Thorn (Thorn Tattoo Studio Book 2)

by Leslie North

  “Mmhm, I promise that you’ll know all about who I was if you tell me about who you were. The suspense has been killing me.”

  “You’re going to be so disappointed. You worked it up in your head as this big thing, but the reality is so much more boring than that. I’m not really all that interesting.” Melanie drummed her hands on the table. “But if you insist… where should I start?”

  “At the beginning,” Luciano insisted. “That’s where every story should start, shouldn’t it?”

  Melanie’s college English classes taught her otherwise, but she didn’t bring it up. The beginning was as fine a place as any to start. It wasn’t like there was a whole lot of ‘middle’ to cover. “My parents are good people who follow a different lifestyle than the one I adhere to,” Melanie said.

  “Nice and cryptic. What does that mean?” As she spoke, Luciano ate. Melanie wasn’t all that hungry anyway, so she didn’t mind letting her lunch get cold. She’d reheat it for dinner in her hotel’s microwave.

  “It means that since their early teenage years, my parents decided that living free off the land was what they wanted from life. They were really into all the hippie stuff you see exaggerated on TV; you know, flower crowns, bell bottoms, open vests, vegan diets… so that’s what I was born into.”

  “And your name is Melanie Noel?” Luciano arched a brow in disbelief. “Your parents were the worst hippies ever.”

  “That…” Melanie shook her head and sighed. How did he know? “That’s not actually my birth name. I had my name changed as soon as I turned eighteen.”

  “Oh, my god.” Luciano grinned and leaned across the desk, eyes sparkling with mischief. “You’ve got to tell me what your real name is.”

  “My real name is Melanie Noel,” she said stiffly. She stuck out her tongue. “If you call me anything other than that, I’m not going to respond to you. But my birth name is… ugh.”

  “Spill it!”

  “Moon Star.”

  “Moon Star!” Luciano crowed with laughter. “Okay, I take that back. Your parents are the best hippies ever.”

  Melanie scowled. “It’s not fair to make fun of them. They thought it was a beautiful, serene name. Calm and limitless like the night sky.”

  “No wonder why you’re so awkward,” Luciano said with a wink. “You’re out of this world.”

  “Oh, my god.” Melanie cradled her face in her hands. “Are you serious? You are forbidden from speaking about this in public, you know. Absolutely forbidden. I’m Melanie.”

  Despite her protest, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of satisfaction at his compliment and the attention he gave her. Coming clean about her past was a big step forward for her, and she hoped that one day Luciano would appreciate it. After all the growing he’d done since they’d returned to Vegas, she felt it was about time she opened up as well.

  “Right. Right.” Luciano stifled the last of his laughter and pulled himself together. “So what else?”

  “My parents never stayed in one place for long. My dad owned a big van with the back seats gutted so we could live in it, and we traveled up and down the west coast, sometimes living on our own, but often settling in with communes. I learned all kinds of things most kids wouldn’t get to know, but at the same time, I attended public school and got an education like any other kid would. All of the other kids used to make fun of me and my younger sister because of our lifestyles. I hated it and wanted to be like them, but my sister never got the appeal of modern life. When she turned seventeen, she married her boyfriend from the commune we were living in at the time, and they had their first child right before she graduated from high school.”

  “Shit.” Luciano pressed his lips together, masking his emotions from her. “Is she happy?”

  “Mmhm. And she’s happier every day. They’re still together. They have an army of children now. I haven’t seen any of my family since we went on the road, and it’s hard to get in touch with them for obvious reasons.”

  “I can’t even imagine that,” Luciano said with a shake of his head. “Born and raised in Vegas. I think my father snuck me in to my first casino when I was thirteen. He taught all three of us to be card sharks. If tattooing wasn’t in the cards for me, I would have become a professional poker player, no questions asked.”

  “Are you serious?” Melanie blinked in surprise. They’d never gambled while on the road, and she’d never heard Luciano so much as mention cards before. “I didn’t peg you for that kind of guy.”

  “I’m savage.” Luciano lifted his chin proudly. “Back in the day, I was unstoppable—the kind of guy you didn’t want sitting at your table. Not only do I know how to play well, but I also know how to play smart. Some people are too proud to fold when they need to. I know how to work the game to my advantage. It’s how I paid off the house in full.”

  “You won five-hundred-thousand dollars playing poker?” Melanie stared at him, eyes wide. She fiddled with the arm of her glasses, unable to believe what he was telling her. There was no way.

  “Back when I bought it, it was two-hundred-thousand, but you get the point.” Luciano shrugged. “Mind you, this was over a couple years, while Cassandra and I were dating. It’s not like I walked into the casino one night and laid down a hundred grand.”

  It was the kind of money Melanie could only dream of. She’d been putting generous portions of her salary into savings in anticipation of buying a house, but she wasn’t sure she was ready for that expense yet. Seeing Luciano’s property go up on the market tempted her. The house was cute, and while it was a little big for only her, she liked to think that one day she’d have a family to fill it.

  “So that’s what you did before you tattooed full time?” Melanie asked. “Why would you stop gambling if you were that good at it?”

  “Because the casinos kicked me out.” Luciano smirked. “Turns out if you get too good, they don’t like to keep you around. I mean, I could have kept doing it. I could have flown out to Atlantic City a few times a year and chased huge payloads, but… I like tattooing more. My mom was forever fighting with the school every time I played hooky because if I wasn’t sneaking into casinos, I was training in the shop.”

  “So you grew up in Thorn Tattoo?”

  “Nah. I thought I could do better. I lied about my name and my age, so I could get an apprenticeship at a shop off the strip. That way, I didn’t compete with my dad or my brother and I was good. Everyone I tattooed was impressed. When dad died and Antonio took over, he brought me on as head artist, and that’s when I started to get real recognition. Fame. You don’t get that while gambling. There are hot women on your arms, and gold diggers lining up for you, but nationwide fame? That’s something different.”

  While she’d been tending to vegetable gardens and helping weave jewelry to sell, Luciano had been making his fortune surrounded by splendor. They were from such different worlds that Melanie was taken aback. “And you like fame better?”

  “Nope.” Luciano laughed. “But it’s a good life. I love art. I love putting my art on people and knowing it’ll last their whole lives. I love seeing myself in magazines, and getting deals with companies, and collaborating on new inks or needles or whatever the fuck else.”

  What a blessed life he’d led. Melanie looked on Luciano with new appreciation. He might not have gone to college, or chased success in the standard way, but he’d made a name for himself. He’d padded his bank account, followed his heart, and lived life to the fullest.

  It was more tragic to Melanie than ever that he’d thrown that all away after Cassandra’s death. If he’d stayed in one place, and if he’d been brave enough to face his grief, there was no telling the things he could have accomplished. How many years had he squandered running?

  Melanie reached out and set her hand on his knee, and Luciano’s gaze locked on hers. Understanding arced between them, sudden and vibrant like lightning, and filled her soul with tingling bliss. There was hurt there, but she was helping him out of it.
He understood and appreciated her. He let her in.

  Try as she might to deny it, Melanie knew that she was falling for him. She’d been falling for years, but now that the barriers of her heart were down….

  “What about outside of professional matters?” Melanie asked. She’d been pestering Luciano with questions about his life all day. Now that he was finally answering them, she wasn’t going to let up. “What did you used to do for fun? I feel like we know each other so well, and yet not that well at all.”

  Luciano’s eyes lit up. “You want to know what I used to do for fun?”

  “Yup.” Melanie replied.

  “Then I’ll show you. Go home early and change into something fun and hot and then meet me back here. I’m taking you out on the town.”

  Melanie blushed. She sank back into her chair and sipped nervously at the straw of her drink. As excited as she was to go out with the man she’d been attracted to since forever, she couldn’t help but feel like she was getting in way over her head.

  There was a silver dress Melanie owned that she’d never had the chance to wear. Back in her last year of college, she’d bought it to wear out with her then-boyfriend, Lincoln. Things hadn’t worked out between them, and the dress had gone into her closet before she’d had a chance to wear it. Then, it had been tucked in the bottom of her luggage and traveled with her around the US.

  For the first time since the changing room, Melanie slipped into it. It still fit like a glove, and she was glad to see that her figure hadn’t changed that much over the years. She did her best to eat healthy when she could, but being on the road made that difficult. Appealing to Luciano’s tastes at the same time made that harder. He wasn’t exactly the type of guy who’d choose salad over other options.

  Melanie turned back and forth in front of the mirror in her hotel room. The dress fell to the right place on her thighs, and with her brown hair down and wavy, she looked sexy.

  It wasn’t often that Melanie considered herself anything other than cute or dorky.

  Curiously, she took off her thick framed glasses and examined herself. Without her glasses, she couldn’t see. Sometimes she went without them if she knew she wasn’t going to drive, read, or watch anything—but tonight she wasn’t sure what was happening. Her face looked nude without them. With a little sigh, she put them back on. She’d never be a sultry temptress, but it seemed Luciano liked her, anyway. That was all that mattered.

  Once every aspect of her appearance was checked and found up to her standards, she took her clutch and left the hotel. The drive back to the studio took a little while, and by the time she reached Thorn Tattoo’s front doors, Luciano was already waiting outside for her. The shop was closed. Everyone had gone home.

  He’d changed into a spare set of clothes she had never seen him wear before.

  The collared shirt he wore was respectable, but the top few buttons were undone to reveal his tattoos and muscular chest. He wore slacks instead of jeans. Under most circumstances, she would have called what he wore professional—but so late at night, with his top buttons undone and his body displayed in such a stunning way….

  “You look amazing.” Luciano whistled low under his breath as he approached, his tone sincere.

  “I could say the same for you.” Melanie stopped in front of him, looking him over. “I didn’t know you kept a spare set of clothes at the shop.”

  “There are many things about me you don’t know,” Luciano said with a wink. “Now let’s expose some of them. Are you ready for a night of fun like you’ve never experienced before?”

  “I don’t know,” Melanie admitted nervously. She’d never partied before, and although she wasn’t sure that was what they were about to do, she had a strong inkling that it was. “I’m not sure what to expect.”

  “Getting tipsy. Laughter. Loud music. Sweat. And memories you’ll either never forget, or never remember.” Luciano grinned. He took her by the hand. “So let’s get to it. You wanted to know who I was, and now I’m going to show you. It’s time to cut loose and have some fun Vegas style.”

  18

  Luciano

  The clubs of Luciano’s early adulthood were unchanged by time. The faces were different, and the fashions were marginally changed, but there was nothing unfamiliar when he stepped through the doors of The Underground. The LED wall still blinked and strobed along to the electro beats the DJ spun. The dance cages were as wild as ever, and the women dancing inside them were hot as hell but he only had eyes for Melanie. It was the middle of April and from the look of the crowd, spring break was in full swing and the dance floor was stuffed with young people looking to have a good time. The music blasted his eardrums, and he saw Melanie flinch as they entered.

  She looked down at her stamped hand as they walked under the black light before catching his hand and giving it a squeeze. When he turned to look at her, he knew the fear in her eyes was temporary. He remembered the first time Cassandra had brought him to a nightclub that he’d felt the same way. It was unfamiliarity that stilted her. He’d fix that.

  Without wasting another second, he drew her close to help with some of her fear, and then guided her across the floor to the bar. The place was hopping, and it took a good few minutes before one of the bartenders had time to take their order. A curvaceous bombshell with dyed gray hair with black undertones leaned across the counter toward them. Luciano leaned the rest of the way and shouted his order to her. The music was so loud that there was no other way to get his words across.

  The bartender drew back, flashed him a dazzling smile, and then produced a stack of six shot glasses from beneath the counter. She hooked a bottle of vodka up to the distributor, and then poured their drinks. When she was done mixing in other ingredients, she slid all six of the bright red shots across the bar to Luciano.

  Luciano slipped her a few bills, refused the change, and then turned his attention to Melanie. She was staring at the shots like she’d never seen one before.

  “For you,” he shouted over the music.

  “All of them?” she shouted back.

  He laughed. “No. Just four.” Luciano slid two of the shots away from the others, knocking back each of them and clinking the shot glass back onto the bar. He liked his alcohol harder than what he’d ordered, but he figured that Melanie would like something with a sweeter flavor.

  The four shots remained untouched. She stared at him as if he was crazy.

  “What?” Luciano asked.

  “I don’t really drink,” Melanie said. “I mean, I do, but—”

  “We’re here to have fun,” Luciano told her. “Don’t worry about it so much.”

  “Take one of them,” she insisted. He did as he was told. Three shots weren’t going to be enough to affect him in any significant way. Luciano clinked the newly emptied shot glass back down on the bar, and Melanie picked up the first of hers. She took a deep breath, frowned only for a moment, and then shot it back. When she slammed the glass back down and made a face, Luciano had to laugh. It looked like she wasn’t lying. From time to time, they’d shared a beer, but it was very rare that he saw Melanie drink anything else.

  He slid the next shot in her direction and gave her a pointed look, and she scowled playfully at him and swung it back. The last one fell even easier, and when Melanie set the shot glass down, the bartender whisked them away to clear space.

  “You good now?” Luciano asked.

  “Yeah.” Melanie smacked her lips and shook her head. “Good for a while.”

  “Good.” Luciano winked. “’Cuz, we’re dancing.”

  He took her hand and directed her to the dance floor. Bright, colorful lights traveled in beams over the ground, crisscrossing and blinding on and off. The chaos was beautiful. Luciano forgot how much he’d loved coming here.

  When they’d been at Horseshoes, he’d been too drunk to see much of what was going on. All he’d known then was that Melanie was there, that he’d wanted her, and that they’d danced. He remembered the
feeling of her body, and the way she’d ground against his groin, and even how her hair had smelled so beautifully of jasmine and lily.

  Tonight, though, he was sober and when he guided Melanie to a quieter spot on the dance floor and started to move with the music, he saw firsthand how awkward she was. For a while, she just watched him, looking uncomfortable and miserable. She blinked hard and glanced around out of the corner of her eye. There was some obvious discomfort going on. But when he took her hand and drew her closer, she started to move with him out of instinct. Even then, her rhythm was off and the way she moved her body was…

  Strange.

  Luciano laughed, the noise drowned out by the beats. Melanie was dancing as if she was one with the music flowing and swaying and alive with it. It wasn’t the energetic, sultry kind of dancing he was expecting at all. There was no grinding, no twerking, no shimmying….

  If she hadn’t shared her past earlier that day, he never would have understood what she was doing but he understood it now. The dance made sense based on her upbringing.

  As the night slipped on and the alcohol started to loosen her inhibitions a little more, she got more into it. From time to time, others dancing around them gave her a strange look, but Melanie was in a world of her own. A world he shared with her. It was them, the dance floor, and the flashing lights. The people around them were inconsequential. No one would remember their faces come the morning—for just that moment, they were free to be whoever they wanted to be.

  Melanie was herself in her truest form. No longer was she the woman overly concerned with planning and sticking to hard logic. She was someone else now. She’d burst free from her cocoon to become a butterfly. An awkward, but vibrant, butterfly.

  There was no other woman like her in the world.

  They made their way across the floor. Melanie kept dancing in her strange, endearing way, and Luciano found himself joining her instead of sticking to the dance moves Cassandra had taught him. The sway of his hips and the pump of his fist in the air were less important than chilling out and following Melanie’s flow. The music washed over both of them, dragging them under its current. Before Luciano knew it, they’d transitioned to the middle of the floor. One of the cages had descended from its elevated state, and the girl inside was climbing out as people cheered her on. Melanie’s lips twisted with mirth, and she headed in its direction. Luciano barked out a laugh, feeling his whole soul laugh with him.