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"Can I answer any questions for you, darlin’?"

Over the weeks I had learned fast that Roas a big-tirin, always had a soft word and special little gleairl His charht humor he used to make his clients and friends feel at ease If I hadn’t known the little boy he used to be, I would’ve taken it at face value, but I knew there was more to that careless de the color flee froazed up at Rowdy over my shoulder, I asked her, "Do you want to sit down for a et you a glass of water and we can talk about what brought you to the Saints of Denver today" I s it would help calm her down and maybe distract her from whatever had her paralyzed in terror

Slowly her perfectly coiffed head shook side to side in the negative She lifted her hands off the counter and I watched theht fists at her sides She blinked at aze back up to where Roas loo step back

"I’m just not ready for this"

That was a pretty extre soet out now than waste everyone’s time and back out on the day of the appointment or have a freak-out once she hit the chair That was never good for business

"You knohere to find us if you change your mind"

Rowdy’s voice oozed comfort and had a lull to it that seemed to calm her down She clutched her purse and turned in a sort of frantic whirl and bolted for the door It was odd, but definitely not the weirdest thing I had ever seen in a tattoo shop I felt Rowdy shift behind ain without saying anything and I was done letting hih the shop was packed and the other artists all had clients they orking on, I still jurabbed the front of his shirt It was black and had white piping on it with shiny pearl snaps up the front and I had been ad all day the way the rolled-up sleeves showed off the colorful artwork that covered both of his forear him out and didn’t feel bad about it at all His sandy-blond brows dipped down at me and the anchor that covered the side of his neck started to juers around ed him closer so that he was forced to bend down a little, and those su aether, but oing to have to know that and understand the i you" All the welcome and honeyed sweetness that usually coated his words waswhen he talked to me I saw the corner of his eye twitch when I pulled hi a breath

"Yes, you are and I’m over it You don’t want to talk to me, don’t want to catch up with me, then that’s fine, but you haven’t even asked about Pop--" I didn’t get the rest of her name out of my mouth before his other hand slapped over my mouth and he used the hand he already had around my wrist to jerk me forward and pull ht next tothere with me, Salem"

I shivered, and not froainst hi A fact proven by Cora’s sharp voice snapping Rowdy’s nao

Ione and so was the press of his hard body against mine I turned back around to look at hiht eyes darkened He was mad, reallythrough

"We’re going to have to talk eventually" I kept my voice calm and even s to spook him further

He backed up a few steps and narrowed his eyes at me "Not if I can help it"

I cockedabout the past doesn’t o away"

He aze to the petite blond woman that had come from the upstairs area of the shop and stopped next to me Cora had just had a baby with Rule’s brother and I couldn’t believe how a she looked She was just as tiny and just as spunky as she had been before the baby, at least that’s what everyone told me Little baby Remy, or RJ as she was more commonly called, stayed at home with Cora’s dad while Cora worked half days at the shop and her boyfriend went to work at the bar he owned I had yet to meet Rule’s older brother, but I was curious about the kind of man that could put up with her fiery personality full-tihtful handful even if she was about to butt her nose into so she had no clue about Rowdy and I had ties that bound us together, it was just proving ht to unwind the on? We have customers, you dumb-ass"

Rowdy shot a look over his shoulder and then looked back at me I saw his eyes narrow and then his handsoot his fur ruffled resurfaced The unflappable sht-blue shadows that had been dancing in his eyes vanished

"Don’t worry, ere just setting a couple of boundaries" He flashed the tiny blonde a wink and turned on the heel of his cowboy boot and made his way back to his station He didn’t have an appointuarantee that he would find a way to keep hi to interact with me anymore

Cora propped her hip on the counter and waited while I checked out two clients and checked another one in Sure I was a little rattled by Rowdy’s reaction toup ry he really seemed to be at me I hadn’t seen hie boy with his entire life stretched out in front of hiine what had transpired inresentment toward me