Clipped Wings

The doorknob turned just as I capped the bottle and returned it to its spot on the shelf. I jumped and shut the cabinet harder than intended, and the bottles rattled on the shelves. Hayden poked his head in, and his eyes swept over my body. I was still naked. Concern pulled the corner of his mouth down when he reached my blotchy, tear-streaked face.

“Kitten? Who was on the phone?” He took a cautious step toward me.

“It was my l-lawyer.” I stammered over the lie, unable to look at him.

“On a Saturday? This early? What happened?”

“There are some issues with the estate in Arden Hills.”

He cupped my face in his hands. His sympathy was more difficult to bear, considering the partial truths I fed him. I closed my eyes, letting the tears fall, allowing him to sweep them away.

Hayden wore only a pair of black boxer briefs, the road map to his life laid out for me. Under the scenes etched into his skin and the sculpted, beautiful body was a man I hardly knew but couldn’t stand the thought of being without. I ran my hand along his forearm, my palm resting on the anatomical heart.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

I stepped into him.

Hayden enclosed me in his protective embrace. “I’m sorry I can’t make the hurt go away.”

“You do, every time you touch me.” I rested my cheek on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.

I wondered how much longer I had before it all fell apart. I couldn’t hide the truth about Co

26

TENLEY

Over the next couple of weeks I avoided Trey’s continued attempts at contact. His messages sat unanswered in my voice mail. Between Trey’s unreasonable demands and worries over my last meeting with Professor Calder, I needed a distraction from the stress because revising my thesis only added to it. I persuaded Hayden to work on my tattoo. It had become a talisman of catharsis. He scheduled three mini-sessions to fix the spots where the ink hadn’t taken. He refused to work on me for more than an hour at a time. As long as we were making progress, I wouldn’t complain. The upside to the frequent sessions was the amount of time I spent in the shop. The easy banter between the four of them gave me insight into just how close they were. They loved and fought like siblings.

I even got to know Lisa better. She was warmth personified, and I gravitated to her. Apart from her visits to Serendipity, we hadn’t spent much time together, because I’d always been with Hayden. It was nice to have a reason to hang out with her that didn’t include clamps and needles.

Hayden was busy cleaning up his station after our third session when Lisa approached me, eager to show off her newest jewelry acquisitions. She pulled out a tray of curved barbells. They looked so harmless, sitting against the black velvet backdrop. Lisa was highlighting the benefits of a hood piercing. My reluctance had more to do with healing time than pain. From the research I’d done, there would be no sex for two weeks. Hayden would implode. We’d barely been able to handle five days; fourteen would be insanity, but the positives might outweigh the cost.

Lisa was in the middle of explaining the difference between a vertical and horizontal hood piercing when I noticed a flash of red on her left ring finger.

“Is that new?”

She held it out to me. A single ruby sat cushioned amid a circle of tiny diamonds set in a platinum band. It was stu

“Jamie proposed last night.” Her smile was radiant.

“Oh, my God. Congratulations! That’s great news!”

A riot of conflicting emotions hit me as I hugged her. Co

When Lisa released me I felt disembodied. I welcomed the numbness. Happy though I was for her, the news resurrected pieces of my past I didn’t have the energy to deal with.

My mouth was full of cotton, my brain just as fuzzy as she told the story, her excitement uncontained. Her unbridled joy was exactly how a person should feel after a proposal.

“We’re having a party this weekend to celebrate. I know it’s short notice, but I’ve already talked to Cassie. She’s going to close Serendipity early so she and Nate can come, at least for a little while.” Lisa’s exhilaration was infectious as she chattered away. “You don’t work tomorrow, do you? I’m taking the evening off to shop. I thought maybe you’d want to come?”

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been shopping with a girlfriend. My friends and I used to go to the city regularly for weekend expeditions. I wanted to replace the memories with new ones that didn’t hurt so much.

“I’d love that. And I could make cupcakes for the party,” I offered.

Hayden’s arm came around my waist, surprising me. “What’s this about cupcakes?”

“For the party this weekend.” Lisa flashed her ring in explanation.

“Right. Good plan. You’ll make extra?” Hayden burrowed his nose into my hair and whispered, “Maybe I can come over and help with the icing.”

Hayden didn’t get the opportunity to help me, because Lisa and I spent the next two days pla

Sarah wasn’t working, so I invited her to join us with the party pla

The three of us congregated in the kitchen, the counter overflowing with baking supplies and cooling cupcakes. Sarah measured icing sugar and dumped it into the mixer. It puffed up in a sugary cloud and she shrieked, batting it away.

“It’s sugar, not poisonous gas,” I said sardonically.

“I don’t understand why the two of you like baking,” she grumbled as Lisa hip-checked her out of the way and took over.

“Why don’t you pour some wine?” Lisa suggested.

“Excellent plan. I’ll take care of drinks, and then I can be the delegator or something. I’m good at that,” she said with a cheeky grin.

“How’s your stalker situation as of late?” I asked.

Sarah rolled her eyes. “Don’t get me started. He has to be the most persistent man I’ve ever met.”

“What’s this about?” Lisa asked.

“Oh, just this guy Chris who’s been at my work a lot lately. He won’t take a hint.”

“What she’s not telling you is that Chris happens to be covered in tattoos,” I prompted.

Lisa’s eyes went wide. “Not our Chris?”

“The one and only.” I gri

“Oh my God!” Lisa gave Sarah a speculative look. “Well, it all finally makes sense.”

Sarah’s hands went to her hips. “Does someone want to fill me in here? What exactly does ‘our Chris’ mean?”

Interesting. She sounded jealous. Maybe his persistence was paying off. “I meant to tell you a while ago, but it slipped my mind. Chris and Hayden work together at Inked Armor.”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh! You didn’t know?” Lisa asked. “This just keeps getting better and better!”

“How did it slip your mind? It didn’t strike you as vital information to pass on?” Sarah looked flustered. She rushed across the room and peered out the window at the backlit sign across the street. “He works right across from where I live? I can’t believe you didn’t tell me until now!”