Just a Little Prick: A Tattooed Bad Boy Romance (No Regrets Ink Book 1)

by Adele Niles

“Yeah, one sec!” I called back. I turned, still doing up my button, and pushed Bradley toward the walk-in fridge.

  “Are you kidding?” he hissed, shaking his head.

  “It’s the only place!” I opened the door. He went inside and I shut it.

  As I closed the fridge door, Kenzie pushed open the swinging door to the kitchen.

  “Hey, you still working?” she asked.

  “Oh, yeah.” I smiled at her, laughing softly. Was I still flushed? It was kind of hot in here, with the ovens all going. “Yeah. I’ll be wrapping up in an hour or so, probably.”

  Kenzie nodded. “Sure. How’s it going?”

  “Good, good. I have a hundred and twenty cupcakes in the oven. I’m planning to come in early and frost them tomorrow.”

  “Cool.” She glanced around the kitchen, looking at the chair for a moment. “Remember to take that back out front before you leave?”

  “Oh, yeah. I just…you know. Was sitting while the cupcakes baked.”

  “Right.” But she glanced toward the fridge.

  “It’s really hot in here.” I felt my cheeks warming up with embarrassment. “I just stepped into the fridge for a minute to cool down.”

  Kenzie looked at me, laughing softly. “It’s okay. You don’t have to get defensive. Just don’t stay here too late, okay?”

  I breathed in deep, let it out slowly. “Sorry. I’m just trying to fill up my schedule as much as I can. Keeps me from thinking about Chris.”

  The look she gave me was sympathetic. She came around the island and touched my shoulder, giving it an affectionate squeeze. “Just don’t wear yourself out. If you ever want to do something fun, let me know, okay?”

  “Okay.” I nodded. “Yeah. I will. Now get out of here, okay? Don’t you have to be somewhere?”

  Kenzie laughed. “Yeah. I just forgot my planner. It was under the counter. And I wanted to check on you.” She stepped back, smiling. “Text me when you head home. Let me know you’re okay.”

  “I will. Have a good night, Kenzie.”

  “You too.” Kenzie turned gracefully on her heel and left. I stood still, waiting until I heard the bell ring again.

  She was gone.

  I hurried to the fridge and pulled the door open. Even fully dressed, Bradley was shivering. I stepped inside and threw my arms around him.

  “Sorry!”

  His teeth chattered and he shifted toward me. I hugged him close, sighing.

  “Sorry.” I pressed my head to Bradley’s chest. “Come on out of the fridge?”

  “Or,” he said. The seductive tone was creeping back into his voice. “Why don’t you come in here and warm me up?”

  That was risky. I needed to hear the timer, and what if Kenzie came back again? But it sounded too fun to pass up.

  “Sure.” I stepped into the cooler, pulling the door shut behind us.

  One more for the sex list couldn’t hurt.

  Chapter Nine

  Bradley

  I didn’t want to deal with this today.

  Normally, I’d love to be working on a gorgeous girl’s tits. Emily’s were great—not too big, but perky, comfortable to hold. I’d definitely held them before.

  I should have been rock-hard.

  Nothing was happening down below.

  “...and anyway, I just thought it was stupid for her to say that.” Emily looked at me, smiling. She wore black lipstick today. I’d usually be thinking about those full, painted lips wrapped around my dick, but today the mental image didn’t hold any appeal.

  What was wrong with me?

  “Yeah, it sounds like it,” I replied. I pressed the needle back to her skin, dotting red into the eyes of the bat I was tattooing on her underboob. Honestly, I was surprised it had taken her so long to get a bat tattoo.

  I lifted the needle, nodding in satisfaction and holding up a mirror. “Check it out?”

  She adjusted the mirror, nodding her satisfaction. “Perfect as always, Bradley. You’re the best.”

  I chuckled. “I know. But don’t tell the other guys that.”

  She laughed, shaking her head and pulling her shirt up. “Modest. In some areas.” Her gaze drifted down between my legs.

  Nothing.

  Shit.

  I smiled anyway, shrugging. “Can’t be modest all the time, right?”

  “Hey, if you’ve got it, brag about it.” She rose, stretching. Her nipples showed through her t-shirt.

  No reaction.

  We walked up front together. I handed her a care sheet, even though she didn’t need it. She took it anyway, folding it and tucking it into her back pocket. She turned to Zoe to pay.

  The front door opened.

  “Bradley, hey.”

  Lora.

  She looked gorgeous as ever, her hair in a messy bun, dressed in worn jeans and a Bakeology t-shirt. She held a bag and a cup of coffee in her hands, and had the most radiant smile on her face.

  “Hey,” she said. “Kenzie noticed that you didn’t stop by this morning, so she asked me to drop some stuff off. Get your morning going right.”

  “Cool.” I nodded. “Thanks.”

  Emily turned. She rose up on her toes, pressing a kiss to my cheek. “Hey, it was great to get those hands all over me again,” she said, winking. “We should get together sometime. Y’know. Like old times.”

  I glanced at Lora. Her smile was gone.

  The shop was silent.

  Shit, was everyone watching?

  “Yeah. Uh, sounds good. Love to.”

  “Great.” Emily patted my cheek and turned, passing Lora and leaving the shop.

  The shop stayed silent for entirely too long.

  “Lora—”

  She turned, slamming the cup and bag down on the counter in front of Zoe. “It’s from Kenzie.”

  I’d never heard her snap before.

  “Lora—”

  She spun on her heel and stormed out, the door slamming shut behind her.

  One of the guys let out a low whistle behind me.

  I groaned, pressing one hand to my forehead. What was I supposed to do? She wanted to keep it a secret, and that’s what I was doing.

  But dammit, I hated seeing her mad and knowing it was my fault.

  Chapter Ten

  Lora

  Fucking Bradley.

  “You should have known better.” I wasn’t sure if scolding myself was making things better or worse, but I didn’t stop as I walked through the alley back to Bakeology. “You should have known that a guy like that wouldn’t stop screwing other girls.”

  What a dickhead. That was literally the problem. Bradley only thought with his dick.

  God, I felt so stupid.

  A hand landed on my shoulder. I spun around, letting out a yelp.

  Bradley. Fucking Bradley.

  “You—” I started.

  He leaned forward and kissed me. Hard. Heat surged inside me. I rose on my toes, leaning into the kiss. I hated how easy it was to want him, even when he was being an asshole.

  I pushed against his chest, away from him. “You—you’re such a jerk!”

  “Lora,” he started.

  “Jerk!” I stared at him, mouth opening and closing.

  “Lora.” He leaned forward, his hands on my shoulders. “I’m sorry, okay? You said you wanted to keep things quiet, right? If I turned a girl down, everyone I work with would know something is up! And they’d tell Kenzie, and we’d be screwed.”

  I took a deep breath.

  He was right.

  “And besides,” he continued. “This is just hooking up, you and me. Friends with benefits. You can’t get angry with me for checking out other women.”

  Right.

  I exhaled, shutting my eyes tight. We weren’t really together. Just fooling around.

  No getting attached.

  Maybe this wasn’t a good idea anymore.

  I nodded slowly.

  Bradley squeezed my shoulders gently. “Lora. It’s okay. I don’t want t
o go see her, anyway. Why don’t we get together tonight?”

  “Maybe.” I wanted to say yes. I couldn’t.

  “Maybe? Okay. Well, just text me. All right? Whatever you decide.” He let go.

  “Yeah,” I said. “I’ll text you.”

  “Okay.” He took a step back. “Have a good rest of the day.”

  “Yeah. You too.”

  I walked back into Bakeology.

  Immediately, Kenzie looked up at me. Her eyebrows shot up. “Lora? Whoa, are you okay?”

  “I—” I couldn’t tell her what had just happened. She couldn’t know. “It’s just Chris. Texting me. Being an asshole.”

  She sighed softly. “I’m so sorry, Lora. Why don’t you go take a little break?”

  “No, I want to do something.” I came behind the counter, putting an apron back on and tying it tight around my waist. I grabbed a bowl, turning to look at the pastry case. Low on vanilla bean, it looked like. I could make more.

  “Okay. Well, don’t overdo it.” She turned to look at me, her expression gentle. “Hey, listen. One of my good friends is coming to visit for the weekend. Why don’t we get together and have a girls’ night? I think you’d really like Sydney.”

  That didn’t sound too bad. I did still want to make friends. It would be fun to have some girl-time. I looked over my shoulder and nodded. “Sure. I can host, if you want?”

  “Sounds good!” She smiled. “Oh, but head’s up. Sydney is about to get married, so she might talk about it a lot. I hope that’s okay.”

  “I don’t mind. It’s good that she’s happy.”

  Kenzie nodded. “Great. Are you free tonight? It’s Friday. Good night to hang out, have some wine and pizza?”

  I couldn’t help laughing. “Sounds good. Yeah. Let’s do it! Come on over. You know what time I get off.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Bradley

  I sat at my station, sketchbook open. I didn’t have any clients for a little while, so I figured I could brainstorm. Come up with new designs.

  All I could come up with were pieces I wanted to put on Lora.

  I sighed. This was supposed to be a series of hookups until she inevitably found a guy she wanted to get serious with. So why was I so messed up over her?

  There was no reason for it.

  I just needed to blow off some steam. Maybe take Emily up on her offer, if Lora didn’t call.

  No. I didn’t want to do that.

  Behind me, the guys were chatting, cutting up a little. I didn’t pay a lot of attention to what they were saying until Benny called my name.

  “Bradley!”

  I looked up, sighing.

  Benny grinned. “C’mon. We’re hitting happy hour after the shop closes. You coming?”

  “Uh, yeah, I’ll come.” A few beers wouldn’t hurt. Maybe some time to think would help me sort this shit out.

  “You sure? I mean, will you have time before your date?”

  “I don’t have—oh. Emily.” I shrugged. “Yeah. It’ll be fine.”

  The guys burst into laughter. I rolled my eyes. They were on my nerves today.

  No. It wasn’t them. It was something else entirely.

  “Hey, Bradley—invite Kenzie to join us?” Logan smiled at me.

  “You knock that shit off,” Benny snapped, turning to point a finger at Logan. “You know she’s off-limits, boy.”

  “Logan, I will break your neck if you touch my sister.” I closed my sketchbook, turning to face him. “Don’t even say her name, got it?”

  “I didn’t mean it like that, geez.” Logan held his hands up, shaking his head. “God. Sorry. I just like chatting with her. That’s all. And anyway, maybe she’ll bring the other muffin girl, too?”

  “Her name is Lora, asshole. Don’t you bring her into this, either.” My face felt hot. Benny was watching me, one eyebrow raised. The look on his face made me nervous. “In fact, how about you just leave everyone at Bakeology alone?”

  “Touchy.” Ryker leaned against his half-wall. That stupid smirk on his face had the anger in me burning hotter. “I wouldn’t mind a shot at the muffin girl, either. She’s cute.”

  “Please. Like you can even get it up for anyone who isn’t Bay.” I snorted, shaking my head. “You stay away from her, too. All of you. Keep your hands off Kenzie and Lora and all the other girls at the bakery.”

  Ryker straightened up, frowning at me. “Wow. Okay. Uncalled for, Bradley.”

  “Yeah, well, you didn’t need to be talking about Lora like that. Shut it and get back to work.”

  The conversation died fast. The guys went back to whatever they were doing, and I turned to open my sketchbook again.

  Beside it, my phone lit up.

  Lora.

  Busy tonight. Maybe later, or maybe tomorrow. Text you then.

  I text back immediately. Sure. Whenever. Let me know and I’ll be there.

  I had a feeling I’d be going home alone tonight.

  Chapter Twelve

  Lora

  Showering after a long day of baking always felt so good. It was nice to scrub away the sweat from the ovens, and all the stray flour and dried batter that got stuck to my skin. I stood in the hot water, idly rubbing the bar of sensitive skin soap over my healing tattoo. It helped with the pain to wash it in warm water, and patting it dry eased the itching a little.

  But at the same time, it made me think of Bradley. It made me think of how he touched me. How good it felt when he kissed me—even earlier, when I’d wanted to slap him.

  I was in trouble.

  I wasn’t supposed to be getting attached. There was no reason for me to have gotten so angry over him and that girl.

  That hadn’t stopped me from wanting to scratch her eyes out.

  I huffed angrily, shaking my head and rinsing my tattoo. It was the last step; I turned the shower off and started to dry myself, careful of the ink. Stupid Bradley.

  Regardless of how involved we were supposed to be, he’d still been kind of an asshole.

  I got dressed and headed out to the living room. I kept my place pretty clean, so there wasn’t much to do.

  His note was still on my kitchen counter.

  Talk later? -B. The butterfly, a trail of stars in its wake.

  I sighed. I’d text him again later, I told myself. Just not right now. I couldn’t right now. I’d just say things I didn’t mean.

  I reached for the note, intending to move it, but the doorbell ringing caught my attention. I turned to let Kenzie and her friend in.

  “Lora! Hey! This is my friend Sydney!” Kenzie wasted no time, jumping right into introductions.

  She gestured to the girl with her—pretty, with black hair and bright green eyes. She was a little curvier than me, but had a warm smile.

  “It’s nice to meet you! Thanks for letting me crash your girls’ night!” Sydney held one hand out to me.

  I took it and shook, smiling back at her. “Hey, of course. It’s nice to meet you.”

  We all got comfy on the couch with a bottle of wine. Kenzie ordered pizza but refused to let me pay.

  “Listen, you brought the wine, okay?” I said to her. “And you suggested this. I should foot the bill for something!”

  “You’re hosting. You get to clean all the mess up tomorrow. I can pay for pizza.” Kenzie waved her hand at me, taking a long sip of wine.

  Next time, I’d find a way.

  Kenzie turned to Sydney, smiling. “So, how’s everything going with Mark?”

  Sydney laughed softly, shrugging. “I mean, amazing? It’s amazing.” She leaned to look at me. “I know Kenzie’s single. Are you seeing anybody, Lora?”

  Kinda.

  “No. I just got out of a really shitty relationship. My ex, Chris? He was cheating on me with my best friend.” I snorted, taking a sip of wine. “Good riddance, as far as I’m concerned.”

  Kenzie put a hand on my shoulder. “We don’t have to talk about him. Unless you want to. I mean, we could have a bitch-fest
and drag your ex for a while.”

  Not the worst idea I’d ever heard.

  I continued. “You know, you look back when it’s over and you can see all the little things, right? How shitty he actually was. Kind of controlling. He didn’t like it when I hung out with other guys. Even my friends’ boyfriends, you know?”

  Kenzie and Sydney both shook their heads.

  “That’s awful.” Sydney reached out and touched my shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

  I liked her already.

  “But, I don’t want to talk about Chris anymore,” I sighed. “He’s a jerk. I don’t want to waste any more time on him. I’d rather hear about a wedding?”

  I looked to Sydney.

  Kenzie grinned. “Tell her why you’re so excited to get married, Syd.”

  Sydney rolled her eyes. “Well, I love him, first off. We’ve been together for seven years. Since high school.”

  Laughing, Kenzie said, “Yeah, but…the other reason.”

  “You’re just like your brother.” Sydney nudged Kenzie playfully with her elbow. “All you can think about is sex.”

  “And? Sex is amazing.” Kenzie smiled. “Not that you would know.”

  “What?” I asked. “Somebody tell me. I feel like it’s an inside joke that I don’t know.”

  Sydney huffed. She turned to me. “Kenzie likes to tease me because I’m still a virgin.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “After seven years? What’s the hold-up?”

  “Mark wants to wait until we’re married. And, I mean, it’s not a thing for me. But I love him and respect him. And if he wants to wait, we’ll wait.” Sydney shrugged. “It’s the right thing to do.”

  “Sure. As long as you’re happy.” I smiled. “I mean, that’s what this is about, right? Being happy with somebody.”

  An image of Bradley flicked through my mind.

  Dammit.

  While we drank, Sydney told us a little about her wedding plans which sounded cute, but she was sweet enough to not hog the conversation.

  “How’s Bradley?” she eventually asked Kenzie, sipping her wine.

  Fine. Probably out fucking some other girl. No, I didn’t need to say that.

  “He’s good. He’s still at No Regrets.” Kenzie nodded.

  “Is Benny still there, too?”