Free Beyond Shame by Kit Rocha Page B

scores, win respect, blow off steam. Make the chicks' panties fall off, that's a big one."
    "I've never seen a fight. Is it really that compelling?"
    "Depends. I'll admit, there's something to be said for sweaty, half-naked guys beating the shit out of each other. A certain..." Rachel's lips curved in a tiny smile. "Animal appeal?"
    Noelle tried to imagine it. Jas, stripped to the waist, fighting. Raw, unchecked violence. Fists against flesh, all of that power realized. "I guess I can see that."
    "I guess you can. Tonight, after closing. Main warehouse over on Sixth."
    "If you want, I could cover the bar for a while so you can do your other job." She'd probably fumble half the orders, but no one seemed to care once the girls started dancing. "Then we could go over to the warehouse together."
    "Thanks, but it shouldn't take long." Rachel finished pouring the liquor and added a dash of bitters. "The generator over at the parlor's been acting wonky, so I told Ace I'd fix it up."
    The name was naggingly familiar. "Ace... The one with all the tattoos?"
    "That's him. He does good work." Rachel held up her wrist, where you could barely tell the cuff of ink obscured a city bar code. Then she turned and lifted her shirt, revealing two lotus flowers, one at the small of her back and the other between her shoulder blades, both connected by a tangle of vines.
    As tempting as it was to reach out and trace one of the lifelike vines, Noelle kept her hands to herself. "That's gorgeous. But didn't it hurt?"
    "At first. After a while, I don't even think I was conscious anymore."
    "It hurt that much?"
    Rachel laughed and took another drag from her cigarette. "No wonder Lex has taken to calling you baby girl."
    Heat rose in Noelle's cheeks, bringing the first rush of humiliation with it. She didn't know which stung worse—knowing everyone thought she was stupid, or knowing they were right. "I must seem ridiculous to you."
    "No." The woman slid an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. "You've got a lot of living to do, that's all. You want to come to the parlor with me? I'll be finished before you know it, and we can go watch Jas kick the shit out of someone. He never loses, you know."
    Living. Most emphatically not what she'd been doing in Eden. Noelle reached for the remaining glass and knocked it back. It still burned its way down her throat and kicked in her stomach, but she liked the tingles that followed. She was warm. Loose.
    She was living. "I'd like that."

Ace
     
    "Here's your problem." Rachel wiped her cheek with the back of her hand, leaving behind a black smudge. "Your voltage regulator's shot."
    Ace knew he should be listening to the words coming out of her mouth, but damned if he'd ever been able to. Rachel Riley was a golden angel begging to be debauched, even in a pair of cheap overalls with grease on her face.
    Fuck Jasper for sending her over here, anyway. And fuck Jasper for not fucking the new princess already. Noelle had come trailing in behind Rachel like a lost little duckling, and oh, she and Rachel made a picture. He'd carve out a kidney to see all that blonde and brunette hair tangled together—preferably while they fought over who got to suck his dick first.
    For a man who'd had a hooker on him less than an hour ago, he was damn hard up for some blighted satisfaction.
    Rachel waved a wrench at him. "Are you even listening to me?"
    Ace blinked away the image of hot, clumsy blowjobs with a sigh. "Yeah, sweet thing. Something with a regulator is shot. Can you fix it?"
    "Probably. I'll adjust the phase compensation, see if that clears it up." She grinned. "What's it worth to you?"
    "The whole ten inches?"
    "Charming, but I prefer cash. Though I'm not above bartering." She turned to Noelle and handed her the wrench. "What do you think? Could I use another tattoo?"
    Ace's dick went rock hard, and it had nothing to do with how Jasper's princess pursed her lush lips as she considered the question. Having Rachel in his chair