Maya rolled her eyes. “My boyfriend, Franklin.” She said it slowly, as if trying to make sure Jake understood. He got the hint, all right.
He held back a sigh. “If you’re going out to lunch, I’ll let you go.” Jake put his hands back in his pockets. “I just wanted to say hi and maybe get some ink.” He hadn’t been here for the last part, but he wouldn’t say no to Montgomery ink.
“Ink?” Austin asked. “We have room for some walkins in a bit. Why don’t you tell me what you want?”
Maya flipped her brother off once again. “Nope. If anyone is going to give Jake a tattoo, it’s me. You don’t get to touch him.” She said the last part over her shoulder before holding her finger up to Jake. “Think about what you want. I’ll just be a sec.”
She sauntered over to her boyfriend and said a few words to him. When Franklin patted her ass, Jake turned his attention to the books on the table by his side. He only had to wait a few minutes before the boyfriend was gone and Maya was smiling up at him.
“We good?” she asked.
Jake met her gaze. “We’re good.”
She let out a relieved breath. “Good, because I like you, Jake, and I think you’ll fit in this shop just fine. Now, tell me what you’re thinking about in terms of ink.” She pulled him to her station, and he let her lead him.
He liked Maya, and damn if he wanted to leave and never see her again. He could be her friend and be fine with it. They fit together, and if that was all he could get…well, he’d be good. Because there was only one Maya Montgomery in the world, and Jake wasn’t about to lose her.
And one day, he’d quit getting a hard-on every time he saw her.
Friends he could do. Friends lasted for a hell of a lot longer than sex.
Chapter Two
Thirteen Years Later
“That’s it, I’m going to kick his ass,” Maya Montgomery spat as she stood up. She rolled her neck and cracked her knuckles. She wasn’t as young as she once was, but she could still take a man twice her size down.
Callie held up her hands, her eyes wide. Her friend and fellow tattoo artist shook her head, apparently trying to rein Maya in. Good luck with that.
“Maya, don’t kill him,” Callie pleaded.
Maya tilted her head at her friend. “Why not? That dudebro just grabbed your ass. I need to follow him and kick his ass. And I never said anything about killing him. Too messy and too much paperwork.”
Callie just shook her head and put her hand over her stomach. “Do it for the baby.”
Maya narrowed her eyes. “You’re like six minutes pregnant. You can’t start using that excuse yet.”
“I’m six weeks pregnant, and I can start using the excuse as much as I want. I had to cut liquor, fish, and other crap out of my diet, plus I can’t dye my hair for a long time, so yeah, I’m going to use this to my advantage.” She winced and rubbed her belly. “Not that it’s an excuse. Damn it! You just made me use my baby for nefarious purposes. You are pure evil.”
Maya sighed. “I had nothing to do with that. You’re the one going evil all on your own. It’s probably hormones.”
Callie just shook her head of black hair and flipped Maya off. “I can’t wait to see you pregnant, Maya. Because you’re going to be the one that goes crazy. I mean, honestly, you’re already a little nuts as it is.”
Maya ignored the way her heart clutched—freaking clutched—at the thought of being pregnant and snorted. “I know what you’re trying to do. You’re keeping me here so I can’t catch up to dudebro and his dudebro posse. I’ll find him, Callie. I always get my man.”
That was a lie, but for a whole different reason. Maya pressed her lips together, tapping her tongue ring on the roof of her mouth. There was no use thinking about that, thinking about him. It wasn’t a thing anyway. She was Maya fucking Montgomery, and she would be just fine.
Thank you very much.
“Just sit down and finish that sketch so you’re ready for your next client,” Callie said sweetly. “The dumbass who dared to grab my ass is out of here without ink and without a clue. I didn’t break his fingers so that means you won’t either. Remember, Maya, I can take care of myself.”
“That’s not what Morgan thinks.” Morgan was Callie’s Dom of a husband. A few years older than Maya, and even older than Callie, yet the two of them fit together nicely.
“Morgan knows I can take care of myself,” Callie said with a smile. “He just knows if I need help, he’ll show up and be all badass and hot. Then we can go home and make with the sexy times.”
Though she loved them both, Maya really didn’t want images of Morgan and Callie going at it in her head, so she pushed those thoughts away and threw herself into her chair in the corner of her station. She knew she was acting like an immature brat, but she couldn’t help it. She was just in one of those moods.