Protective Ink (Urban Fantasy) by Misty Simon Read Free Book Online Page B

a virus. No big deal. Sorry to have ruined your whole party for something so stupid.”
    “Are you sure you’re okay, Garrett?” Cameron asked. She willed him not to mention the liability coverage again.
    “Yes, I’m positive. In fact, I’d like to go home now.” He turned to Lissa and gave her a hug, the first in a long time. “I’ll see you in a few days for that tattoo we were talking about. I heard the current strain of flu that’s making the rounds only lasts twenty-four hours or so. I’ll be back in fighting condition by then.”
    “I’ll walk you guys home,” Jackson said, grabbing his jacket off the back of her plush, burgundy chair. He barely spared her a glance before nodding at Cameron and following Dory and Garrett out.
    “Well, he does look a lot better. That’s a relief.” Cameron sat on her couch and seemed intent on making himself comfortable. She just wanted him to leave. She would rather be with her three friends than entertaining this all-too-handsome, older man. He was smooth in a way that made her think of champagne and moonlight walks, cruises and pâté. If she were ever ready to dive back into the dating pool, though, she was pretty sure she was going to want meat, potatoes and beer. Someone who didn’t look perfectly pressed even after all this commotion. Someone who would take her face in his hands and kiss her until she could barely stand. She couldn’t imagine Cameron doing any of those things. She shook her head at herself. It had been a long night and she was being ridiculous. As her business associate, Cameron was off limits anyway, so it was a moot point.
    She really just wanted to go to bed. After everything that had gone wrong the previous night and now her flop of a party, she wanted to get on with the day-to-day basics of running the shop. This venture was going to work well because she damned well wanted it to, not because of any good or bad mojo.
    “I really should turn in, Cameron. I’m booked solid tomorrow and want to make sure I’m fresh when I’m down there.”
    “How about a quick cup of tea? Settle down and relax for just a moment. You must have gotten a bit of a shock when Garrett took ill.”
    How could she say no? She wanted to—badly—but there was no good way to do it without offending him. “Sure. I’ll be right back. Cream and sugar?”
    “Just a splash of cream,” he said as he leaned back into the couch cushions, slinging one arm across the top.
    She busied herself in the kitchen and thought at least four times about simply shoving him out the door with a to-go cup. But she didn’t. Instead she carried a tray out into the living room with cups, saucers, cream and a steeping pot of Earl Grey tea. They’d make polite conversation and then she was definitely going to kick him out if it got too late.
    He said things and she politely murmured in all the right places. He was probably making small talk about the grand opening, maybe about how it had been a success even after the way it ended. To be honest he could have been reciting Shakespeare for all she knew and cared. Her heart and her brain were across town with Garrett, willing him to recover quickly and fully from whatever had been done to him. And wondering what—who—was at fault.

Chapter Five
    “Are you sure you’re okay?” Jackson did not want to hover like a helicopter parent, but Garrett still looked a little rough. His hair was tousled on top and though the tops of his ears were red, the rest of his face was about two shades too light.
    “I’m good. Whatever Dory did is working the sickness out of my system.”
    Dory kissed him on the forehead. “You don’t have a fever anymore, either.”
    “See?” Garrett rested back against the couch in the living room of his apartment. “Almost as good as new, though whatever the hell that was, it was some nasty shit.”
    Pacing was not helping Jackson, but he couldn’t think of anything else to do that didn’t involve hunting the