Inked on Paper by Nicole Edwards Read Free Book Online

appointments. One this afternoon and one tonight.”
    “What about today? Any plans?” I asked, propping my head up with my hand as I spooned cereal into my mouth.
    “Gonna head over to the shop and chill for a while. Helpin’ Shawn if he needs it.”
    Shawn Green was DBD’s main body modification artist, known to most as a piercer. Gil had been doing an apprenticeship under Shawn for the past eight months. Though Gil claimed he still preferred to ink, he’d become quite enthralled with the body mod, and Shawn was hoping Gil could help out from time to time.
    “Did you get your training class done?” I asked. Gil had mentioned some special class, along with a CPR certification he needed to take care of.
    “Next week,” he said before downing half a glass of chocolate milk. “And then, just think…” He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then revealed a disturbing grin. “I’m that much closer to piercing your clit.”
    I snorted, nearly shooting soy milk out of my nose. “Not in this lifetime,” I rasped, choking. “You will never be allowed near my clit. With a needle or otherwise.”
    “Can’t blame a guy for trying.”
    The man was incorrigible.
    I finished off my cereal and pushed my bowl away. Gil grabbed it, along with the skillet and his glass, rinsed them all, and tucked them into the dishwasher.
    “What’re you doin’ this morning?” Gil asked.
    “I’m gonna head over to the coffee shop,” I told him, grabbing my sketchbook.
    “Is it on the way to the shop?”
    I nodded.
    “Come on then,” he said. “I’ll walk you.”
    A few minutes later, I stopped at the coffee shop, said a quick good-bye to Gil, then made my way to the counter to order my usual sugar-free vanilla soy latte. The woman behind the counter smiled kindly but didn’t say anything other than the usual pleasantries. I paid for my coffee, then waited patiently while she made it. With a quick thank you, I took the cup, wound my way through the tables, and found an empty one near the front window.
    Dropping into the chair, I forced myself to flip open the book, found a blank page, and stared at it.
    Until an idea formed in my head.

Chapter Seven
    Jake
    Eight minutes after I stepped off the elevator, thirty seconds faster than the last time—because, you know, my life had become so fucking routine that I’d started timing that shit—after enduring the record-breaking, twenty-seven-degree low— hey, this was Texas —I stepped into the coffee shop around the corner from my condominium building, inhaling the scent of homemade blueberry scones and freshly brewed coffee.
    “Mornin’, Jake,” the young woman behind the counter greeted as I approached, her smile friendly, her gaze inquisitive.
    “Morning, Kim.”
    “The usual?” she asked, looking up at me, one hand cocked on her hip.
    Staring into the glass display case, I perused the items momentarily as though I might actually choose something different than the usual . For the past six months, I’d been coming to the coffee shop at least once every two or three days, ordering a blueberry scone and a strong, black coffee—not exactly the thing that would help my bad boy image. Then again, I was kind of a simple guy. Perhaps I kept my order uncomplicated because the rest of my life was chaotic enough. Whatever the reason, I didn’t see change in my near future.
    Looking back at Kim, I smiled. “Yeah. The usual.”
    As Kim rang me up, her dark eyes darted down to the notebook in my hand. “That’s new. What happened to the laptop?”
    I followed her gaze down to the leather-bound book. “Thought I’d try something different today.”
    Kim laughed. “But you still ordered a blueberry scone and black coffee.” It wasn’t a question. She cocked her head. “Sounds about right.”
    Passing her my credit card, I shrugged. “Can’t step too far outta the box. Wouldn’t wanna get hurt.”
    Kim gifted me with another laugh, handed back my card, and went to