Page 24 of Under the Ink

Of course, then he’d have to fire her.

But he heard his wise mother’s voice in his head:you can get more with honey than vinegar.

As a preteen boy, he hadn’t quite understood that saying but today he completely got it.

Even though Naomi Baxter engaged in conversations, she seemed quiet and closed off—and maybe he’d been part of the reason for that…coming into their first meeting like an uncaring, inebriated asshole, unapologetic and demanding, like the superstar ego in his head thought he deserved to be.

There was more to this woman than met the eye—he knew this deep down in his bones…so he wanted to give their working relationship a chance.

And that would start with him recognizing her for who she was and what she’d done.

The young woman stood next to fellow roadies in a corner—and, even though she didn’t look exactly out of place, she seemed like she wasn’t entirely comfortable, either. Still, her tattoo sleeves, dark hair hanging in her eyes covered in too much eyeliner—along with a black tee, faded jeans, and military boots—made her look right at home with guys dressed similarly.

Sage couldn’t quite put his finger on why she seemed almost awkward. Was it the way she’d folded her arms over her chest? Maybe how her lips seemed pursed, as if stopping secrets from spilling out inadvertently? Could it be how she made eye contact but more often preferred to look at her hands?

Or was iteverythingabout her? Because her entire self—not just the nonverbal cues but the way she presented herself in general—screamed that she wanted to be left alone.

Maybe, in addition to correcting his shitty behavior, he could also help rescue her.

As he got closer to the group, he questioned himself, though—because wasn’t it good for her to bond with her fellow coworkers, the guys she’d be working close to…even if it made her uncomfortable?

Well, of course, it was. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t give her a little reprieve if she wanted it. And, honestly, she had to work closely with Sage as well.

Although the woman held a bottle of beer in her hands, she’d hardly drunk a drop. Was that maybe her second or third, so she was nursing it?

Sage had a feeling it was not.

When he got closer to the group, Naomi looked up at him—and goddamn. It hit him hard.

She was beautiful—and, somehow, that beauty shined through her cynical expression and mask-like makeup for just a moment. Underneath it all…was she vulnerable?

Human?

Could he ever find out?

If nothing else, maybe the two of them could become friends with benefits…not that he needed a backup. Although, without Jimmy, it might be a little harder. Friends with benefits. That could work.

Wait. What the fuck was he thinking? No way. Hands off his drum tech. That would fuck up their relationship faster than the tickets had sold for tonight’s concert.

When Naomi actually smiled at him, he said, “Let me know when you have a second to chat.”

In his thick Cajun drawl, Andy said, “Aw, no. She’s already in trouble with the boss!”

Naomi rolled her emerald green eyes. “Why do I get the feeling you’d actuallylikethat?”

“The woman’s smart…figuring out I’m into a little pain.” As she began leaving the group, Andy ran his finger over her forearm. “Looks like you might be too.”

But instead of playing along, she yanked her arm away—and then her mouth screwed up into a ball like she was going to read Andy the riot act.

Instead, she pulled a long breath through her nose, forcing a weak smile as she got closer to Sage. “What did you need?”

Hewantedto ask what was up with the way she’d pulled her arm away from Andy—like the guy had leprosy or something. But that wasn’t what he’d planned to chat about and he didn’t imagine a conversation like that would go too well.

So back to business.

“It’s loud in here. Why don’t we take a walk?”

As they left the room—including the yelling voices and loud music—behind, she said, “You like to do that a lot, don’t you?”

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