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dire need.”
    Sassy looked up, wrinkled her brows at her. Rosie noticed she’d changed the streaks in her long, dark hair—they were fire-engine red today, which looked great against her caramel skin. “You okay, Rosie? You sorta look like hell—no offense, chickie. And sorry I missed you coming in—I was in the office placing a supply order.”
    Rosie shrugged. “Sure, I’m fine. Just…recovering. I could really use that coffee if you have a sec. And crap, do I look that bad?” She reached for her lip gloss stash and the compact mirror she kept in a small basket at her station.
    “You’re gorgeous as always, sexy bitch, but I know you and something’s a little off. Maybe you’ll tell me about it later. Meanwhile, coffee coming right up.” Sassy walked past Rosie’s station to where her infamous coffee was brewed in the back. “Oh, your first client…he’s not a local. Hang on and I’ll check the name.”
    Rosie scrolled through email on her phone for a moment, then Sassy was back with the coffee.
    “Ah, thank you. Your coffee is a little bit of heaven, Sassy, babe.”
    Sassy winked at her. “I’m told I have other talents, too.”
    Rosie grinned. “As long as it’s not my wayward cousin telling you that.”
    “Nah. Baby boss man Christie knows better. He wouldn’t last a day without me.”
    “He’s smart on occasion,” Rosie joked.
    She always had to give Christie a hard time. She actually loved that he’d bought the shop when their uncle Henry Lee decided to retire to Bali after beating cancer. As the new boss at Midnight Ink her cousin had decided to run a special event through December and January—all the shop’s artists had agreed to offer special rates to vets, cancer survivors and anyone getting memorial ink, as well as donating some of the funds to special charities. Rosie’s charity pick was the Why We Ink project, which hosted an online gallery of those who wore their ink for cancer, and raised funds for cancer research. She and Christie both felt it was an important way for the shop to celebrate Henry Lee’s survival, as well as the New Year.
    They’d always been close, despite the fact that Christie, a popular indie musician, had been on the road for too long—the dozens of postcards he’d sent from all over the world pinned to the bulletin board at her work station were proof of that. She’d missed him.
    Sassy moved to the front counter and tapped the keys of her computer. “Looks like your first tattoo today is…here. Rosie, this is Finn Carter.”
    Her heart dropped into her stomach before she even raised her eyes to him.
    Finn.
    How crazy was this? He looked as shocked as she felt.
    Shocked and so gorgeous in the muted afternoon light streaming through the front windows of the shop, tipping his platinum hair in silver.
    She realized her mouth was hanging open so she closed it and stood up.
    “Um..hi.”
    His brows furrowed. “You’re Rosie Gallagher?”
    “Yes. And you’re…my client. Why didn’t you say anything?”
    “I had no idea.”
    “You two know each other from somewhere?” Sassy asked, although it was obvious she already had a good idea.
    If only her pale Irish skin didn’t blush so damn pink!
    Pull it together.
    What would Henry Lee do? That was always her go-to solution whenever there was an issue at the shop. But Henry Lee had tattooed plenty of the women he’d slept with—it was no secret that he got around—and never batted an eye. This was different.
    But did it have to be?
    She stood up straighter. “Why don’t you come on back, Finn, and we’ll talk about what you want.”
    His blue gaze snared hers, and she saw what he wanted in the way his eyes gleamed. Wicked. Taunting. Deadly serious.
    Oh, she was not going down now. Not in her shop. She suppressed a groan and the urge to drop to her knees in front of him.
    “Need some more coffee, Rosie?” Sassy asked, an edge to her tone.
    “I’m good.”
    “Finn? Coffee? I make the best