More Than Lies (49 page)

“We met a few months back. I work at Vivid Theatre.” Stripper she is then. Maybe I wasn’t so judgmental after all since I called it straight out. That doesn’t explain what she wants with my man. Yes, my man. Shawn just became a possession to me. He’s mine. I’m his. We’ve been through a lot of crap to get to where we are.

“And you’re here to see him why?” Mason’s tone turns hard. He’s protective of me. Loyal to Shawn no doubt, but I know exactly where I fit in Mason’s heart.

“Well I should really tell him, but it’s going to get out eventually.” She turns to look me directly in the eyes. “I’m carrying his baby. He should know after all and I want my baby’s daddy in his life.” Oh if this bitch weren’t pregnant I would have jumped on top of her.

I don’t react, though. The cat claws stay sheathed. For now! She obviously wanted one, that’s the reason she looked at me the way she did.

“I don’t know who the fuck you think you are, but that baby isn’t his.” I’d like to say that was me that made that blunt statement, but it wasn’t. Again, it was Mason taking up for his best friend, his brother from another mother so to speak.

“I have no reason to lie and I’m very willing to do a paternity test to prove he is.” Again the cunt turns to direct her words at me. Shawn’s language has been having more of an effect on me lately than I’d like to admit. The “c” word, Taralynn? At least I didn’t verbalize it. Thinking it is bad enough.

“Taralynn.” Mason says my name with caution. I still haven’t spoken a word since she sat down and I don’t intend too. I know exactly what I need to do and I’m not about to waste time because Shawn is liable to make an appearance at any moment.

I turn away from my two friends and the trash I let walk into my home minutes ago, grab my keys hanging next to the door, and then I walk out.

“Taralynn, wait.” Is the last thing I hear, coming from Matt, before the door shuts and I race to my car with a plan forming in my mind.

When I come out of the bathroom I’m half hoping Tara will be naked in our bed, but that dream dies when I see she isn’t even in the room. The bed is perfectly made the same way it was fifteen minutes ago.

I quickly throw on a pair of jeans, one of my company t-shirts that I once again had redesigned recently and pair of socks, followed by my boots. If she wanted to be sexed then she should have gotten her sweet beautiful ass back up here. Too bad for her, and me too because now she will have to wait. I plan on having a few hours of fun outside of the house with my friends, today.

Matt is leaving in less than two weeks. Tara is going to need a distraction because my woman deals with shit too much as it is, so the four of us are going to play Frisbee golf as a local park. It’ll be fun. We haven’t played in forever and it’ll give her and Matt some time together and memories to pile up.

It’s not a bad thing that he’ll be based in Los Angeles. It’ll give the both of us more reason to make trips out west. Chance and I have become pretty good friends in the past year since I became the owner of the tattoo studio I work at. He’s offered a lot of great advice. The place has done a one eighty in a short time span.

I hate that Tara isn’t there daily anymore, but Natalie was a good hire. She keeps everyone in line and our schedules full. She filled our vacancies. We now have seven full time artists in the studio. She hired a piercer who is equally talented as a tattoo artist. His name is Danny. He, along with his wife, Carly moved here a few months ago. Carly is a tattoo artist, too and she’s great. Tara still does payroll and all the accounting for the business, but she mainly does it from home. Natalie took over as the manager a few months ago.

I head out of the bedroom door and jog down the stairs landing in the foyer in seconds. I’m immediately alarmed when I hear Mason’s voice booming. He’s shouting.

“You’re a fucking lying bitch.” Mason is angry that much is clear. It takes a lot to set him off.

“What’s going on in here?” Three bodies turn to face me. Matt is gripping Mason by the arm. Mason, whose face is blazing, has his fist balled at his sides and then there is a chick that doesn’t look the least bit familiar, then again my motto hasn’t exactly changed where they’re concerned. Women are still a dime a dozen. What has changed is me, because of Tara. She’s the one that is special. The one that does and will always have my attention captured. No other will ever hold a candle to my girl, the love of my life. I know my dumbass wasted so much time fighting my feelings for her. I know why, but I also know deep down that they aren’t logical. I keep trying to tell myself that every day. Maybe one of these days I’ll start to believe it.

Speaking of Tara, I don’t see her, but I can’t worry about that now. Mason looks like he wants to rip this woman apart.

“This bitch came in here saying she’s pregnant with your kid.”

It takes me at least ten full seconds to comprehend what he’s has said. I look down, the woman is indeed toting a calf, but I can guaran-fucking-tee you it isn’t mine. I haven’t sleep with another woman since the night I first hooked up with Tara. I still have a hard time believing she and I have been together for a year. I don’t count all that other bullshit when we weren’t officially dating or when I had a short circuit in my brain last year and damn near cost us our future.

Tara is the only woman I want to be with. I don’t miss the one-night stands. Those days are over and I’m not the least bit sorry to see them go. No more does a quick fuck get me the release I seek. If I’m honest with myself, even then it wasn’t satisfying; it took shutting my eyes and picturing the woman I really wanted in order to get off.

“I don’t know who the hell you are.” I look her in the eyes, training mine on her hard. It doesn’t take but a second or two for her smug smile to disappear and be replaced with what looks like a bit of fear. “I’ve never laid eyes on you, much less touched or fucked you.”

“Look—” Her voice is drawn out and maybe even shaky, but I don’t give her an inch nor do I let her get another word out of her lying mouth.

“You came into my house. Lied to my friends. What the fuck did you hope to accomp—” I stop mid-sentence.

Tara.

She not being here suddenly has my chest tightening like there is a rope squeezing around my heart. Where is she? She didn’t know what I had planned, but she was well aware the only reason I took today off was so we could spend time together.

I turn to look at my friends.

“Where’s Tara?” I ask fearing the worst. Did this bitch get to her, spewing her lies to my girl and if so, did Tara believe her? I won’t lose her again. I can’t go through that again. Eight months ago I almost lost her for good. I was stupid for doubting I am what she wants and needs.

“She took off.” Matt confirms my thoughts.

“And you both let her leave?” She can’t possibly think I’d cheat on her. There is nothing or no one worth losing the person I can’t live without over.

I turn back toward the nuisance taking up oxygen in my living room. “Get the fuck out of my house. Make sure I never see you again.” When she doesn’t make any attempts to leave I force my point by taking a large step closer to her. “If I need to remove you from my house, don’t think I won’t.”

I’ll never touch this bitch, but she doesn’t know that. I’m okay with using my large build to my advantage.

“Whatever.” She walks around me heading in the direction of the front door. Good, the sooner she is out of my sight the sooner I can focus on finding Tara and fixing this mess. “I’ve completed the task I was hired to do anyways.”

“What does that mean?” It’s Mason that demands an answer. Normally I’d care, but I don’t know where my girlfriend is or what’s going through her head. My priority is Tara.

The cunt turns back around to face us before walking out the door. “Seems your friend there,” she point her finger at me. “Pissed off the wrong bitch. She did tell me to relay a message. Something about regrets are such a bitch.”

Holly Torres.

“Elaborate.” Mason’s tone is furious as though it were him this woman came in and shelled out lies about.

“A few weeks ago, an uppity blonde, looking more like white trash than even me and her bitch of a friend came into the club. Being this far along I can’t dance, so I was their server. I don’t remember the blonde’s name. Mandy, I do remember she called her dark haired friend, though. They offered me cash, a grand to pay your girlfriend a visit and convince her that I got knocked up by you.”

By the mention of a club and dancing, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say this chick is or used to be a stripper.

Perfect.

Fucking perfect.

My girlfriend is off somewhere thinking God knows what. Probably that I haven’t changed. That I’m still the same man that used to fuck anything easy and in a skirt.

I’m not that man anymore.

I hate that I ever was that person.

I’ve got to find her.

“Get out of my house.” Without giving her another ounce of my time, I pull out my cell phone from the pocket of my jeans. Finding Tara won’t be hard as long as her cell phone isn’t shut off.

Unlocking my screen, I scroll until I find the app that will show me her location. This isn’t stalking or creepy, I assure you. Tara has the same capabilities as I do. We both know each other’s phone ID and password.

Within seconds the GPS within the app locates her, giving a small amount of relief to my chest.

I recognize the location instantly. She’s at the shop. Why, I don’t know, but I’m not sticking around and I don’t attempt to call her. I need to see her face-to-face. A part of me is afraid that if I call, she won’t answer.

I grab my keys and I’m out the door. My friends don’t stop me and I don’t ask them to come with.

Typically, the drive to work takes close to fifteen minutes. I make it to Wicked Ink in less than ten. Her car is parked outside. That’s good, I hope. I pull the truck to an abrupt stop, slamming the gear into park before hopping out and running inside.

I won’t let anyone cost us our happiness. I fought tooth and nail to get her back; to get all of her back. It didn’t happen overnight. Tara didn’t let me back in that easy; not all the way until recently. When I showed up at Jacob and Katherine’s house, I got her to listen to me and she believed me. Not at first, but by the time we woke up the next morning she believed me. But that didn’t get us back together. I had to work my ass off to get back into her good graces, to get back to her trusting me again. She’s was hesitant with us for months. We’ve just recently gotten back to the relaxed easiness we had before I messed up.

I will not let another lie ruin us. We’re more than lies and we’re damn sure stronger than them.

When I walk in, I scan the room, looking for her. Everyone turns, and I notice they are eying me strangely.

Shit, that can’t be good.

Finally, I spot her, but when my eyes land on her, I suck in air in a long pull.

No.

She is lying on Adam’s table, on her stomach with her hair pulled up, baring the back of her neck. That tells me exactly what’s going on. Knowing she is letting someone else ink her, has a tightness constricting around my heart that hurts like a mother fucker.

I don’t want her being tattooed by anyone, but me.

This isn’t making sense, but I speak before I realize words are coming out of my mouth.

“Stop, Adam. Get your hands off of her.” My words boom across the large room.

He complies. His hands shoot into the air in a surrender motion as he stands up, followed by his feet retreating backwards. That’s when I notice he didn’t have a tattoo gun in his hands. I’ve either gotten here just in time or just too late.

I stalk in their direction as Tara takes a sitting position. Her face is flustered, but she hasn’t been crying. She looks angry. Her eyes are trained on me, but I’m lost. I don’t know what to say or do. Up until this point, my goal was getting to her. I never thought about what I’d say when I found her.

“Tara, baby…what…no.” My words are soft and broken, not even making a complete sentence. I come to stand in front of her.

“Shawn.” She says my name, but I feel numb. My eyes shut and then snap back open. I’m going to kill Adam.

“Whoa, man.” He must realize my intent when I open my lids and stare directly at him. “Look, dude…” I cut him off.

“The best thing you can do right now is not breathe in my direction. What the fuck, Adam?”

“Shawn.” Tara calls my name out again, but with more bite. I look back at her as she hops off the table. “Come with me.” When I don’t move, she grabs my arms and yanks on me to follow her. I still don’t budge. “Now.”

I can murder him later.

I follow Tara. Her hair is hanging down, covering what I do not want to look at. Is this her way of getting back at me for something I didn’t even do? I can’t see another man’s work on her body.

When we walk inside, I close the door. Tara walks a little further inside, but doesn’t make any moves to turn around to face me.

“Tara, I didn’t sleep with that woman. That kid isn’t—”

“Stop, Shawn.” No, I can’t. I have to make her believe me once again.

“No, you have to believe that I wouldn’t screw this up again and I wouldn’t do that do you.” I wouldn’t. She everything I’ve ever wanted and every day I learn she’s even more than I knew I wanted.