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morning.
    By the end of the night, though, my thoughts would be so consumed with Jude that I’d have to head home and jack off to my fantasies of him. But it didn’t help my concentration for shit to come into the shop sleep deprived.
    It was better than being hungover like Dex. I made an attempt to cut him off at midnight and it worked most nights, especially if I reminded him that he had a job to keep. But when it didn’t, at least I was there to call him a cab.
    I walked the dogs back home and then hightailed it over to my shift at Raw Ink. I greeted Jessie at the front desk, as she changed screens on the computer to pull up my schedule. Bennett threw me a quick wave heading out the door, probably eager to get home to Avery. I sighed, wondering if I’d ever be able to find that with somebody again.
    A deep loneliness had taken root inside of me but I covered it up with all of my activities. I knew if I only stopped long enough to contemplate it, I would realize just how lost and forlorn I really was.
    Like a boat unmoored from the harbor, I floated along, seeking comfort from the damn wind. Except I would never acknowledge that the monotony was wearing me down with each passing day.
    Dex strode up front to grab a fresh sketchpad from the supply drawer and broke me out of my thoughts. “You heading up to Zach’s again tonight?”
    “Maybe,” I said. I had avoided the Hog’s Den for the past few nights, in my effort to steer clear of Jude. And since I didn’t want to take up Smoothie King Jonathan on his offer to hook up, heading to all the straight bars with Dex was the only option I had left.
    Dex wasn’t welcome at the Hog’s Den and if he stepped foot anywhere near it, he was sure to be thrown out on his ass again. It amused him and everyone else that I’d become a regular. I drove a motorcycle, so at least I had that in common with their clientele.
    “Why, you need a sidekick?”
    “Always,” he said.
    “Two drink maximum,” I said, stifling a yawn. Dex shrugged and walked away.
    “You realize you’re not helping, right?” Jessie said.
    “You think he wouldn’t just head up there alone?” I said. “At least I can keep him down to two. And hey, I could try to talk to him and figure out why he’s been going overboard so much. It wasn’t always like that.”
    “Do you actually talk or just goof off the entire time?”
    “Whatever,” I scoffed.
    As Jessie flipped the screen toward me, I was surprised to see Jude on my schedule today. Instead of obsessing about it, I forced it from my thoughts like I had all week, and focused on the workday ahead. So when Jessie called back for my next appointment of the afternoon, I was surprised how many hours had already flown by.
    When Jude brusquely appeared at the door, I didn’t have time to process it any longer. “Come in.”
    He set down his bag and approached with wariness in his eyes either from the work that was about to be done or from seeing me again. For certain there was some kind of tension between us and I hadn’t been able to put my finger on it. But now was not the time or place.
    I showed him his tattoo on a larger scale from the transfer paper. His eyes grew wide and I wasn’t sure whether he liked it or not. It was a close likeness to what he had drawn but I had taken liberty to add my own flair in the minute details.
    “Do you approve?” I asked, my stomach unexpectedly tense about his opinion, though I’d never doubted my work before. If there was one thing I was confident about in my life, it was my skill as an artist.
    “Amazing.” One word. That was all he’d allowed.
    And it was those three syllables that had worked their way beneath my layers and burrowed deep inside my gut.
    Fuck.
It was one hard-earned acknowledgement.
    “Thanks, man,” I said, breaking away from his gaze. I finished prepping the machine and set out the color. Black. It was dark and intimidating but suited the tree perfectly. I noticed how his other