by Tempi Lark
A bubbly tattoo artist named Mark, who had a blinding, yellow mullet, plucked his toothpick out of his mouth and leaned across the black, marble counter. “I’m going to help you out here, brother. If you want to get laid this century, you’ll go into that back room and drop your drawers.” He said in an uppity tone.
Staring down at me, Laces’ eyebrows raised inquiringly. “It that what this is? A hostage negotiation?”
My smile turned into a chuckle. “Maybe.”
His compelling, magnetic blue eyes never left mine as he said in a low, husky voice “Guess we better book that tattoo, Mark.”
Everything inside me melted. He’s actually going through with it! I couldn’t believe it.
Maybe we could make this work, I thought as Laces winked at me and signed proceeded to sign the consent papers for Mark. Whatever we were was not conventional by any means. Far from it. But what was? Right?
And then it happened.
Fate, decided to step in.
“There he is!” Hearing what sounded like Nurse Kline’s voice in the near distance, I glanced over my shoulder. Almost immediately my body went numb when I finally saw who was following behind her.
Joe.
My stepfather!
“Oh my God.” I whispered, grabbing my chest. I felt like I was about to have a heart attack!
“There you are!” Joe proclaimed. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
I’ll bet you have…
Laces quickly scribbled his signature and like me, looked in the direction of the noise. “Oh shit!” He hissed.
Joe had the biggest smile plastered across his heartless face. “Lincoln! We’ve been looking everywhere for you, son!”
My heart stopped as the bastard pushed past me and threw his arms over Laces back.
“Dad, what are you doing here?” Laces’ voice was kind, but I sensed a hint of annoyance behind it.
Could’ve made it work.
To Be Continued…
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About Tempi
Tempi Lark is a USA Today Bestselling author of New Adult and YA Romance. She lives in Tennessee with her husband, son, and enormous book collection. She enjoys binge-watching Netflix, dancing in her pajamas, and writing about crazy alphas that can't seem to get it together.
Acknowledgments
I want to thank my husband for putting up with me writing in a room for 5 hours at a time. Throughout my career he has always been my “constant”. Whenever I have needed advice or any type of support he was always ready. There were many times I wanted to give up and he kept me aligned to finish. I love you, madly. XOXO. Also, thank you to my son for being an inspiration like no other. He has endured many struggles over the years and kept smiling, kept going.
J.E. PARKER. You reached out to me when I was in a really dark place in my life. We forged a close bond and you took me under your wing with no questions asked. For two years I watched your career develop and you kindly offered any/all insight. Because of your wisdom I found my footing early-on and was given a head start that other’s could only dream of. You write it and we’ll market it. I couldn’t ask for better best friend. (P.S. That mafia book of yours is gonna to be lit! lol)
Special thanks to my editor, Sara Miller, for pulling this one out of both of our asses. You understand my vision and never try to change my voice. *hugs* Instead of trying to tone down my “southern twang” you find ways to build on it. Thank you, lady!
MY FABULOUS VETERANS. Skyla, Katie, Elizabeth, Judith, Alondra, Tanja, & Mahshad. 10 YEARS LATER & here we are. *grins* Thank you so much for believing in me and sticking around for the last 10 years. Laces was not the journey we started with, but everything this book became I contribute to the early days. You guys gave me my start and made me really fall in love with writing. I remember posting to the private Facebook profile (the note section) almost everyday for 2 years. There was no money involved; only a dream of one day seeing a group of paranormal men (who kicked some serious ass) displayed on my bookshelf at home. I am forever grateful for your loyalty and look forward to introducing the world to the characters y’all fell in love with so long ago. #Tucksters #Warlords
Thank you to my PA & friend, Maria, for stepping in and taking charge when I wanted to throw in the towel. (Light more candles before the next book!) Thank you for respecting and admiring my work, and for pushing me. You were the driving force behind Laces during the early writing stages and made sure I stuck with it. You believed in this book when no one else did.
Special thanks to Crystal Nelson & Bri Danielle, who beta read early on.
And thanks to Michelle Vasquez, Kenia Fields, and Mahida Gulzar for your undying support. A huge thank you to my STEET TEAM for kicking ass over the last few months. You guys are the absolute best and I can’t wait to jump into the next adventure!
Special shoutout to Greylin Reuss. Thank you for all that you have done.
And lastly, thank you to the readers.
Stay safe, my beautiful creatures.
-T