace and half the time he didn’t even look winded. I didn’t want Jensen to see how out of shape I was, so I pushed myself the entire run to keep up with him and now I was paying the price.

  I was fighting a stitch in my side as we walked back into the apartment. We were barely inside the apartment before I doubled over bracing my hands on my knees trying hard to catch my breath. Jensen leaned against the bar looking like a damn fitness model on the cover of a sports magazine. If I could move I would kick him for being so gorgeous.

  “All right, luv?” He walked over and started rubbing my back.

  His hands on my felt amazing and I wanted him to do more than rub my back. I slammed that thought down and stepped away from him. My hand automatically going to my side.

  “I’m going to take a shower,” I said, breathlessly. It was a miracle I managed to get down the hallway without limping.

  I didn’t waste any time once I was in my room. I limped my way into the bathroom, giving up on pretending like I wasn’t in a crap ton of pain. Once inside the shower, I couldn’t hold back the moan that escaped my lips when the hot water washed over me. My muscles loosened and my body started to relax.

  To my surprise, I managed to get a bit of thinking done while I was on my run despite Jensen going with me. I decided that maybe this blind date wasn’t such a bad idea. Maybe this guy would turn out to be a really decent person and could help me get over whatever I have for Jensen. I needed to get over this stupid crush. I knew there wouldn’t ever be anything between us, so I needed to accept that and move on. This blind date was the best place to start.

  After my shower, I dressed and headed into the living room to fetch my book to do a bit of reading before bed. When I rounded the corner to the living room, I found Jensen lounged across the couch book in hand.

  I paused for a fraction of a second before I forced my body forward. I grabbed my book off the table and turned to go back to my room.

  “Care to join me?” Jensen asked

  When I turned to decline, the look of hopefulness on his face stopped me. He looked like he really wanted my company and his smile was infectious. It would be impossible to refuse.

  “Sure,” I smiled. I didn’t like reading in my room anyway.

  I walked back over to the couch and sat down as he situated himself into a sitting position, his legs stretched out on the coffee table. I squirmed around for trying to find the best position that was comfortable. I usually sat with my feet stretched across the couch, but with Jensen sitting at the other end that wouldn’t be possible now.

  I glanced up when Jensen chuckled.

  “What?” I asked.

  He reached towards me, grabbing my feet and stretching them across his lap. “You could’ve just asked.” He held his book in one hand and massaged one of my feet with the other. It felt amazing, and I hated to admit it, but my feet were aching pretty badly.

  “That feels wonderful,” I sighed, closing my eyes.

  I heard him chuckle, then his other hand joined in. After that I was a goner. The exhaustion settled in and I didn’t try to fight it.

  Thirteen

  When I woke the next morning I had the worst headache. Probably from the tossing and turning I had done half the night. My brain refused to shut off, so I spent the entire night stressing over my blind date and what was going on with Jensen. I was exhausted and in no mood for anything, but Saw still insisted that we make a trip to the mall after class. I tried to object, but June backed her up insisting that it would be good for me and help me get more in the mood to have a fun night out.

  Since I was out voted, they drug me from store to store making me try on outfit after outfit. It was wearing me out and I wasn’t sure I was going to be in any mood to go out tonight, but maybe pop a few pain relievers to put a dent in this headache that was making my skull pound.

  After two hours of torcher I insisted
that the current store we were in be our last. They tried to argue, but after I explained my current condition and the fact that I desperately needed something to help with this headache, they agreed. It seemed to make them more determined to find me something. To everyone's surprise it was I who spotted a little black dress poking out of the back of a random rack.

  It was love at first sight.

  It was a simple, knee length, vintage dress which dipped low in the back. I wouldn’t be able to wear a bra, but luckily the designer was genius enough to add a little extra support in the front for just that reason. When I tried it on the girls couldn’t contain their excitement and I had to admit it looked fantastic on me.

  June insisted she had the perfect red pumps that would look killer with it and with that we were out of the mall. We dropped June off at her apartment and picked up the shoes. She had to work tonight, so she wouldn’t be able to help me get ready. Saw and I both had to work as well, so I would have to get ready at the shop, a fact that I wasn’t happy about. After multiple promises to send June pictures we were off. We made a quick stop at Saw’s apartment for makeup and hair stuff, then we headed to the shop.

  “A little more notice would have been nicer, ya know,” I huffed, as we pulled into the parking lot. “I would have liked to get ready in the comfort of my home.”

  “Oh come on,” she grinned, climbing out of the car. “This gives the guys the chance to make your date uncomfortable and hit on you before you go.”

  I halted mid-step gaping at Saw. “Oh my God! Please don’t let them embarrass me!”

  “I’ll warn them. It will be fine,” She chuckled, pulling me towards the shop.

  “This is a terrible idea,” I sighed.

  Work seemed to speed by in a blink to my great disappointment. I had been looking forward to a long work day to distract me from the looming event of the night. Every time I thought about it, panic would well up and I wanted nothing more than to curl into a ball. This was going to be a disaster. I’d never been with anyone other than Josh. I don’t even know how dating works.

  “Come out, Frey!” Saw called through the closed bathroom door.

  I had been ready for over ten minutes, but couldn’t stop pacing in panic. My blind date would be here soon and I was having a freaking melt down. Saw yelling through the door at me wasn’t helping. If anything it was making me feel worse by the second.

  A light knock sounded, followed by a smooth English voice. “Come now, luv. We’re all waiting.”

  I took a deep breath and shook my head giving myself a mental pep talk. He was right. They were all waiting and I was making a fool of myself by holing myself up in the bathroom. It was just one date and if it didn’t work out; I knew I could call any one of them and they would swoop in and save the night.

  I reached for the door knob and pulled. The door swung open, and I stepped out, my shoulders back and my head held high. I could do this. I would do this.

  “Sheesh, y'all are an impatient lot,” I said, trying to sound annoyed to cover up my unease. The guys and Saw all stood around my desk and when their eyes landed on me, I faltered in my steps. I ran a self-conscious hand along my front. “Oh God, do I look that bad?”

  Mack was the first to recover. He gave a low whistle and grinned at me. “Damn, baby girl you clean up just nice.”

  “Fuck that she looks sexy as hell!” Tyler swore. “Damn it girl, blow this douche off and let me take you out.” I just rolled my eyes at him, but couldn’t stop the small smile that spread across my face.

  “Gorgeous!” Saw exclaimed. “June was right. Those shoes are killer with that dress. That dress was made for you, babe.”

  My eyes flickered to Derek, and I noticed he was watching Jensen.

  When I looked to Jensen my breath caught. He was staring at me in a way that made me feel like I was the only person standing in this room. Hell, like I was the only person in this world. Something Saw had said to me a while back blew through my brain like a bullet.

  He sees you, Freya.

  In this moment, I knew exactly what she meant.

  Jensen broke away from the group and walked over to me. His eyes never leaving me. The closer he came the harder my heart would beat. I was so sure that once he reached me it would fly right out of my chest and into his waiting hand. He reached for my hand, bringing it to his mouth and kissing my knuckled lightly.

  “You look luscious, luv.” His voice was barely a whisper and it caused goosebumps to break out across my skin.

  My body burned for him and I wanted so badly for him to be my blind date or for him to tell me that he wanted me. I wanted him to never stop looking at me the way he was looking at me right now. I wanted to live in this moment for the rest of my life because I knew that no one would ever look at me this way and make me feel like this.

  Slowly, he dropped my hand and turned away, breaking the spell. He walked straight past the group and down the hall. A few seconds later, his studio door banged closed. I closed my eyes, trying to push back the rush of emotion that I felt.

  When I opened my eyes, everyone was giving me sympathetic smiles. Derek walked over and threw an arm around my shoulder, squeezing me to his side.

  “Give him some space. He’s got a lot of demons burning him up inside.” I looked up and up into this goliath’s eyes.

  “He confuses me,” I said, my voice a little sad.

  “I think you confuse him, too.” He gave me another squeeze and walked me to the group.

  Just as we stopped at my desk, Jensen came stomping back down the hall and he looked pissed. I stepped into his path, reaching out to stop him. He stopped, but not before shrugging off my hand.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?” I tried to look into his face, but he kept his head down.

  He sidestepped me and headed for the door. “Not a bloody thing,” he growled, storming out the door.

  I turned to look at Derek, shaking my head. “Total confusion.”

  I looked to Saw to see that she was giving me sad eyes. I tilted my head to the side, raising an eyebrow, but she just looked away, then a grinned spread across her face.

  “Alex! Nice of you to make it!” She hurried around me and went to stand beside the tall dark, stranger that walked through the door. He was tall by my standards, probably five-ten and gave a skater boy vibe, but Saw was correct. He was a total babe, dressed in a black button up with dark jeans and well kept Vans.

  I tried to shake off the unease and took a step forward, putting on my best, award-winning smile.

  “Hi, I’m Freya.” I stuck out my hand, and he took it, giving it a quick shake.

  “It’s nice to meet you.” He looked me over appreciatively, then met my eyes. “You ready?”

  I nodded quickly, wanting to get out of here before the guys had a chance to embarrass me by acting like overprotective big brothers. I knew they would do it too because anytime Saw was picked up by a new guy they made the effort to do it to her.

  I stepped past him and headed for the door, turning to wave bye to my friends. They all gave me encouraging smiles and waved back.

  We pulled up outside of a place called The Hall and according to Alex they played the best local bands in the city and had the best food. There was a long line at the door, but Alex led me past it and stopped right in front of the bouncer. The bouncer looked me over quickly, nodded at Alex, then let us pass.

  “It’s all about who you know,” Alex smiled, letting me go first.

  We found an empty table in a private corner of the club and took seats across from each other. Alex didn’t seem as uncomfortable as I was and gave me an easy smile.

  “So, Freya, tell me about yourself.”

  “There’s not much to tell,” I said, smiling. “I moved her from Kentucky to go to college here and I work at a receptionist at Colorado Ink. What about you?”

  “I’ve lived in Colorado most of my life and I am a senior at UCD and am going into law. I also train for MMA on the side as a hobby.” />
  I raised an eyebrow in surprise. “MMA? I wouldn’t have guessed that.” He just didn’t look like he had the built of a fighter.

  “It’s kind of new. I just started not to long ago out of curiosity if I could do it. It’s a lot of work, but so far I love it.”

  “That’s awesome. I bet you’re going to be great.”

  “We’ll see,” he smiled. “What’s your major?”

  “English Lit,” I told him.

  “Ah,” he said, trying to cover up his distaste, but I just laughed.

  “I get that a lot.”

  “It’s just an interesting choice, is all.”

  I nodded and looked to the dance floor. The music picking up and people were flooding the area. I looked to Alex and smiled. “Want to dance?” He stood and lead me to the dance floor. I was a bit of a klutz on a good day, but I was a decent dancer.

  We danced until we were both breathless and dying for a drink. Alex lead me back to the table, then headed for the bar after letting me know he was going to get us a couple of drinks. I smiled after him, watching as he made his way through the crowd until he disappeared.

  I reached into my clutch, pulling out my cell to check for any messages. To my surprise, neither Saw nor June had messaged me to see how it was going. I shrugged and returned my phone to my clutch. When I looked up, I let out a startled gasp, my hand going to my chest.

  Fourteen

  “Jensen! What are you doing here?!” I looked around for a moment afraid that he might be here on a date. Honestly, that would probably ruin my night, but luckily he was alone.

  He smiled down at me and took a seat beside me.

  “How’s it, luv?” he asked, then looked around. “Where’s your date?”

  “Getting drinks,” I answered. “Jensen, what are you doing here?”