He watched me go, and I directed myself to walk away, not fall into bed with my sexy biker. It approached four before we slowed down enough to show off my new design.
Zayn walked up with his customer and I collected the fee for the skull tat. “Whatcha got?” He leaned over my shoulder and let out a long whistle. “Who designed it for us?”
“I did.” Satisfaction filled me.
“Wow, anything you can’t do?” Zayn picked it up and hollered to the back. “Rock, Weasel, look at this.”
“I can’t draw,” I said to Zayn’s back.
Dare came to the front with Rock and Weasel. He skimmed his gaze down my body.
Zayn gave copies to all of them. “Lila designed this for the October special. It’s damn good.”
Dare dropped his almost as soon as he touched it. Without a word to me, he headed back to the workroom.
What was wrong with it? How had I messed it up?
I fought back the tears and kept my smile in place, even as the hurt sliced through me.
Rock and Weasel complimented the work, and Zayn told me to make copies to hang in the shop window and put up in Barden and Ardmore.
“Are you sure?” My happiness had evaporated when Dare glanced at it like dog shit on his boot. “Dare didn’t—”
“He never pays attention, not his thing.” Rock glanced away.
“Leaves it to us.” Weasel spoke on top of him. “It’s Zayn’s job—promotion and flyers.”
“And I say, do more, lots more.” Zayn squeezed my arm. “I’m gonna tell Dare we’re ordering you an office computer so you can make us shine with more posters.”
“Don’t...well, it’d make things easier,” I admitted. Doing paperwork by hand in a ledger sucked, and so did driving twenty minutes to use MJ’s computer.
I didn’t see Dare again until after he finished with his appointment. The woman who walked up with him draped herself over his arm with fuck-me eyes on bright beam. She flopped out her left tit to show me her new tattoo, a butterfly on a flower. It didn’t boost my mood knowing he’d been inking her.
Why did he go hot and cold? I didn’t understand, and it hurt he’d disregarded my work, even if it didn’t compare to his talent. He slid his arms around my waist and pulled my backside into his front, kissing my neck. His lips launched waves of shudders, cascading through my middle and settling low inside me.
Was it me or Miss Butterfly’s tits that revved him up?
I stepped away and then wanted to cry when he let me go. Conflicting emotions twisted my insides. I liked things simple, happy and defined. I liked knowing where I stood.
“Zayn says you need a computer.” His mouth turned down. “Get it, Red. And next time, ask me.”
“Wait, you think I had Zayn ask you because...whatever reason?”
He nodded with the same sour look.
That pissed me off. “Look, Zayn says you don’t get involved with flyers, it’s his job.”
He nodded with a blank face this time.
“And he said he’d ask you because he needed more flyers. I. Didn’t. Ask.” I spoke each word slowly making sure he understood. “I want something, I come to you, no problem. You got a problem?”
He blew out his breath in a slow stream. “Pissy ass mood, that’s all.” He rubbed his chin. “I should think less.”
A laugh bubbled out of me. It described exactly what I needed to do.
His eyebrow arched in question.
“Just thinking the same thing.” I leaned up, sliding my arms around his neck before I kissed him. “Too much thinking and too little sex.”
He chuckled into my lips. “We should go fix that.”
“You have an appointment in twenty.” My gazed locked with his. “Not close to as long as I like.”
“Then dinner in Ardmore after this appointment. Someone else will close.” He winked and headed to the back again.
I stood motionless, still processing the words he’d said. We’d been to Blue’s a dozen times, out to the club, gone on rides, but not a single movie or dinner date. So why now?
I had two hours to contemplate the question before Dare finished with his customer, but I still didn’t know why we were going on a date, not that I was complaining.
I checked out Dare’s client and told Rock we were leaving—he’d drawn the short straw to close tonight.
Impatient, Dare almost dragged me out of the shop to his bike. I secured my helmet but he still double-checked it before he bussed my lips with a kiss. I climbed on the back of his bike and held tight—I loved touching him with or without clothes.
The ride to Ardmore invigorated me, erasing all the weariness from too little sleep and a long day at work.