“Go clean a toilet or something.”
Callie rolled her eyes. “I’m going to go sketch. And you’re welcome.”
“Thanks for fixing the damn thing. And really, go clean the bathroom.”
“Not gonna do it,” she sang as she skipped to the break room.
“You really have no control over your apprentice,” Sloane commented from his station.
Because he didn’t want that type of control with her. Well, hell, his mind kept going to that dark place every few minutes it seemed.
“Shut up, asshole.”
“I see your vocabulary hasn’t changed much,” Shannon purred from the doorway.
He closed his eyes and prayed for patience. Okay, maybe he’d lied to himself when he said it was mutual and easy to break up with her. The damn woman kept showing up. He didn’t think she wanted him, but she didn’t want him to forget her either.
He did not understand women.
Especially this one.
“What do you want, Shannon?” he bit out, needing that drink now more than ever.
She sauntered over to him and scraped her long, red nail down his chest. He’d liked that once. Now, not even a little. They were decent together when they’d dated, but he’d had to hide most of himself from her. She’d never tasted the edge of his flogger or felt his hand on her ass when she’d been bent over his lap. That hadn’t been what she wanted, and Austin was into the kind of kink that meant he wanted what he wanted when he wanted. It didn’t mean he wanted it every time.
Not that Shannon would ever understand that.
“Oh, baby, you know what I want.”
He barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. As he took a step back, he saw the gleam in her eyes and decided to head it off at the pass. He was in no mood to play her games, or whatever she wanted to do that night. He wanted to go home, drink a beer, and forget this oddly annoying day.
“If you don’t want ink, then I don’t know what you’re doing here, Shannon. We’re done.” He tried to say it quietly, but his voice was deep, and it carried.
“How could you be so cruel?” She pouted.
“Oh, for the love of God,” Maya sneered. “Go home, little girl. You and Austin are through, and I’m pretty sure it was mutual. Oh, and you’re not getting any ink here. You’re not getting Austin’s hands on you this way, and there’s no way in hell I’m putting my art on you. Not if you keep coming back to bug the man you didn’t really date in the first place.”
“Bi—” Shannon cut herself off as Austin glared. Nobody called his sister a bitch. Nobody.
“Goodbye, Shannon.” Jesus, he was too old for this shit.
“Fine. I see how it is. Whatever. You were only an okay lay anyway.” She shook her ass as she left, bumping into a woman in a linen skirt and blouse.
The woman, whose long honey-brown hair hung in waves down to her breasts, raised a brow. “I see your business has an…interesting clientele.”
Austin clenched his jaw. Seriously the wrong thing to say after Shannon.
“If you’ve got a problem, you can head on right back to where you came from, Legs,” he bit out, his voice harsher than he’d intended.
She stiffened then raised her chin, a clear sense of disdain radiating off of her.
Oh yes, he knew who this was, legs and all. Ms. Elder. He hadn’t caught a first name. Hadn’t wanted to. She had to be in her late twenties, maybe, and owned the soon-to-be-opened boutique across the street. He’d seen her strut around in her too-tall heels and short skirts but hadn’t been formally introduced.
Not that he wanted an introduction.
She was too damn stuffy and ritzy for his taste. Not only her store but the woman herself. The look of disdain on her face made him want to show her the door and never let her back in.
He knew what he looked like. Longish dark brown hair, thick beard, muscles covered in ink with a hint of more ink coming out of his shirt. He looked like a felon to some people who didn’t know the difference, though he’d never seen the inside of a jail cell in his life. But he knew people like Ms. Elder. They judged people like him. And that one eyebrow pissed him the fuck off.
He didn’t want this woman’s boutique across the street from him. He’d liked it when it was an old record store. People didn’t glare at his store that way. Now he had to walk past the mannequins with the rich clothes and tiny lacy scraps of things if he wanted a fucking coffee from the shop next door.
Damn it, this woman pissed him off, and he had no idea why.
“Nice to meet you too. Callie!” he shouted, his eyes still on Ms. Elder as if he couldn’t pull his gaze from her. Her green eyes never left his either, and the uncomfortable feeling in his gut wouldn’t go away.
Callie ran up beside him and held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Callie. How can I help you?”
Ms. Elder blinked once. Twice. “I think I made a mistake,” she whispered.
Fuck. Now he felt like a heel. He didn’t know what it was with this woman, but he couldn’t help but act like an ass. She hadn’t even done anything but lift an eyebrow at him, and he’d already set out to hate her.
Callie shook her head then reached for Ms. Elder’s elbow. “I’m sure you haven’t. Ignore the growly, bearded man over there. He needs more caffeine. And his ex was just in here; that alone would make anyone want to jump off the Royal Gorge. So, tell me, how can I help you? Oh! And what’s your name?”
Ms. Elder followed Callie to the sitting area with leather couches and portfolios spread over the coffee table and then sat down.
“I’m Sierra, and I want a tattoo.” She looked over her shoulder and glared at Austin. “Or, at least, I thought I did.”
Austin held back a wince when she turned her attention from him and cursed himself. Well, fuck. He needed to learn not to put his foot in his mouth, but damn it, how was he supposed to know she wanted a tattoo? For all he knew, she wanted to come in there and look down on the place. That was his own prejudice coming into play. He needed to make it up to her. After all, they were neighbors now. However, from the cross look on her face and the feeling in the room, he knew that he wasn’t going to be able to make it up to her today. He’d let Callie help her out to start with, and then he’d make sure he was the one who laid ink on her skin.
After all, it was the least he could do. Besides, his hands all of a sudden—or not so suddenly if he really thought about it—wanted to touch that delicate skin of hers and find out her secrets.
Austin cursed. He wouldn’t let his thoughts go down that path. She’d break under his care, under his needs. Sure, Sierra Elder might be hot, but she wasn’t the woman for him.
If he knew anything, he knew that for sure.
Chapter 2
Sierra Elder threw her handbag on the counter and stomped her heels on the tile. The nerve of that man. The freaking nerve.
Seriously? That bearded mountain of a man thought he had the right to judge her? What right did he have to sneer at her and look down on her with those gorgeous blue eyes, and make her feel like she didn’t belong in his shop?
Wait.
Gorgeous blue eyes?
What the hell was wrong with her? He’d judged her and found her wanting, and yet she thought he had pretty eyes?
She was twenty-nine for freak’s sake. Not a teenager. Pretty eyes shouldn’t matter. But they were gorgeous.
Apparently, she needed to eat since she was clearly lightheaded and not thinking straight. That man had thrown her off her game, and she wasn’t in the mood to deal with him. It had taken all her courage to walk across the street and into the black and hot pink shop.
Dear Lord, the courage.
She’d lived with the consequences of her actions, of Jason’s actions, for ten years, and in some respects, it hadn’t been long enough. Not enough time to wash away the taint, the nightmares.
She couldn’t think about that. Not now. Maybe not ever.
That Montgomery, Austin, according to her friend H
ailey, had pushed her back, and now she knew she needed to buck up and figure out her next step. If she was honest with herself, she would say that she’d just been looking for an excuse to run away from her plans of ink and recovery, but she didn’t want to be honest with herself. She wanted to blame Austin of the gorgeous blue eyes for her problems and fear. If only for a moment. It was the coward’s way out, but she’d take it for the afternoon.
Then she’d find a way to walk back in and talk to the sweet apprentice, Callie, about finally getting her tattoo. Until then, she’d think of interesting ways to beat the crap out of Austin since she was too small to actually do it herself. Plus, violence wasn’t always the answer. Not always.
Great. Now she didn’t know what to think, but she was still hungry. She looked around at the almost finished shop she loved and shook her head. She was too angry, confused, and hungry to deal with the little details that remained until her opening in a few days. What she needed was a sandwich, fresh iced tea, and the smile of her new friend, Hailey.
Luckily, Taboo, Hailey’s café, sat right across the street from her own boutique, Eden. That also meant that Taboo was right next to Montgomery Ink, but that couldn’t be avoided. Sierra thought the café even had a side door right into the shop, which must be nice for the artists. Lucky bastards.
Lucky Austin Montgomery.
Nope. She wasn’t going to think about him anymore. Not even her rabid curiosity about just how much ink he wore and where it led would move her from her position. She did not want Austin Montgomery, and she did not want anything having to do with his tattoos, thank you very much.
And enough about bearded mountain man’s tattoos.
It wasn’t just the tattoo, however. Just his presence made her yearn for things she’d long since buried.
She picked up the purse she’d thrown on the counter and left her shop, locking it behind her. After a good meal and a pick-me-up conversation, she’d get back to it. There were numerous details left for her to handle, but she’d mapped out a whole afternoon off so she could talk with a tattoo artist.
Now it seemed that would all be for naught, but she wasn’t going to think about that. Not until she talked with Hailey and had a turkey and provolone club in her belly. She’d been so stressed for the last few months working on getting Eden ready, putting all her hopes and dreams into a store that could crash and burn on the streets of Denver, that she hadn’t been eating as much as she should. Luckily, Hailey took care of Sierra and made sure that she had food in her system, at least when she was downtown.
Sierra didn’t have the curves she’d always craved when she was younger. She might have filled out some from her all-limbs and flat-chested youth, but not much. She still had harsh angles and barely a handful of breasts, though Jason had never complained.
No, she wasn’t going to think about Jason.
Not twice in one day. There was only so much she could take without trying to find a drink before five at night. She had standards and rules after all.
She purposely kept her gaze from the front of Montgomery Ink. Their large windows made it easy to see in and watch the artists at work. She couldn’t trust herself not to find the one man she shouldn’t find in the first place, so she kept on walking. The man angered her, made her feel like she wasn’t wanted, and yet her damned libido still wanted him.
It was just her dry spell, and he happened to be an oasis in the desert.
A mirage.
That was it.
“There you are,” Hailey called out from her place behind the counter. “I was about to call you and make you come over here for food. God knows you haven’t eaten yet.” Hailey smiled, her red-painted lips bold against her pale skin and white-blonde bob with blunt bangs. The other woman always reminded Sierra of a starlet of a forgotten era mixed with the undeniable energy and spunk of the current one.
Hailey also made kick-ass soup and sandwiches. The woman was a dream with coffee, despite the fact that during peak hours, when she didn’t have time to wait in line for better coffee, Sierra went to the other coffee shop that sat right beside Eden. She’d seen Austin meander in with those long legs of his to the place next door to Eden as well.
Not that Sierra watched him move.
She disliked him, she remembered. Disliked him and his attitude.
“I’m here, and I’m starving. Your famous club, please.” Sierra leaned over the counter to brush a kiss on the other woman’s cheek, the soft scent of Hailey’s perfume calming her. Hailey might have secrets that Sierra could never pry out of her, but she listened and helped Sierra move on from the pain she’d so long hidden from the world.
When she thought about it, she knew their friendship would seem one-sided. However, Hailey knew that Sierra would be there for her when the other woman shared her past. Sierra herself had only just recently done so. In fact, Hailey was the only person in her new life that knew even a fragment of the journey that had sent Sierra from Boulder down to Edgewater and Denver, Colorado. The miles down the highway might not seem long to some, but the mileage and wear on her body and soul were far from short.
Hailey set the sandwich and iced tea in front of Sierra then walked around the bar to sit down next to her. “Tell Momma Hailey what’s wrong, darling.”
Sierra snorted her tea then wiped her chin. “Warn a girl before you start calling yourself Momma Hailey.”
Hailey wrinkled her nose and stole a sweet potato fry. “Yeah, that so doesn’t work. I was trying out a new thing. Maybe if I dye my hair a different color and nod sagely it would work.”
Sierra tried to think of the other woman with a hair color darker or even brighter—if that was possible—than what she currently had and came up empty. “You’re a bleach-blonde girl, Hailey. I don’t think that’s ever going to change.”
Hailey tugged on a strand of Sierra’s hair and frowned. “I would try something like yours, that darker chestnut with honey highlights, but I don’t think that’s me.”
“The highlights aren’t natural; I’ve paid good money for them, but I like them.” She squinted and tried to picture Hailey with the color of her own hair. “I can see you in them if you tried, Hailey. You’d be beautiful no matter what color your hair is. The blonde, honey, that’s your personality as I know you.”
“Did you just call me an airhead?” Hailey winked, and Sierra rolled her eyes.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I meant, dork.”
The bell above the door tinkled, and Hailey stood, wiping her hands on her apron. “I’ve bothered you enough. Now eat while I take care of these customers. Then you can tell me what’s going on in that head of yours and why you look so lost.”
Sierra nodded, unnerved that Hailey could read her so well, though Sierra had tried to hide her nerves. Sure, it could be because of Eden’s grand opening in a few days, but she had a feeling she looked as if it was something more. After all, it was something more.
When she took a bite of her sandwich, Sierra’s eyes almost rolled back in her head. The burst of spicy mayo on freshly carved turkey and cheese made Sierra want to kneel at Hailey’s feet. She might have knelt at another’s feet in her past due to more personal reasons, but she’d never done it for food before. Hailey would be so worth it.
Wow, she had no idea where that memory came from, but she needed to bury it like she had all the others. Jason was gone, and she was moving on. She’d even looked into finding a way to cover up the evidence of her past that afternoon.
“You’re scowling,” Hailey remarked, thankfully pulling Sierra out of her thoughts.
Sierra took another deep gulp of her tea then cleaned off her mouth, surprised to find she’d eaten every last scrap of her sandwich and sweet potato fries while she’d been lost in the tangled web of her thoughts.
“I’m not scowling,” she lied. She may have been scowling for all she knew. She’d been thinking of men with blue eyes and a lost love she didn’t want to remember.
“You were, but I’ll le
t you think otherwise if it helps. So, I might have gone off track when you first walked in with that Momma Hailey stuff, but I’m here now, and people are taken care of. What’s wrong, dear?”
Sierra licked her lips, surprised to find herself nervous about telling Hailey what had happened that day. The other woman didn’t know everything that had gone on in Sierra’s past but knew enough that whatever Sierra said next would hold meaning rather than pleasant nothings and murmurs. That, above all else, told her to let it all out. Maybe not then, not in Taboo, but soon. She needed friends, needed confidants. She needed to step away from the cage that was Boulder and her own memories, and find a new way to live.
That, after all, was why she was opening Eden in only a few short days.
“I went into Montgomery Ink for a tattoo and met that oaf of a man, Austin.” She hurried through her sentence and looked over Hailey’s shoulder to ensure the door between Taboo and the tattoo shop was indeed closed. The last thing she wanted was for that bearded crazy man to walk through and listen to her speaking of him.
Thankfully, the door hadn’t opened, and she was in the clear.
“A tattoo! Really?” Hailey squeezed her arm, once again bringing Sierra’s thoughts out of delicious scruff and into the present. Maybe she needed more caffeine. “What are you going to get?”
Sierra blinked. “So we’re just glossing over the oaf-of-a-man part of my statement?”
Hailey narrowed her eyes as she pursed her lips. “If you want to only talk about Austin, we can do that. I don’t quite think of him as an oaf, so you’ll have to elaborate.”
“He’s a rude, inconsiderate oaf.” And she wanted to crawl up his body. Damn it. She would not allow herself to think like that. Not again.
Hailey frowned. “What did he do? Do I need to go kick his ass? I might work right next to him and have known him longer, but that doesn’t give him the right to be rude. What did he do?” she repeated.
Sierra closed her eyes, annoyed at herself for even bringing it up. Hailey was a good judge of character, and if she hadn’t had a problem with Austin before, it was probably just Sierra. Oh goody, she just brought out the best in people, didn’t she?
Steam and Ink: Two Novels of Ink Plus Two BONUS Short Stories Page 2
