I smiled as I approached the desk and made a futile attempt not to check her out. It worked for all of three seconds. I was thankful for the warm weather, because Tenley wore a gray top baring enough skin to make me want to see more. A shiny silvery strap cut a line across her shoulder to disappear under the collar. Tenley was focused on the black bands of ink on my arm. The way she looked at my art made me feel naked. And not in a sexual way. I was used to being stared at. I hadn’t covered my body in ink and invested in facial piercings to blend in with the general population. But this was different. It wasn’t the typical bad-boy eye-fuck. It was something else entirely. It felt like she was trying to decipher the meaning in my art.
I studied her face. Beyond the understated beauty there were dark circles beneath her eyes, as though she wasn’t getting enough sleep. Even exhausted, she was still gorgeous.
Mild unease made her shift in her seat. “Hi, Hayden. You just missed Cassie.”
“I know. I’m here to see you.” I leaned forward, bracing my forearms on the counter. That way she could have a better look at my ink if she wanted to and I could keep checking her out.
Her eyes dropped, then she looked up. “Oh.”
I was positive she had no idea how sexy she was when she did that. I swept the pad of my thumb under the hollow of her eye. “You look tired.”
Touching her made me feel high. Like she was plugged into me or was plugging me in. I wanted to know what it would feel like to have my hands on her. Everywhere. I severed the contact in order to regain control of my brain.
“I have nightmares,” she said. “Bad ones.”
Like there was some other kind? She lined up the books on the counter. Obviously that was the only answer I would get.
“Did you want to go back down to the basement? Sort through the rest of those boxes?” she asked.
“Can you come with me?”
“I have to watch the desk and deal with customers.”
“There’s no one in the store. You could lock up for a bit.”
“Um . . .” She hesitated, maybe contemplating the request.
I grinned and cut to the chase. “Some other time. You haven’t stopped by the shop yet to show me your design.”
“Sorry.” She rubbed the back of her neck.
That small physical sign of discomfort screamed of deeper meaning. I wanted to know if it had to do with me or the design, or both. I tried not to think about Tenley in my chair, partially undressed, or fully undressed. Tried being the operative word. “Uh, look,” I said, kind of sigh-groaning as she started to chew on her fingernail, drawing my attention to her mouth. “Why don’t you come over after you close up? I’ll schedule you after nine, yeah? Bring the sketch with you and I’ll take a look. No pressure to commit, though. Does that sound all right?”
“Okay.” She said it like it was a question, looking at me with her big Bambi eyes, all hunched shoulders and wringing hands. It made me want to hug her, or jump her, or whatever. I was such a fucking mess over this girl.
“Excellent.” I smiled and pushed away from the counter. “I’ll see you around nine.”
“Sure.” Tenley gave me the sweetest, shyest smile.
I left before I said or did something inappropriate. All I’d done this time was ogle her chest. That was definitely an improvement over the past two interactions. I sauntered into Inked Armor, pretty pleased with myself.
Chris gave me an odd look. “Where’s my coffee?”
I’d forgotten all about my cover for going over to Serendipity. “I said I was going for coffee, not that I was getting you one.”
“Well, where the hell is your coffee, then?” He cocked a pierced brow.
“I already drank it.”
“Whatever you say, brother, but since you were gone for all of ten minutes, I’m calling bullshit.”
I ignored him and perused the appointment book. My client would arrive soon, and I would likely be finished around eight thirty, which left me wide open for the remainder of the night. I would feel like an ass if I told Tenley to come over and I couldn’t see her. I penciled her name in, hoping the design was one I could put on her.
Chris got up in my space, looking over my shoulder.
I elbowed him in the side. “Christ, Chris, are you trying to make out with me? Back off.”
Lisa came out of the office, beaming. Her joy was short-lived. “No coffees?”
“Tenley’s coming by later,” Chris said.
“It’s not a big deal, I’m just checking out her design,” I said, playing it off like it was nothing. I should definitely not be all worked up over the prospect of marking Tenley, since it wasn’t even a guarantee yet. But I was.
Lisa scowled. “I already knew that.”
“How is that possible? I only asked her a minute ago.”
“I went over earlier. She told me she had the design with her. She was thinking about stopping by after work.”
Well, wasn’t that a shot to my ego. Here I thought I’d done a great job convincing her to come see me and Lisa had already gotten to her. “Have you seen it?” I asked.
“Nope, but I guess I will later.” She went back into the office.
Later couldn’t come soon enough.
* * *
I was putting gauze on my client’s fresh tattoo when Tenley arrived. Chris and Jamie were in the stockroom, taking inventory, and Lisa was in the back, piercing some girl and her friend. If I was quick about getting rid of my client, I might have a few minutes alone with Tenley before they bombarded her. I wasn’t the only one happy to have her in the shop. Lisa was practically in love with her, in a platonic way, and Chris seemed to have taken a liking to her as well. I made it quite clear he was to keep his hands off and his comments on her assets to himself. Jamie, being Jamie, didn’t notice anyone but Lisa.
Tenley looked around the near-empty shop before finally settling on me.
“You can have a seat. I won’t be long.” I inclined my head toward the waiting area. There were plush chairs and a coffee table with tattoo magazines and custom albums.
She had a few books and a white box tucked under one arm, her messenger bag slung over the opposite shoulder. She graced me with one of her timid smiles, then settled in a chair and leafed through one of my custom albums while she waited.
I cashed out my client and turned my attention to Tenley. Her legs were folded underneath her, hair shielding her face. She wasn’t looking at the custom album anymore; it was lying on the table beside her. Her focus was still fixed on her lap, though. She looked more at ease than she had the last time she’d been here.
I crossed the room and hovered over her, waiting for her to notice and acknowledge my presence. When she didn’t, I leaned in, interested in whatever absorbed her attention. Tenley’s head snapped up and her eyes widened when she came face-to-face with me, my nose almost touching hers.
“Interesting reading?” I asked, straightening.
Tenley murmured something unintelligible and flipped a sketch pad closed. The breathless quality of her voice had an immediate physical impact. Not ideal, considering she was eye level with my groin. Which was exactly where her eyes went. She whispered the same curse that went through my head. Flailing, Tenley shot up out of the chair.
She hadn’t accounted for my proximity. As she rose, the entirety of her lithe little frame brushed against me. I bit my tongue so I didn’t groan out loud at the sensation. It felt like a power surge running through my body, centered in my pants.
“I brought the design.” She rushed the words.
So she was going with the ignore-it-and-it-doesn’t-exist tactic. I should have been embarrassed by my inability to control my bodily reaction to her, and I was, sort of. But I didn’t take a step back, not even when she held the sketch pad up in front of my face. Noticing the absence of gauze, I took her hand in mine and lowered the pad so I could see her face again.
Tenley met my probing gaze. In those fleeting seconds, I uncovered more
of what I’d glimpsed in the basement. The curiosity, the need and the fury. The first two were an echo of my own emotions. The fury made her look away. It made me want to know its origin. I stored her sketch pad under my arm and turned her palm over, interested to see what she’d been hiding under the gauze the last time I saw her. The side of her hand was covered in a crosshatch of barely healed red scars.
“What did you do to yourself?” I asked softly, not expecting an answer, since she’d avoided giving one last time. I ran my thumb over the sensitive scar tissue. I wanted to kiss it better, so I did. Because I was stupid and had no impulse control. Fear swam in her eyes, mixed with longing. It was a dangerous combination. She made me feel the same way, only I reacted differently. The fear I completely ignored, and the other emotion funneled into my hormones.
“Tenley! I’m so glad you’re here! That new jewelry came in this afternoon like I promised.” Lisa broke through my lust-induced fog.
Tenley snatched her hand away, severing the connection.
“She’s here to show me her design,” I said, irritated by Lisa’s inopportune interruption and my own inability to keep my hands and my mouth to myself.
“You can have her when I’m done,” Lisa said, giving me a look that told me not to push it.
Most of the time I would do as she dictated, but I wasn’t in much of a mood to follow directions from anyone tonight, even Lisa. She helped Tenley gather her things, including the white box. It looked suspiciously like the ones Cassie used to transport treats, more specifically, cupcakes.
“What have you got there?” I asked in a frail attempt to keep Tenley from being dragged off by Lisa. She was supposed to be here to see me, and I didn’t want to share.
“Nothing.” Tenley held the box protectively against her chest. Now I really wanted to know what was inside.
“I can hold on to that box of nothing while Lisa monopolizes my time with you,” I offered.
Tenley gave her head a slow shake. “I don’t think so.”
“Why not? You don’t trust me with a box of nothing?” I sidestepped Lisa when she tried to get between us. She wasn’t very effective, since she was half my size and I could easily move her out of the way if I were so inclined. At the moment, the inclination was strong.
“Can you promise not to look inside?” Tenley asked. Despite her defiance I could see the hint of a smile.
I shrugged. “Why don’t you give me a little peek and kill the curiosity?”
“I’m still not leaving it with you,” she warned as she flipped the lid open.
I was right about the contents. Inside were cupcakes, piled high with soft, fluffy icing, decorated with black skull and crossbones candies. As far as baked goods went, they were badass.
I grabbed for Tenley, bearer of treats. I had one arm snaked around her waist while I carefully tried to wrestle the box free with the other. She let out a squeal and stomped on my foot. It had no impact; I had on old-school Docs with steel toes. Lisa, however, was far more creative. She kneed me in the side of the thigh and the resulting charley horse made my leg give out and my grip loosen. Tenley shut the lid, and Lisa yanked her out of my grasp. They skidded across the shop and disappeared into the piercing room before I could recover. I didn’t bother to follow—Lisa would lock the door. She knew how I felt about cupcakes. My mom used to make them for me when I was a kid; birthdays, holidays, just because. She always made the vanilla one with buttercream icing, totally from scratch. I used to eat them until I made myself sick. Then I’d go back for more.
“What’s up with you?” Chris was standing in the doorway of the stockroom, looking at me like I’d lost my mind. I wondered how much he’d seen.
“There were cupcakes in that box.” I pointed in the direction they had gone. With my cupcakes.
“Uh, yeah, dickhead, I figured that out, only you would react like a kindergartener over baked goods. I mean, what the hell was that about?” He motioned to the closed door.
“What do you mean?” I asked, shoving my hands in my pockets to do a little surreptitious rearranging.
Jamie poked his head out of the supply room. “I’ve never met anyone so transparent in my life.”
“What are you trying to say?” Jamie was the more observant of my two partners, so the fact that Chris had noticed anything was a worry.
“Oh, shit!” Chris’s eyes went wide. “Is she why you bailed on me the other night?”
I didn’t answer. I had no comeback because that would mean admitting I was interested in Tenley. Not just because she was hot, or because she wanted a tattoo. She seemed lost, keeping everyone at a distance even though there was a part of her that might be compelled to do the opposite. Just like me. Every time I talked to her, got a little closer, learned a little more, she would get skittish again. Beyond that, there was some sort of intense physical connection I couldn’t ignore. But I would have to learn how to keep a lid on it if I was going to mark her, given our strict rules in that regard.
“Hayden bailed because Damen’s a fucknut who tries even my patience and Sienna is a shit-disturber,” Jamie answered and disappeared back into the supply room.
Chris stood there for a few seconds, clearly debating whether or not he bought the excuse. I said nothing.
8
HAYDEN
Tenley and Lisa took forever in the piercing room. I would be irritated if they were eating all of those cupcakes, but I wouldn’t put it past Lisa. She’d devour the box to spite me, even if it made her ill.
The longer I sat and stewed, the more I realized what a huge douche I’d been. I’d unintentionally assaulted Tenley with my hard-on twice, kissed her without permission again—even if it had only been the side of her hand—and then tried to attack her for cupcakes.
I combatted my remorse by considering all of the piercing options Tenley may or may not be getting. They emerged from the room whispering to each other, and Tenley erupted in a fit of giggles. It was the first time I heard her laugh. It was cute. And, no surprise, another part of my body reacted, too. I wanted to know why this girl had such an extreme physical impact on me. Never had I experienced a level of attraction to match how I responded to Tenley. It was unnerving. I didn’t like not being in control; it went against everything I knew. Ever since I got my life back together and we opened Inked Armor, I maintained strict order and organization. I had systems and plans and ways of existing that didn’t include spontaneous erections and a complete lack of social skills whenever Tenley showed up. As they got closer, I noticed the box tucked safely under her arm. Lisa daintily picked the little skull and crossbones candy off the top of the cupcake she was holding and popped it into her mouth. Neither one of them looked in my direction. Awesome. Now I was being ignored.
Chris smacked the counter. “So? More new steel?”
Tenley set the box down and I eyed it, debating whether I could pull a snafu while she was busy showing off her newest piercing. Then she wrapped her hair around her fist in a makeshift ponytail and exposed the creamy expanse of her neck. The cupcakes didn’t matter anymore. My brain shut down, functioning on the basest level. I wanted my mouth on her skin. I wanted to kiss, lick, suck, bite. And not necessarily in that order. It was like my body knew what it needed and my brain was working to catch up.
“Nice industrial.” Chris grinned. “Hayden, you should take a look.”
I’d suggested it, and now she had one. Tenley dropped her hair and turned away. Then she offered Chris a cupcake. Clearly, she was getting back at me. I hated Chris right now.
Jamie sauntered over to the counter, pulled Lisa into a backward embrace, and helped himself. I sat awkwardly at my station, figuring out how to throw myself into their little circle. The whole situation was priceless. Tenley came here to show me her design, she even brought me cupcakes. The cupcakes had been confiscated and the sketch remained unveiled.
“Oh, look at that, there’s only one left.” Tenley exuded saccharine innocence as she reached into the box a
nd pulled out the last piece of frosted heaven.
She held it in her hand like it was a goddamn oracle, turning it this way and that. She dipped her finger in the thick, creamy icing that was pure sugar and butter and vanilla goodness. A slow smile spread across her full, pouty lips as she finally looked my way. They parted, and she slipped the tip of her icing-coated finger into her mouth and sucked. It was pretty fucking phallic. I lost the ability to swallow as I watched her cheeks hollow out.
“Mmm.” Her eyelids fluttered closed. Her finger popped out with a wet sound. “This is yummy.”
I stalked across the room and loomed over her. I wasn’t sure if I was horny or angry or a combination of the two. Here was this girl I couldn’t figure out taunting me with baked goods.
“Where’s my cupcake?” I decided I sounded pissed. I was losing it. For real.
Oblivious to my internal discord, she wore a devious grin as she parted her sensual lips and took a bite. Despite my irritation, I noted the very cool diamond-studded barbell that pierced through the top of her left ear. It looked absolutely perfect. But my purpose wasn’t to revel in her physical faultlessness, it was to get my damn cupcake. It was mine and I wanted it, even if it was missing a bite. Tenley held out the empty box.
“I don’t want your garbage,” I said angrily, while everyone snickered.
Tenley rolled her eyes and dropped the box on the counter. She flicked the lid open and retrieved yet another cupcake, then thrust it in my face. She had been messing with me. For a second I thought she might smash it into my mouth, but she didn’t, and I was strangely disappointed. So I bit it right out of her hand.
“What the hell?” She screeched and snatched her fingers away. I caught the semi-demolished cake before it could hit the floor. “You almost bit me!”
“But I didn’t,” I pointed out through a mouthful of cupcake.
“There’s two more in there, and they’re supposed to be for you, although you hardly deserve them, since you’re being such an ass.” She made a face as she watched me chew.
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