A tentative smile finally lifted her lips and reached her eyes. “How late do you want me to work?”
He shook his head and smiled, feeling like he’d just been given a gift. “Damn, Sky. You’re going to drive me batty. I thought I’d lost you just now.”
She pressed her finger to the center of his chest and said, “I’m not going to lie and say I’m okay with...” She shifted her eyes to the ring, then met his gaze again with the familiar warmth that made his pulse go crazy. “All of this. But I really like spending time with you. I like who you are, and I like how you think. And I like who I am and how I feel when I’m with you.”
“But, Sky, I can’t change this part of me.”
“I know,” she said softly.
“This isn’t the place to discuss it. Can we talk more later? I need to get some work done at the house this afternoon. The company that’s installing the interior ramp is coming by for another preinstallation something or other. Can I come by the shop and see you around six? You said you had some shopping to do. Want to do that together?”
“Interior ramp?” Without giving him a chance to explain, she added, “I’d love that, and six is perfect.” She lowered her voice to a whisper and said, “I think I’d better go. That guy looks like he’s ready to blow his top.”
“The ramp is for my dad. It’ll allow him to go up to the skycap again. I can build the smaller ramps, but the interior one was a major renovation. And that guy over there you asked about? That’s my trainer, Roach. The guy he’s talking to is Brock. Roach always looks like that, but he’s a good guy. Hey, why don’t I introduce you?”
“Um.” Her forehead wrinkled with indecision.
“It would mean a lot to me if you could meet the guy who helped me get where I am. He’s a good friend. He just looks like a Rottweiler—he’s really more like a German shepherd.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” She reached for his hand as Brock looked over at them.
Sawyer ran his eyes down her white tank top to her emerald-green miniskirt, which he hadn’t had a second to appreciate, and a spear of jealousy shot through him. The leather and silver bangles settled around her wrist as he lifted her hand, and the anklet she wore had a starfish ornament hanging from a chain that went down the center of her foot—all very Sky. What was he thinking? He might as well have put her on a silver platter for Brock and Roach to ogle. What man wouldn’t want to gobble her up?
“Trust me?” he asked, wishing he’d just walked her out to her car instead.
She nodded, and the way she looked at him, like he was the only man she wanted, despite his fighting, plucked the claws of jealousy out of his neck.
Sawyer was around the guys so often that he forgot how imposing they probably looked to her. Sky tightened her grip on his hand, and in an effort to make her more comfortable, and because he adored holding her, he draped an arm over her shoulder and proudly introduced her to his buddies.
“Sky, this is Brock ‘the Beast’ Garner, the owner of the club.”
Brock smiled, softening the Beast and charming a smile out of Sky.
“It’s nice to meet you, Sky.”
“Thank you. Nice to meet you, too.”
“I’m Manny Regan, but most people call me Roach.” Roach held a hand out and Sky shook it.
Sawyer was relieved to feel the tension ease from her shoulders.
“Do you guys fight, too?” she asked.
“We all fight, but it’s not as bad as it looks.” Roach looked over at Delroy, who was hitting the heavy bag. “See? He’s no worse for wear.”
“I can’t even imagine getting hit by one of you.” Sky looked up at Sawyer, then back at the others.
“You’re with Songbird, so you’ll never have to worry about being hit by anyone. He’s a monster in the ring and a pup out of it.” Roach winked at Sawyer. “You should put gloves on her sometime and show her how to protect herself.”
“Oh, no,” Sky said, taking a step closer to Sawyer. “Thank you, but I really don’t think—”
“That’s the best way to see what it’s really like,” Brock added. “You’d be surprised at how empowered you feel. My sister fights. She’s a tiny little thing, but she packs a powerful punch.”
“Okay, enough of the hard sell. I’m going to walk Sky out to her car. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Sawyer guided her toward the front door. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t think they’d push like that.”
“That’s okay. I mean, I probably do the same thing when people judge tattoos. I always tell them that maybe if they tried a henna tattoo for a week they might like it.” She held his hand as they walked across the parking lot.
A group of kids standing by Sawyer’s truck ran toward him when he came out the door.
“Songbird, can we train today?” The request came from a tall, skinny, dark-haired teenager.
Sawyer smiled at the eager boys. They showed up a few times a week, and when he had time, he showed them a few moves. “I’ll squeeze in a few minutes when I’m done training. But you guys have got to focus. No playing around today. I’m on a short timeline.”
“Cool!” the tall kid said and gave his friend a high five. “We’ll focus.”
“I’m gonna text my mom to bring over my gear,” another teen said as he pulled his phone from his pocket.
“Come on,” a third boy yelled as he ran toward three bikes that were lying in the grass beside the parking lot. “Let’s go get our stuff!”
Sawyer shook his head and turned back to Sky. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be. I love that they’re so excited, but don’t you worry about teaching them to hit each other?”
He shrugged. “Kids are going to fight whether you teach them how to do it right or not. They’re trying to learn from watching YouTube videos, and YouTube doesn’t teach the finesse they need to be safe—or give them the guidelines of the important things, like being respectful of others, fighters or not, respectful of property that’s not their own, following the rules, caring for their gear.”
A smile curved her lips. “You really care, don’t you?”
“More than you can imagine. Just because I box for a living doesn’t mean I’m an animal. I’d better get back inside, but I’m glad you came by.” Sawyer pulled her into his arms and she smiled up at him. “Is this okay? Holding you like this?”
“Yes,” she said with a smile.
“I know you’re wrestling with my boxing, so I don’t want to overstep my bounds.”
“See? That’s one of the things that makes me want to get closer to you. You don’t push yourself on me or ignore the things that make me uncomfortable.” She went up on her toes and pressed her lips to his chin. “You say that I’m driving you batty, but, Sawyer—Songbird—how do you think it feels to hear you say sweet things and then to know that you can turn all that goodness off and clock some guy in the neck?”
He put on a serious face. “I don’t turn off my good side to fight, Sky.”
“Well, you have to do something with it. There’s nothing nice about hitting someone.” She tilted her head and shaded her eyes from the sun as she blinked innocently up at him through thick lashes.
“It’s not like that. I don’t go into a ring thinking about how I’m going to beat the crap out of someone. It’s about winning a match. It’s about finesse and talent, not just who’s bigger or who can inflict the most damage.” As he tried to explain, she looked even more confused.
“I know my career isn’t something you necessarily like or understand, but that’s only one part of me, Sky. And I’m hoping that as you get to know me better, you’ll come to like all of me and maybe even accept my career.”
“You’re not upset with me about this?”
“Upset? Sky, I’ve dated plenty of fans, and the truth is, I’d much rather you like who I am and accept what I do for a living than like me for my career. Speaking of which, I’d better get back inside before Tanner takes off, but I’ll see you at six at Inky Skies?�
�
“Yes, and, Sawyer, I’m sorry if I took up too much of your training time. Please apologize to Roach and your sparring partner, too.”
That was another thing he admired about her. Even though she was obviously having a hard time with what he did for a living, she was still considerate of him and the others.
“I will, but you can have as much of my time as you want.”
He pressed his lips to hers, and as he drew back, she deepened the kiss. She was a walking contradiction, and he couldn’t get enough of her. He tugged her in closer and kissed her with all the passion he’d been holding back. When they finally drew apart, she was breathless—and he was aroused.
Her eyes grew openly amused as she looked down at his tented shorts and said, “Oops.”
“Oops, my ass,” he teased, and swatted her butt as she climbed into the car.
“Now I feel bad. You can’t go inside like that.”
He leaned down and kissed her again. “I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”
She giggled, and he kissed her again. Damn, he needed to stop kissing her if he had any chance of regaining control, but she was too delicious to stop. Through the window, Sky wound her arms around his neck and kissed him again.
“Sky,” he warned.
“I can’t help it,” she answered. “You’re standing there in nothing but a silky pair of shorts and your body’s so hard—no pun intended.”
He clenched his jaw to stifle his smile. “This is totally fun for you, isn’t it?”
She flashed a cheesy grin that made him laugh.
“You’re the one who keeps kissing me,” she said as she gripped the steering wheel.
“I’m the…Okay, you little tease. Get your cute little butt out of here before Roach comes looking for me and finds me like this.” He kissed her again through the window, then watched her drive away, turning his thoughts to his father’s looming medical expenses and the renovations he was working on—anything to lessen the heat soaring through him.
Chapter Twelve
“WELL, IF IT isn’t the queen of ink! You look cute as hell up there on that ladder, giving the world a Skyful of your ass.”
Sky laughed as she turned to greet the only person on earth who would come up with a Skyful of her ass other than Bella.
“I see we’re Maxine tonight?” She climbed down the ladder and hugged Marcus, who was in full makeup and dressed in a skintight green dress that was open nearly to his navel, revealing thick chest hair. His black high heels were higher than Sky could wear without falling. His hair was styled even more beautifully than half the women in Provincetown, making Marcus the perfect drag queen.
“Honey, I’ve got a show to put on.” Marcus hugged her and air-kissed her cheeks, then gazed up at the sign she’d been painting on the front window. “I love how you painted Inky Skies. It’s so fresh and so you!”
“Thanks. Do you think the design is okay, or too me?”
He stepped in closer and lowered his voice. “Honey, if there’s one thing I know about this world, it’s that all we’ve got is who we are. So don’t you ever stop being too you.”
All we’ve got is who we are. Her mind shifted to Sawyer, and even with conflicting thoughts about his fighting and the rest of who he was, thinking of him brought a smile to her face. “Yeah, you know what? I think you’re right.”
“You stick with Maxine. I’ll never lead you astray.” He gazed up at the sign Sky had painted. “I think Howie would have loved the swooping birds and the clouds you painted around Inky Skies.”
“Are you missing him more lately?” She reached for his hand, and Marcus blinked several times, then drew in a sharp breath.
“Not a day passes that I don’t miss that big pain in my…” He smiled and winked. “No pun intended.”
Sky laughed as she gathered her paints. “I have a date in a few minutes.”
“By any chance is it with a strappingly handsome, wide-shouldered man with the darkest eyes I’ve ever seen and a mouth I’d like to see around my—”
“Hey!” Sky bumped Marcus’s shoulder. “That’s enough, playboy.” She followed his gaze to Sawyer walking toward them in a pair of jeans and a white linen shirt. Excitement skittered through her chest. “God, Marcus…Sorry, Maxine. How did I get so lucky?”
“Sugar, he’s the lucky one. You’re one hell of a catch.”
Sawyer’s smile widened as he came to Sky’s side and bent to kiss her cheek. “Hi. The building looks great.” He extended a hand to Marcus. “Hi, I’m Sawyer.”
Marcus laid his hand gently in Sawyer’s, as if he expected Sawyer to kiss it. Without missing a beat, Sawyer did.
“Oh, sugar. He is a keeper,” Marcus said to Sky, then to Sawyer, “I’m Maxine. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too, Maxine.” Sawyer glanced up at the bright yellow paint and the intricately painted sign above. “This looks great, Sky. Did you just do this?”
“Yeah. I’ve been working on it all afternoon.”
“I’ll let you kids have your fun,” Marcus said. “Sky, baby, come by if you can to see my show later, and bring your hunka hunka burnin’ love with you.” He winked at Sawyer and sashayed into the crowd.
“Sorry,” Sky said as she picked up a paint can.
Sawyer took the can from her. “Why? She was nice. Where’s her show?”
“The Crown and Anchor. He…she’s there all summer. Marcus by day, Maxine by night.” Sky and Sawyer gathered the painting supplies.
“I can’t get over that sign,” Sawyer said as he gazed up at it again. “It looks like a decal it’s so perfectly painted. So you paint as well as tattoo?”
“I mess around, like you and your songs. The paintings in the shop are mine, too.”
He picked up the ladder and followed her inside with an armful of supplies, pausing in the reception area to look over the paintings. “Sky, you’re incredibly talented. You should sell your artwork.”
She set the paintbrushes in the sink and put her drop cloth over a chair. “And you should sell your songs.” She gave him a quick kiss when he smirked. “Besides, I do sell my artwork. I just etch it in people’s skin.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and gazed up at him. “Maybe we should sell your songs alongside my artwork here at the store. Everyone self-publishes these days. We could make a little book of them and sell it.”
“You have a lot of faith after hearing only one of my songs. How do you know the rest don’t suck?” He smiled down at her, his eyes as warm as his embrace.
“Because nothing that comes out of your mouth sucks, so I’m sure your songs are all wonderful.”
He lowered his lips to hers. “You never fail to surprise me, Sky.”
“I could say the same about you. Let me clean the paintbrushes, and then we can head out before another customer comes in. How was your afternoon? Did everything go okay with the ramp guys?”
“It went great. They’re starting on the installation in a few days. It’ll be nice for my dad to be able to go up to the skycap again.”
“I bet. He must be excited about the renovations you’re doing.”
“I think he is.”
“Before I forget, I talked to Pete this morning. He thinks it’s fine if we borrow his boat for a night. I was thinking about one night next weekend. Does that sound okay?”
He gathered her in close and kissed her. “Okay? It sounds amazing. I’ll let Roach know I need two days off.”
“He’ll hate me.”
“No, he’ll just bust my ass harder the other days.”
They spent the next few hours walking through the shops in Provincetown and enjoying the warm summer evening.
They had just rounded the corner of Commercial Street and Standish when Sawyer pointed in the window of Recovering Hearts, the local bookstore, and said, “Sky, how about here?”
Recovering Hearts was a cedar cottage-style shop with purple trim and a bright red awning over the front door. There wer
e rainbow flags, colorful stained-glass hearts, and peace signs hanging in the front windows.
“I love that store, but I haven’t had a chance to go in since I bought my shop.”
Sawyer pointed to a sign in the window and said, “This made me think it’s a shop you might like.” The sign read, Gifts from the heart. Gifts for the heart. “And those sold me on going in.” He pointed to the back of the store, where dozens of different types of wind chimes—glass, ceramic, metal—hung from the ceiling.
“I think I’m in heaven.” She pulled him into the eclectic store and was immediately enveloped by warm scents she couldn’t name. Sky hadn’t been in the shop since the beginning of the summer, and they’d added new items, like patchwork bags and hoodies, books, and wooden plaques with cute sayings about life and love.
“I want to work my way from the front of the store to the back so I don’t miss anything,” Sky said as she looked over a display of candles.
Sawyer walked across the store, and a minute later he tapped her on the shoulder. She turned and found him holding up a wooden sign that read, happily ever after starts here. His eyes were pleading like a sad puppy’s.
Her emotions soared as she closed the distance between them and said, “I think I have to buy that sign.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
They picked out an incense burner and a pack of coconut incense for Sky’s shop and one for Sawyer’s home—to remind me of you. And then they went back to look through the wind chimes.
“This one has stars, so it might go with your sculpture.” Sawyer reached up and brushed his fingers along the dangling metal stars.
“You noticed that? My brother Grayson made it for me the summer after we lost my mom.” She looked up at the ceiling, touching one chime after another, and sending delightful sounds through the store.
“It’s a beautiful sculpture, and it was obvious that he put a lot of love into making it.”
She watched Sawyer as he moved through the store, picking up fragile knickknacks and delicate faux floral arrangements. He was a broad-shouldered, thickly muscled man, and when she’d seen him in the ring, it had seemed like every muscle, every brain cell, was attuned to his fight. He looked aggressive and precisely focused. And yet by the time he’d come to the front of the gym, all that tension had eased from his body and he’d been awash with concern for her. She didn’t understand how he shifted so easily between the two personas.
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