Clipped Wings (10 page)

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.

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.

“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.

I must have looked like a pig. Once again, I wasn’t doing very well with the whole social interaction thing tonight; I’d been hellishly inappropriate. “Sorry.” I was still chewing. “And thanks,” I tacked on at the end as an afterthought.

“Uh-huh,” Tenley said dryly and turned to Lisa. “What do I owe you?”

Lisa gave Tenley a discount. I assumed I was the reason. When Tenley was done paying for her jewelry, at cost, her attention came back to me. “What’s the verdict?”

“The cupcakes are fucking awesome,” I mumbled through frosting.

“I was referring to my sketch, but thanks. Cassie said you liked cupcakes. That was kind of an understatement if you ask me, though.” She paused while I shamelessly inhaled the rest of the cupcake and snatched another.

“You made these?” I held up the perfectly decorated, professional-quality miniature cake.

“Yup. I used to bake all the time with my mom.” She cleared her throat before she continued. “So, what’d you think?”

“That I’m going to lure you back to my place and keep you there forever so you can bake those cupcakes every day for the rest of my life.” I left out the part where I would eat them off her naked body. Tenley was like a wet dream. Hot, feisty, into body modification,
and
she made cupcakes.

“Wow, Cassie was serious.”

“About what?”

“Your cupcake issue. I thought she was joking. Do I need to take that away from you so we can get down to business?” She nodded at the half-eaten treat in my hand.

“No,” I barked, holding it protectively until I realized she was joking. “Why don’t we take a seat and I can have a look.”

“You’ve had my sketchbook this whole time and you haven’t looked at it?” She seemed surprised. It was hard not to be offended.

“I was waiting for you. I didn’t want to appear untrustworthy.” Before I led her to my station, I picked up the box with the remaining cupcake, because Chris was eyeing it like it was a pair of tits, or a steak, or a steak nestled between a pair of tits.

I remembered what manners were and pulled a chair up beside mine, waiting for Tenley to sit before I did. There was a time when I’d been raised to open doors and pull out chairs for women, all chivalrous and shit. It had been a long time since I’d found it necessary to do so; now seemed a good opportunity.

“Would you like to show me the design?” I nodded to the sketchbook on the desk. “Then maybe we can see what I can do for you.”

Her fingers moved over the tattered cover, pausing at the edge. On a heavy sigh she flipped it open, sifting through the pages. Halfway through, a design caught my attention.

“What’s that?” I put my hand out to stop her from turning to the next page.

“It’s nothing.”

I snatched the sketch pad so I could get a better look. On the page were a bunch of random doodles; little hearts with arrows through them, ladybugs in various stages of flight, and a few “T. P. plus C. H.” ’s. The drawings were old. From the date on the top of the page, this one went back three years, but it didn’t stop the absurd twinge of jealousy.

Beside the hearts and doodles was a design perfectly suited for ink. “That’s not nothing. That’s a cupcake.”

“It’s silly. I thought it would be a fun tattoo when I was younger.”

“Fuck, yeah, you should get this as a tattoo,” I replied. Imagining where it should go.

Her eyes went wide.

I toned down my excitement a notch. “I mean it’s a cool design. I could put this on you.”

“But it’s a cupcake.”

“Uh yeah, which is exactly why you should get it. I’m a fan of cupcakes.” Like it wasn’t obvious.

“I hadn’t noticed,” she said sarcastically. “Cupcakes are for eating, not wearing.”

She seized the book and flipped through until she reached the end, then she turned it toward me. “This is what I wanted to show you.”

It took me a few seconds to process the image, or rather the duality it presented. The wings had an angelic, yet Dalí-esque, quality to them, appearing as though they were dripping off the page. They were torn and battered, like they had been ravaged by a storm. The infusion of darkness into something that should have been heavenly was magnificent. Fire licked up from the underside of the wings, tarnishing their perfection. Sparks of flame appeared through the holes, and embers burned brightly as feathers dropped and disintegrated. The top half of the wings was still intact. They shimmered a silvery-gold, as though the sun shone down on them, preventing further damage. It wasn’t just art. It was symbolic of an internal battle, hope amid destruction, or possibly the reverse.

The intricacy was insane. The wings, no matter how damaged, seemed ready to take flight. Tenley was a gifted artist, although I wasn’t sure she understood her talent.

“It’s incredible,” Lisa said from behind me. I had been so engrossed in the details that I hadn’t noticed she was there.

“It is.” I nodded, already planning how I would modify it as body art. There was only one place I could envision the piece going, and at its current size, it wouldn’t look right.

“Tenley, I can’t make this any smaller and maintain the integrity of the art. To be honest, it would be impossible to preserve the detail, even at this size.” I was bitterly disappointed. I wanted so much to be able to tell her I could make it work.

“That’s fine,” Tenley replied, unfazed by my admission. “I don’t want it smaller.”

My head shot up. “What?”

“I want that as a full back piece.”

That was the exact location I’d imagined it going, which was extreme for a newbie. “But you don’t have any other ink.”

“We already talked about that,” she said warily.

I remained dumbfounded. Something serious had to have happened for her to want a piece so massive and dark embedded in her skin. “Most people start with something small and work up to a piece like this. You don’t even have a tiny ladybug tattooed on your toe and you expect me to ink your
entire
back?”