Chapter Two

J ane sipped her coffee and waited in line to check in at the registration table. She'd fallen asleep on Roam's shoulder, which had turned out to be a good thing. He'd woken her at midnight, kissing her awake, and then he'd proceeded to blow her mind. Having her on her hands and knees, he'd hit a spot inside of her that had her screaming his name. After he'd been satisfied, he'd ordered a pizza from an all-night place and had it delivered.

She'd planned on just lying on his shoulder until he fell asleep after they finished supper. Then, leave when he was asleep, but she'd drifted off. He'd woken her again at four a.m. Before she could think twice about never having been on top of a guy before, he had her on top of him and riding him until they both were satisfied. She hadn't known how to say she should leave, so she'd gone to the bathroom then set her watch for six am. He'd been holding the covers open when she returned, and it had felt like the most normal thing in the world to lie on his shoulder and drift to sleep as his fingers slid through her hair.

She was a little tender this morning, but it had been so worth the lack of sleep. Now it was time to stop daydreaming about last night and get serious about winning. The guy in front of her finally left after asking what seemed like ten million questions, and then it was her turn.

"Name?"

"Sprite Pacer."

"Ahh, Sprite, I saw your submission. I can't wait to see what you do today. Let me see your ID and then I'll get you your packet."

In no time, she was walking to her area. This competition had one huge group to start in her level. All fifty of them would do the same tattoo, adding their own coloring and shading. Only half would make it to the next round.

She finished her coffee and dropped the cup in the trash. After making a quick pit stop in the bathroom, she walked into her area. She once again checked in and found the chair assigned to her. They'd be shown the tattoo, assigned their client and then have two hours to do the consultation and the tattoo. The size of the tattoo was small, or she'd never be able to do all that in the time allotted. Sprite was hoping to get in the top five. The top five got a bye for the next round and didn't compete again until noon.

She listened to the instructions and was thankful her human canvas was such a sweet man. He was thrilled with her rendering of the flag they'd been given. She'd gotten the okay to add some tatters to it. As she worked, she tried to keep focused on her own work but it was hard. This round, if the judges didn't think the tattoo was up to snuff, they would pull the person and have one of a group of select tattooists finish the tattoo correctly.

She finished the last color and checked the clock. Ten minutes to spare. She wiped the area and then handed the mirror to her client.

"Oh man, I love what you did with it. The tatters in the flag look like it survived a battle. Hey, come check this out." Her client yelled to the judge wandering the area.

"Yes, sir?" The judge waited while Sprite wondered what was going on.

"You have got to see my amazing tattoo. The depth and color are something I haven't seen before. I'll be traveling wherever she's at because she's my new tattoo artist."

The judge looked at his arm and then called another judge over. Both smiled at her, then took a picture of the tattoo.

"Let's get a picture of you two." The judge had Sprite stand by her client with his arm turned so you could see the tattoo.

"Thanks for calling me over. I'm glad you're happy with that tattoo. It's phenomenal."

Sprite smiled and noticed some of the other artists were staring at her. Sprite was sensitive to people staring at her because of the way she'd grown up. She was determined her family would not be looked at the same way. They'd always have clean clothes that fit, full bellies, and a sense of security she'd never had.

She cleaned up her area while everyone else was finishing and then waited for the results. She was glad she'd invested in a sturdy case for all her tools and items. The convention supplied the chair for the client, a chair for her and a small table but nothing else. Besides firing her, her last boss had tried to say her equipment was his. Luckily, the receptionist had notified Sprite when she'd first joined that they'd had some thefts. Sprite had taken to keeping all her equipment in her case at her house and only taking it in on the days she worked.

The time while she was working had flown, but the final minutes during judging seemed to drag. She had entirely too much time to think about last night. She'd clicked with Roam, but she didn't have time for a relationship. Not that he'd offered.

Find a job and a place to live. Take care of her kids.

"The results of the first heat are in. Results are appearing on the board. The top five are in no particular order. Please come to the stage."

Sprite's heart started pounding. Her name was in the top five. She made her way to the stage and waited while everyone else came.

"All top five will have a bye and will compete in round three. First place will get an extra bye and will go directly to the final round and be given a cash prize of one thousand dollars. I'm sure you'd all like me to shut up and tell you but I want to start with something that happened. The first-place client was so excited about what had been done that he couldn't wait for us to judge. That's exactly how you want your client to feel. First place goes to Sprite Pacer."

Sprite kept the tears at bay as the judge handed her a first-place ribbon and a poster-size picture of a thousand-dollar check. They took a couple pictures, then the judge called her client up. Her client was a huge man, and he picked her up and spun her around.

"You have to tell me where you end up. I'll drive as far as I need to because of your talent."

Despite trying not to, a couple tears trickled over because it wasn't often Sprite was praised. Growing up, she'd been ridiculed by schoolmates and her parents. She was making sure her kids never experienced that.

"You're free until the final competition at four o'clock. Enjoy the day. You did a great job."

Sprite walked toward the exit, accepting congratulations from other competitors. As she left her area, she glanced up and Roam was standing, waiting with two coffees.

"Well, I had no idea the woman I couldn't keep my hands off of last night was Sprite, the tattoo artist I was coming to see about working for my business."

Oh fudge. He wanted to give her a job and he'd be her boss. It sounded like a recipe for disaster, but she was desperate for a job. She'd entertain any offers. She took a sip of the coffee and motioned toward another area, pulling her case with her.

"Shall we check out the competitions? Maybe you could explain what exactly you're offering."

ROAM FOLLOWED SPRITE around the area. He'd been equal parts stunned and excited when he realized Jane was Sprite, the tattoo artist he and Rascal wanted for Bluff Creek Ink.

As they'd walked, he'd talked about what benefits they could offer, including housing. Sprite had kept quiet as she listened, only asking questions to clarify points. He had to admit the name Sprite fit her better than Jane. In no way was she plain. Her bone structure had him wanting his sketch pad and charcoals.

He knew they'd only spent last night together but there was something about her that had him wanting more. Which was very unusual for him.

He glanced in the area they were watching. One of the tattoo artists in front of them was one Rascal and he had considered. When his client asked a question, he ignored her and kept tattooing. When she whispered her question again, he told her to shut up.

Roam wasn't allowing her to be treated like that. He nodded to one of the judges he knew to come over. The judge stood close by to listen. Roam caught the eye of the client and mouthed ask again . The woman, once again, asked her question. The artist paused, and once again told her to shut her mouth. The judge frowned and walked over. He tapped the artist on the shoulder, informing him he was out of the competition, and waved one of the standby artists over.

"Ma'am, you should always feel comfortable asking questions. My suggestion next time is if someone treats you like that, you stand up and leave. You do not deserve to be treated as less than."

She nodded at the judge, then looked at Roam. "Thank you."

He nodded and turned to Sprite to find her gazing at his face.

They walked over to a sitting area in the hotel lobby.

"So, I have questions."

"Okay, ask away."

She paused as if she was gathering her courage. What could have her so worried?

"I'm a single mom. Would there be affordable childcare? And you mentioned housing. How much?"

"How old are your kids again?"

"My youngest daughter is three and my oldest is almost six."

"Okay, so there is affordable childcare. I think I mentioned my MC, which is not a one percent MC, by the way. It is very family-oriented and works closely with the bail bonds company. There is childcare onsite at the compound at a deeply discounted rate for members of the MC and their affiliates. The shop is a ten-minute ride from the compound. As an employee of one of our companies, you'd get the discounted rate. I have three kids but two are toddlers. Toddler childcare is a little more. For the three, I pay three hundred a month. My kids are too young to be in school, but Phoebe, who is the daughter of one of our members, is in school. I'm sure your oldest could ride with her. Sometimes, she joins her mom at the bail bonds gym, or sometimes, she gets picked up by someone else. There's a lot of help with parenting. I don't know anyone who doesn't love kids in the MC."

"Can you repeat that? You said three hundred a month? I was paying that a week."

"Well, the daycare isn't meant to make a huge profit. It's a service to our families and employees, so it just needs to make enough to survive and pay the employees."

Sprite chewed on her lip as he gazed at her. He was sure it sounded too good to be true, but he and Rascal wanted someone good. Being a small town, they had to make it as attractive as possible. Maybe he'd just answer the rest of her questions.

"Housing is provided on the compound. We have a couple houses on the compound that have two to four bedrooms available. Rascal and I are including the first year's rent as part of your package because we really want you." He paused, then laid his hand on her arm. "So, for me, last night was amazing and I would love to pursue something with you. On the other hand, I don't want you to feel any type of pressure, so if you say last night was a one-time only, then I'll abide by that. Rascal and I co-own the studio with a percentage paid to the MC. Rascal wants to eventually retire completely. If, after six months, you decide it's a place you want to stay and be one of the owners, Rascal and I will sit down and set out a plan for you to buy into the place. If you're interested at all, Rascal is waiting today for me to video call so he can chat with you and answer questions."

Sprite stood up and walked around the area. Roam waited and let her think. He hopped on his phone, scrolling to see if he had messages. When he didn't, he decided to text his dad.

Roam: So how did you know Mom was the one?

Baron: I knew immediately when she fainted in my arms and I held her for the first time, that my life had changed. I don't think I can describe it besides a knowing deep inside I wanted to take care of her. Then you and your brother crawled inside my heart, and I knew you would be my sons. Did you meet someone?

Roam: The woman Rascal and I wanted to join our shop. I don't know if she's the one or if she's just the first woman who treated me like a person. After Shanna, I don't trust myself to know what to do. I have to protect my kids.

Baron: You know there's this thing called dating where you figure out if the person is the one for you. It might be an option. Make Rascal her boss.

Roam: It's a little more complicated than that.

Baron: You boys can't do easy. What'd you do?

Roam: Why do you think I did something?

Baron: If you weren't feeling guilty, you'd be asking your mom for advice. What don't you want Regina to know?

Roam: Friggin' hell.

Baron: Just tell me.

Roam: One-night stand before I knew she was the tattoo artist.

Baron: Did you suck? I don't see the problem.

Roam: I'm not telling you how I was. Jeez, you're my dad. I don't want her to feel she has to sleep with me to get the job.

Baron: Son, I've wiped your butt. Held your head when you had the flu and vomited all over my cut. Yeah, that was a great time. And I gave you the sex talk. If you're worried about her feeling like she has to sleep with you, then tell her straight out she doesn't. Does she know you're technically still married?

Roam: I'm separated because the skank left. Once the time's up, it will be official.

Baron: Technically, you are married even though I don't consider you to be because you've tried. Don't let her find out. Tell her. She might think you're a cheat.

Roam: Okay, gotta go. She's coming back.

Sprite sat down beside him, staring into his eyes. He wished he knew what she was thinking.

"I think I'd like to talk with Rascal on video."

"Okay, would you like to do that now? We could go to a corner where it's quieter or my room or yours?"

Sprite stood up and nodded toward the elevators. Roam followed and thought about his dad's words. How exactly did he drop it in about his former wife? He didn't want to lie to Sprite, but the only reason they weren't divorced was because he couldn't find her.