Before I left the chair, TJ grabbed a piece of transparent plastic wrap and put it on my work-in-progress tattoo, then taped the edges so it wouldn’t fall off.
“Gotta keep this clean until I start again,” he explained. “Nowfeel free to get up.”
“You really think of everything. Thanks. What time is it, by the way?”
TJ checked his expensive-looking watch. “Five.”
My jaw dropped. “What?” I squeaked. “It’s been that long since we came in?”
TJ laughed, apparently not as surprised as I was. “That happens a lot in the studio.”
I was embarrassed for losing track of time. “Sorry...”
When TJ met my gaze, I thought I saw a possessive glimmer in his black eyes. But it was gone as soon as I noticed it.
“Even if I had another walk-in, I’d turn them away. That’s why I closed the shop. I wanted to focus on you alone, Brady.”
Heat flooded my body. I felt like a teenager with my first crush... except I was a grown man who knew exactly what I wanted.
And that was TJ.
The strong surge of emotion inside me was foreign. I hadn’t felt this way with Corey, not even in the depths of my youthful infatuation.
What I felt with TJ now was special. I knew it, yet I couldn’t explain why. It crashed upon me like a tidal wave when I’d only swum in the kiddie pool.
I found myself staring at TJ. He washed his hands in the small sink beside his workstation, back to me. It was broad and muscular. Did tattoos lurk beneath the shirt, too? I wanted to explore his body and find out.
“Daddyyyy.”
Kiara’s tired complaint came from the back. Since TJ said I could get up and walk around, I went over to her. The tabletop was littered with her many artistic endeavors. She must’ve used up all of TJ’s marker ink and half his supply of copy paper.
“Yes, Kiara?” I asked, smiling.
I could tell by that half-focused, almost grumpy expression that she was exhausted. We’d been out shopping all morning without a break until we got to Heraldry Ink, and to her credit, she’d entertained herself nonstop since then. But now she needed a real nap and a meal.
“I’m tired,” Kiara moped, her cheek pressed against the table.
“I know, sweetie.”
As I thought of solutions, TJ came over. “Everything okay?” he asked.
“I’mtired,” Kiara repeated. “And hungry...”
TJ gave me a sympathetic glance. “Hm, what can we do...”
I was torn. Of course I wanted to see to Kiara’s needs, but despite taking a break, I was still in the middle of my tattoo session. I really wanted it done today—and I wanted to keep spending time with TJ.
“Is there a back room or something she could take a nap in?” I asked.
TJ shook his head. “Unfortunately not. Nothing comfortable, anyway. I don’t want her sleeping on a tall, rigid massage chair.”
His attention to details like that surprised me, though at this point his compassion shouldn’t have taken me off guard. I guessed I was so used to my ex’s blatant ignorance that TJ’s thoughtfulness was a novelty.
“Did you walk or drive here?” TJ asked me.
“We walked. I don’t have a car.”
A lightbulb seemed to glow about his head. “I do. Why don’t we all hop in and I’ll drive you and Kiara home? Your tattoo’s covered, Brady, so it should be okay until we get back to it.”
