Surrender of a Tattooist: Obsessive Dark Romance Alpha Bad Boy (Tattooist Series Book 2) by Lexy Timms

potent gesture. “I already have one. Hawk hired me. We’ve been in talks for a week or so. I wanted to come back to L.A. and he wanted me to work here, so it all worked out.”
    She advanced and he stood his ground, his eyes narrowing. “Hawk told you I was here.”
    “Yes,” her eyes stayed on his. Her tongue came out and swiped at her bottom lip, a gesture that would have been unconsciously sexy if he hadn’t known exactly how often she practiced it to get it just right, to make sure only a slight flash of pink tongue moved smoothly across the high-shine scarlet gloss on her thin lips.
    “He sure as hell didn’t tell me about you.” Bitterness ate into him. Why hadn’t Hawk told him?
    Hawk knew about him and Cara, of course. Everyone did. It was a tattoo artist scandal and there had been rumors for years about what had happened. A lot of people assumed it was his fault, and some assumed that he had hurt her badly too.
    He had never tried to correct any of that. He didn’t care to, to be honest. He’d figured it was better to have people think he was the asshole than the scorned, as far as he had been concerned. He’d had plenty of time since then to regret that stupid act of male pride gone haywire, and he did regret it, along with a whole host of other things that he’d done with Cara.
    Like fall in love. Dare to dream about a future.
    Cara said, “Look, I don’t want a problem between us, Cliff…”
    “Why would there be a problem? You’re here to work. So am I.”
    Hawk came out of the office, and crossed his arms over his chest as he stared back and forth at the two of them. “Exactly, and I don’t want any shit.”
    Cliff faced Hawk. A muscle jumped in his cheek. “You should have told me.”
    Hawk nodded. “You’re right. I should have. I’m sorry about that. I thought it was a non-issue, as whatever was between the two of you was ancient history.”
    It was ancient history; he was right about that. Cliff shrugged. “I don’t have any problem with her working here.”
    Cara raised an eyebrow as she watched Cliff. “I don’t have a problem working with you either.”
    There was a trace of wistfulness in her voice. He stared at her. They’d changed, of course. Five years put a lot of distance between who they’d once been and who they were now, but he would have much preferred that that distance stayed physical and not just due to time and changes.
    Cara walked past him, close enough that he could smell the spicy perfume she wore, the same perfume that used to drive him crazy, that he used to smell on the pillows and sheets even after she bolted out of his life.
    Frustrated and angry, he went to the room he used to work and closed the door. His hands balled up and he closed his eyes, nearly overwhelmed by the sudden emotions seeing her had brought up.
    He didn’t love her anymore, not at all, but that rage that her abrupt departure had left behind was still alive and well, and all the questions gone unanswered for so long were too.
    And with those questions came the self-doubt and the shattered self-esteem. What had he done to her that had been so wrong that she had felt she had no choice but to run away?
    And dead on the heels of that question came the one that really cut him to the core.
    Would whatever it was that was so wrong with him cause him to lose Pixie too?
    “Hey.”
    He turned to see Hawk standing in the doorway.
    Cliff scowled. “You could knock, you know.”
    “I want to talk to you.”
    Cliff ran his hands through his hair. “Shoot.”
    Hawk sighed, “I would’ve told you, but I need her here. Ricky’s leaving, as you know, and I need an artist who can keep business up and keep their chair busy without me having to fill it for them. She’s great, and you know it. She’s also a huge draw, which you know too.” He stared at Cliff. “But if it gets sticky I’ll have her on the bricks before she can blink. I owe you my higher loyalty because you’ve been here for a