Inked (Going All the Way #1) - Jenika Snow Page 0,33

and she would learn from it. But right now, she was enjoying what she had going with her tattoo artist, and wasn’t that all that mattered?

Even thinking about how flustered her father had gotten had her smiling. Mickey “Scars” Lore was one stubborn man, but he did back off and give her room on this, at least he was trying, and that was a huge step for him.

The rest of the club was actually pretty on board with her and Cadeon, but then again, they had all mentioned the fact that they hadn’t missed the way she watched him over the years and had placed bets on how long she could last before growing a “set” and talking to him.

Apparently, Cadeon had been far stealthier in noticing her, but she supposed he had a lot more on the line than she had, and starting shit with a biker gang wasn’t the smartest move. Stella didn’t know if any of this would work out, but she wouldn’t know unless she tried, and that was all she could do.

She finished up entering some data into the computer, closed it down, and headed out of her office. She was having dinner with Cadeon tonight, in an actual restaurant and a meal that didn’t consist of a pizza and six-pack of beer.

“Bye, Callie.” She waved at the receptionist, digging in her purse for her keys and cell. It was times like this—the happy moments in life—that she wished she had friends she was close with. Aside from the few acquaintances she worked with and occasionally went out to dinner with, most of her friends from high school had moved out of Reckless once they graduated and hadn’t come back.

There weren’t many opportunities in the small town, but she had been lucky enough to snag an internship position while still attending school, and then once she had her degree, they offered her a part-time position. But Stella kept to herself and always had.

Once in her car and on the road, she felt the excitement at the thought of seeing Cadeon rush through her veins. Eventually, the butterflies would dwindle and the newness of their relationship would fade, but she knew it would always feel right. They hadn’t even classified what they were or given themselves a label.

But Stella didn’t need anything like that. She didn’t need to be called a girlfriend or old lady.

All she needed to be called was Cadeon’s.

16

Cadeon looked at his watch once more and expected Stella to arrive any minute. He would have met her at the restaurant, or at least picked her up, but Ziggy called in sick, and he wasn’t about to leave Naggie all alone to man the entire shop.

Naggie finished up with her last client for the evening, and once they were checked out, he grabbed some designs and put them in a folder. He turned up the music and glanced over at Naggie, who had a grin on her face as she cleaned up her area. “What are you all smiles about?”

She glanced over at him. “Hot date tonight.”

He shook his head and turned to put the designs in a folder. “Hot date?” He snorted yet couldn’t help but smile. “At least you kicked that last douchebag to the curb. Good thing you listened to me.” Teasing her was half the fun.

“Kind of like how I told you to tell that bitch Tally what a skank she is and if she keeps coming around, you’ll sic me on her.”

He started laughing at that. Naggie was small, but she was a fierce little thing.

“But seriously, if I was a guy and had stuck my dick in Tally, I would have soaked my shit in bleach.”

He chuckled, but it wasn’t filled with humor. “Yeah.” He ran a hand over his jaw. “I can’t say I haven’t done shit I royally regret. That’s for fucking sure.”

Naggie finished wiping off her workstation, tossed the paper towel in the trash, and took her gloves off to wash her hands. “So you’re dead serious about the Vicious Bastards chick, huh?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I’ve never been surer about anything before in my damn life.”

“But shit, Cadeon, it’s been like… not long at all.”

“I’ve known her for three years, Naggie, and honestly I’m getting sick of people pointing that out.”

She stared at him but showed no emotion. “And you’re old as hell.” She broke out in a grin, and all he could do was shake his head.

The sound of the bell over the front