“And you love me anyway. Get out here and say hi to Eden. You know you want to.”

Eden’s face flamed red, but Delilah didn’t seem to notice she was embarrassing the hell out of the girl.

“It’s okay. I don’t mean to bother either of you. I was just . . .”

I rose from my stool and came out into the main area of the shop as Eden’s words trailed off.

“You were just doing what?” I asked.

“Exploring. And trying new things.” Her dark eyes met mine after a beat of hesitation, and I could think of a dozen new things I’d like her to try.

Why did corrupting her innocence seem like the best idea I’d had in years? I should feel like a piece of shit for even considering touching her, but something about her called to my most basic instincts.

Protect. Defend. Claim.

I hadn’t felt that fucking primal in years—and I needed to lock that shit down. My life was simple, and this girl had complicated written all over her.

“She’s about to try her very first praline,” Delilah said. “You sure you don’t want one, Bish?”

“I’m good. Have at ’em.”

Eden, looking grateful for the interruption, lifted it to her lips. When she bit into the praline, a quiet moan escaped her mouth and echoed in my balls.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. She shouldn’t be bringing out this kind of response in me, and I needed to get it under control before I did something I wouldn’t be able to take back.

I turned my attention away and walked behind the counter to check the appointment book, even though I knew exactly what was on the schedule for the day.

“Oh my God, these are delicious,” Eden whispered after she swallowed.

“Best in the city, in my opinion. So, what really brings you to New Orleans if you aren’t here for the craziness of Mardi Gras?”

It was a question I wanted to ask too.

“I always wanted to come here?” Eden’s reply sounded a hell of a lot more like a question, but before she could say more, the door swung open and chimed again.

I swung my focus to the entrance, ready to glare at whoever came inside, but I couldn’t.

“Charlie! It’s been way too long, stranger! Where have you been hiding, girl?” Delilah’s excitement sent her voice into the next octave.

The women hugged, and Charlie smiled over Delilah’s shoulder at me. “Hey, Bishop. How’s it going?”

“He’s cranky as usual,” Delilah said. “Tell me, what’s new? This place isn’t the same without you around. I know you’re up in Simon’s fancy-schmancy place doing all that noble charity stuff, but we miss you down here.”

Charlie was the shopgirl before I started here. I’d only met her a few times when she’d come in for touch-ups on her tats. Full sleeves graced her arms, and her back was fairly covered. She was notorious in her own right, the daughter of the man who committed the biggest fraud to ever hit the investment world.

I wondered if Eden would recognize her. Most people didn’t, given that she’d made a one-hundred-eighty-degree change from the days she spent as a society princess.

“We’ve been so crazy busy. Between Simon taking over the CEO position from his dad, and me running the nonprofit, I swear, we barely get to sleep anymore. But I had to get down here to say hi and see if you could squeeze me in for a quick touch-up.”

“Anything for you, girl. Anytime.”

Charlie turned to Eden and held out a hand. “Sorry to be rude. I’m Charlie Duchesne. I used to work here.”

“Best damn shopgirl we’ve ever had. And we haven’t found a new one who would stick since. Sad state of affairs.” Delilah motioned to Eden. “This is our new friend Eden, who up and decided to come to New Orleans on Mardi Gras but didn’t know what she was getting into. I’m just waiting for the real story.”

Eden stiffened, and my guess was that she didn’t appreciate being put on the spot.

“Umm . . . there’s really no story.”

Charlie sized her up. “You sure? Because that’s what people usually say who have the best stories.”

“I really just always wanted to come here. That’s basically it.”

“How long are you staying?” This question came from Delilah.

Eden shrugged. “I don’t know. I haven’t decided.”

“Where are you staying?” Charlie asked.

“A hotel, for the moment.”

Eden’s answers were vague enough to raise more than one question in my mind, but for some reason, I didn’t like seeing how uncomfortable the interrogation made her.

“What do you need touched up?” I asked Charlie, trying to change the subject. “I can take care of it right now, if you want.”

All three female heads swung in my direction.

Charlie smiled. “Only if it’s not too much trouble.” She held up her arm and flipped it over. “When this healed, some of the line work flaked. Considering it’s my tattoo for Simon, I want it to be perfect.” She glanced at Delilah. “And I wanted a reason to come hang out. I miss this place.”

Delilah studied her. “Are you sure everything’s okay uptown?”

Charlie nodded. “I’m just feeling nostalgic, and I had some free time on my hands.”

“Come on. We can get you fixed up.” As I headed back to my station and Charlie followed, I could feel Eden’s attention on me.

It only took ten minutes to fix the lines on Charlie’s eternity tat, and by the time we finished, she was ready to spill.

She dropped into one of the waiting-room chairs and pulled her knees up in front of her. She looked all of twenty years old. “We’re talking about trying to have a baby, and I’m kinda freaking out.”

Delilah’s eyes widened. “Wow. That’s a big one.”

Eden, who’d been talking about pralines and places to eat in the Quarter with Delilah while I worked, released a breath. “That is big.”

Charlie tucked her hair behind her ears. “I love Simon more than I knew I could ever love another human being, and I want to have a family with him. It’s always seemed so far off in the future, you know? But now it’s getting real. It shouldn’t scare me, but it does.”

“Change is hard. Especially that kind of permanent change.” Delilah’s voice was soft.