Page 8 of Cold Hard Truth

Those eyes of his are chaos.

Temptation.

Sage Jackson is a walking red flag. Madness that matches the wicked playfulness of his tattoos. Ridiculously good looking and he knows it. Charming and he knows it. Barely has to blink in the direction of a woman to have her falling into his bed—and he knows it.

Not that I blame them for being interested.

Ever since I met Sage, I’ve had a crush on him—just like every other girl who’s laid eyes on him through the years. It might be pathetic, but I find it hard to be ashamed when the man in question looks like him.

“Looking for your dad?” Sage sets down his pencil and pushes aside the drawing he’s working on. “Because he’s not here.”

There’s this unspoken cold front between me and Sage that’s been growing these past few months. To be fair, it exists between me and every member of the Twisted Kings. I’m the daughter of the president, so the guys at the club aren’t allowed to focus too much attention on me.

But while the club members keep their distance for fear of losing their nuts, with Sage it’s different. He steals glances when he thinks I don’t notice, and I let him get away with it. His resistance isn’t out of fear for my father. It’s because he doesn’t like that he can’t help it.

Sage is meticulous. He’s careful. He’s protective and controlling.

And I enjoy shattering his rules.

“I’m not looking for Kane.” I circle the chair in the center of the room, dropping down into it. “I’m looking for you. I’m eighteen now, in case you forgot.”

It takes everything in me to even my tone when he won’t take his dark eyes off me. I bite my lip, gnawing a little harder when his gaze drops to my mouth.

“I didn’t forget.”

“So…” Leaning back in the chair, I smile at him. “I want a tattoo.”

“No.” He turns back to his drawing and starts to scribble a little harder than he was when I first walked in.

“Come on, Sage.” I grit my teeth, not backing down. “It’s just atattoo.”

“On Kane’s daughter.”

“Since when do you listen to his rules?”

“Since I want to live and breathe another day.”

I glare at him. “It’s not like you’re a member yet. You’re a prospect. This is the time when you can still get away with things before you lose all your freedom.”

“Thanks for the reminder.” Bitterness stains his tone.

It’s no secret around the compound that Sage didn’t agree with his father’s decision to make him wait until he was almost twenty-one to prospect for the club. Especially considering he was born and raised to be a Twisted King.

Most guys prospect at eighteen, but his dad wanted him to wait. Which is the whole reason Sage started tattooing. It was something to keep him busy, and he happened to be good at it.

“Sorry.” I frown. “Touchy subject.”

“It’s fine.”

Sage shakes his head, and I hate that he brushes me off like I’m still a little kid.

“Why do you still want to join the club anyway?” I ask him, looking around the shop. “Especially with all this going for you.”

“What else would I do?” He shrugs. “I don’t have to give up tattooing. I can patch in and help at the shop in my free time. It’s not like they’re making me choose. Besides, I want to. It’s what I was always meant to do.”

“Since when do you believe in destiny?” I challenge him.

“The Twisted Kings are family, Lyla.” He avoids my question. “This was always the plan. I’m not turning my back on them.”

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