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 and 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.