I let him sniff my hand and then petted his soft little head.
“Sorry about that,” said a deep, masculine voice. Immediately, the little terrier started wriggling in Soraya’s arms, and she let him down, so he could run to his master. “He’s pretty quick when he wants to be.”
Graham Morgan looked even better in person than he did in the pictures Soraya had sent me, fitting the profile of the sexy, ruthless, billionaire businessman to a T. With dark hair long enough to curl at the collar and a face fit for the cover of GQ, he was gorgeous in an arrogant, investment mogul kind of way. Too stuck-up suit for my taste, but I could see the appeal.
The most appealing thing about him? The way he looked at Soraya. As if she were the very air he needed to breathe.
“No problem.”
“You must be Eva. I’m Graham. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too.”
Graham left shortly after I arrived, saying he had some things to take care of at the office. While there might have been some truth to that, I was pretty sure he was giving Soraya and me a chance to talk privately. I appreciated that.
And talk we did. Soraya made coffee and told me all about her upcoming wedding, her face glowing with radiance as she did. She told me about Graham’s daughter, Chloe, who I hadn’t known about. She regaled me with stories about the “Ask Ida” column and some of the things that had come across her computer. I’d admit, my heart melted a little when she told me how Graham had used the column to connect with her.
Eventually, she’d had it with my stalling and called me out. “Enough about me. Tell me why you’re roaming the streets of Manhattan, alone, at ass o’clock.”
“Maybe I just decided to finally take you up on your invitation to visit.”
She snorted. “Bullshit. I’ve been begging you to come to New York for years, and as far as I know, you’ve never once been tempted to take me up on it.”
“I’ve been tempted,” I said evasively. “But with Brian and Tommy and work and all the family drama ... it was never a good time, you know?”
She studied me carefully. “So, what’s changed? Does this have anything to do with Jace Logan and his big heart and magic penis?”
I chose to address the first question. “Brian and Tommy are touring with Ian, and I decided to take a few days off.”
Soraya’s eyes widened. “Come again? Did you say Brian and Tommy are on tour with Ian?”
I nodded and exhaled. “Yes. Ross is with them, overseeing everything.”
“I can’t believe you agreed to that.”
I chuckled. “Me either. But Ian was supposedly clean, and this was something they really wanted.”
Soraya sipped her coffee, digesting that, connecting the dots. “And you didn’t want history to repeat itself.”
I nodded. “Exactly. I remember what it was like, having those dreams and feeling like I had no other choice. I was single and alone with twins on the way by the time I was their age.”
“Okay, I get that. But that still doesn’t explain why you’re in New York, looking like you just lost your best friend.”
It was an accurate analogy. In just a few short months, despite every wall I’d thrown up, Jace had become my best friend in addition to being my lover. We’d connected on so many levels. It made sense when I thought about it. Jace was an incredibly kind and thoughtful man. We were contemporaries with similar backgrounds and shared so many things in common.
My face must have reflected some of my thoughts because Soraya amended her last statement. “I take it back. You don’t look like you just lost your best friend. You look like a woman who lost the love of her life.”
Also accurate.
“Talk to me, Eva. I’ve been there, remember?”
“Yes, I do, and I’m still kind of pissed that you didn’t reach out when you were in Hermosa Beach.”
“It was a difficult time.”
“That makes it even worse.”
“I know. I’m sorry. Now, quit trying to change the subject. Tell me what happened and who I need to kill.”
I did. I told her everything, the whole sordid tale. She’d already put together some of it from my emails, but for the sake of completeness, I started at the beginning with the unusual events that had had me stepping out from behind the curtain to handle Dark Wing. About Jace’s cocky arrogance and his refusal to take no for an answer. How he’d started showing up at my house and how he’d been there for me when the boys left for the tour. I finished up with the one-on-one Jackie and I’d had in the treehouse.
To Soraya’s credit, she said nothing, letting me get it all out. By the time I was done, I felt drained.
“You know what you need?”
“No,” I said, summoning a weak smile, “but I have a feeling you’re going to tell me.”
“Ink therapy. When’s the last time you got a tattoo?”
Her answer took me completely by surprise. I’d been expecting something more along the lines of another “Ask Ida” column response complete with Soraya’s wit and practicality. Then again, one of the things I loved most about my cousin was her unconventional approach to life and its problems.
“It’s been a while,” I admitted.
The last time I’d gotten ink was shortly after Brian and Tommy were born; I’d gotten a mother and sons design on my ribs. It was nothing compared to the massive black wings on my back, which I’d had done right after I left home to symbolize my rebellion.
She rose, grabbed our mugs, and put them in the sink. “Come on. Let’s go see Tig.”
The name was familiar. “Tig, as in your childhood best friend? The boy next door?”
“The very same. He’s married now. He and his wife, Delia, have a place down on Eighth Avenue. He did this.” Soraya extended her leg, revealing the anklet tattoo with delicate feathers. Graham’s name was in script above the feathers, and Chloe’s name was below.
“It’s gorgeous,” I said honestly. “Very Pocahontas.”
She laughed. “Exactly what I said. And Delia did this.” She stuck out her tongue, showing me the tongue piercing.
“I bet Graham loves that.”
“Oh, he does,” she confirmed with a wicked smile. “Want one?”
“I think I’ll pass on the tongue piercing, but I’d consider getting another tattoo.”
“You won’t regret it. I’ll just call and let him know we’ll be coming by.”
Tig and Delia were waiting for us when we arrived at Tig’s Tattoo and Piercing an hour later. I liked them both immediately. When I saw the pictures of some of the amazing designs he’d done, I knew I had to get something. He took my ideas and used his magic to create something beautiful and unique—a fine-line black-and-gray design that complemented my existing ink. He even managed to artfully incorporate Jace’s name without being too obvious.
Pathetic? Maybe, but it was going on my skin and that was what I wanted.
And while I stood firm on not getting my tongue pierced, I did allow Delia to put a diamond stud in my nose.
“So?” Soraya asked, linking her arm in mine after we said our good-byes and walked out of Tig’s shop. “What do you think?”