She’d been freaking attacked last night, and yet she couldn’t help but watch Alexander move.
“Got it,” she breathed and looked up. She hadn’t realized he was so close. All she had to do was go to her tiptoes, and she could brush her lips along his. His gaze dropped to her mouth, and she watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed. His tongue darted out to lick his bottom lip, and her nipples became hard points against her sports bra.
His chest moved quicker as his breaths increased, and she ached for him.
But she couldn’t move forward, not now. Maybe not ever. He wasn’t ready. She wasn’t ready.
They each took a step back at the same time, and she refused to feel hurt by that. After all, she’d moved, too.
Alexander cleared his throat. “I think that’s it for now. You need to rest.”
She’d have bristled at the order if she didn’t agree with him. “Thank you for at least starting. Can we do it again?” She could have kicked herself for asking. She could take a class if she truly wanted to continue, and while she did want to learn more, she wanted Alexander to teach her.
She was a glutton for punishment, and yet she couldn’t move away.
He studied her face for a moment before giving her a nod. “We can. I just want you safe.”
She tried not to look too hard into those words, but she couldn’t help it. When it came to him, she couldn’t help much.
With one last look, she said her goodbyes as she packed up and hurried to her car, aware that her knees were shaking. While she should go home and shower, she headed to her favorite bookstore instead. Her friend owned and operated the place, and since she couldn’t think clearly at the moment, she needed Everly’s help to focus.
All of her other friends had married into the Montgomerys, and this was one thing she couldn’t talk to them about.
As soon as she’d pulled into the parking lot, she cursed herself. She hadn’t bothered to put on concealer before she’d left the house because Alexander had already seen the worst of it. But going into Everly’s shop was something different altogether. She couldn’t take the pitying looks. Thankfully, it was near the close of business, so hopefully Tabby would be able to sneak right in.
Beneath the Cover was a small indie bookshop that catered to every genre, but half of it was devoted to romance. It was seriously Tabby’s favorite store ever. And since it was located in downtown Denver, it had tons of walk-in shoppers, and it was close enough to their friend Hailey’s café that they ended up doing promotions together. Somehow, they’d ended up creating a small town feeling inside a huge downtown city.
It made Tabby miss home just a bit less.
Everly was at the cash register, looking over a book when Tabby walked in. Her friend’s eyes widened when she saw Tabby, and she hurried around to the front of the shop.
“Oh my God, Tabby. That selfie you sent didn’t do this justice. I want to kick that guy’s ass so hard right now. Thankfully, Alex did it for me.”
Tabby’s eyes filled, and she did her best to try and blink the tears away. She fought to keep from crying because, damn it, she’d already cried enough. She wanted to fight back now, and tears would only get in the way.
“It’ll heal. I’ll heal.”
“I know you will, honey. Now let me close up shop and we can have some tea before I need to head out and pick up the kids.” Everly had two children she raised on her own, and Tabby still didn’t know how the other woman did it every day.
“Tea sounds great.” Tabby moved to the side as her friend locked the door. “I almost kissed him,” she blurted.
Everly turned on her heel, her eyes wide. Her friend knew about Tabby’s crush and was the only one who did, but that still didn’t make Tabby’s words any less awkward.
“If I didn’t have to drive, I’d say we need more than tea right now,” Everly said slowly. “How close was almost?” she said with a small smile.
Tabby laughed then, just a little bit of her tension leaving her shoulders. “Close enough.” She let out a breath. “I don’t know what I’m going to do, Ev.”
“Then we’ll figure it out.”
And, apparently, it needed to be as simple as that. But Tabby knew more than most that nothing was ever simple with a Montgomery—Alexander even more so.
Chapter Five
Alex was fucking this up. Again. He couldn’t quite believe he’d been that stupid but considering his past decisions, he couldn’t even blame himself.
A strong wind slapped at him, forcing him out of his cyclical thoughts. The cold bit into his skin, but he did his best to ignore it. He couldn’t move at that exact moment to shift his scarf to protect his neck and the lower part of his face from the bitter wind. Instead, he let the cold seep into his skin and chill him down to his bones as he focused on his subject.
Hand on the lens, he changed what he needed to before pressing the shutter.
Click.
Another angle.
Click.
This one more focused.
Click.
Move, one more time.
Click.
Let out a breath.
Click.
Alex lowered the camera and blinked away the intense haze that always came from shooting a subject. His brain had been focused not only on the one man in front of him but also the thousand different parts of the setting that worked around both of them in the downtown Denver area.
“Got what you need?” the man in front of him growled out. “Don’t know why you want to take a picture of me just sitting here, but if that gets your rocks off, go for it.” The homeless man patted his torn jacket and gave Alex a yellow-stained smile. “I got my sandwich so I guess that’s all I need.” He narrowed his eyes. “Unless you got a few bucks you can spare.”
Alex shook his head. “Sorry. All out. I do have coffee for you if you want.”
The older man snorted. At least Alex thought the man was older than he was, but for all he knew, the booze had just made the homeless guy in front of him appear aged.
“No. Can’t stand the stuff. Bad for my indigestion.” Alex nodded his thanks for helping him but figured the other man didn’t want it. And he had a feeling it wasn’t coffee that hurt the man’s stomach, but the lack of booze in his system. There was a reason Alex didn’t give the homeless people around money anymore. He’d seen what happened after he’d done that a few times when he came back the next day. Not everyone would spend their money on alcohol or drugs or even cigarettes, but enough had done it that Alex had learned his lesson.
He’d also learned that not everyone was truly homeless. He’d been burned a few times from supposedly homeless men or women or even kids who panhandled before jumping on their thousand dollar bike or even getting inside their Mercedes parked a couple of blocks away.
He might have done his best to not judge, but those people pissed him off more than anything.
So instead of waiting to see how those he tried to help spent their money, he paid people in food, coffee, and blankets. He usually ended up giving people stuff like that regardless if they helped him out on his project, but those who did help, got more out of him. He knew it wasn’t enough, wasn’t nearly enough, but this small thing was all he could do for now. Maybe one day he’d be in a position to do even more.
Alex walked down the darkened streets of downtown Denver and tried to see the area from each perspective. He took photos when he felt the urge and did his best to come up with a story for each setting.
The city had a homeless problem, but hell, so did many major cities. The problem with Denver was that since it was located out west, there weren’t as many major cities for people to travel around to. The metro areas out east were closer together, and because of that, the nomadic nature of many of the homeless was easier. Not that anything was easy, but it was still easier than being out west where there weren’t many—if any—other cities around.
During the day, people in suits and fancy clothes wo
uld drive by in their fancier cars to park at their high-rises. Others took the bus or light rail and commuted into the city from their suburban homes. There was a younger population within the city, as well; those who wanted to live in those high-rises or apartments that were way too expensive for Alex’s tastes. There was even a major University settled downtown that shared a campus with a community and smaller college.
There were hundreds of people in all different shapes, sizes, and economic means that passed him every day. And each of those people also passed the men and women unconscious on the street corners from either too little food or too many drinks.
The city was a mix of everything, and Alex wanted to catch a glimpse of it.
That’s why his latest project centered on what he could have become if he hadn’t had his family by his side. He’d almost pushed them all away to the point he could have lost it all, but they hadn’t let him. They’d held on to him even as he’d tried to buck them off, and in the end, he’d needed them far more than he’d even thought possible. Without them, he’d have lost himself. Without them, he could have become one of the people he passed as he walked down 16th Street Mall.
Or maybe he would have drunk himself to death long before that.
He didn’t know what he would have become if he hadn’t gone to rehab, but he’d be damned if he’d become anything close to that man again. He was different now. Or at least the shell coating him was. Inside, he wasn’t sure anymore. Without the alcohol to drown out the demons, he knew they were there, taunting him. But over time, he prayed they would quiet down, and he’d find the strength to become some semblance of the man he’d once been.
He let out another breath as a gust of wind slapped at him. It was too damn cold for anyone to be out as they were, but the shelters were closing soon for the evening, and there wasn’t enough room for everyone. Alex figured he had another ten minutes in him to try and take a few more photos before he needed to get in his car and head home. He couldn’t risk getting sick and getting behind in his work. This project didn’t have a backer yet, and he wasn’t sure what he was going to do with it, but he just knew he had to finish it. Meaning those projects that he was hired for had to be a priority so he could have things like heat in his home and food in his belly.
He’d lost the house in the divorce, but he’d been fine with that in the end. He might not have cared too much when he’d been drinking, but now that he was out of that haze, he knew he could never have slept there again anyway. Instead of the sprawling ranch-style house he’d tried to make into a home with his ex-wife, he’d rented a small two-bedroom apartment in a decent suburb. He’d turned one of the rooms into a darkroom, though he rarely worked outside of digital anymore. The dining area had been made into his office, and somehow, he’d made it all work.
At least, he hoped he had.
With his hands in his pockets, he turned down one of the streets off the Mall and took a look around. He’d been down this road countless times before and knew it like the back of his hand. This was the place his family had made, the world they’d created. The tattoo shop, Montgomery Ink, lay on one side of the street. Across from that, his sister-in-law’s place, Eden, stood, bright and ready for customers, though he figured it would be closing for the evening soon. Next to the tattoo shop was Taboo, Hailey’s café. Hailey was a family friend, though he figured she knew him the least out of all the Montgomerys.
His fault, of course.
Near the café was a bookshop he’d never been in, but his family had, and he figured he should stop in eventually to see if his brother Griffin had a few books in stock. Alex always liked to pick up one or two, even though he had them all. He made sure to leave a few on the shelves though so others could pick them up and get addicted to the series like Alex was.
Every single one of his siblings was so freaking talented.
He just hoped he could find the talent he’d once held in his hands again.
His phone buzzed in his pocket as he headed to where he’d parked his car behind the tattoo shop, and he slid off his gloves to take it out. He cursed at the cold and told himself he’d buy some of those high-tech gloves that could sense heat or whatever so he didn’t have to take them off to use his smartphone.
“What’s up, Storm?” Alex asked as he hunched down low. It was getting colder by the minute, and he wanted inside his damn car. He hadn’t meant to stay out this long, but he’d found four different people who’d wanted their story told. So he’d taken notes and photos and promised them he’d do something with them that meant something. What it was, he didn’t know yet.
“Why do you sound out of breath?” Storm asked.
“Because it’s colder than Frosty’s balls right now.”
Storm let out a chuckle. “I didn’t know Frosty had balls. And, hell, how do you know how cold they are?”
“You can’t see me, but I’m flipping you off.” Not really since there were still people out on the streets and he didn’t want to be that guy, but his brother would get the idea.
“Fuck you, too.” Storm snorted. “What are you doing outside if it’s so cold?”
He hadn’t told anyone about his project yet since he didn’t have a name for it, and honestly, it was a little more personal than he’d thought it would be. “I’m headed to my car. What do you want?”
“Well, I was going to see if you wanted to get dinner, but if you’re going to be an asshole, I change my mind.”
Alex’s stomach rumbled, but he shook his head. Then he remembered his brother couldn’t see him. Hell, the cold had taken his brain cells along with his warmth, apparently. “Can we do it tomorrow?” He didn’t have plans for dinner, but he wanted to refine his notes tonight while they were still fresh in his mind.
“No problem.” Storm paused. “Glad you want to.”
He let the sting slap at him as was its due. He’d said “no” to more dinners with his family than he should have in the past, and he’d be damned if he did that again.
A flash of red caught his eye and he froze.
Auburn red hair that he dreamed about.
“What the fuck?”
“What? What’s wrong?” Storm asked, his voice intent.
“I thought I just saw…never mind.” Alex shook his head again. “I gotta go. See you tomorrow for dinner.”
“What the hell, Alex?”
He ended the call as his brother questioned him, knowing he’d get hell for it later. But first, Alex had to follow that flash of red. He picked up his pace to almost a jog and turned down a darkened alley, his senses on alert.
There she was in her prim jacket and scarf, a bag in her hand and worry on her face. He’d have thought she looked fucking beautiful even with the red cheeks and nose, but he couldn’t quite think that hard right then, not with the rage in his system.
“What the fuck are you doing here in the dark?” he bit out.
Tabitha’s eyes widened as her gaze met his. “Alexander.”
He went straight to her, knowing he probably looked like a crazy man right then. He didn’t care. “What. The. Fuck.”
****
Shit. What was Alexander doing here? Of all the Montgomerys she might have seen near the Mall area, Alexander was the last on her list of people she wanted to see. Damn it. She hadn’t wanted him to see her like this. He saw too much, asked too many questions. She wasn’t ready to share what she was doing or why she was doing it.
Only, for some reason, she knew she couldn’t hide it from the man currently growling in front of her.
“What. The. Fuck.”
“What do you mean?” she finally said, her throat dry. “I’m walking.”
He looked at her as if she’d lost a few brain cells, and perhaps she had, as this wasn’t the first time she’d done this. But, frankly, it wouldn’t be the last.
“You’re walking. In a dark alley. Alone. At night. In a bright white coat that screams for someone to attack you. What the fuck, Tabitha?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Will you stop saying that?”
“No. I’m not going to stop asking what the fuck until you tell me what the fuck.”
“It’s none of your business.” And it wasn’t. “I have pepper spray and my whistle.”
He rolled his eyes. “Good for you. And since I’ve given you, what, one lesson in self-defense, you must but all ready to take care of yourself in a dark alley.” He reached out as if to touch the fading bruises on her face before thinking better of it and dropping his hand to her elbow. The sensation of his hand on her, even through the thickness of her coat was enough to take her breath away.
She let out a shaky breath. “Stop treating me like I’m stupid.”
“Then stop acting stupid,” he bit out.
She ignored the sting of his words and tried to move past him. They weren’t here anyway. Once again, her trek out here was another lost cause. She should be used to it by now.
Alexander gripped her elbow harder, and she froze. “What are you doing out here?” He’d lowered his voice to a decibel that meant it slid over her like smooth velvet. Damn the man.
“None of your business. What are you doing out here?”
He frowned and lifted his camera. “Working.”
Surprised he’d answered at all, she blinked at him. “Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh. Come on, I’ll get you to your car.”
She shook her head. “I took the light rail.” She always did for this in case she saw them
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “At night. Alone. Hell, Tabitha. Come on, I’ll take you home. I parked behind the shop.”
She dug her feet into the cement and stood her ground. “You can’t drag me off like a caveman. I have rights.”
He cursed under his breath. “Yeah, you do. And right now, you’re using those rights to be an idiot. I’ll throw you over my shoulder and carry you out of here if I have to.”
Ink Exposed Page 6
