Page 56 of Impulsive Saint
He shook off that minor nightmare and forced himself to get up from the bed. He’d been on a mission before Hunter called and completely derailed his thoughts. He needed to go find Ashtyn and make sure she wasn’t hurt or marred with some godawful tattoo and then and only then was he going to try and convince her to be his friend again.
Because he couldn’t imagine going to sleep tonight knowing she hated him.
He picked his phone back up, did a quick search for nearby tattoo studios and then pocketed one of the keys to the motel room. He didn’t bother taking the bike. It looked like the studio was just around the corner so he walked in the right direction and after one wrong turn and looping back because he missed the small sign in the window, he found the place that Ashtyn must have picked for her first tattoo.
Conniving little brat. She really had been planning this all day. The place was an easy and walkable distance from the motel she’d chosen. Plus, the studio itself had a ton of great reviews online and from the looks of it was well-lit, clean and professional.
He found himself smiling as he walked inside and saw Ashtyn sitting on a black leather reclining chair. She didn’t immediately notice him so he took the minute to just take her in. She was smiling and laughing with the hulking beast of a man that was beside her on a stool, black latex gloves covered his hands and every other visible inch of his skin was covered in tattoos. He looked like the kind of guy that would eat girls like Ashtyn who came in for silly dolphin tattoos for lunch, but of course Ashtyn had won him over. The guy was looking at her as if she was the most incredible woman he’d ever met and a flash of red-hot jealousy pulsed beneath Tyler’s skin.
“Hey.” he called out.
Ashtyn stiffed before turning slowly to face him. Her smile faded. She didn’t look happy to see him but she didn’t look angry either. Just that resigned acceptance that he was here and she couldn’t avoid him.
“Hey.” She offered back, “You found me.”
“Were you hoping I wouldn’t?” He raised a curious eyebrow and Ashtyn’s lips twitched.
He’d gotten to know her so well over the past few days. He knew that twitch. She was thinking of saying something sassy and insulting. He could read it all over her face. Instead, she licked her lips and looked away, back at the tattoo artist.
“This is the guy I was telling you about. Tyler, meet Jose. Jose meet Tyler. He’s the one giving me a ride to Vegas and helping me check things off my bucket list.”
The hulk, aka Jose, looked up and grinned, showing a gold tooth, “That’s so cool, man. A road trip and a bucket list. Everyone should get to experience that kind of rush at least once in their life.”
“Yeah.” Tyler nodded, the best he could manage for the guy that was still holding Ashtyn’s wrist.
“Jose loves extreme sports, like you.” Ashtyn continued. “He biked the Death Road in Bolivia like ten years ago.” She smiled when Tyler’s eyebrows hit his hairline. “Cool right?”
“Very cool.” he agreed, smiling again before motioning to her wrist where Jose was bandaging what had to be her new tattoo though Tyler was too far away to see what it was. “You about done here?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Sure thing, Ms. Ashtyn.” Jose winked at her and Tyler shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from fisting them. “You’re all good to go. Just remember what I told you. No swimming or submerging the tattoo for at least two to four weeks.”
“Good thing I already marked skinny-dipping off my bucket list.” She grinned playfully and Tyler swallowed a groan.
Jose chuckled, “Let it breathe and heal but if you’re going to be on the open road a bandage to keep the dust off it these first few days might not be a bad idea either. Moisturize and clean it two to three times a day. No scratching or rubbing. Blot it dry after washing and only warm water, not hot.”
“Got it.” Ashtyn pulled her wrist away from him and nodded towards Tyler, “If I have any issues, I have a professional with me to help out.”
“You’re an artist?” Jose glanced up at him and Tyler shook his head.
“Not at all.”
“But he has a lot of them so he knows the drill, right Ty?” She surprised him by sliding up from the chair and looping an arm through his.
“Right.” He nodded down at her.
“Okay, well, thank you so much for your time Jose. It was truly a pleasure.”
“Pleasure was all mine.”
“Do I need to pay for you?” Tyler asked as Ashtyn began to propel them towards the door.
“I took care of it with Venmo on the phone I bought. Come on. Let’s go.”
He followed her outside and she let go of his arm as they headed up the street, “What was that all about?”
“Oh you know, the usual. Pretty girl all alone. Jose was asking me to stick around and have dinner with him before you arrived. I was trying to figure out the best way out of it and then boom… there you were.”
