by Adele Niles
Bradley sighed. He came into my booth and patted my shoulder.
“That,” he said, loud enough for both of them to hear, “was Bryn. The Bitch.”
“Oh.” Garrett nodded sagely.
They’d heard me talk about her before, just never by name.
Because Bradley was right. I usually just called her The Bitch.
Bradley continued, “She was Benny’s first love.”
Not the right thing for Bradley to say. I shrugged his hand off my shoulder. “She’s a traitor. She’s the enemy.”
“Yeah, yeah. We know. Let me explain the rest.”
I sighed and looked away.
“Bryn worked here for a year. She did her apprenticeship with us and then had a few months at that booth.” He pointed to the sixth booth, left empty.
I sighed. “I taught her everything I knew. And yeah, we…we dated.”
My throat felt tight.
Was I still that torn up about her?
I couldn’t be. I wouldn’t let myself waste any more time missing Bryn.
“She fucked me. Literally and figuratively. Stole a shit-ton of my ideas, some of Bradley’s. Then she left. Moved across the river to Malone and got a job at another shop. And when they folded—because really, she was the only good artist there—she opened her own place.”
“Wait—that’s the owner of Skin Buzz?” Garrett raised his eyebrows. “Holy shit. I didn’t know that. I mean, I knew you had bad blood with whoever owned it, but I didn’t know she was your ex.”
I looked up at him and shook my head. “She’s bad news. If she ever tries to talk to you, you keep your mouths shut about the business. If we don’t watch our backs, she’ll ruin our chances in Malone before we even get the new place open.”
Zoe had come closer while we were talking. She leaned against the wall of the steps, frowning. “Is she really that big of a problem?”
“Could be.” Bradley put a hand on my shoulder again. I let it stay there this time. “She’s pissed because we’re moving in on her territory. But she’s kinda sabotaging herself, you know? She won’t work with any of the bikers around here.”
“Really? That’s good money.” Zoe frowned.
“Yeah. I dunno why.” I shrugged, standing up. “I’m—I’ll be back.”
“You’re not going after her, are you?” Bradley tightened his hold on my shoulder.
“What? No. I need to go for a walk. I think I’ll hit Bakeology.”
“Okay. Just, text if you want the rest of the day off. We can handle it here.”
I nodded. “Will do. I’ll probably be back.”
And I grabbed my shit and left.
Chapter Eight
Bryn
I let out a deep breath as I stepped out of No Regrets.
Coming here had been a mistake.
Benny had looked too good. It wasn’t fair. He’d bulked up a little, and gotten some new ink. His hair was cut in a way that suited him.
It made me want him again.
And that was dangerous.
We weren’t on good terms anymore. It was hard to even be professional when his name came up in conversation.
It wasn’t fair for him to still get me wet the way he did.
I glanced over my shoulder.
Somebody was coming toward the door of the shop.
No. I couldn’t talk to him again.
I turned and started down the sidewalk, holding my purse strap.
“Bryn!” He was already out the door and catching up.
His legs were a lot longer than mine. He was faster.
Running wouldn’t get me away from him, so I stopped. I inhaled to steady myself and turned to face him.
“What do you want, Benny?”
He stopped where he was, sighing. “Listen.”
Not like I could do anything else.
He said, “You’re right.”
I raised an eyebrow. Not the start I expected.
“I should have let you know we were expanding. I should’ve told you we wanted to open up a second shop in Malone.”
I folded my arms. “Yeah, that was kind of a dick move, Benny.”
He nodded. “I know. I know. That’s why I’m apologizing.”
That wasn’t something that happened often.
I tapped my foot in a show of impatience. “Say it.”
He sighed, shrugging his shoulders. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you we were expanding.”
“And?”
“And what?” he asked.
“Hurting my business?”
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry that…that us being there might damage your business.”
I looked up at him.
He sounded genuine. Way more genuine than I’d expected.
I uncrossed my arms. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yeah. Okay.”
He nodded. “Okay.”
I snorted, shaking my head. “God. You really have a way with words.”
“You never complained before.”
I shrugged. “So, how are you going to make it up to me?”
“You want me to make it up to you?”
“Yeah.” I reached up, flicking my bangs out of my eyes.
“Okay, you got something in mind?”
I smiled.
A few things, but I’d start with the easy one.
“Yeah. Take me out for a drink.”
Benny raised his eyebrows. “You want me to take you for a drink.”
“Yes.”
“Now?”
“Yep. I’m free now.”
Benny snorted. “You’re the enemy.”
“Enemy? Please. Just because we’re not fucking anymore doesn’t mean I’m the enemy.”
Granted, I’d been thinking of him as the enemy for years, but I could play nice for now.
Benny looked at me seriously. Then, he shrugged. “Okay. Sure. We’ll go for a drink.”
I’d expected a little more of a fight, but I wasn’t mad that he’d given in so easily.
I watched as Benny pulled his phone from his back pocket, typing out a message and sending it.
“What, letting your girlfriend know where you’re going?”
“No. Bradley. Asking him to clean up my booth.”
Oh.
Benny looked at me for a moment, then sighed, shaking his head. “I’m not giving you any new ideas to steal.”
“Please. I don’t need your ideas. I’m doing just fine on my own.”
He laughed. “Okay. Sure. That’s why you’re so worried about us stealing your business, huh?”
“You think it’s easy being a woman-owned shop in a boys’ club business like tattooing? And in a college town?”
He shrugged. “I guess I never thought about it.”
“Clearly. Now. I know where to go for that drink. Come on.”
I turned and started toward my car, which was parked down the street. Benny walked with me.
I could smell his cologne.
It was the same scent he’d worn when we were together.
And it still smelled fucking incredible on him—musk and cedar and a hint of leather.
Just one drink, I told myself. Just a little time to catch up, maybe pry and see what No Regrets was up to.
I wasn’t going to let myself get weak for Benny again.
Chapter Nine
Benny
Bryn drove us back across the river to Malone. She parked her car in the lot of a tiny building that didn’t even look open.
“Where are we?”
“It’s called Galvin’s. It’s quiet. The chance of anybody we know showing up is real low.”
“Okay.”
That didn’t sound so bad.
I held the door for her as we went in, and she rolled her eyes. “I can open a door, Benny.”
“It’s called being polite. Learn how to do it sometime.”
It was too easy to fall back into old habits—teasing and playing, picking on each oth
er to draw out smiles.
This was a bad idea, but it was too late to bail now.
We sat down at a table in the corner, away from the few other patrons in the bar. I expected Bryn to sit across from me.
Instead, she sat beside me, only the corner of the table between us.
An older man came to take our orders. Bryn got a margarita; I asked for a beer.
When he left, she looked up at me and smiled.
“So. Business is good, then? I mean, it’s gotta be if you’re expanding.”
I nodded. “Yeah. It’s real good. Better than I ever would have expected.”
“Good.” She nodded. “And you’re not seeing anybody.”
I blinked. “You sound pretty confident about that.”
“Well, you texted Bradley instead of a girlfriend.”
That was true.
I shrugged. “Yeah. Single. I’m focusing on work.”
Bryn laughed.
“What?” I said.
She shook her head. “I can’t imagine you taking time off from women to focus on your job. That’s wild.”
“Why is it so hard to believe?”
She opened her mouth, then scoffed, shaking her head. “Guys just don’t do that.”
“Well, I did it.”
“I guess so.”
The bartender brought us our drinks. I took a sip of my beer; Bryn licked a little salt off the rim of her glass before taking her own sip.
She looked me in the eye as she did it.
That was unfair.
I took a deep breath, looking away. “So. How’s Bryan?”
There was a shift in the air between us.
Maybe that had been the wrong question to ask.
Bryn sighed heavily. She shrugged. “He’s a pain in the ass. Nothing new.”
“I thought he was doing okay?”
She shook her head. “He’s joined up with the King’s Devils. You know about them?”
“Uh, yeah. I know a little.”
That was an understatement, but she seemed to be pretty unhappy. I didn’t want to make it worse by talking about the ink I did for them.
“Yeah, well. He joined up…three, four years ago? And it’s changed him. He’s such a prick now.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Shit. Bryn, I’m really sorry to hear that.”
I knew how much she loved Bryan. And he’d been a headache when me and her were together, but this sounded like something entirely different. A pang of feeling flashed through me—not as strong as pity. Maybe sympathy. I felt bad for her.
Bryn shook her head and took a long drink of her margarita. “Whatever. I don’t want to talk about him. At all.”
I nodded. “Okay. That’s fair.”
Bryn nodded. “Okay.” She took a deep breath, pressing one hand to her forehead. “It’s just too much to think about all the time, you know?”
“I gotcha.” I took a sip of my beer.
“How’s Bradley?” she asked.
She just wanted to change the subject. I understood. “Bradley’s good. He’s good. Got a girlfriend, still doing great work.”
“Is he running the new shop?”
“Nah, he’s gonna stay at the main shop with me. Logan and Ryker are co-owners now. They’re in charge of the Malone location.”
Bryn hummed. “I never saw Ryker as the responsible type. You’re sure you want to put him in charge?”
“He’s grown. He’s a good guy. Hard worker, smart as they come. Most people just don’t look for it.”
She smiled. “Well, good.”
Good?
That’s not what I expected her to say when we talked about the new shop.
She looked at me for a moment, her head tilted to one side. “So, I gotta ask. Why?”
“Why what?” I took a sip of beer.
“Why Malone? Why are you expanding?”
I sighed. “Listen, first off, I promise you. We didn’t even think about Skin Buzz being there when we chose Malone. We were thinking about the college, more than anything.”
Bryn raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. It’s a moneymaker. I’ve had a lot of college kids complain about us being on the other side of the river.”
“It’s not that far.”
“I know. I know. But they bitch about it all the time.”
She laughed.
I’d missed that sound.
I missed this—drinking with her, talking about whatever was on our minds.
But damn. She’d really messed me up.
I wasn’t sure she even knew how badly.
“So you want to make it more convenient for the college kids,” she mused. “I guess that’s fair. They make up most of my business, too.”
“I think there’s plenty of dumb college kids to go around. And, I mean, they change their minds about tattoos all the time. They’ll get one from one shop, go to the other for a coverup when they get tired of the ink.” I laughed. “I’ve had a lot of people come in wanting names covered up.”
“Because the work is bad?”
“Nah, because these dumb frat boys get their girlfriends’ names tattooed on them and then they break up.”
Bryn smiled.
“And anyway.” I shrugged. “Your work is good. It’s always a shame to cover it up.”
She blushed.
That didn’t happen often, and I always felt a little swell of pride when I did it.
We ordered another round of drinks, and a basket of wings to share. Bryn told me a little about her shop; she tried to prioritize hiring female artists, and had a lot of clients that were women. It was a great angle; I knew that some girls didn’t feel comfortable coming into No Regrets.
I didn’t say it to Bryn, but I did make a mental note to recommend her shop to any girls who seemed nervous, especially if their tattoos would require some undressing.
I told her a little about our shop, too—mostly about Garrett, who’d come from California and fit perfectly with the rest of us, and Zoe, who showed a lot of promise as an artist but was really killing it as our receptionist.
“Oh, yeah, her hair is really cool.” Bryn smiled, picking up a wing and eating it.
“Come in next week. It’ll look totally different.”
“Oh yeah? She’s one of those punky girls, huh?”
“Definitely. She changes her hair all the time. It’s pretty amazing that she hasn’t fried it out of her head.”
Bryn laughed again, shaking her head.
God, that laugh. I’d missed Bryn. So much more than I could ever tell her.
I shifted, glancing her over. She was wearing a skirt, and the side slit had opened just a little from the way she was sitting.
There was another tattoo there.
I thought about the lotus on her ribs, and wondered what this one was.
I shifted my chair just a little closer to her.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
“Good way to get a girl to worry.”
“Nothing’s wrong,” I said. “I promise.”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay. Whatever you say, Benny.”
I smiled.
I reached out, brushing my fingers over the nearest line of the tattoo.
Her head jerked up. She looked at me with wide eyes.
Then she nodded.
There was still something between us—a spark. Even if it was just physical, it was there, and I wanted to see what happened.
I lifted the edge of her skirt, peering at the tattoo.
Another floral piece—a string of magnolias that trailed up her thigh toward her hip.
I wanted to trace the whole piece with my fingers, my tongue.
Bryn watched me as I continued to follow the lines with my fingers.
“Benny, c’mon,” she whined.
I knew what that sound meant.
I knew all of her tells.
“What?” I smiled innocently. “I
’m just checking out the new work you’ve gotten done. This looks good. Who did it?”
“One of the girls at my shop. Elle. She’s good.”
“Did you do the sketch?”
“Yeah.”
Of course she’d done it. I would have recognized Bryn’s work anywhere.
I looked at that damn lotus every day. I’d seen hundreds of her sketches. I’d thought about letting her put one on me, even if flowers weren’t normally a masculine tattoo.
I’d just wanted some of her work. I wanted to carry a piece of her with me everywhere.
I wondered, if I’d done it, whether I’d be like one of those stupid college kids, asking for a cover-up a few months down the road. Just to make the stinging memory go away.
But I didn’t want to think about that shit now, not when I had my fingers on Bryn’s skin.
She took a shaky breath, her eyes closing as I worked my hand up higher, following what I could see of the lines.
“Benny.”
She was breathless now.
I watched as she rocked in the chair, just slightly.
She still acted exactly the same when she wanted me.
“God damn, Bryn,” I said.
She opened her eyes, looking up at me through her lashes.
That look only made me want her more. It always had.
I sighed. “I fucking missed this.”
Chapter Ten
Bryn
Two years ago
Mornings in Benny’s apartment were the best.
He usually made me coffee before he left. He opened the shop every day; I usually went in later. I liked working nights better. They were a little busier, with some more exciting clients.
Although I hated when the bikers came in.
Benny always handled them, though, or Bradley, if Benny was working on someone else.
He really understood me, what I needed.
But it was Sunday, and while he’d still made coffee, he was here. He’d been doing some chores—even though I stayed over a lot, Benny insisted on handling his own laundry and cleaning.
I heard him approaching the couch, but I didn’t look up from my sketchbook. It was still early, and I wasn’t done with my morning ritual yet.
But then his lips touched the back of my neck.
God, he knew how to get me going.
I closed my eyes, lifting my marker from the paper. “Benny…”
“Hm?”
“That’s nice.”
He leaned over the back of the couch, draping his arms around my shoulders.