Page 20 of Derek
“Stevie,” I protest, tired of this argument. “We get that you don’t like Brooks, but he keeps us safe! And besides the peach danish, has he really done anything to upset you?” You would think I betrayed her in the most personal of ways by the way she turns to stare at me.
“He mocks me!” She whispers harshly. “He calls me… Peaches.” She spits out the name like a curse, and Janie starts laughing.
“Yeah? And the guys have a whole slew of unflattering nicknames for me. Stevie, you are our piercer, I need you there. And,” Janie lets out a breath. “If it upsets you this much to have Brooks with us, I’ll see if one of his other guys can go, okay?” Janie heads to the front of the shop, and Stevie sighs.
“I’m not trying to make things difficult. I just,” she shifts uncomfortably as she stares at the floor. “The convention is in New Orleans.”
“Yeah?” I say, genuinely confused.
“I’m afraid my old boss will be there and… I would feel safer with someone who didn’t make such a big deal over a goddamn danish and then tease me about it. I don’t need two assholes riding me.” She mutters the last part, and I pat her knee.
“I’m sorry they upset you. But you are so strong, and you are going to do amazing. And if you find yourself feeling unsure about anything, I’ll be there to boost you back up.” Stevie gives me a small smile before reaching over and hugging me.
“I love you, Indy,” she whispers and I pat her back.
“I love you too, Stevie. Now, can you do me a favor?” I ask sweetly.
“Well, sure, anything.”
“Can you pierce my nose?” I ask nervously, and Stevie chuckles.
“Well, yeah. Pick out the stud you want. But why are you acting weird about it?”
“I, ummm… I don’t have any tattoos, and my only piercings are my lobes.” I state as I show her my small enameled penguin stud earrings.
“That’s odd considering–”
“I know,” I interrupt as I sigh. “Ash won’t tattoo me, and the guys are all afraid of him or something.”
“Well, you’re a grown woman, and your brother doesn’t scare me. Let me sterilize everything, and I’ll get you all ready to go.”
Chapter9
Derek
Indy is so goddamn adorable it pisses me the fuck off.
When she came into Hel’s with that fucking princess dress on and all her pretty, sparkling make-up and that fucking smile. Radiant isn’t a good enough word to describe Indy’s genuine smile. The one where her eyes twinkle and get squinty, her nose wrinkles, and those goddamn dimples. They make my knees weak. Which, in turn, pisses me off further. I’m in my fucking forties, and nothing should be weakening my knees. But fuck, she looked so fucking sweet I felt the need to punch something to stop me from smiling at her. Which I very nearly did when those fucking dicks started saying inappropriate shit to her.
She’s staying at a friend’s apartment until she finds another place. It made my stomach twist when she said that, and all I wanted to do was beg her to come back to my house. My house. God, my fucking house. Once my favorite fucking place in the world has become a dwelling that I dread going to every day. I thought I hated it when Indy was there. Now I find myself looking for the same dryer sheets she used on my clothes, and I still can’t figure out which one it was. And fucking hell, the silence, it’s too fucking quiet at my house, and it’s causing me to have a constant headache. I don’t like it. I don’t like that I am bothered by it. I don’t like that I’m itchy and irritated, and I really don’t like the constant heartburn that has returned.
“Hey Derek,” Fox’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts. I raise a brow as he walks over to my station and sets his tablet in front of me. “My client wants this black and grey fallen angel down her hip and thigh.” I stare at the image of the mournful female with downcast eyes, shredded robes, and tattered wings. “I am not in love with it, but I can’t figure out why.”
“It’s a nice piece,” I state simply, somewhat distracted as I watch Stevie and Indy surface from the back room. “But your lighting is off, which is causing her to look flat. What is the shape of the client?” Did she get her nose pierced? I see the small twinkle from her nose as she talks to Stevie and Janie.
“Petite, on the thinner side,” Fox states as he scratches his beard. “Why?”
“Indy,” I call out, and everyone freezes. Indy flinches before looking nervously between Fox and me, as if I’m about to scold her. I motion for her to come over before looking at Fox. “You got a paper version?” I watch a knowing smirk appear on the man’s face, and he nods. I inwardly sigh. I don’t help out at the shop. I’ve never had to. It was an unspoken rule that I didn’t have to take repeats and didn’t help with other artists’ work. I guess it won’t hurt if I can help this once. Plus, I think the piece has a shot at being a good one if I can help out this once. At least maybe then I’ll be left alone at the convention.
“Yeah?” Indy’s timid voice grabs my attention. Why is she acting nervous with me? I don’t like that. The thought of her not feeling comfortable around me bothers me.
“Hey Darlin’,” I say, forcing my tone to be softer than my usual default“grump mode,”as everyone calls it. I watch her blue eyes widen, and a pink hue appears over her pretty cheeks. I think she likes it when I call her that, and for some reason that I refuse to think about, I like that I like it, too. “I need to help Fox with a tattoo. Can we use you as a model?”
I watch a smile form on her face, and fuck… those dimples. Goddamn, her dimples are going to be my undoing.
“Sure! What do I need to do?” I try to think of the words to answer her question. But I can only think that no one should look as pretty as her.
It’s fucking annoying.
