Jace rubbed his thumb over mine. “Whatever you want to share is always okay.”
“Tell me about your tattoos,” I said, taking a sip of sparkling water.
Jace leaned back in his chair, his plate clean in front of him. “I started tattooing my sketches on my body just before I went to college. Most of them have some sort of meaning behind them.” He lifted his shirt and pointed to the lion’s head that filled his right pec. “One of my moms is Israeli, I call her Ima, the Hebrew word for mom. Her name is Lavi which translates to lion in English.”
He pointed to a camera just below that. “My other mom, Sloane, is a photographer.” He pointed to two hockey sticks crossed in an X right next to the camera. “For my cousin, Leo. He plays for the Bruins.”
He adjusted his shirt, revealing the left side of his chest and his ribs. “The flames represent protection—Leo and I both have this piece because we’ve always got each other’s backs. The wave is a replica of a street art piece I did when I was a teenager and homeless. My mom loved my art before she even met me, but her admiration of that wave was the first time anyone told me I was talented and made me believe it. I got it as a reminder to myself that I’m worthy of love.”
“You’re incredibly gifted, Jace, and absolutely worthy of love,” I said. He had a dozen more tattoos of varying sizes, but even without an explanation it was clear this man did not ink random things on his skin. “I’m sorry you were without a home at one point in your life.”
He gave me a small smile. “I told you my moms are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. They saved me in more ways than I’ll ever be able to repay them for. They loved me when no one else did and they proved to me that I could have a family who wouldn’t abandon me. It’s still a fear I struggle with sometimes, but they’ve shown me that it’s possible.”
“I suspect they wouldn’t want you to repay them at all.” Jace nodded timidly and I recognized his desire for a change in topic. “Do you sell your art at your mom’s studio?”
He lowered his shirt. “Yeah, sometimes. Most of what I’m working on right now I’ve earmarked for the rehab facility though.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Yeah, art can be therapeutic, and I want to have bright art in every room. The people in there will be going through some of the hardest days of their lives, and if their environment can lighten that experience for them, then I think we should do that.”
“I have no doubt your art will make those people feel better than what the inside of most rehab spaces feel like,” I said, pushing asidethe memories flooding back into the front of my mind. I shifted the topic back to something less triggering. “You can’t possibly do the actual tattooing yourself at those angles, right?”
“No, I made friends with a tattoo artist named Matt in Back Bay years ago. He recreates my sketches and gets them perfect. I’ve designed a few for my cousin and Matt inked him as well. He also did my piercing, since I wanted someone who I trusted for that.”
“Yeah, I’d imagine so.” I laughed.
He chuckled, his eyes watching me with fascination.
“I like your art—a lot.” I took another slow sip of my drink and forced myself to share my thoughts again. “I like talking to you. But I think I’ve had enough talking for now.”
Jace raised an eyebrow and smirked at me. “You’re ready for more already?”
“No. I was going to say maybe we could watch a movie before I go home.”
Jace’s eyes widened, and his smile expanded. I got the impression he expected me to run out of here after sex. That was my usual MO, but for some reason that wasn’t what I wanted with him. He cleared away our plates and we settled on the couch, but in the end, we didn’t see all that much of the movie.
Chapter Eleven
Olivia
I smoothed my darkblue skirt one more time and glanced down at my white blouse before pulling open the door to Acker Real Estate. I was way more nervous than I’d expected to be on my first day, but I’d never had a desk job before. I was a good waitress and bartender, good at managing schedules, and good at juggling all sorts of tasks during my shifts to keep Harrison’s running smoothly. For the last year, Jackson had been leaving me in charge at the restaurant when he left for the day, but I had no idea what working in a corporate environment would be like, and I wasn’t positive I was cut out for it.
“Jace, I can escort her up myself, there’s no need for you to wait—” the receptionist cut himself off as he saw me enter the lavish building. I’d met Jace here a few times, so I was familiar with the ornate, white marble design surrounding us, allowing my eyes to focus solely on my new boss.
“That won’t be necessary, Cole,” Jace said as he took a step toward me. He had a cup of coffee in his hand and a smile on his face as he hugged me. “Happy first day, Liv.”
I chuckled and wrapped my arms around him, trying not to linger, despite the enticing scent of his cologne. “Do you greet all your assistants in the lobby on their first day?”
“Not a single one,” Cole said with a sigh. “Because he has more important things to tend to and I’m capable of doing my job.”
Jace narrowed his eyes at Cole in a way that was less relaxed than his norm. “There is nothing more important on my schedule than greeting Olivia and showing her around.”
“I’m sorry, Jace,” Cole said sheepishly.
“I’m not trying to imply you can’t do you job, Cole. You’re great at it, but Olivia is my priority today,” Jace said.
His defense of my importance to him shot a thrill through me. I knew where I stood in his life. At least, I was pretty sure I did. Still, that did nothing to damper the appreciation I had for him making it crystal clear in this moment.
