Free Inked: A Bad Boy Next Door Romance by Lauren Landish, Willow Winters

have to, but I wanted to.” He seems so sincere that I immediately feel guilty.
    I look away and give him a small, “Thank you. I really appreciate it.”
    “Anything for a pretty lady,” he says, lightening up the mood.
    I snort. “Please.”
    “Why do you always give me such a rough time? I’m just trying to get to know you.”
    “Because you’re bad news,” I say, “and knowing you is probably more trouble than it’s worth.” I have to be honest. Maybe if he knows what I'm thinking, he’ll respect my decision and leave me alone.
    Zane makes a hurt face. “Why do you have such a low opinion of me? What have I done to deserve it?”
    I gesture at him. “Just look at you. You look like trouble in the flesh, the good looks, the tattoos. You have such a... bad boy vibe.”
    “Hey, there’s nothing wrong with that. And since when did being good-looking and having tattoos become a crime?”
    “Don’t try to sit here and act like you aren’t a player that hasn’t been with a billion girls and doesn’t have several girlfriends right now.”
    “I don’t,” Zane says. I don’t fucking believe that, and I don’t do liars. I hate liars.
    “Sure.” I bet he probably has ten packs of Trojans in his pocket right now. The extra large kind.
    “What will it take for you to believe me?” he asks, and I don’t even look at him when I answer.
    “Nothing.”
    “Come on, you can do better than that. Ask me anything you want about my personal life, and I’ll give you a truthful answer.”
    As much as I want to grill Zane on his past, I don’t want to seem like I’m too interested. Besides, I doubt he’ll tell me the truth about his sexual escapades. “I don’t have to ask anything. You’re a player, and that’s all I need to know.” The scene from the other night with the bartender flashes in front of my eyes, the way she looked as if she wanted Zane to fuck her right then and there.
    I wonder if he’s already been with her. She knew his name. He must be good if she wanted seconds.
    “Okay. You got me. Yes, I’ve been with a few girls, and yes I haven’t been a model citizen. But I can swear to you that I don’t have any secret girlfriends or anything like that. In fact, you're the first girl in a long time that's intrigued me.”
    “I’m the first girl in a long time that's resisted your advances, you mean,” I say bitchily before I can stop myself.
    “Yeah, that too, and I can’t lie, it makes me want to get to know you.”
    I knew it , I think to myself. He’s only after me because I haven’t fallen at his feet like all the other girls in his life. The second I do, he’ll drop me like a bad habit.
    Decision decided. There’s no way I’m letting my guard down for him.
    “Thanks for proving my point.” I don’t know why, but I wanna cry. It hurts thinking I was right about him. I knew it though.
    “That doesn’t prove shit,” Zane growls. He seems irritated with my assumptions about him. I must say, he looks even sexier when he’s angry. “And it has zero to do with whether I’m looking for a quick hookup. Which I’m not.”
    “Bullshit. The way you’ve pushed me up against the wall, twice I might add, suggests otherwise.” As annoyed as I am, just thinking about our close encounters sends goosebumps up my arm and makes my clit throb.
    Zane gives me an intense look that makes butterflies flutter in my stomach. “But you liked it. And you wanted it.”
    I open my mouth to swear at him in denial, but then snap it shut. It’s true. I did like it. And boy, do I fucking want it. But luckily, I have enough wits about me to know that nothing good would come from doing the sideways tango with him.
    “Sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say. My cheeks heat and he smirks at me. Damn it. Now I’m a liar.
    “Don’t lie, peaches. You just need to give me a chance, get to know me. All I need is one night with you to change your perception of me.”
    “Never,” I