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Daisy only watched as he stepped into the bathroom. He closed the door behind him, and in the ensuing silence she heard the sharp snap of the lock.
Chapter 25
Daisy stepped into the cool confines of Adam’s tattoo shop and let her eyes adjust to the light. It was blazing hot outside, but the shop was nicely air conditioned.
“Can I help you?” a girl said from behind the counter.
“I’m-”
“She’s my muse,” Adam announced dramatically.
Daisy laughed.
“And an artist in her own right,” he added. “Are you almost done with that flash book?”
She nodded. “Nearly, but I need new pencils. And some other things for a project I’m working on. Point me in the direction of the nearest art supply store.”
Adam took a business card off the counter and picked up a pen. “There’s one downtown,” he said, scrawling the address on the back of the card. He started to hand it to her, but then caught hold of her wrist and extended her arm. “You need a touch up,” he remarked.
“No, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do. Come on,” he said pulling her toward the door. “No charge.”
“It must be a slow day,” she said, following him.
“Afternoons are always slow. Not that it matters. If I can’t have you in my bed, I’ll have you in my chair.”
He gestured and Daisy sat down in a brown leather recliner near the wall. “When did you get this one?” he asked, examining the tiny dove.
“That was my first time.”
Adam’s eyes twinkled. “Ah, memories.”
“It’s terrible.”
“All first times are,” he replied. He lifted his shirt and revealed a tribal tattoo around one of his nipples.
Daisy bit her lip and tried not to laugh. “You didn’t cover it up?”
“Nah. Some fuck ups stay with you forever.”
She nodded. “That’s why I never got mine covered. Life lesson: don’t rush into things.”
Adam smirked at her. “You ever take your own advice?”
She sighed. “Rarely. Not sleeping with you was the best decision I’ve made so far.”
Adam paused. “You know, no woman has ever said that to me before.”
He snapped on some gloves and wiped her arm down. The sharp smell of alcohol stung her nose. He unholstered the gun. Daisy didn’t flinch when he touched the needle to her skin. “We could go crazy,” he told her. “Give you a whole new one.”
“Not today.”
“You sure? What about a tramp stamp that says Easy?”
Daisy rolled her eyes at him. “I’m pretty sure that’s the wrong message to send. To anyone.”
Adam shrugged. “If you break up, it still works,” he teased.
“We’re not going to break up.”
“That good, huh? Can’t say I’m not jealous.”
Daisy shook her head. “We can’t break up, because we’re not together.”
“We men are complicated creatures.”
“If by complicated you mean dumb, then yeah.”
Daisy caught a glimmer of gold as Adam leaned over her. She reached out and tucked her finger into the neck of his shirt. He paused and looked down at her. “Thought we settled this, Daisy,” he said quietly.
She laughed. “We did.” She fingered the gold cross around his neck. “I’m just looking. This is nice. Did you get it around here?”
He nodded. “There’s a store downtown. It’s not too far from the art supply place.”
“Pricey?”
“A bit, yeah. If you need God in your life, Daisy, you should go to church. It’s free.”
“Not looking to get struck by lightning, thanks.”
“God forgives,” Adam replied.
Daisy grinned. “Only if you stop sinning.”
Chapter 26
Daisy dabbed concealer on her skin, just above the bust line of her borrowed dress. Easy had managed to give her one hell of a hickey, right where everyone could see. She slapped the cap back on and tossed the tiny bottle onto the table Tildy had been using to get ready. She caught sight of Sarah looking at her in the mirror and shook her head.
“Don’t.”
Sarah held up her hands. “I didn’t say anything,” she insisted, but she was grinning from ear to ear.
“Good,” Daisy replied. The sex had been good, phenomenal really, but she didn’t want to talk about how he’d just left her standing naked in the hallway. As she looked at the small, black box that housed Hawk’s wedding band, Daisy couldn’t help but be reminded of the silver one she’d discovered when she’d snooped in Easy’s room afterward, looking for a shirt.
She was startled out of her reverie by Abby pounding on the bathroom door. “Have you gone yet?” she demanded.
“Yes!” Tildy called back through the door.
“What does it say?!” Sarah practically shrieked.
Tildy flung open the door. Her face was red, and she was close to hyperventilating. “It takes three minutes!” she reminded them.
“You’ve been in there for fifteen!” Abby cried.
“I can’t go when I’m nervous!” Tildy looked like a strange combination of innocent and guilty. She was clad in a white bra and panties with a slip over them. Her long, beautiful hair hung in curls around her shoulders. Sarah had done her makeup, light and fresh, and altogether Tildy looked like one of the models in her wedding magazine. She was also glancing furtively at the plastic stick in her hand.
