Pretend You're Mine (Inked Hearts 3)

“Who wins in a fight—Dean or Ryan?” I ask.

Walker nods exactly.

“Ryan. He’s fighting to defend my honor. He’s motivated.” I catch his gaze. Try to figure out exactly what he’s thinking.

But I can’t. I’m too lost in those baby blues.

“You want me to kick his ass?” Ryan’s voice is playful.

I shake my head. “Maybe later.”

“My girl doesn’t want me risking my hands.” Ryan adopts a don’t fuck with me stance, but his smile stays wide. “Drop it.”

“She’s your girl?” Dean asks.

“Of course.” Ryan’s eyes go to the clock—twenty minutes until we open. “What are you three doing here this early?”

Walker laughs. “Dean said we wouldn’t want to miss it.”

“You’re an asshole,” I say.

"'Cause I wanted to celebrate my brother finally getting laid?” Dean feigns offense.

Ryan ignores him. “Leighton’s starting a design business. It’s new, but it’s growing fast. She’ll be full time at it soon.”

“That’s happening?” Walker asks.

“Yeah.” I press my lips together.

“That’s fucking amazing,” Walker says.

After a round of congratulatory hugs, the guys take their usual positions—Brendon leaning against the half

wall to his suite, Dean and Walker at the counter, Ryan in front of his suite, leading the meeting.

“I am going to leave.” My lips curl into a frown. “But not yet. Not for a while.” Not until I’m sure I can do this. Even if that takes six months. Or three years. “I’ll give you two weeks notice. Promise.”

Work takes over. I lose myself in admin, check out customers, break for lunch at the taco truck around the corner, fill my afternoon with a mix of coffee and social media.

Sometime around four, I run out of Inked Hearts work.

I boot up my laptop and pour myself into finishing the mock-up. It feels good getting it done, even if I still have another half a dozen rounds of small changes to go.

I love designing covers.

It fills me in some place that’s usually empty. Scratches an itch that’s in desperate need of attention.

I love building my site’s social media.

It’s a million times more engaging than flirting as I thrust my chest in the air yes, that’s so interesting, the tips are here. Oh, most people leave thirty percent, but the really generous guys leave fifty percent.

Design is my future.

It’s what I want.

But running a business all by myself is still terrifying.

Leaving Inked Hearts is still terrifying.