Nothing was going as Evie planned. When Antonio left her tattoo bay more pleased with his tattoo than ever, she frowned and sank back onto the client’s chair, trying to figure out what her next steps were. All day she’d been trying to freak him out, but he’d caught her in her bluff and held on firm. There was no way in hell she’d give him a bad tattoo, but she’d wanted to startle him badly enough that he’d decide she was too unpredictable and wild to be head artist.

Now she was certain he was more convinced than ever that she was destined for that role.

Evie sighed and ran her palms over her knees, trying to piece it all together. Antonio was more resilient than she gave him credit for. She was the queen of being stubborn, but if ever there was a king, he’d be it. All she wanted was for him to forget her. Blending into the background was the safest bet.

But maybe, in order to get off his radar, she needed to step up her game instead of pull back from it.

If reckless behavior and cockiness weren’t going to work, then she needed to change her tactics. If Antonio wouldn’t change his mind thanks to her behavior and her impulse tattooing alone, then she needed to find another way to convince him that she was the wrong choice, and Evie knew exactly what it would be.

If Antonio wouldn’t dismiss her from the promotion because of professional incompatibility, then she needed to convince him it was a bad idea on a personal level. If she staged a workplace romance with him, he’d need to back off. Every artist in the shop would know what was going on quickly enough, and if he gave her the position as head artist, it would look like blatant favoritism. There was no way he’d be able to give her the promotion like that.

She chewed on her lip as she imagined what it would be like to be in a relationship with him. Antonio was hot as hell even more so knowing he had that tattoo hidden behind his professional attire. She wondered if his standoffish behavior was simply him being professional or if there was more to it but whatever it was, there was a good guy hiding beneath his frosty exterior. She’d peeked in on that man during the tattoo, and she knew that with a little defrosting, he’d come out.

But could she handle that man?

She knew that Antonio was attracted to her. From day one, he’d been ogling her—stealing stares at her chest, or watching her long legs. The desire was plain on his face, even if he was too much of a gentleman and a professional to act on them. If she put the moves on, she knew that Antonio wouldn’t hold out for long.

He’d be hers in a matter of days, if that was what she wanted.

And Evie wanted it. More than she cared to admit.

Could she really do it? Maybe it was a little backhanded and a little conniving, but desperate times called for desperate measures. So if she forced his hand, where was the crime?

What they shared would be purely physical. If it got to be anything more than that, Evie would back off. She wasn’t in the business of falling in love. Being so vulnerable was a mistake that she wasn’t willing to make again.

Whatever went on with Antonio would be strategic and necessary, no matter how much her heart begged her otherwise.

* * *

A few days passed. Evie let things simmer down, and even when Antonio pushed her about the position, she didn’t fight back as hard as she had before. Teasing him, she had to admit, was fun. It had been a long time since she’d met a man who managed to get on her nerves and yet stay on her mind like he did.

Going forward with her plan wasn’t going to be hard at all; not when she was already so attracted to him.

On the third day, Evie found Antonio on his lunch break. One of the piercers was occupying the front desk while Antonio ate and took a few minutes to himself in the back. Evie didn’t have another client coming in for another hour and her last consultation had ended early.

“Hey,” she said, standing in the doorway to the employee lounge. “If you’ve got a sec, I was hoping you could come back to my room. I want to check to see how your tattoo is healing. If we’ve got to do touch-ups, I’d rather know in advance.”

“It looks fine to me so far,” Antonio told her. He made no move to get up.

“I’d really prefer checking it myself,” she said. “Sometimes the things you see in the mirror aren’t accurate representations of what’s going on. I want to make sure all the fine detail is holding up. Please?”

“Sure.” Antonio shrugged and stood. “While you’re at it, maybe you could slap it a couple of times for me. It itches like mad.”

Evie laughed. “Yeah, I can definitely do that. I remember the pain of having a back piece. When you can’t reach around to slap it, it’s the most infuriating thing in the world.”

“I keep meaning to buy a fly swatter, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet.”

“A fly swatter?” She bit down on a grin. “Well. I guess that would work. Bonus if you ever get flies.”

“Or more back pieces.”

“Are you in the market?” Evie asked. They made their way into her tattoo bay. “Because I’ve got some ink with your name on it. We could design something amazing. I’d even let you con me into doing something cohesive with your crest, if you wanted.”

“I’m not sure,” Antonio admitted. “I’ll get back to you on it. Now that I’ve got some fresh ink, I’m not only itching physically, but I’m starting to itch mentally as well. I forgot how much of a kick it is.”

Evie bit back a grin. Was he simply getting more comfortable around her or did the tattoo start to melt the frost that he normally wore around him like a blanket. For the umpteenth time, she pushed back any regret at leading him on. Sinking into her chair, she whirled around pretending to hunt for something on her desk while he disrobed. When he stripped away his business attire, it was like he stripped away his professionalism, too.

Chest bare, back exposed, Antonio sank down into the client’s chair straddling the seat, arms tucked beneath his head. The firm expanse of his back was on display, and Evie reveled in it as she turned back around and stood up to get closer.

It wasn’t going to be a chore at all to put the moves on him. Antonio was stunning, and knowing that he had serious ink only made him hotter.

“Looks good,” Evie said softly. She assessed the tattoo critically, looking for troubled signs of scabbing or other skin irritations. The redness and the swelling had gone, and there was only minimal scabbing. In no time at all, Antonio was going to be completely recovered. Better yet, none of the ink had seeped or bled, and it didn’t look like she’d missed any spots. A touch-up wasn’t going to be necessary.

“I told you,” Antonio said. “I’ve been taking very good care of it.”

“I bet you have.” Evie sank down onto the chair behind him. Antonio craned his head to look back at her, but she didn’t let it bother her. Instead, she reached out and ran her fingers down his unmarred skin. “I’m thinking if we want to add on to this back piece and make it into a full, cohesive image, we’re going to have to do something with the filigree. Sort of like with my sleeves, how the ivy connects each of the portraits and frames it so it looks like they’re all hanging from a wall reclaimed by nature. We could do the same thing with the filigree. Almost something… biotech.”

Her fingertips brushed soft patterns over his skin, each of her touches light and teasing. Antonio said nothing at all, but she could tell by the expression on his face and the look in his eye that he was living for her caress.

“We’ll have to sit down and talk about it, of course,” she whispered. There wasn’t need for any more volume when they were so close. Evie leaned forward, finding her own pulse was starting to speed up. The point of getting so close was to excite Antonio, but it looked like he wasn’t the only one who wanted this. “I think we’ll need an extra-long consultation period. I don’t think I’m going to be able to fit it into my work schedule. Maybe we can meet after work for drinks and talk about it. I think I’d like that. And then, if we figure something out, we can go back to my place to sketch it out together. You know, I keep a two bedroom apartment, and use one of the bedrooms as my art studio. It’d be just you and me, at the desk, hunched over the sketchbook, visualizing ideas together… maybe…” her hand dipped down his side and across his thigh. “We could stay up late together. And if you get too tired to drive home, or maybe if you’re a little too drunk… I’m not going to make you leave.”

The air between them felt thick and humid, like a summer storm had just rolled in. Evie leaned forward, her heart racing. Every lungful of air she breathed, she smelled his cologne. It drove her wild.

“There’s plenty of room in my bed,” she whispered to him, her lips just barely brushing his ear. “I’m really good at sharing.”

It all happened so fast that she barely had time to react. Antonio stood, the shifting of his body pushing her back. Before Evie could right herself, he’d sunk down onto the chair again, this time facing her. His arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her close, and when there was nowhere she could go, he kissed her hard. His lips crushed against hers, stealing breath from her lungs and reason from her head.

In that moment, there was only Antonio. Evie didn’t care about anything else.

She looped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, unwilling to let him take the lead. She wanted him just as badly, even though she knew she shouldn’t. The man had been nothing but trouble since he’d arrived, and yet she couldn’t shake the thought of him.

She needed him.

And she got the feeling Antonio needed her as well.

Both of them were straddling the chair, and as close as they were, Evie felt his arousal straining against the front of his pants. Knowing that his erection was so close to her sex drove her wild.

Evie’s fingers tangled in Antonio’s messy hair, and she tugged gently. Antonio growled against her lips and redoubled his efforts, and soon enough, Evie found herself being lowered onto the long seat of the chair. Antonio’s body pressed down over hers, strength and weight and comfort, and she hooked a leg over his hip and opened herself to him.

It was only supposed to be a kiss, but she hadn’t anticipated she’d be so into it. Her clit throbbed with need, and she knew she was wet. To finally taste Antonio’s lips after so long spent wrapped up in thoughts of him turned her on like nothing else.

If he wanted it, she’d do whatever he wanted.

He pressed his hips down against her, driving his clothed bulge between her legs. Evie panted against his lips and clung tighter to his hair, craving more of his touch. Her cheeks burned with excitement, and she was starting to feel far too hot beneath her tunic. She needed to take it off. She needed him to touch her everywhere, even though she knew his touch would only light her on fire all over again.

Antonio pressed his hips down again, and his hand parted from her side and was on its way to his fly when a voice broke their passion.

“Hey, Evie, do you have—” Kimi stopped talking and let a moment of silence pass. “Oh shit. What the fuck?”

Evie released Antonio’s hair, and Antonio scrambled back into a seated position. Kimi stood in the doorway to the tattoo bay, staring at both of them with wide eyes.

“Holy hell,” Kimi uttered. “Never mind. I’ll go ask Theo or something. Fuck. We all knew you guys were going to bone eventually, but really? In the tattoo bay? At least go do it in your car or something.”

Antonio’s chest was heaving. His lips were red—a combination of her lipstick, and the rough way they’d kissed. The bulge at the front of his pants was as prominent as ever.

Evie knew she had him, and yet she didn’t feel the kind of victory she thought she would. Instead, she felt hollow.

She hadn’t wanted the kiss to end. If Antonio had opened his fly and worked her shorts down, she would have let him do whatever he wanted to her.

The thought terrified her.

“I’ve got to go,” Antonio said. He stood and dressed as quickly as he could, then he was out the door, leaving Evie with her thoughts and hesitations.

She liked Antonio.

What the hell was she going to do?