Series: Little Cakes Series by Pepper North
Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 46837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 234(@200wpm)___ 187(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 234(@200wpm)___ 187(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
“Maniac! Come here. Look at this!” she yelled across the room. Tatiana held Riley back when she moved forward to pull back the design.
It must be awful. Riley’s heart pounded so hard she could feel it in her neck. She’d tried so hard to make something magical for her Daddy.
“Fucking sick! Where’s that going?” Maniac exclaimed, leaning closer.
“Chest and shoulder,” Tatiana explained.
“That woman’s head should rest below his collarbone,” Maniac suggested, tracing it on his own body.
“Damn! Now I want something just like that. When you get it done, you’ll have to take photos. Do you think there’s any way that guy would come with us to Inker’s War?” Maniac asked, naming the highest-level tattoo competition in the nation.
“You guys like it?” Riley whispered.
“Like it? I’d give my left nut to get to ink that design,” Maniac said, shaking his head in disbelief. “Tatiana has to do it. She’ll make that romantic vibe jump from his skin.”
Tatiana stroked a finger above the face Riley had captured perfectly. “This is you. You said you might know him. You not only know him—you love him.”
Riley couldn’t escape the woman’s knowing eyes. “I do. I love him.”
“Then I’ll pull out all the stops to make this gorgeous design breathtaking. The only thing I’d change would be the color of the rope. Blue would match your eyes,” Tatiana suggested.
“It has to be red,” Riley corrected.
“So… Let’s put a bit of red somewhere in the design to make sure that rope blends in completely,” she suggested. “Could the path he’s walking on have a reddish hue as if it had a bit of clay in it?”
Riley nodded. “Do you have any colored pencils? Let’s try it.”
When he wandered back to check their progress a few minutes later, Maniac ordered, “No more. You’ve got it.”
Riley put the pencil down with a click. The trio looked at the design in silence. It was simply that good.
“You do amazing work, Riley. This far surpasses anything I’ve ever seen,” Tatianna complimented. “I hope I don’t screw this up.”
“I just hope he likes it,” Riley shared.
“If he doesn’t, I’m calling dibs,” Maniac said quickly.
“Like you have any space left on your skin,” Tatiana laughed.
Standing, she hugged Riley. “You did good, Riley. He’s seen it, right?”
Riley shook her head. “It’s kind of a double surprise. He doesn’t know I design tattoos.”
“I can see this going two ways. One, you’re in trouble for hiding this and your butt’s in danger. Or, two, he loves you as much as you do him and he’ll forget you hid this from him when he figures out you love him.”
Riley could only stare at her. Definitely all her secrets would be revealed soon. She could only guess how Milo would react.
She devoured him with her eyes as he walked up to the bar. If eating Little Cakes’ treats had affected him in any way, she couldn’t tell. Milo was sculpted masculinity in its finest form.
“You look at me any harder, panda mine, and I’m going to drag you to the bathroom for some privacy,” he growled.
“She’s not even wearing a Band-Aid, Knot Master. Besides, if you keep tearing off the No Sex in the Bathroom signs, Ellie and Daisy are threatening to glue sequin letters on the door directly. I’ll never get that stuff off completely,” Bear despaired behind them. The look on the disgruntled dungeon master’s face dissolved the sexual tension between Riley and Milo.
“No liaisons in the bathroom,” Milo promised.
“Good. I’m here to steal you away if I can. The Littles want to set up a swing in the daycare. Would you come make sure they’re safe? I think Daisy wanted to know if you could help them make rabbits out of string. She wants to have her own rope bunnies.”
“Oh!” Riley protested. She wanted one, too.
“I’ll make you one,” Milo promised. “But you have to promise to cross out ten cupcakes on my list. I’m going to figure out your favorite soon.”
“Two,” she countered.
“Seven.”
“Three,” Riley suggested with a smile.
“Five and I’ll make it with red string and a fluffy tail.”
“Deal!” she agreed and laughed as he lifted his arms over his head as if he’d just scored the winning goal.
Milo winked and jogged out of the bar toward the Little area. “Come visit on your break!” he invited her before disappearing through the door.
“I’m glad you’re together, Riley. He’s been looking for his Little girl since he walked into Blaze,” Bear observed.
“Is there anything you don’t see?” she asked, looking up at the enormous cupcake baker and dungeon master.
“Not a thing. That guy at the end of the bar’s had too much. Let me know if he leaves in the next two hours. I want him to sober up or have a driver.”
“Got it, Bear. I think he’s with that guy sitting at the table in the corner. There are definite argument vibes going back and forth between them,” Riley shared. “The other guy’s drinking club soda.”