I wash my face and hands in the sink, getting soap in my mouth in the process. It’s better than me smelling like my girlfriend’s pussy, though. I root through the silverware drawer for a knife and use it to slather two cupcakes in icing while Tenley’s still in the bathroom.

I peel the wrapper off the first one and take a huge bite, chewing a couple of times before I shove the rest in. They’re the best when they’re still warm. Tenley comes back—wearing an entirely new outfit—just as I start on cupcake number two.

“Hayden!”

“What? I’m hungry,” I tell her through a mouthful. I doubt she can understand me, but when it comes to cupcakes, I don’t think I really need to explain.

“It’s too early to eat these!” she scolds.

“It’s never too early for cupcakes.” I take another giant bite and lean it to kiss her, but she puts a hand in front of my face to prevent me from getting too close.

“Finish chewing first, please.”

I do as she asks and go so far as to pour myself a glass of water to wash it all down. Then I go in for the kiss I want. I throw in a little tongue just because. “Come by the shop when you’re done with this, and I’ll introduce you to Randy.”

“Okay. Do you have a full schedule today?”

“Nope. Just the consult and a couple of sketches to get ready for tomorrow.”

She puts her hands on my chest. “So I can have you to myself later?”

“If that’s what you want, kitten.”

She rises up on her toes and kisses the bottom of my chin. “Yes, please.”

I leave before I get another hard-on, which happens often, and head to the shop.

* * *

Lisa, our piercer and bookkeeper, is already there when I arrive. Her lavender hair is pulled up into a complicated ponytail. It makes her look like she just stepped off the set of Leave it to Beaver. Her dress, which is also lavender, looks like it’s from that era as well. The combat boots and tattoos make her look badass, though.

She points her pen at the clock over her head; it’s already ten. “I thought you said you’d be here at nine thirty.”

“I got distracted.”

“Did you now? Does she happen to be five two with dark hair and a thing for baking cupcakes?”

I give her a look, but don’t bother to respond. Tenley’s always my number one distraction.

Chris, my business partner and one of the other tattoo artists, comes out of the private room with a stack of folders. “Finally decided to show up, huh?”

“Why’re you here this early?”

“Because you said you were coming in to show Ballistic the designs, and since I’ll be working on more than one of those guys, I figured it’d be good to be here in case he has any questions about the ones I sketched.”

“But the rest of the guys from the team aren’t coming in for at least a couple of weeks.”

Chris shrugs. “I just wanna be prepared. It’s kind of a big deal to be working on these guys.”

He’s got a point. I’ve done Randy’s sleeve, and Chris has put a couple of pieces on Waters, the team captain, but now we’re designing tattoos that are variations on a similar theme, and Chris will be modifying a design that’s already on Waters’ arm. It’s a cool project, and it’ll be even cooler when we have five different pieces on five different NHL players. We’re also pulling in Jamie, the third tattooist in the shop, to work on one of the guys.

“Tenley’s coming by later,” I tell Lisa as I pass the folder of preliminary designs over to Chris.

She glances up. “Really? Does she know who your consult is this morning, by chance?”

I stop leafing through Randy’s folder. “What?”

“You told her who your consult is?”

“Well, yeah…” I don’t get why Lisa suddenly looks all smug.

“You know she thinks he looks kind of like you. Only, you know—” She motions to my face and then the rest of me. “—with a beard and fewer tattoos.”

“We don’t look alike.” I turn to Chris for confirmation.

He shrugs. “I guess I can kinda see it, except you’re all Gumby skinny, and he’s a tank.”

“I’m not fucking skinny,” I snap. I turn back to Lisa, since Chris is no help. “So does Tenley actually like hockey?”

“She likes hockey for the same reason all girls like hockey, Hayden.”

“Which is because…”

“It’s full of hot guys with lots of stamina.”

“I have excellent stamina.”

Lisa rolls her eyes. “You sound jealous.”

“I’m not jealous.” I’m kind of jealous.

She pats my cheek. “I’m messing with you, Hayden. Tenley loves hockey. She knows all the Chicago stats. It’s almost creepy.”

“Why am I just finding this out now?”

“Maybe because you spend most of your spare time with your tongue in her mouth, and she hasn’t had an opportunity to tell you?” Chris offers with a smile.

I don’t bother answering. I just take my stuff to the private room where I’m meeting with Randy.

We’ve learned to do consults with high-profile clients away from the windows, so passing fans, or other clients who are fans, don’t turn a half-hour consult into a two-hour fangirl session, which very well may happen anyway with Tenley coming by later.

Chapter 3

Cupcake-Wrapper Porn

RANDY

No one’s sitting at the jewelry counter, which doubles as reception, when we arrive at Inked Armor. The shop is quiet apart from the low tones of rock music filtering through the sound system.

“Why don’t you have a look around while we wait?” I tell Lily, who’s hanging off my tattooed arm. Mostly I need her to stop touching me so I don’t get another hard-on. I had to work to contain one the entire trip over here while she talked about how she really likes the idea of an inner thigh tattoo.

It’s my own damn fault since I’m the one who suggested it in the first place.

She lets go of me and wanders around the shop, checking out framed designs on the walls. This isn’t like most tattoo shops in the area. The sign out front reads By appointment only, and stock designs aren’t typical here. Intricate custom pieces in various stages of completion cover the walls. Custom albums labeled with the name of each artist sit on the coffee table. My sleeve is in Hayden’s album.