An accountant's calculated attempt to fit in entangles her with Hollywood's hottest tattoo artist who thrives on standing out. Worlds collide as the two decide what is truly permanent.
What is Permanent?
Always on the outside looking in, accountant, Lindsay Stevens, has calculated her transformation from a small town, nerdy bookkeeper to a sleek, high-powered accountant down to the last penny. With all her checks finally in balance, she moves to California to start a new life free of her embarrassing past she never wants revealed.
As Hollywood's hottest tattoo artist, Shane Elliott thrives on standing out. Charismatic and free of commitments, he travels through life with a wink and a smile, hiding the letters he receives from the IRS as if they don't exist. Now with bills to pay and tax collectors breathing down his back, for the first time in his life Shane can't charm his way out of his situation. However, when his new neighbor literally falls into his life, he knows he has struck gold once again.
Though Lindsay tries to keep her distance, she suddenly finds herself trying to hide her true self as she thrust into a world she doesn't think she belongs, but can't resist. In his good-time life, Shane must discover there is more to life than a party if he wants something more.
With their lives intertwined, the two must learn accept each other, themselves and their love.
Worlds collide as they decide what is truly permanent.
Permanent is the first book in the Indelibly Marked Series that follows the lives and loves of those surrounding Permanent Tattoo.
About the Author:
Kim Carmichael began writing eight years ago when her love of happy endings inspired her to create her own.
A Southern California native, Kim's contemporary romance combines Hollywood magic with pop culture to create quirky characters set against some of most unique and colorful settings in the world.
With a weakness for designer purses, bad boys and techno geeks, Kim married her own computer whiz after he proved he could keep her all her gadgets running and finally admitted handbags were an investment.
Kim is a member of the Romance Writers of America, as well as some small specialty chapters. A multi-published author, Kim's books can be found on Amazon as well as Barnes & Nobel. From alcohol to makeup to infrared cameras and even scientific lasers studying the atmosphere, Kim has worked in some aspect of sales and marketing for over twenty years.
When not writing, she can usually be found slathered in sunscreen trolling Los Angeles and helping top doctors build their practices.
Excerpt from Permanent:
Unable to stop herself, she opened what he called accounts receivable, jumping back when more papers poured out onto the floor. “You never thought of using a file folder?”
“I thought about it.” He picked up the papers, forced them back inside the cabinet and kicked the drawer closed as if trapping an animal.
“Out of curiosity, what happened to that thought?”
“I knew I wouldn’t do it, so I just kept this system.”
“At least you didn’t set yourself up for failure.”
“Exactly.” He furrowed his brow and turned away from the cabinet.
“What have you done in the past to file your tax returns?” If he said he guessed, no doubt a vein in her brain would blow.
“I estimated with my old accountant.”
She moved her hand to her temple, pushing her vein back in. “You had an accountant?”
“Yep, he’s out of business now and relocated.”
Speechless, she paced for a moment. Part of her wanted to dig into the cabinet, tear it apart and take over. Another part of her wanted to run and tell him she didn’t sign up for this. This wasn’t her, not anymore. She was a corporate accountant who didn’t take on homespun businesses. And she didn’t play with bad boys because they were bad. She shoved her pencil in her mouth and spun back to face her new nemesis, the filing cabinet of horrors.
His phone rang. “Is the car fixed? Yeah, I know it’s only been a few minutes.”
All she needed was a strategy. When she observed his bill paying attempts, she knew this wouldn’t be an outpatient job. But this wasn’t her, she shouldn’t be there, and she stomped her foot.
While Shane talked about her car, she crept over to the cabinet and opened the top drawer.
More papers and a shoebox greeted her. She chewed her lip, and unable to stand the suspense she knocked the lid off the box.
For at least a full minute she stared at the contents while the shudder running down her backbone subsided. She bit the end of her pencil hard and the eraser came off in her mouth.
“If you’re hungry, we can go down to Pete’s and get some rations.” Shane returned and took the pencil. With a fast examination of the writing tool he held his hand out.
She spit the eraser into his palm and covered her eyes. Was there nothing she wouldn’t do in front of the man to embarrass herself? She sucked in a breath when he glanced down at the eraser, tilted his head and popped it in his own mouth.
He chewed a moment, nodded and swallowed. “I think I would rather have some sushi.”
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