Boys.
They never grew up, even when one of them was rapidly approaching the big four-oh.
“You are a menace, but I’m glad Jennifer has you. Now get back to work. Shep? Don’t forget that you need to bring in Shea for her next tattoo.”
Shep smiled the smile that told everyone within a three block radius that he was in total love with the blue eyed woman who needed more ink. “I will, don’t worry. She can’t have anything on her arms or lower legs because of work—at least for now—but she’s thinking of something for her other hip.”
Shea met Shep within Midnight Ink when she had wanted a tattoo, and because fate was awesome like that, the two had fallen for each other in the process.
In fact, it seemed like love was in the air at Midnight Ink. It had only been a month or so since the last of the love birds had found their match. All in all, eight couples—well, a triad in Eli’s case—had fallen in love since the beginning of the year.
Sassy liked to think she had a hand in each of those.
Well, if she was counting, then yes, she’d helped each couple stagger through the murky waters of falling in love. After all, it wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns. The best kind of love and happiness came after the parts where the couple had to work for it and find their way. Each of the couples who found love at Midnight Ink had been through their own unique forms of torture and now looked forward to bright futures and happy endings.
It didn’t mean that Sassy would get hers though.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose.
No, she wouldn’t think about that.
Wouldn’t think about them.
She hadn’t thought about her past and those she’d left behind for so long that it was now just a distant memory. Sure, the taste of bitterness and regret still settled on her tongue once in a while, but it didn’t rule her life, didn’t rule her choices.
At least that’s what she told herself.
With a shake of her head, she went to her station and made coffee. Sassy didn’t make the usual coffee. Oh, no. She had a gift with it and those at Midnight Ink knew it. In a city filled with the most decadent coffees, Sassy could brew with the best of them.
See? That was something light and airy to think about. What else could she think of that had nothing to do with pain and regret?
Maybe she needed more ink.
She looked down at the spirals and flowers that covered her arms and smiled. Yes. More ink was definitely the way to go. She had a few pieces on her back and sides as well, and knew she had plenty of places for more.
Who would ink her though?
It had been her goal to get each of the Midnight Ink crew to lay ink on her and so far, she’d gotten everyone at least once. Rosie had done a couple sessions with her. As the woman was her best friend, it only made sense.
Maybe she’d get Shep to work on her hip. The man knew exactly what to do with curves when it came to ink. She grinned as she thought of Shea. Okay, so maybe the man knew what to do with curves in other ways too, but that wasn’t something she needed to think about.
Ever.
The shop’s phone rang and Sassy moved to answer it. “You’ve reached Sassy at Midnight Ink. You desire it, we ink it.”
The caller snorted and Sassy smiled. “Desire? Dear lord, Sass, you are milking it.”
“Odalia!” Sassy squealed at her friend and Midnight Ink’s client. “I’m so glad you called. Are you coming in for another session with that sexy, bad boy of yours?” Odalia and Jacques had been one of the couples she’d helped pair up recently and she couldn’t be more happy for the cop and the bounty hunter.
“Since I’m planning on having Rosie finish up a couple pieces and I’ll have to get partially naked to do it, yeah, Jacques will be there.” Sassy could practically see the grin on the other woman’s face through the phone. “You know how he likes to get me down to my skin.”
“I’m sure you like to do the same, sugar. Now let me look through my appointment book to see when Rosie is available. You have any specific time you’re thinking?”
They set up the time and Sassy penciled it in for Rosie who would make the final call. “Are you coming to the party we’re holding in a couple weeks?” Sassy asked, speaking of Midnight Ink’s Valentine’s Day party.
The shop liked to hold parties of their own on certain holidays. Since the whole crew seemed to be in love, this party was only appropriate. It wouldn’t actually be on Valentine’s Day as most of the crew would want to be with their significant others, but it was near enough to it they could eat and drink, and for those who were sober, get inked.
“We’ll be there. You know we love the shop and you, honey.”
Sassy opened her mouth to speak but suddenly came up short.
“Sassy.” She heard the deep, achingly familiar voice coming from in front of her.
She blinked in complete disbelief at what she saw.
“Rafe.”
“Nothing for me then?” Another voice, just as familiar, came from just beside Rafe, and Sassy swallowed hard.
“Ian.” She shook her head. “What…what are you two doing here?”
She could have sworn everyone in the shop had stopped moving, stopped breathing. It was if they knew something was terribly wrong, and yet had no idea what to do about it.
She didn’t know what to do about it.
“We’re here for a tattoo,” Rafe answered.
“And you,” Ian put in.
With that, the phone dropped out her hand and her mind went completely blank.
Her past was back and standing right in front of her in all their sexy glory and determined faces. No matter what she did, she had a feeling she wouldn’t be able to wish Ian and Rafe away.
It hadn’t worked before.
It wouldn’t work this time either.
Oh shit.
Chapter Two
“Nothing to say, Sass?” Rafe Chavez asked, his words sounding much calmer than he felt right then.
He still couldn’t believe he was there standing next to the man who had left him and in front of the woman who had done the same. A decade had come and gone, but right then, in that shop, it felt like mere moments since he’d lain eyes on them.
They’d been different people back then, he was sure, but damn it, he was here now and ready to face whatever the hell he had to in order to make his plan work.
She blinked up at him with those big brown eyes he once lost himself with no hope of escape. His fingers ached to caress the chestnut tresses draped over her shoulders and curled under her breasts. It was so Sassy that she had a couple blue streaks within the mass of waves that seemed to shout she was special.
“You can’t be here,” she breathed and Rafe held back a curse.
She’d been smiling and laughing on the phone, but now looked pale and shaky. He and Ian had done that, yet Rafe knew he’d do it again if it meant moving forward with what the three of them needed. Even if two of the three of them didn’t realize they actually needed to do the same.
He didn’t break eye contact with Sassy even though he wanted to risk a glance at Ian. If he was doing what Rafe thought, then Ian was also staring at Sassy, at a loss for what to do. Rafe could just picture the man, only an inch or so taller than he, giving Sassy that unwavering look with his piercing blue eyes, chiseled features, and onyx black hair that he’d tied back with a leather strap.
Rafe would have liked to think more about the man by his side but knew this wasn’t the time or place. Now, it was all about Sassy. If they could get her to talk with them, maybe they had a chance for what Rafe wanted.
Since Sassy looked like she was about to bolt, he wasn’t putting much faith in round one of their plan.
Crap.
“Sassy?” Ian said, his voice a low rumble filled with the elegant edge that Rafe had always secretly loved.
She shook her head once more then rolled her shoulders back. Well, hell, as much as he liked it when
she got all sexy and angry at the same time, he’d much rather have had her not yell…and that was what she was about to do.
“What the hell are you two doing here?” she yelled.
Yep. Got it in one.
Rafe tore his eyes from her face and risked a glance at the people coming up behind Sassy. Most of the dudes were bigger than even he and Ian, and that was saying something. Plus, their looks of impending death and doom didn’t bode well.
“Cariña, can we talk privately?” Rafe asked.
She narrowed her eyes at his name for her and curled her lip. “Don’t call me that. You have no right to call me that.”
While he understood her anger, which he knew he deserved, it took everything in his power not to remind her that she left him. That would be a discussion for a later time.
“I’m sorry.” He wasn’t. “We’re just here to talk and get ink. We weren’t lying about that.”
She snorted. “Of all the shops, in all of New Orleans, you had to walk into mine?”
He grinned at the reference to their favorite movie then held back a frown at her reaction. The way she’d paled a bit after she’d said it, he knew she’d done it by accident. He’d take it however since that meant somewhere inside her she was still thinking of him, of them.
“Is there something wrong, Sass?” one of the dudes from the back said as he walked up behind Sassy. He put his hand on her shoulder and Rafe had to keep from yelling at the guy to keep his hands off his woman. He thought of Ian. Their woman.
Another man, this one even bigger than the first came up on her other side. He crossed his beefy arms over his barrel of a chest and glared.
Well shit, he didn’t want to get in a fucking fight right there in the shop. He’d had enough of fighting as a teen and didn’t want to do it again. Plus he didn’t think Sassy would appreciate it.
“Need us to take care of these two for you?” the bigger man asked, his voice full of dangerous promises.
Sassy turned on her heel and put her fists on her waist. “Excuse me? Since when do I need the two of you to fight my battles? I’m not some damsel in distress who needs her white knight to slay the dragon. I’ll slay my own fucking dragons.” She glared over her shoulder at Rafe and Ian. “Or whatever the hell these two are.”
The first man who’d spoken smiled warmly at her. “Sass, hon, we’re just looking out for you. We all know you can take care of yourself. That doesn’t mean you should.”
Sassy let out a breath and Rafe sucked in one of his own, afraid of what she’d say. He knew the woman never liked to be perceived as vulnerable. He and Ian coming in like this and surprising her had been a bold move, and in retrospect, a not-so-smart one.
He just hadn’t known what else to do.
“I’m fine, Shep.” She patted his cheek then moved to the bigger man. “Thank you for defending my honor, Caliph. Now since I’ve made a scene where usually I only like to make my own on my own terms, I’m going to talk to these two…gentleman… away from here.”
Rafe held back a triumphant fist pump but met Ian’s gaze. The other man gave a small twitch of his lips, but otherwise didn’t react to Sassy’s words.
Well, it was better than nothing.
“If you’re sure, Sass,” Shep grumbled.
“I’m sure. They’re not going to hurt me.”
Rafe heard the odd note in her tone and knew what she was thinking. They’d hurt each other all those years ago but right then it was about overcoming all of that. It had to be.
“We really did come here for ink,” Rafe put in, trying to ease some of the tension.
Sassy turned toward them and raised a brow. “Oh, I have no doubt that was one of your intentions. Now we get to see what your other ones are.”
With that she moved around the desk, picked up her bag, and brushed passed them. That sexy wiggle in her step causing her hips to sway back and forth.
Damn, he’d missed watching her walk.
Ignoring the glares from Shep, Caliph, and the others in the shop, he turned to follow Sassy out the door. He heard Ian mutter something under his breath, then do the same.
“I don’t know who you two are, but if you hurt Sassy, we’ll hurt you,” Shep said from behind them and Rafe stopped.
He looked over his shoulder and gave a slight nod. “We don’t want to hurt her.”
“Then don’t be fucking idiots,” Caliph put in.
Rafe gave one last look at the men who protected Sassy, then followed the woman in question out of the door and onto the street. Midnight Ink was located right on Canal Street and since it was just getting dark outside, the early dinner and cocktail hour crowd filled the streets. Since it was February, it was a bit chilly outside but nothing like what it would be back in New York where he’d lived for the past decade.
Sassy stopped in front of them and turned, her face expressionless. “I don’t know why you’re here and don’t tell me it’s for a tattoo. All three of us know that even though you might have wanted one, it was just a ruse to get me to talk to you. Well, now you’ve got me.” She cursed. “For this talk only. I don’t run away from my problems. Not anymore. So the three of us are going to go to my place and hash this out so I can go about my business. I don’t like airing out my dirty laundry at work or in a public place. And that’s what the two of y’all are. Dirty laundry.”
While most men would have taken a hit at her words, Rafe knew he and Ian wouldn’t. Sassy lashed out like a frightened kitten when she was cornered. Oh, he wouldn’t back down. This kitten had claws, but damn, he missed the way she yelled and ranted.
Yes, he was a lunatic, but he’d long since gotten over that fact.
Going to her home would be a sweet torture for him since all he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and never let her go. He wasn’t an animal—barely—so he’d hold off doing something stupid like lie prostrate at her feet and beg for forgiveness.
However, that was the backup plan.
“That sounds like a reasonable plan,” Ian put in, his voice smooth as silk. The man was like frost—ice, cold, and uniquely alluring—to others, but Rafe knew the man would thaw to reveal the fiery passion he and Sassy had fallen in love with that smoldered beneath the ice.
Rafe not only had to mend the frayed fabric of what he and Sassy had, but piece together the connection he’d shared with Ian.
He’d lost so much ten years ago and he’d be damned if he’d walk away now.
“Of course it’s reasonable,” Sassy spat. “It’s my plan.” She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. Rafe held himself back from offering to help with that. “I need to stop snapping. We’re adults and I’m sounding like a freaking teenager who lost her Edward doll.” She rolled her shoulders. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Did you drive here?” Rafe asked. Though Ian and he had enough money to have hired private investigators and could call up data on Sassy at the snap of their fingers, they hadn’t done so. They wanted to learn more about the woman in front of them on their own and be on equal footing.
Though where Sassy was concerned, she always had the upper hand; however, that was another matter.
She shook her head in response to Ian’s question. “I walked. I live close, and if it’s too late by the time I leave, one of the guys from the shop walks me home.”
Rafe ground his teeth. As much as he liked the fact Sassy wasn’t walking alone late at night, he didn’t like hearing about other men. She might not have been his for ten years, but that didn’t mean he appreciated hearing about any other men in Sassy’s life.
Damn it. He needed to stop acting like a Neanderthal.
Since they’d driven together in Ian’s car, Rafe let him decide what they were going to do.
“We’ll leave our car in the parking lot here, if that’s safe,” Ian said.
Sassy shrugged. “If you parked it behind Midnight in the gated area, you’ll be fine. I have keys and can get you back to your car if they close up by the time y�
��all leave.” She narrowed her eyes. “Though I don’t think we’ll be that long. Come on then. I’m right up this way.”
They walked the two blocks to her place in silence. The tension rose with each step but Rafe didn’t mind. Once they got over the first part, he’d be able to breathe again.
God, he’d missed them so much.
Not that he’d let anyone other than the two people near him know that. After all he was Rafe Chavez, badass mechanic and shop owner. He’d once been Rafe Chavez, badass high school dropout, but times had changed and so had he. Instead of boosting cars like he had in his youth, he repaired them and rebuilt classic ones on request. He was damn good at his job and everyone knew it. He now owned three shops, two in New York, and one right down here in New Orleans where he’d grown up.
He’d made something of himself.
In doing so, he’d lost what mattered.
Now he had a chance to rectify that. After all, he’d made himself who he was so he would take the chance and make his own future as well.
They finally made their way up to Sassy’s loft apartment. Considering where she’d grown up, this place was small in comparison, but it definitely suited the woman in front of him.
From what he could see from the entryway, there was a living area, a large kitchen and two bedrooms. Every single counter and shelf had something on it. Colors burst from fabric, rugs, and little glass bottles. It would have been overwhelming if the owner had been anyone other than Sassy. Plants littered the area and were alive and flourishing, many with colored blooms. Knickknacks covered the spaces in between and yet what Rafe noticed the most was the lack of personal photos.
Not a single one of her friends from the present or the past.
That was telling…and something to think about later.
She set her bag down and sank onto her couch. “My feet are sore, my muscles ache from hot yoga this morning, and I have growly man friends at the shop I’ll have to deal with later, so let’s get this over with.”
[Montgomery Ink 00.5 - 01.0] Box Set Page 9