Innocent Ink (Inked in the Steel City)

by Ranae Rose

  Karen’s heart stopped, then banged back to life again. “Jed?” Why in the world would Jed be at Ruby’s on Friday night? Had Mina actually invited him? Had he actually agreed to come?

  “Didn’t anyone tell you? You two share the same birthday.”

  “Who would tell me besides you?” Karen whisper-yelled, looking right into her friend’s eyes.

  Mina grinned. “Eric just told me yesterday. We figured we could all celebrate together. Abby, James and Tyler are coming too.”

  Abby, James and Tyler were Hot Ink’s other tattoo artists, and the fact that they’d be attending would make Jed’s presence seem more natural. Not that Karen’s shameless imagination wasn’t already perfectly convinced that Jed’s presence would make the night nothing short of magical. Amazingly, awkwardly magical, considering the fact that Mina would probably be waggling her eyebrows and scheming to embarrass Karen at some point. Where had her sweet, reserved friend gone?

  Engagement had changed her. Before she’d placed the order for her Tattooed Prince Charming’s wedding tux, she’d never waggled her eyebrows at anyone.

  “See you then,” Karen said, stepping away from the counter.

  Mina smiled. “Bye, Karen.”

  * * * * *

  Black was a good color. You couldn’t go wrong with black, right? Jed shoved his shirtsleeves up to his elbows and rolled them so they’d stay in place. He hated when sleeves touched his wrists, so he’d compromised. Usually, he wore a t-shirt, but for tonight, he’d chosen a shirt that actually buttoned up the front.

  Because it was Karen’s birthday. It was his birthday too, but that didn’t matter. He glanced at the rearview mirror and made sure there wasn’t anything on his face, like a giant sign reading I wore sleeves for Karen because I think she’s amazing.

  Nothing. He grimaced at his reflection and looked away, opening the door.

  What the hell was wrong with him? Karen was too innocent, too young, too ambitious – too everything – for someone like him, and he hadn’t been interested in a relationship in years. How old was she turning anyway? He mulled the possibilities over as he exited his Charger, gripping a box he’d wrapped just hours ago.

  Ruby’s, Karen’s former place of employment, was packed on a Friday night. The interior was loud, and a little dark. Even over the noise of dozens of diners, he was able to pick out Karen’s voice. “You have to try the strawberry lemonade, Abby,” she said from a corner table.

  “Of course it’s alcoholic. And don’t worry – we won’t get stiffed on drinks here. Nate’s working the bar tonight, and he makes them strong.”

  Jed arrived at the table just in time to see Karen winking at Abby.

  Good God, she looked amazing. Not Abby – Karen. Abby might’ve looked good too, but Karen stole the spotlight so completely that there was no telling. Her blue-green dress stood in alluring contrast to her dark red hair and creamy skin, plenty of which was exposed by the low V-neck. She was leaning toward Abby, jabbing a finger enthusiastically at the drink menu, and the position showcased her ample cleavage like a dream.

  “Jed!” Eric called out from one end of the table, where he sat with his arm around Mina. “Happy birthday, man.”

  His words unleashed a floodgate. The entire table erupted in a chorus of well-wishes, drowning out the rest of the noise completely for a few seconds. The outburst took him by surprise; when he’d laid eyes on Karen, he’d forgotten that it was his birthday, too.

  He strode toward the table, acknowledging their sentiments with a nod, and took the nearest empty seat. It just so happened to be the seat directly across from Karen.

  Tyler elbowed Jed in the side. “Already ordered a pitcher of your favorite.”

  “Thanks.” Jed’s mouth went momentarily dry as he stared across the table, and not just because Tyler’s statement had him craving beer. Maybe he shouldn’t have taken the seat across from Karen – he couldn’t help staring at her in that dress. He had to look like an idiot. He felt like an idiot.

  A rush of hot air and a sizzle came from behind, and a waitress spared him by lowering a platter of battered, spicy-smelling shrimp onto the table in front of him. It was an appetizer platter big enough for the entire group, and she’d barely placed a couple bowls of dipping sauce on the table top before everyone began reaching for the food.

  Jed grabbed one of the shrimp and dipped it blindly into a sauce bowl, forcing himself to look at everyone seated around the table as he chewed, not just Karen.

  Tyler, James, Abby and Eric – all Hot Ink’s artists were there, plus Mina, one of the studio’s receptionists and Eric’s fiancée. Mina’s little sister Jess was there too, eating shrimp and smiling as she sat in her wheelchair beside a teenaged boy who had to be her boyfriend. The kid was grinning at Jess with a distinctly dopey, instantly recognizable young love kind of look.

  The sight of the two kids smiling at each other and goofing off with a couple of severed shrimp tails sent a pang of searing nostalgia through Jed’s chest. His heart beat slowly but deliberately beneath the buttoned-up front of his shirt, reminding him that it was still stubbornly functioning even after being broken.

  He understood the all-or-nothing nature of young love; the memory of it shimmered across the surface of his mind, startlingly vivid for a few fleeting seconds.

  He shoved the memories away. He was in the middle of celebrating his thirty-fifth birthday, for fuck’s sake. There was no ring on his finger, though the band he’d once worn had left a permanent mark against his skin, fainter than a tattoo, but just as lasting. This was where the love that had once consumed him had left him.

  CHAPTER 2

  “It was a disaster,” Abby said, shaking her head, still in conversation with Karen. “Wasn’t it, Jed?” She turned blue eyes on Jed, snapping him out of his self-pity with her unexpected question.

  “Disaster?”

  “The cover-up job I finished today. The original tattoo was a disaster, wasn’t it?”

  Jed grimaced. “That’s putting it kindly. It was a fucking travesty.” Remembering himself, he glanced toward the kids at the end of the table. Luckily, they were too absorbed in each other’s company to spare any attention for what he was saying.

  Abby grinned, and Karen frowned. “See, that’s another thing that scares me about tattoos – there are so many horrible ones out there. What if you went to get something beautiful and it turned out to be an embarrassment?”

  “A legitimate artist would make sure you got something that made you happy.” Jed’s gaze was drawn to the creamy skin of Karen’s chest and arms. An unblemished, unmarked canvas – her skin was perfect, and so fair that ink of any color would contrast brilliantly. If she ever decided to be tattooed … what wouldn’t he give to be the one to put the ink in her skin? “And they’d never even consider putting something as pathetic as the trash Abby covered up on someone’s body.”

  “Never,” Abby said, raising her eyebrows as she turned wide blue eyes on Karen. “The scratcher who did the original tattoo should be thrown in prison, if you ask me.”

  Jed’s lips threatened to quirk into a smile. Abby was generally quiet, but she had her convictions.

  “If I ever got a tattoo, I know where I’d go,” Karen said. “Not that I want anyone to come near me with a needle, but if I did…” She met Jed’s gaze for a moment so brief he would’ve doubted it had happened if it hadn’t been for the electricity it sent crackling through his entire body.

  Her gaze flickered downward just as the waitress arrived with what looked like the lemonade Karen had been talking about.

  Karen gripped her glass, long fingers curling gracefully around the frosted surface, and raised it to her mouth. The plastic straw drifted through a sea of ice to part her lips, and Jed had to look away.

  For the better part of an hour, he pretended to be deeply interested in the jokes, beer and food circulating around the table. After way too many shrimp, he devoured the ribs he’d ordered, and they were good, but it
was hard to focus on anything when Karen’s presence drove him to constant distraction. The way her hair shone in the low lighting, the way her skin glowed – everything about her drew his eye, and it was hell trying to resist.

  He was on his way back from a trip to the restroom when he ran into her – not quite literally, but almost – in the narrow hallway that led to the men’s and ladies’ rooms.

  “Oh!” Her strappy sandals slid a little on the tile, but she steadied herself with a hand against the wall just as he reached for her.

  His hand swept through empty air – she’d already regained balance. He lowered it, his fingertips tingling with unfulfilled expectation. “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay.” She looked a little flushed – her fair skin was distinctly pink across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose, and her eyes were bright. If that was the effect the lemonade was having on her, he might just have to buy her a second one … as a friendly treat to the birthday girl, of course, nothing more.

  “I’ve always thought this hall was way too narrow. Drove me crazy when I was working here.” She straightened the front of her dress, and for the first time, he noticed the sequins glittering at the hem. Blue and green, they highlighted the pale but healthy sheen of her skin.

  “Guess I take up more room than the average customer,” he said, jerking his gaze up and trying to sound jovial. It was no joke, though – he’d barely have to raise his arms at all to touch both walls. He was used to spaces seeming cramped; it was an everyday thing, thanks to the fact that he was 6’3”.

  “That makes two of us,” Karen said, tucking a strand of auburn hair behind one ear and looking down as she smiled, her lower lip dented where she was clearly biting it from the inside.

  “What are you talking about?” Even in her strappy heeled sandals, she wasn’t tall enough to look him in the eye. But she was tall enough that he didn’t feel like he was talking to his toes when he looked down at her, and that was nice.

  The dent in her lower lip grew deeper, wider. “Well, you know.” She waved a hand at nothing. “I’m pretty tall, if you haven’t noticed.”

  Oh, he’d noticed everything about her, including her mile-long legs, which accounted for her above-average height. “You’re still short in my book,” he teased.

  Most people were. If Karen took up more room in the hallway than the average woman, it was less because of her height and more because of her amazing curves, which dominated the space between them and his imagination alike. She was curvy, but her waist was noticeably smaller than her hips and bust … she was like a pin-up girl from decades past, a retro-styled tattoo come to life.

  The thought called his dick to attention as she stared at him, her green eyes wide above flushed cheeks and glossed lips. He was semi-hard, and fighting a full-fledged erection with everything he had because he had to walk back to the table. And damn it, there were kids back at the table, not to mention almost every single one of his employees.

  “Sorry,” he said again, and tore his gaze away from her face, “about almost knocking you over.”

  “It’s all right.”

  The hallway really was narrow. They were standing so close he could smell her perfume – a light citrusy scent that reminded him of her youth. “I won’t keep you any longer.” He eased past her – a serious feat, considering the hall’s scant width and the fact that a part of him actually wanted to brush up against her – and strode toward the other side of the restaurant.

  With his belly pressed to the bar, the state of arousal his encounter with Karen had left him in was well-hidden. He lingered, and when the bartender looked his way, he ordered a shot of bourbon over ice. The cold liquor burnt smooth and fiery on the back of his tongue, both heating and cooling him from the inside. He drained the glass, willing the potent fumes to erase the memory of Karen’s perfume from his consciousness.

  It didn’t work. The airy, fruity scent lingered in his nostrils – how was it possible that he could still smell her? Half hopefully and half guiltily, he glanced toward the corridor that led to the restrooms. He could already imagine how she’d look emerging from the hall – pretty, perfect and way out of his league.

  * * * * *

  Karen fought the instinctive urge to turn and face Jed as he approached the table and sank back down in his chair. Where had he been? She was so hyper-aware of his presence – or lack thereof – that she noticed when he was gone. He hadn’t been at the table when she’d returned a few minutes ago.

  Tyler elbowed Jed, grinning. “Beer not good enough for ya?”

  What did that mean?

  Jed smiled a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes and shook his head.

  “Lay off him,” James said. “It’s his birthday. Matter of fact, I think we should order a round of shots for the whole table.”

  Jed frowned. “There are kids here. Take it easy.”

  “Easy for you to say,” James muttered. “Are we taking turns sneaking to the bar?”

  Karen eyed the bar at the other side of the restaurant. If Jed had stopped by for a drink, she couldn’t blame him – not when she was already craving another one in the wake of the lemonade cocktail she’d recently finished. Being around Jed put her nerves on edge in a bittersweet way, and it would be nice to have something to take the edge off. Then again…

  She’d blurted out her crush-confession to Mina after having half a bottle of champagne. Maybe she should resist the urge to soak her nerves in alcohol – who knew what she’d say to Jed’s face if she overindulged.

  “You were right about the lemonade,” Abby said, rattling the ice left in the bottom of her drained glass. “It’s amazing. Should I ask the waitress for two more?”

  “Uh…” Well, she could always sip her next drink slowly. Very slowly.

  But she didn’t. The straw was making slurping sounds as she pushed it to the very bottom of the ice by the time Mina stood up at one end of the table and announced that she had a gift for Karen.

  “You really didn’t have to,” Karen said, accepting the beautifully wrapped box Mina handed her.

  “Of course I did,” Mina replied with a smile.

  Karen untied an artfully-curled white ribbon and tore the golden wrapping paper, revealing a plain white box. When she lifted the lid, something green-grey peeked from beneath layers of tissue paper. It was soft between her fingertips as she lifted it from the box.

  “Wow, Mina, this is beautiful.” It was a summertime sweater – an airy knit with short flutter sleeves, done in tones of dove grey, moss green and steely blue.

  “I thought it would really bring out your eyes,” Mina said with a smile.

  Karen gently lowered the sweater back into the box. Mina understood her style exactly. “I love it. Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome. Happy twenty-fifth birthday.”

  Abby said something about how the sweater would complement Karen’s hair, and Karen nodded, thanking her too as she reached automatically for her glass. Condensation cooled her fingers, at odds with the heat she could feel, the pressure of someone’s gaze.

  Not just anyone’s gaze – Jed’s gaze. She could feel it. It shouldn’t have mattered – everyone had watched her open the gift, after all. But she couldn’t help noticing.

  “Hey Jed, we’ve got a gift for you too,” Tyler announced, alleviating the silence.

  Mina watched as Tyler waved an arm, grinning.

  As if on cue, the waitress appeared, carrying a tray laden with shot glasses.

  “I hereby declare that everyone must take a shot in honor of the birthday boy,” Tyler announced. He shot a quick sideways glance at Jess and her boyfriend, Blake. “Everyone of age, I mean.”

  Jess and Blake were so lost in their own little world that they hardly seemed to notice the waitress lowering the glasses onto the table. Ah, young love. Karen couldn’t help but smile when she looked at the two of them. They’d been seeing each other ever since they’d attended the homecoming dance together months ago, and they were
adorable.

  “Hold on,” Jed said.

  Karen raised her gaze, daring to look at him directly for the first time since she’d returned from the restroom. Was he really serious about not drinking in front of the kids – could he be about to send the drinks back?

  For someone who looked like sin in rolled-up shirtsleeves, he was surprisingly conservative.

  But he didn’t say anything to the waitress. Instead, he looked directly into Karen’s eyes. “I have a gift for Karen, too.”

  Karen’s heart launched itself into a series of cartwheels. He had a gift for her? Seriously?

  He reached under his chair and retrieved a giftwrapped box a third of the size of the one Mina had given her. It was wrapped too, in teal paper, no ribbon. She willed her hand to stay steady as she reached across the table, accepting it.

  Jed’s fingertips brushed hers, sparking an electric sensation that raced throughout her entire body. “Thanks. You really didn’t have to get me anything. I…” She hadn’t gotten him a gift. She hadn’t dared, even after she’d discovered that he shared her birthday.

  She broke eye contact, staring intently at the gift instead as she peeled back the wrapping paper. Even it was masculine – the deep blue-green color suited Jed. Heck, the same color was visible on his skin, in some places – all sorts of colors were, thanks to his tattoos.

  After divesting the box of its wrappings, she lifted its lid, revealing something blue. A soft shade of blue – a lot like the blue in her new sweater, actually – with golden embellishments.

  It was a camera strap. She lifted it, unfolded it and ran it through her fingers. It was sturdy but beautiful, definitely not cheap. She’d admired some like it online just the week before, but hadn’t been able to bring herself to shell out the cash. A little tag near one end confirmed that it was the trendy brand she’d been lusting after. The little golden fleur-de-lis designs that had been embroidered onto the strap looked even better in person than they had online.