diff --git a/apps/client/src/stylesheets/theme-next/notes/text.css b/apps/client/src/stylesheets/theme-next/notes/text.css
index deedf02da..82aac0a42 100644
--- a/apps/client/src/stylesheets/theme-next/notes/text.css
+++ b/apps/client/src/stylesheets/theme-next/notes/text.css
@@ -676,10 +676,15 @@ html .note-detail-editable-text :not(figure, .include-note, hr):first-child {
 .ck-content a.reference-link:hover {
     /* Apply underline only to the span inside the link so it can follow the
      * target note's user defined color */
+     outline: none;
     text-decoration: none;
 }
 
 .ck-content a.reference-link > span {
+    color: var(--custom-color, inherit);
+}
+
+.ck-content a.reference-link:hover > span {
     text-decoration: underline;
 }