Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
TEXAS
I had my head bent over my client’s thigh, working on the scary-ass clown tattoo he wanted, when there was a knock on the door.
“Yeah,” I called as I sat back and wiped over my work. I looked up when the door opened, and Mon stood there with a cheeky smile.
She leaned against the frame. “Someone’s popped in to see you.”
Those words with that smile had me suspicious. “Who?”
“A woman.”
“Did you get a name?”
“Yep,” Mon answered by popping the p .
Chris, my client, chuckled. He knew, like I did, that Mon was being difficult.
“Mon,” I warned.
“She’s cute.”
Rolling my eyes, I told her, “You want to stay employed, you’ll give me a name now.”
Was it Maya?
Could it be Maya?
She’d never come by before.
Would she now?
If it was her, why?
Shit. Fuck. Christ.
My heart was currently running its own race, as if it wanted to get out of my body and out the front to check for me.
“Her name’s Maya.”
“Maya’s here?” I asked softly and with damn awe in my tone. My gut spun on a twirl.
She’d come to see me.
Mon gasped. “She’s the one who’s had you smiling lately.”
“Now, this chick, I’ve got to meet,” Chris said.
“Not like I’ve been a moody arsehole before now.”
They both stared at me.
“Get lost, you two. Mon, tell Maya to come on back.”
“You got it.” She grinned.
I glanced down at Chris and saw his shit-eating smirk. “What?” I snapped.
“You’re nervous. Damn, man, she is special.”
“Not a fuckin’ bad word to her,” I warned. Chris was a regular client, one who travelled from Melbourne to get my ink, and we’d known each other a while.
He gave me a salute. “Best behaviour.”
I heard Mon talking rapidly about the place as they approached. I shifted in my seat, glanced down at my clothes and then back up. Chris started chuckling.
“Eat shit and die,” I clipped.
His laughter grew.
“And here is Texas’s station.” Mon stopped a step back from the door, and my heart skipped a damn beat when Maya walked into view.
“Hey.” She smiled shyly.
“Babe, what’s goin’ on?”
She shrugged, and I loved the way her cheeks heated. “You ramble on about the place. I thought I’d see it for myself.”
Mon and Chris found this funny.
Grinning, I winked. “Glad to have you here. Come take a seat.” I tipped my chin towards the couch in the corner. “I’m nearly done with Chris.”
“Okay.” She turned back to Mon. “Nice to meet you.”
“Oh, believe me, the pleasure was all mine. Don’t be a stranger.” When Maya stepped through, I caught Mon behind her mouth, “Hot,” while shaking her hand out in front of herself.
Rolling my eyes, I shifted my gaze back to Maya as she moved close to peek at what I was doing. “Maya, this is Chris. He’s a regular from Melbourne.”
“Hi, Chris.”
“Hey, sweetheart.”
Maya smiled, and I didn’t miss the flare in Chris’s eyes. Maya didn’t see it because she was looking at Chris’s tattoo.
“You like clowns?” Maya asked with no judgement in her tone.
Chris smirked. “I like anything horror.”
“Cool.” She nodded, and when she looked at me, her head cocked to the side. “Get to work, then.”
Christ, why did her wanting to see me work get me nervous and excited? I didn’t mind my gut playing havoc as long as the nerves didn’t disrupt my hands in any way.
“Yes, boss.”
As I started, Maya asked Chris, “Does it hurt?”
“There’s a chance you’ll see tears in my eyes. Look away if you do.”
Maya’s laugh was like music to my ears. “I will, promise. But can I ask, if it hurts so much, why get it done?”
“It’ll be worth it in the end. Guess you don’t have any ink?”
“Oh, um, no.” I could feel her gaze on me, and hell, it made me want to puff up like a peacock.
“Reckon you’ll get any?” Chris asked.
She hummed under her breath, and I glanced up to see her watching me. She blinked and straightened.
The blush was back.
Fucking cute.
“You mentioned you might,” I said before changing the colour over in my gun.
“I’m still thinking about it. I wouldn’t have a clue what to get if I did.”
“Then it isn’t the right time. I got this one, my first, after my pops passed away. Then I became addicted.”
“I’m guessing there’s a meaning behind the headless horseman?”
Chris snorted. “Yeah, when I was younger, we used to love reading about different folklores and decided that one was our favourite.”
I caught Maya’s warm smile before I got back to finishing the final touches.
“That’s really sweet.”
“That’s me. Sweet.”
I scoffed. “Don’t let him fool you, babe. He’s an arsehole.”
Chris snorted again. “He’s just a sore loser, sweetheart. Can’t handle that I won a bet on drinking more than he could.”
“Wait, seriously?”
“He cheated, babe. I would have won if he hadn’t thrown that shot behind his damn head when I wasn’t lookin’.”
Maya laughed. “So, you’ve known each other a while?”
Chris nodded. “He did my first tattoo when he was an apprentice.”
“You did the headless horseman?” Maya asked, voice high, like she couldn’t believe it.
“Yeah.” I nodded.
“When you were an apprentice?”
“Yep.”
“Texas, you were that good even from the start, that’s… amazing.”
Fuck me, did it suddenly get hot in here?
I knew I was good. I knew I had a gift, but getting praises from Maya had me reacting like a schoolboy. My gut fluttered, my heart tripped, and heat flooded my cheeks.
“Aw, look, he’s blushing,” Chris teased.
Glaring, I finished the last bit while muttering, “I said before, Chris. Eat shit and die.”
Both of them thought that was hilarious.
“So,” Chris drew out. “How do you two know each other?”
“We go way back to when we were kids. Our families are close,” Maya told him.
“Your dad a part of that club Texas is in?”
“Yeah.” Maya smiled wide.
“Her dad’s the big honcho.”
Chris whistled. “Seriously?”
“He is.”
“That’s wicked.”
I washed down his tattoo. The final was epic, even if I did say so myself.
Maya scoffed. “It’d be okay if I was Dad’s son. Since I’m the daughter, he’s a little overprotective. Dating has always been hard.”
Chris chuckled. “You got anyone at the moment?”
I tensed. I knew the answer already, but I just didn’t like the thought of Maya dating, full stop. But that was shit of me because I had a past too.
With a quick look at me, she shifted over to the couch and sat on the armrest. “No. No one.”
“Well, I’m—”
“Chris,” I warned.
His grin was full of mischief. “Yes, Texas?”
“Shut it.” I nodded down at his leg. “You’re done.”
“Hell yes.” He stood and went to the mirror. “Fuck, man. Another brilliant job.”
“Thanks, man.”
He shifted his leg around to face Maya. “What do you think, sweetheart?”
“Texas has real talent.”
“Damn right he does.” He jutted it out for me to wrap. “It’s why I’d travel the damn world to get his ink. A lot of people who get tats try to find that perfect someone, and when we do, it’s like a relationship you’ve got to keep.”
I snorted and stood. “You in love with me, Chris?”
He let out an amused huff. “Nah man, just your hands.” Chris walked towards the door. “I’ll leave you two to it and fix the bill up with Mon at the counter.”
“You got it. Till next time.”
“Make sure you leave a spot open for me in six months,” Chris called before he left. He already knew I would.
“I’ve just gotta clean up, and then I’m done. You wanna grab some dinner with me at my place?”
Say yes. Please, say yes.
Shit, there went my gut again.
“I, um…. Sure?”
She didn’t sound certain. If anything—and I was going to guess—she was nervous.
Why did I want to grin like an idiot over it? Probably because it was good to know she was as nervous as I was. It was just that most of the time, I was better at hiding it.
As I set about cleaning, I asked, “Is there actually anythin’ you don’t eat? Like, I was gonna just throw some meat on the barbie. You good with that?”
“The only things I really can’t stand are anchovies and olives. Other than that, I’m good. If you’ve got salad stuff, I can make one to go with the meat. Unless, with you being all tough and manly, you just want to stick with meat like a caveman would?” The little tilt to the corner of her lips was teasing.
“I got salad stuff, smartarse.”
Her laugh always made me feel light on the inside.
While I cleaned, Maya stood up and made her way around the room, looking at pictures of old tattoos, then at the newer designs I had pinned to the wall that someone could pick to get inked. It really hit me in the chest when clients came in with a concept, only to then see one of my designs and fall in love with it and choose that instead.
Scrubbing things down took me longer than usual because I kept watching Maya and pausing to answer any questions she had.
Finally, I started for the door and said, “All done. Let’s get out of here.”
“Um, Mon didn’t really show me all of your shop. Would you?”
“Yeah, babe,” I said gently, happiness fucking bubbling up.
I’d been having a good day already, but now that Maya was in my space, it got better and better. I couldn’t wait to see how damn excited I’d be with her in my house.
There was a chance I wouldn’t want her to leave.