Chapter 1
Kiki
The bell over the door of Vintage Ink chimes, alerting me that I forgot to lock the door behind me when I got here this morning. Crap! Bull is constantly reminding me to only unlock the door during business hours or if I have a client on the books.
“We’re not open yet,” I holler, not bothering to look up from where I’m preparing my room for the day.
When I don’t hear the chime telling me they’ve left, I step out of my room, surprised to see a young boy who appears to be kindergarten-aged. He looks up from my portfolio and smiles in a way that makes my heart warm.
“Where’s your mom?” I ask, looking out the window, but not seeing anyone who appears to be missing a child.
“In heaven,” he says with a shrug, causing me to jerk my head back in surprise.
I clear my throat. “Oh, um, okay. Where’s your dad?”
“Thems your drawings?” he asks, pointing to the open book in front of him.
I nod.
“My daddy has pictures on his arms and back. I want some, too.”
I smile. “Where is your daddy?” I ask again.
He shrugs. “We was in a store, but then I gots lost.”
I chew my lower lip, unsure of what to do. My experience with kids is limited. Luckily, I don’t have to figure out how to help this little guy because a man bursts through the door in a panic.
“Theo! Shit!” He covers his heart with his hand as if he can slow his racing heart. “I turned around, and you were gone.”
The boy lifts a shoulder. “I thought you left and came to find you.”
The man drops to one knee and pulls the boy into his arms, hugging him against his chest. “Don’t do that to me.”
I take a moment to study the man. He’s tall and muscular except for the little paunch around his middle.
His thighs are strong and thick, making my thoughts stray somewhere dirty.
Even though he’s wearing a flannel button-down shirt, I can see the ink on his forearms where his sleeves are rolled up.
The guy looks like my boss Bull, except his facial hair is more 5 o’clock shadow than a full-on lumberjack beard.
Damn, he’s yummy.
“The nice lady was about to draw on my arms,” Theo says, pointing at me.
The man looks over, noticing me for the first time. His eyes are brown, but they’re so dark I can barely see his pupils. I can’t look away.
I wave. “Hi. I was about to call the police to help, um, Theo find you. At no time did we discuss me drawing on his arms.” I feel the need to explain myself before I get in trouble with this dad.
From his stern expression, I assume he’s strict.
He would probably spank me for getting out of line. Not that I would mind.
Crap.
Now I’m thinking about him spanking my bare ass.
He holds out a hand for me to shake. “I’m Ezra. Thanks for helping Theo.”
I slip my hand in his, noticing how much larger his is than mine as I try not to think about his palm smacking my flesh. “Kiki.”
He doesn’t let go of my hand, but instead strokes mine with his thumb. “I was next door buying cookies for Theo to take to his grandma’s house. In fact, I need to go back and finish paying for them.”
“Can I stay here so Miss Kiki can draw on me?” Theo asks his dad.
Ezra looks at me with questioning eyes.
I shrug. “It’s fine with me. I don’t have a client for another hour.”
Ezra runs his hands through his hair. “Will it make me a horrible father if I let him stay with a stranger?”
“I’m not a stranger. I’m Kiki,” I tease.
“Please, Daddy,” Theo begs.
He sighs, giving the boy what he wants. “Fine. I’ll only be gone for about 5 minutes. Ten max.”
“No rush,” I tell him before turning my attention to Theo. “What do you want me to draw on you?”
Theo grins. I can tell that he’s used to getting what he wants. No doubt he got this quality from his father. I’m pretty sure I’d let Ezra do whatever he wanted.