Inked (11 page)

“Yeah, it is fast, I won’t lie, but I’ve known her
for three years. Should I have talked to you about how I felt for Stella?
 
Yeah, out of respect I should have come and
told you that I wanted her, but I thought I could stay away. I’m telling you,
Scars, Stella means a lot to me, and it took me too damn long to realize that.”
Cadeon didn’t say anything for a moment, but Scars didn’t either. “And I’m not
a
boy
,” Cadeon gritted out. “I would
never hurt Stella.” This man might be the president of an outlaw MC, but Cadeon
wasn’t about to be intimidated either. Scars watched him with a scowl on his
face, but finally he nodded once and gave a harsh gruff. Maybe it hadn’t been
an all-out brawl, but Cadeon and Scars had come to an understanding, and right
now that was good enough. Maybe he wouldn’t ever accept Cadeon, but the fact of
the matter was he didn’t have a choice. He wasn’t going anywhere, and Stella
was his girl.

That realization wasn’t much of a shock to him, and
he accepted it as if it were his next breath.

****

“Come for a ride with me.”

Stella looked over at Cadeon. Her father and Booshie
had left twenty minutes ago, and she hadn’t realized that there had been a lot
of tension that had been coming from her dad until he left. Cadeon had sported
a forming bruise on his jaw, but he had waved it off when she asked about it.
He was still alive, so her dad hadn’t shot him with the gun she knew he carried
on him. She supposed that was a good thing. “It’s late, and dark.”

He lifted one shoulder in a shrug and pushed away
from the counter to stand right before her. “You don’t need the sun to enjoy a
ride on the open road.” He lifted a hand and brushed a stray piece of hair back
from her face. “God, I had no idea what I was missing.” He said those words
softly, but they weren’t a question, and they hadn’t been directed toward her.
It was like he had been speaking to himself, and her pulse increased after
hearing him say it. He would never truly know how much those words meant to
her, because she had been feeling that way for so long. “Come on, baby, come
for a ride with me to clear both of our heads.”

She didn’t even need to think about it again,
because she wasn’t ready for this night to end. “Okay.” The thought of being so
close to him with the wind brushing by them and the ground rushing beneath
them, wasn’t something Stella wanted to pass up. She had already missed three
years because she hadn’t been strong enough to confess her feelings, and
because Cadeon had never spoken up. But she was young, and she didn’t want to
miss any more opportunities. She knew her father would still talk to her, warn
her most likely because he didn’t trust Cadeon—not with her at least—but he
would see that there was just nothing he could do but accept it.

Cadeon took her hand and led her back into the
bedroom. Once she was changed into a pair of jeans and a loose sweater, they
headed out of her room and toward the front door. She was no stranger to being
on the back of a Harley, and in fact got a thrill from straddling the monstrous
piece of machinery.

She locked the front door, and when she turned
around adrenaline immediately starting thrumming through her veins at the sight
of Cadeon’s bike sitting at the curb. His grin was infectious, and when she
walked toward him he handed her a helmet. Once it was secured on her head and
he was sitting on the motorcycle, she threw one leg over it and sat on the cool
leather. But clearly she was too far from him because he reached back and
curled his fingers around her waist. In one swift move he pulled her forward so
her breasts pressed to his back, and her pussy was right up on him. She
instantly became aroused, despite them having had sex that very day. Tightening
her hands around his waist, she closed her eyes when he started the engine and
the bike roared to life. The vibrations were powerful, and no matter how many
times she had been on the back of one of these she never got used to it. It
really put into perspective how powerful this vehicle was, and that the man or
woman operating it had to be strong in their own right just to handle it.

He backed out of the driveway, and in a matter of
minutes they were on the road. Reckless was a small town, and they were exiting
it before too long. The thick, lustrous forest lined the road on
either side of them, and
the only light they had this far
out was the moon above them and Cadeon’s lone headlight. Stella rested her
cheek on his back and closed her eyes. The wind was chilly, and a few piece of
her hair came loose from her ponytail, but it was such a freeing feeling being
on the back of this bike with nothing keeping her stationary except her hands
around his waist. She didn’t know how long they rode in silence with only the
sound of their clothing flapping from the wind, the almost angry roar of his
engine, and the exhilarating sensation traveling through her. Living the biker
life—well, as much as she had been allowed while growing up—had taught her that
being on the back of a Hog didn’t just mean getting a ride. It meant that she
was one with the road, and in thick with the freedom that it all brought. And
she felt all of those things and more with Cadeon.

The only thing that could stand between them was
each other, but even that could be their biggest downfall.

Chapter Ten

The next couple of days flew by, but with Stella
putting in a couple of extra hours each day at her “real” job, and trying to
play catch up with the books at the club, the time had slipped by without her
even knowing it. But then again her nights had been filled with Cadeon coming
over and showing her exactly how insatiable he could be. Her father hadn’t
really brought up any more about her choice in men, but he had done a lot of
grunting, sighing, and then finally just said that if she was happy he’d deal
with his own shit. But Stella supposed going toe-to-toe with her dad, telling
him that she was a grown ass woman and would be with whomever she pleased, had
also helped him realize that he couldn’t control her anymore. Yes, he was her
father and she loved and respected him, but she also cared about Cadeon. If
this was a mistake it was hers to make, 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 had watched him over the years, and the fact that
they 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 in 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 and dug
in her purse for her eyes and cell. It was times like this—the happy moments in
life—that she wished she had friends that she was close with. Aside from the
few acquaintances that 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.

****

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 had 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 he was 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, but couldn’t help but
smile. “At least you kicked that last douche-bag 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 Bastard 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 door dinged
with someone entering, but when he turned around and saw Tally standing there
he narrowed his eyes. “We’re closed, Tally, and your appointment with Ziggy
isn’t until next Monday.” She was wearing her fuck-me heels again, and another
micro-mini skirt. She would have probably felt more comfortable whoring herself
out on the corner of Colfax.

“Yeah, I know, but I thought you and I could finally
have that talk.”

Naggie snorted and turned away from them.

“I don’t have anything to talk about. We’ve said all
we need to say to last a lifetime.”

She crossed her arms under her chest, further
emphasizing her cleavage, but all it caused inside of him was disgust. “So,
what, you think all I’m good for is a piece of ass?”

Naggie started laughing hard at that, and he turned
and looked at her, as did Tally.

“What in the hell is so funny?” Tally’s voice had risen
an octave, and any minute he expected her to stomp her foot like a two-year-old
having a tantrum.

Naggie turned around, still laughing, but her humor
slowly faded when she stared at Tally. “You want to know what I think is so
funny?”

“That’s what I fucking asked,” Tally sneered.

Naggie shook her head and glanced at him with this
expression on her face that he knew was one part humor and three parts she was
about to slap a bitch.

“I think it’s funny that you are such a stupid
whoring bitch, and can’t take your head out of a man’s lap long enough to
realize that Cadeon doesn’t want you.”

Tally squeaked. “What did you just say to me?” Tally
may have six inches of height on Naggie, even without the heels on, but Tally
was no match for the spitfire that lived within Naggie.

“You heard every damn word I said. I’m not the first
person to ever tell your slutty ass to get the fuck out of here, and I know I
won’t be the last.” Naggie snorted again. “Hell, this isn’t even the first time
I’ve
told you to keep your hands off
of what isn’t yours.”

 
Tally flipped
her hair over her shoulder and looked at him. “Cadeon, are you going to let
your employees talk to a customer like that?”

“You’re not a customer, and you need to leave.” For
a moment, which was far too long as it was, no one said anything. Tally looked
between him and Naggie, and then back at him again.

“Leave, Tally. My girl is going to be coming by, and
I want you the fuck out of here before you can start shit with her, too.”

She narrowed her eyes. “So I’m not good enough for
you to go exclusive with, but some tramp in town is?”

He growled low in his throat and was surprised by
how threatening the sound actually was. “Watch it, Tally. I was barely putting
up with you before, but if you start bad mouthing my woman I’m going to get
really pissed.”