Troubled Son: Savage Sons MC Romance by Jayna King Page B

though I was a few minutes early.
    I got out of the car and realized that the sun had warmed things up nicely. I shed my jacket and tossed it inside the car, deciding that I may as well get used to acting as if I was accustomed to walking around with my tits on display and my jeans cut so low that you could tell that I'd recently had a bikini wax. I laughed to myself as I thought about what Moses would say.
    I crossed the lot and opened the door. No Moses. I could hear the sound of two or three tattoo machines buzzing in the back of the shop, and I figured that the artists worked behind closed doors. The door chimed as I walked inside, and I waited to see if Moses would appear.
    A young woman stood up from behind the counter. I hadn't realized that she was there, so I must've jumped nearly to the ceiling, which made us both dissolve in laughter. When we finally stopped laughing, the woman dried the tears that threatened to ruin her makeup, and I checked her out. She looked a couple of years younger than I was, and she was beautiful in a heavily made-up sort of way. Her dark hair was pulled back into a messy, hairsprayed bun, and her thick bangs gave her hairstyle a dramatic look. She wore an emerald green metallic shirt that exposed both her arms and some serious cleavage. She was tiny, and the tight black jeans and black heel she wore made her look rail thin. She turned around to find a kleenex, and I realized that even though she was little, she managed to look voluptuous as the same time, her black jeans showing off a fantastic ass to go with her cleavage. She was gorgeous.
    "Can I help you?" she asked once we'd settled down.
    "I'm here to see Moses."
    She smiled at me, her condescension thinly veiled. "You and every other girl who walks in the door, sweetheart. Do you have an appointment?"
    "Sort of," I answered, not exactly sure how to reply.
    She rolled her eyes, and I figured that she must have to run interference for her boss relatively frequently.
    "Is he expecting you?"
    "Yes," I answered with relief.
    "What's your name, honey? I'll let him know you're here."
    "Max."
    The young woman's eyebrows practically vanished into her hairline, and she looked me over more carefully than she had at first.
    "So you're the one, then?" she asked with a smile.
    I couldn't tell if she was being catty, or if she was genuinely pleased to meet Moses' old lady.
    I shrugged and smiled back. "Guess so."
    "Well, have a seat. I'll got let him know you're here."
    She walked into the back of the shop. I watched her go, feeling like an enormous and ridiculous giant. I was used to being taller than other women, and taller than a number of men, for that matter, but I'd never gotten used to the way that women like this gorgeous, petite pixie of a woman made me feel. I felt gangly, oversized, and awkward, and as good as I'd felt about my muscular curves that morning, I'd have traded them all to fit into a size four pair of jeans and a size small shirt. I wondered for a moment if anyone would even buy that Moses was really with me. If he had beautiful, thin women to choose from, why on earth would he pick me? My confidence gone, I sat down and waited for Moses.

Chapter 16

     
    Moses
     
    I was working on finishing the outline of a jaguar that would be the last big section of a full sleeve I'd done for a good customer of mine. Since the guy was paying as we went, I planned to do the outline in one day and fill in with color in a couple of weeks when he got paid again. I heard Krystal's voice before she knocked 'cause she knew I didn't like sudden loud noises while I worked. A steady hand is essential to good line work.
    "Moses," she said after I'd told she she could come in. "There's a young lady here to see you. Says her name is Max,"
    She watched me carefully for my reaction, and I deliberately gave her nothing. I loved Krystal, but our relationship was a little complicated. We worked together great now, but we'd had our share of knockdown