Until there it was—a near replica of the one I’d seen on my mother’s boyfriend’s forearm. A gorgeous tattoo, and the colors were psychedelic almost to the point of mind-numbing. Perfection. I walked back up to the girl.
“I’d really love this one. Can any of you guys do it?”
“Yeah, I can do that one. You want to make an appointment?”
“Actually, could I see some of your work first?”
She nodded. “Absolutely. I wouldn’t expect you to let me decorate your skin unless you were familiar with my work. I’m Haley, by the way.”
“Jade,” I said.
Haley handed me another book, this one not quite as big. “This is my portfolio. If you want to look at the other guys’ portfolios, please do.”
I opened the book. Haley’s work was gorgeous. I wouldn’t have to look any further. “You do great work,” I said to her. “Yeah, let’s make an appointment.”
“Actually, if you have time right now, I’m available. The tat will take about two hours and run about two fifty.”
Two hundred and fifty bucks. I’d just written Sarah a check, but I had enough money in my account to cover it, and I was employed. Still, the car savings and the student loans that were coming due… But something had drawn me into the shop, and then I’d found the exact image I wanted. Seemed like kismet.
What the hell? I closed the book and smiled at Haley. “Let’s do it.”
Chapter Nine
Talon
I mounted Phoenix and rode away from the northern quadrant. It was early in the evening yet, so I decided to take a ride. Let the wind run through my hair a little more.
I rode for about an hour and then headed back to the house. Felicia would have dinner ready soon, and I was actually hungry. Riding was so good for me. I needed to remember to do it more often.
I took Phoenix back to the stables, asked a hand to groom him, and drove back to the ranch house. I walked in and inhaled—robust pork, corn, and chile. Felicia had made tamales, one of my favorite meals.
“Felicia, smells great,” I said, entering the kitchen.
“It’s ready, Mr. Talon. Could you tell Miss Marjorie and her guest to come to the table?”
“Her guest?”
“Yes, a young lady came a few minutes ago. I assume she’s staying for dinner.”
“Where are they?”
“They’re in the living room. Didn’t you see them?”
“I came in the back way.” I walked out of the kitchen through the hallway and into the living room. My stomach was fluttering. God, fluttering. What was I? Some kind of adolescent? Of course it would be Jade. Who else would Marjorie have over?
But Felicia would have said Jade, not “her guest.”
My heart sank when I saw who sat across from my sister in the living room—the cocktail waitress I had bedded on a couple occasions. Shit, I couldn’t even remember her name. Jenny? Julie?
I backed out slowly. Maybe they hadn’t seen me.
But, of course, my sister turned toward me. “Talon, there you are.” Her lips were pursed. “You have a visitor.”
What the hell was she doing here? And how did she know where I lived?
The woman stood. “Hi, Talon.”
“Hi…”
“Julie,” she said.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I haven’t seen you in a while, and I was worried about you.”
Worried about me? She didn’t even know me. We’d had sex a couple times. In fact, the last time I had gone to see her, I hadn’t been able to perform, so I’d left. Kind of embarrassing.
“As you can see, I’m fine. So you can go now.”
“Talon,” Marj said.
Yeah, I was being rude. But I had no interest in this girl, and for her to come over here was pretty presumptuous. Marj’s clenched jawline indicated that she wasn’t thrilled Julie was here either.
“Can I talk to you alone for a minute, Talon?” Marj turned to Julie. “You don’t mind, do you? I need to talk to my brother about some…business.”
Julie smiled. “Of course not. I’ll just wait here for you.”
Before I could tell Julie not to bother to wait, Marjorie yanked me down the hallway nearly to my bedroom.
“What the hell is she doing here?”
“You think I know?”
“Well, she came here to see you, Talon.”
“Not at my invitation.”
“What do we do with her now?”
“We tell her to leave.”
“That would be rude.”
“You think I care?”
“She seems to be under the impression that you two are…more than friends.”
This was getting beyond irritating. “Her impression would be wrong.”