Branding Gemma [Grizzly Pines 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (5 page)

His lips tipped up on one side. “You caught me. I have a surprise for Elodie. I got the call around eight this morning, and I’m due in town in about a half hour. I used you as an excuse to stay put.”

“So what’s the surprise?”

“Now why would I tell you that? It would ruin the surprise.”

Gemma rolled her eyes. “It’s not like I’m going to tell her.”

“I’m getting a tattoo.”

She perked up. “Really?”

His eyes narrowed. “Yes. Why do you suddenly look like a kid who just discovered a puppy under the Christmas tree?”

“I’ve always wanted a tattoo. Mind if I tag along?”

“Shouldn’t you stay here, get acclimated? Maybe do something with Elodie?”

“Why don’t you want me to go with you? Is the tattoo going somewhere embarrassing and you don’t want me to see you with your pants down?”

He choked on the coffee he’d just sipped. “No.”

“Then what?”

He looked like he was grasping at straws, trying to come up with a reason for her to stay home, and it made her want to go all the more. She didn’t understand why he wouldn’t take her with him. It wasn’t like she’d never been in a tattoo parlor before. She’d gone to one when she was sixteen to get her navel pierced, something she’d kept hidden from her family until she was eighteen. Even then, her brothers had gone nuts. Her cousins hadn’t been much better, now that she thought about it.

“You’re not getting a tattoo today.”

Gemma arched a brow. “Last time I checked, you aren’t my daddy. And even if you were, I’m an adult. If I want a tattoo, I’ll get one.”

“Gemma, I’m serious. No tattoos today.”

She studied him a moment. “What’s really going on?”

“If you must know, the artist is just your type of guy. Pierced, tattooed, and definitely what you would call a bad boy. I’d be willing to bet he even has a Harley. He’s the last kind of guy you need to meet on your first day in town. The moment I met him, I swore I would keep the two of you apart.”

She wasn’t sure if she was hurt over his assessment of the type of men she went for, or if she was happy that he was looking out for her. She decided to go with option two.

“Cody, I appreciate it, really, but I’m a big girl and can take care of myself.”

“You have fifteen minutes to drink your coffee and get dressed. If you aren’t down here by the time I’m ready to walk out the door, I’m leaving without you. I can’t afford to be late or, even worse, still be here when Elodie gets home. She’d wonder where I’m going and there’s no way I could lie to her.”

Gemma tipped her cup up and drained it in a few gulps. “Just give me ten minutes to rinse off in the shower and throw something on.”

He gave her a look that clearly said he believed it would take her longer than that and she fought the urge to flip him off. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and hurried upstairs. Gemma took the quickest shower in the history of quick showers and threw on a snug-fitting tee that said something about cowboys and horses then pulled on a pair jeans so tight she had to wiggle her way into them. She’d picked them up at a thrift store the previous week, when all her old jeans had been falling off of her. Gemma brushed out her hair, deciding to leave it down, and stepped into her room to pull on her boots.

By the time she clomped down the stairs, she had three minutes to spare. She gave Cody a bright smile as she stepped back into the kitchen and he looked up at her, a bored look on his face.

“You said ten minutes. It’s been twelve.”

Gemma rolled her eyes. “Seriously? You told me I had fifteen, which means I’m still ahead of schedule. Suck it up, buttercup.”

Cody cracked a smile and rose to his feet. “I’m ready if you are.”

“Do I need my purse for anything?”

“Nope. You won’t be getting a tattoo, so you don’t need your I.D. Anything else we run across, I’ll pick up the tab.”

“I’m not a charity case.”

He frowned. “I didn’t say you were. Look, Gem, I know times are rough for you. We’ve all been there at one point or another. I’m just saying that if we stop for lunch, it’s on me. If you see something in town you want or need, don’t hesitate to get it. You’re family, and we take care of family.”

She felt a little of the starch go out of her. “I know, Cody. It just hurts to know I can’t stand on my own two feet.”

He slung an arm around her shoulders. “You’ll get there, peanut.”

She punched him in the ribs. “Knock it off with the peanut and runt comments.”

Cody laughed and headed out the door, Gemma on his heels. She slid into his truck and breathed in the new car smell. She remembered when he bought it a few months back, but it still smelled like he’d just brought it home that morning. How he managed it, she didn’t know. Not that she’d ever had a new car. Her parents had bought her an ancient Ford truck when she’d turned sixteen and, when it died, she hadn’t had the funds to replace it.

She was surprised by how quickly they arrived in town. The previous day she’d been too preoccupied to pay attention to her surroundings as they’d driven to the Circle B. The town of Grizzly Pines was quaint, the main street lined with shops. A diner and coffee shop caught her eyes, as well as a small bookstore. Something told her they didn’t carry the erotic romances she liked to read. The spicier the better.

They turned down a side road, and about two blocks down, Cody whipped the truck into a parking space. The neon sign in the window read
Skin to Skin
. If the owner was as lethal to the female population as Cody seemed to think, she wondered just how often he got
skin to skin
with his customers. For all she knew, he was bucktoothed, had a paunch, and looked like the back end of a mule. Cody was probably worrying for nothing.

They entered the shop and a bell jingled over the door. A man at the front desk lifted his head and Gemma’s breath froze in her lungs. Was this the owner? Maybe Cody had something to worry about after all. Gray eyes met hers across the room and it felt like time stood still. She took in his appearance, everything from the hoop in his eyebrow, to the neatly trimmed beard adorning his jaw, to the way his sleeveless shirt hugged the expanse of his chest. His arms were covered from shoulder to wrist in tattoos.

His gaze strayed from her to Cody. “I didn’t realize you were bringing a guest with you. I thought you wanted your woman to be surprised by your tattoo.”

“My woman… Oh! No. God, no! This is Gemma, my cousin.” Cody couldn’t seem to correct the man fast enough and Gemma had to fight back a laugh.

The tattoo artist rose to his feet, his height topping Cody’s by a good two inches. He moved around the desk and she couldn’t help herself. Her gaze took him in from head to toe, caressing every muscle, every dip. She wanted a closer look at his ink, wondering about the meaning behind the marks. Was he tattooed anywhere else? She thought she saw a design peeking out from the top of his shirt. It made her want to strip him naked and investigate every inch of his body.

The man held his hand out to her. “I’m Synclair Black. This is my shop.”

“Gemma Brower,” she said, placing her hand in his. Tingles shot up her arm and made her nipples harden. It had been a while since she’d felt that instant attraction to someone, and the last time it hadn’t ended so well for her. Cody had been right about one thing. This guy had bad boy written all over him. She was practically salivating and they’d barely touched.

“Are we inking you, too?” he asked.

“Um, no. At least, not today. I’ve wanted a tattoo for a while now, but I don’t want to get just anything. I want it to mean something to me.”

His lips curved in a sinfully delicious smile and she felt her knees go weak. “That’s a wise decision. You let me know when you’re ready. I’ll be happy to sketch something for you.”

“May I see my sketch now?” Cody asked, his hands shoved in his front pockets.

Synclair shifted his attention to her cousin. “Of course. Follow me.”

They followed him over to one of the work stations and he pulled out a file folder. After flipping through a few pages, he pulled one out and handed it to Cody. Gemma tugged on his arm so she could see the drawing, too, and she was rather impressed with Synclair’s talent. He’d created a curvy brunette in a sexy long white dress with angel wings, pinup style. She had a halo, but it was resting on a pair of red devil horns. Elodie’s name was worked into the design on one of the wings. Gemma had no doubt that this was how Cody saw Elodie, as being angelic with a devilish side. She’d have to have a naughty side to keep up with Gemma’s cousins, especially Beau, if the rumors she’d heard were true.

Cody smiled and handed the drawing back to Synclair. “Let’s do it.”

Synclair motioned for him to have a seat. Cody sprawled in the chair and placed his arm facing up on the armrest. Gemma hadn’t thought to ask where he was going to be tattooed, but it seemed he’d chosen the inside of his right forearm. She didn’t know a lot about tattoos, but figured that was going to hurt like hell.

She watched Synclair create a stencil from the drawing. Then he prepped Cody’s arm and transferred the stencil to his skin. They discussed the various inks while Synclair prepped his gun. When they were ready to begin, Gemma stepped outside of the cubicle and leaned on the half-wall to watch. The buzz of the tattoo machine filled the air as Synclair began tracing the lines of the stencil. Her cousin didn’t flinch and seemed to be handling the pain really well. She knew it had to hurt, no matter what he’d claim later.

It took a little over an hour for the design to be completed, but Gemma had found the whole process fascinating, and now she wanted a tattoo more than ever. She actually knew what she wanted for one of her tattoos. It was an Eleanor Roosevelt quote about dreams.
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
Something told her now wasn’t the time to get it though. For one, she didn’t want to whip her shirt off in front of Cody, and she wanted the quote to scroll across her ribs. She’d heard that was one area that hurt like a bitch, but the end result would be worth it.

Cody paid Synclair, accepted the aftercare instructions, and then they were on their way out the door. Gemma felt Synclair’s gaze on her the whole way to the truck. Heat pooled low in her belly and she wanted to clench her thighs together to ease the ache building there.

“How are you going to surprise Elodie? She’s going to notice that the minute you walk in the door.”

Cody grinned. “Beck is taking her riding this afternoon. She argued, wanting to be around the house to visit with you, but we told her you’d want the first day to yourself, to kind of settle in a bit.”

“Well, aren’t you sneaky.” Gemma smiled. “She’s going to love her surprise, Cody. I can’t imagine a man loving me enough to put ink on his body just for me. She’s really lucky to have you.”

“No, Gem. I’m lucky to have her. And one day, you’ll find the right guy for you, the one who will put you before all others. I know he’s out there. You’ve just been looking in the wrong places. He isn’t going to be at some dive looking to get laid.”

She arched a brow. “Cody, all men, at some point, are at some dive looking to get laid.”

“Yeah, but you keep picking up the regulars and taking them home, then wondering what the hell happened when you realize you have another loser on your hands who only cares about getting his next drink or his next fuck.”

“So what do you suggest?” Her thoughts drifted to the sexy tattoo artist. She wouldn’t mind taking him for a ride!

“There are plenty of nice ranching families around these parts. You’d make a great rancher’s wife. You already know your way around cattle and horses.”

She snorted. “I can’t cook to save my life. The poor man would starve to death.”

“Take Elodie up on her offer. A few cooking lessons with her and no one will ever know you were once a lost cause in the kitchen.”

“Maybe.”

“I’m not trying to push you out the door, Gemma. I just want you to know there are options out there. Good, decent men who are looking for a steady woman in their life. You just have to be in the right place at the right time.”

“Synclair seemed nice.”

He scowled at her. “I knew you were going to go for him. Stay clear of that one, Gemma. I mean it.”

“What’s wrong with him? He owns his own business. Clearly he’s talented.” And she’d love to trace every bit of that ink with her tongue. What did he look like without a shirt on? She’d seen more designs peeking out the top of his shirt. Better yet, she thought with a smile, what did he look like without his pants on?

“I’ve heard his name mentioned in hushed tones at the diner and while standing in line at the post office. Word around town is that he’s slept with everything in a skirt under the age of fifty and had to start dating in the surrounding towns just so he wouldn’t double dip. You really want a man like that? Someone who can’t keep it in his pants?”

“Not for anything long-term. But he might be okay for scratching an itch.”

Cody laughed and shook his head. “You do what you want. Just remember what I said when you get burned.”

“You know, I do think about things other than getting laid.”