Nights at Seaside Read online

  “Softening is good, and like I said, wherever you think you can fit them is fine.”

  She cleaned the area between his shoulder blades. “I haven’t seen you around. Where did you have these other tats done?”

  “Different places around New York, Boston, Hyannis…”

  She wanted to ask if he traveled often, but she resisted the urge, not wanting to become any more distracted by him than she already was.

  “I’m going to start, okay?” She watched his back lift with a long inhalation, and when he exhaled all his muscles relaxed.

  “Okay,” he said in a soft tone. “How long have you been tattooing?”

  She concentrated on the tattoo as she answered. “Several years. I love all kinds of art. And music, actually. I really liked the song you sang last night. Did you write it?”

  He didn’t answer for so long that she wondered if he was going to. He finally said, “Yes.”

  “It was beautiful. Are you a songwriter?” Way to keep from getting distracted.

  “No.”

  For a man with so many words on his back, he said very few.

  She worked in silence, enjoying the feel of his taut muscles beneath her hand. She knew better than to ask why people chose certain tattoos even though she was dying to know more about his word obsession. It rivaled hers, and that made him even more appealing. After she finished the third word, she sat back and took a momentary break.

  “Music has always been a calming influence in my life. Do you write songs often, like a hobby, or…?”

  “When inspiration hits. What about you? Do you have any hobbies?”

  She thought about that as she finished the tattoo. Reading poetry. Listening to music. Hanging out with her friends. Were those hobbies?

  “I guess just about everything I do is a hobby.” She didn’t even know if that made sense, but it felt like the truth. “I don’t really consider myself a career anything, so even this is kind of a hobby. I’ll do it until I fall out of love with it, I guess. Although I don’t see that happening for a very long time.”

  “That makes you even more interesting. You follow your heart. That’s what I do, too.”

  Sky melted a little right there on the stool, sitting beside Sawyer Bass, with his smooth voice, hot bod, and wordy back. It was all she could do to remember to pick up the hand mirror to show him the tattoo. She rose to her feet and reached for his hand. She had no idea why she did it and was even more stunned when he took her hand and his lips curved up in that easy smile again as he followed her to the full-length mirror in the back of the room. He turned and assessed the tattoo in the reflection of his back in the hand mirror.

  “You are good with your hands,” he said with a more mischievous grin.

  “I guess that makes us even, since you’re good with words, Sawyer.”

  His brows knitted together again. “You know my name?”

  “Last night. They announced your name, remember?”

  “Oh, right. Well, it seems I’m at a disadvantage. I don’t know your name.”

  “Sky. Sky Lacroux.” Their eyes held, and whatever had turned her brother off last night went out the door. Everything about Sawyer Bass turned her on, from the mysterious look in his eyes to the words etched in his back—and if he was rough, as Hunter assessed, then she wanted to experience it firsthand.

  “That’s a beautiful name.” He handed her the mirror, and their fingers brushed, sending a shiver through her.

  He followed her back to where he’d left his shirt and pulled it on. Sky instantly missed the sight of his flesh. At the register he picked up her book of poetry, then met her gaze again as he pulled out his credit card.

  “Are you a fan of C. J. Moon?”

  She laughed as she said, “I’m in love with C. J. Moon.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes,” she said as he ran his credit card through the machine. “My friends think I need an intervention because if I could find more information on him, I’d probably track him down like the worst kind of fangirl there is.”

  He cocked a brow. “Ah, so you’re a stalker?”

  “Of the worst kind,” Blue said as he came through the door. “She’s got a serious ice cream addiction, too.” He held out a hand in greeting. “Sawyer Bass, right? We saw you play last night. Did she stalk you and trick you into coming here? Or are you stalking her? I only caught the stalker part as I came through the door.”

  Sky rolled her eyes.

  “Nice to meet you, Blue. You’re not the boyfriend, right?” Sawyer smiled as he shook his hand.

  “I see we’ve already cleared up our relationship status.” Blue eyed Sky with a look that clearly said, I knew you were hot for him. “Friends without benefits—beyond a place to crash, that is. Oh, and kitty delivery service. Merlin’s upstairs.”

  “Thanks, Blue. You’re a savior.” She answered Sawyer’s wrinkled brow with, “Merlin is my cat. He was at the groomer’s this afternoon, and Blue picked him up for me.”

  “That was nice of him,” Sawyer said. “If you’re really interested in knowing more about C. J. Moon, I’d be happy to take you over to one of the places he wrote about. How late do you work tonight?”

  Tonight?

  Two of the best-looking guys in Provincetown were looking at her. One was drinking her in like she was delectable enough to eat, and the other had an I-told-you-so grin across his face. Heaven help her, because right at that moment she wanted to hug Blue and say, You were right! then jump into Sawyer’s arms and let him see how tasty she really was. Maybe she was having some sort of hormonal episode, because she wasn’t a jump-in-the-sack type of girl. She had no idea why her body felt electrified and her stomach felt like she’d swallowed a nest of wasps, other than pure, unadulterated lust.

  And it had been way too long since she’d felt anything like it.

  “I can take off when I’m done for the night.” She flipped through her appointment book.

  “You know Moon?” Blue asked.

  “I have a thing for poetry,” Sawyer said. “What about you? Are you a fan of his work?”

  Blue held his hands up and shook his head. “No. Never read it, but I have the pleasure of watching Sky bury her nose in his books almost every day.”

  “If I don’t get swamped,” Sky interjected, “I think I can close around seven.”

  “Great. Why don’t I swing by then?”

  Sky knew she was grinning like a fool and didn’t care. “Sounds great.”

  “Well, so much for a bonfire tonight,” Blue said.

  “I’m sorry, Blue,” Sky said, although she wasn’t at all sorry about accepting a date with Sawyer. “Is that why you came by?”

  “Yeah, but no biggie. You guys have fun.”

  “Why don’t you ask Lizzie?” she asked hopefully.

  Blue shook his head. “I’ll call you later.” He turned his attention back to Sawyer and said, “Nice to meet you. Have fun tracking down Moon’s muse, and take good care of my girl.”

  “Your girl?” Sky’s jaw dropped open. Blue had never said anything like that before.

  Blue smirked. “My friend. You know what I mean.”

  “Don’t worry,” Sawyer said. “I wouldn’t dream of letting anything happen to her.”

  Blue turned to leave, glancing quickly over his shoulder one last time before heading out the front door as a group of twentysomethings came in. They were laughing and talking as they looked over the sample tattoos hanging on the front walls.

  “You sure there’s nothing between you two?” Sawyer asked. “I don’t want to come between you guys. You seem pretty close.”

  “Of course not. We’re friends. He’s just being weirdly protective.” Although she had no idea why.

  “I guess I’m like that with my friends’ sisters. I get it.”

  “I’m glad, because I couldn’t go out with a guy who didn’t understand my relationship with Blue. He’s a good friend, and I’d never want to mess that up.” She smil
ed at the people milling about in the reception area. “Can I help you guys with something?”

  “We want to get inked, but we need to decide who’s getting what,” said a tall blond guy wearing yellow board shorts, a tight tank, and a shoulder full of colorful ink.

  “Okay, just let me know when you’re ready.”

  Sawyer held up the paper he’d brought with him. “Trash?”

  She took the paper and placed it in the basket with the others.

  “You keep the tats you do?”

  “Just the ones that speak to me. Besides C. J. Moon and ice cream, I guess I harbor a little word obsession of my own,” she admitted.

  The sensual look in his eyes had returned. “That makes you even sexier. Should I pick you up here?”

  “Sure,” she said, or at least she thought she did. She was having trouble thinking past his compliment.

  Chapter Three

  FOR A WHILE Sky had made Sawyer forget about the warning from his doctor, but when he’d arrived back home and seen the renovations he was making to accommodate his father’s cane—and one day his wheelchair—the thunder rolled back in. He worked out on his heavy bag, and when that didn’t calm the storm in his mind, he’d gone down to the beach to do yoga. He didn’t have time for storms or doctors’ warnings. He was going to win this title fight. His father’s future depended on it.

  The combination of working out and yoga helped. Two hours later Sawyer drove into Provincetown no longer thinking of anything but Sky. Honesty was right up there with loyalty in his book, and he hated to mislead her and her friend Blue about his knowing C. J. Moon, but his father had protected his pen name ever since he’d first published, and it wasn’t Sawyer’s place to reveal his true identity. Not even for beautiful Sky Lacroux.

  He’d never dated a woman who was interested in poetry or songwriting before. Neither of which were topics that came up when he was boxing or on the rare occasion that he was out at a club—unless you’re Sky, who reads poetry in a bar on open mic night.

  He smiled as the image of Sky reading in the club sailed through his mind. She’d looked so at ease reading while everyone around her was immersed in conversation. He wanted to get to know her better, see what went on in that beautiful head of hers.

  He parked at the pier and walked through town toward Sky’s shop. He hadn’t known that she worked at Inky Skies when he’d gone looking for a tattoo shop. He’d simply had the urge to get inked, and Inky Skies had been the closest place around. And he was sure glad he’d wandered in, after thoughts of Sky had kept him up all night penning a song. Verse after verse had formed and shifted in his mind, making his fingers twitch until he’d dragged himself from bed to the third-story room that overlooked the bay and penned more of the song he’d started writing at the bar—and was now running through his mind.

  She moved like the wind. Every gust a melody. Eyes of umber, heart of gold. Who was she, but a little lost soul. And now the song had a name, “Sweet Summer Sky.”

  Like many of the shops on Commercial Street, the doors to Inky Skies were propped open. But while the other shops were overpowered by scents of patchouli and sage, the scent of jasmine and coconut greeted him at the entrance to Sky’s shop. He’d been so surprised to see Sky that everything else he’d seen earlier was blurry. Now he took a moment to look around. The reception area was cozy, with a worn leather couch, two overstuffed chairs, and a coffee table, as if she were hosting a gathering instead of inking people’s skin. The walls were covered with pictures of tattoos and a few watercolor paintings that he recognized as locations around Provincetown. He wondered if Sky had painted them. Also hanging from the walls were colorful scarves and a few necklaces with a handwritten sign above them that read, ASK SKY ABOUT ME!

  He stood by the register, running his finger over Sky’s poetry book, and called into the back room, “Hello?”

  He walked to the edge of the reception counter and called out again, admiring the iron railing to his right—the kind that belonged on the front porch of a 1970s-style house. It might look out of place anywhere else, but there were glass beads and tiny lights wound around the railing, giving it a festive glow and somehow making it fit right in with the eclectic little shop. The walls in the work area were painted pastel peach, accented with wine-colored molding. They were faded, as if they hadn’t been freshened up in decades.

  He’d been so focused on not staring at Sky’s full lips and alluring eyes earlier that he’d failed to notice the incredibly detailed sculpture by her work area. A sturdy steel sculpture of the moon and stars sat atop a counter, with a metal vine wrapped around the moon leading up to the stars. It was a unique sculpture that reminded him of Sky. It was ethereal and beautiful.

  Hanging from the ceiling were various wind chimes made of glass and wood. He’d also somehow missed the artsy screens with scarves hanging over the top in the back of the room. He wondered how many people undressed for their tattoos—which made him wonder about what body parts Sky had tattooed. The idea of her seeing guys undressed and tattooing them in private places made his gut twist.

  He reached up and touched a glass chime, sending a soft serenade into the room, as hanging beads in a doorframe off to the left in the back of the store parted and Sky appeared. She flashed her gorgeous smile. She had changed from the outfit she’d had on earlier. His breath caught in his throat as he took in her oversized green shirt, which she wore open with a cream-colored shirt beneath that hugged her curves and stopped just short of her cutoffs—revealing a sliver of skin that made Sawyer’s mouth water. Her chunky amber necklace matched her knee-high suede boots, and as if that outfit alone wasn’t enough to send his body into a frenzy, she’d lined her seductive eyes with makeup, which gave her a dark and innocent appearance at once. It took all his efforts to resist taking her in his arms and kissing the innocence out of her right then and there.

  He’d been with plenty of women, but never before had the mere sight of someone made his body simmer.

  “Hi,” she said as she came to his side. “Sorry. I was just locking the back door.”

  He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Hi. You look stunning.”

  She glanced down at her outfit, wrinkling her nose adorably. “Really?”

  “Stunning doesn’t even come close to what I really wanted to say. But I’m pretty sure that telling you those boots make your legs look a mile long, and those skimpy little shorts bring all sorts of titillating ideas to mind wouldn’t be appropriate on a first date.”

  Where the devil did that come from?

  Her cheeks flamed, and a sweet laugh escaped her lips. “Geez, Sawyer. Don’t feel like you need to hold back or anything.”

  He scrubbed a hand down his face, hoping he hadn’t just messed up their date.

  “I’m sorry, Sky. I never say stuff like that, and I don’t know where it came from. I’m really not a pig. Honestly. I just…You’re…” He shifted his eyes away, feeling like he was sixteen again and sticking his foot in his mouth at every turn. He did the only thing he could to save face. He blurted out the truth.

  “Those things were true, but don’t worry, I’m not going to act on them.”

  “Way to squash a girl’s hopes.” The playful look in her eyes told him she was only half kidding.

  He reached for her hand. “We should go before I get any antsier and my mouth gives me away.”

  “I kind of like your antsy mouth,” she said as they walked outside. She locked the door behind them and tucked her keys into her purse.

  “I have a feeling it’s going to get me in trouble if I keep hanging out with you. I’m really not the kind of guy who thinks about sex all the time.”

  “All guys think about sex all the time,” she said casually.

  He laughed. “I’m not going to touch that comment. I’m sure I’ll only get myself in trouble.” He laced his fingers with hers, and they walked across Commercial Street toward the pier. It felt as natural to hold her hand as it had to blurt out hi
s inappropriate thoughts, which was how Sawyer knew that Sky Lacroux was indeed very different from any woman he’d ever dated.

  He was lucky she hadn’t slapped him and canceled their date on the spot.

  Sky waved to a group of men and women standing at the entrance to a nightclub as they passed by.

  “Hi, sugar. Have fun,” a tall man with long dark hair said, and blew her a kiss.

  “We will,” she called over her shoulder, then turned to Sawyer. “That’s my friend Marcus.”

  Good to know. “I could have picked you up at your place,” he said as they followed a group of people around the corner, past a pizza parlor, and across the road toward the parking lot. The scents of the sea swept over the pier.

  “You kind of did,” she said as he unlocked the door to his old Land Rover.

  “You live at the shop?” Sawyer remembered that Blue had mentioned her cat was upstairs.

  “I have an apartment above the shop, but I’m renting from my friend Amy at Seaside in Wellfleet while Blue’s renovating the apartment and doing a few last-minute renovations to the shop.” She climbed into the truck.

  He settled into the driver’s seat and drove out of the parking lot. “I wouldn’t have minded picking you up in Wellfleet. We’ll drive right past on the way to Brewster.”

  “That’s okay. I wasn’t sure if I’d get swamped at the last minute, so this was easier. And to be honest, I only bought the shop two months ago, so it’s still a thrill to be there, knowing it’s mine. I’ll pick up Merlin after our date and bring him back to Seaside with me.”

  “Ah, you own the shop.”

  She smiled, and pride filled her eyes. “I do.”

  “That’s very cool. How do you like running it?”

  “It’s a dream come true. I know the place still needs work, but you should have seen it before I got my hot little hands on it.”

  He was trying not to think about her hot little hands.

  “I think it looks great. Very artsy.” He ran his eyes over her outfit, which was sexy yet casual. She had a unique and appealing style. “Very you.”