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  “OK.” She smiled tentatively and her nerves buzzed as he took a step forward, coming within a hairsbreadth of invading her personal space.

  “Let me grab my jacket.” He took a few long strides forward and plucked a simple black jacket from a hook in the lobby, then slipped into it, placing yet another layer of concealing clothing over his tempting biceps and whatever designs might be inked across them.

  They passed a couple people languishing on a comfortable couch, perhaps waiting for appointments, and Eric held the door open for Mina. She flashed him a small smile as she stepped out into the chilly fall air. A gust of wind tossed her loose hair around her neck like a scarf, and her nipples pricked instantly against her shirt. Fortunately, her jacket was thick enough to hide them from Eric. Though he’d spent hours with his hands on her body, this was different. The gloves were gone and he was looking at her – just her – as they started down the sidewalk, walking side by side. She wasn’t his client anymore. She was…well, maybe not his date, exactly. But something like that.

  The soles of her boots scuffed against the sidewalk, conspiring with the breeze and scattering leaves to form an awkward symphony. She should say something. But what?

  “So, are you from around here?” Eric turned his startlingly blue gaze upon her and her stomach flip-flopped.

  “Not originally,” she said, burying her hands in her pockets as much as for something to do as to warm them. “My family moved around a lot when I was a kid.” By family she meant herself, Jess, their mother and whatever boyfriend-of-the-month had been living with them at the time, but there was no need to bring that up. She and Eric were having a quick cup of coffee, not pouring out their life stories over a bottle of expensive wine. Or whatever people drank when they bared their souls to someone else. Presumably, it was alcoholic.

  “Oh yeah?”

  She nodded. “Originally, I’m from Chicago, though I haven’t lived there since I was about three.” That was when her father had left and her mother had begun the patternless string of relocations that would characterize Mina’s entire childhood. No matter where they’d gone, Mina’s mother had never found happiness, and Mina had lived in the shadow of her discontent, an afterthought in her mother’s constant search for something different. Ironically, she’d made the same poor decisions time after time, perhaps thinking that living in a different city meant she’d finally get different results. “What about you?”

  He shrugged. “Been living here my whole life.”

  “It’s not so bad here.” Pittsburg wasn’t too big or too small. It was just right, as far as she was concerned.

  He nodded. “Not bad at all.”

  The rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafted toward Mina on a sudden breeze, mouthwatering. Eric held the café door open for her, and the bite of the wind was replaced by perfectly warmed air and a dozen tempting scents. Her nervousness ebbed as her stomach rumbled lowly. She’d had a snack in the car on her way to the tattoo studio, but that seemed ages ago. The air was laced with the seductive scent of vanilla, and when her turn came to order, she chose a vanilla latte – a perennial favorite that seemed especially appealing on such a cool day.

  “How about something to eat?” Eric asked.

  Mina eyed the case of baked goods wistfully before shaking her head. “I really don’t have time.” Besides that, she didn’t have the cash to spare. Not if she was going to be able to afford Jess’s homecoming dress. Even the latte was a splurge, but she hadn’t been able to say no to Eric. The coffee would just have to hold her over until after she picked Jess up from school and made it home, where she’d cook dinner.

  Her gaze wondered rebelliously toward the display again, and when she finally looked back to the register she saw that Eric had pulled several bills from his wallet.

  “Oh no,” she hurried to say. “I can pay for mine.”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “No, really. You don’t have to do that.”

  “I really don’t mind.” He handed the money to the cashier, who tucked it inside the drawer, which closed with a final click.

  She should have felt awkward as she took her coffee and headed to a nearby table with Eric, but instead she found herself fighting a smile. Maybe this was a date after all. Her stomach knotted up as the possibility settled over her. Should she really be sitting in a coffee shop with a guy she barely knew – albeit a really hot one – when she had to pick Jess up in just half an hour?

  She wrapped her hands around her coffee cup, soaking up its warmth. It would be OK. She’d leave in time to pick up Jess. She wouldn’t leave her waiting.

  “So, about our new masterpiece,” Eric said, one corner of his mouth hinting at a smile as it turned up, enough to affect Mina as much as his use of the word ‘our’. “Why did you choose that design? If you don’t mind me asking.”

  She dropped a hand below the table and began tracing lazy circles on the top of one thigh, biting the inside of her lip. “I guess I like the idea of being able to add beauty to my body, and I’ve always liked flowers.” She scoffed at herself inwardly. ‘Always liked flowers’? Everyone liked flowers. Any impression of intelligence she might have managed to give was probably evaporating faster than the steam rising from her coffee cup. “I mean, I enjoy growing them. I guess you could say I’m an amateur horticulturist. I was inspired by a photo of some flowering vines in one of my gardening books and my sister translated that into a tattoo design.”

  He raised his dark brows, his look of surprise highlighting the size and gleam of his blue eyes. His dark lashes surrounded them like sooty halos, and the effect was downright heavenly. “Wow. So is that what your sister does – she’s an artist?”

  Mina smiled. “Of sorts. She’s a student.”

  “At Pitt?”

  “No.” Mina shook her head. “A high school student.”

  Eric’s eyebrows climbed another fraction of an inch. “That makes it even more impressive. I can’t believe a high schooler designed that tattoo.”

  “She’s only fourteen.”

  “Wow.” He raised his coffee to his full lips and drank, still looking impressed.

  Mina repressed a sigh as she took her first sip of her latte. Some date she was. All she’d managed to do so far was to talk about her little sister. She probably sounded more like a middle-aged woman bragging about her daughter than a twenty-four year old. And yet, she couldn’t deny that Eric’s seemingly genuine interest fanned the flame of attraction that she’d held for him ever since she’d met him that first day in the shop. He seemed sweet, despite his pulse-quickening masculine build and the sexy tattoos that she imagined lurked beneath his shirt.

  “What about you?” she asked. “Do you have any siblings?”

  “One brother.” He set his coffee on the tabletop.

  “That’s—” Mina’s phone rang, the melody mercifully stopping her from confirming her inability to make interesting conversation by finishing with ‘nice’. “I’m sorry,” she said, reading Jess’s name on the caller ID. “I’ll only be a sec.” She whisked her finger across the screen, answering the call. “Hello – Jess?”

  The small sip she’d taken of her latte seemed to curdle in her stomach as Jess answered. “You’re where?” She gripped her coffee cup a little too tightly and hot liquid seeped out from under the lid, running over the sides and scalding her fingers. She yanked them away hastily. “Are you all right? Are you sure?”

  Eric had grabbed some napkins and was mopping up the puddle of vanilla latte on the table, offering her a clean one for her fingers. She accepted it, blotting her fingers mechanically as she tilted her head, trapping her phone between her ear and shoulder. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. I’m leaving right now.”

  “Is everything all right?” Eric stood as Mina did, concern written across his gorgeous face; his blue eyes a shade darker than usual.

  “No.” Mina snatched up her purse. “It’s my sister. She’s in the emergency room. I have to go. I
’m sorry.” The pang of regret that assaulted her as she met his amazing eyes for what would probably be the last time barely managed to cut through her panic.

  Eric followed her to the door, leaving his coffee behind with her latte. “Do you need a ride to the hospital?”

  “I have my own car. It’s in the parking garage just a couple blocks from here.” The bell over the café door jingled behind her as she stepped onto the sidewalk.

  “Can I walk you there?”

  She spared him a glance over her shoulder, trying not to let her regret show on her face. “No thanks. I’ve got to hurry. Thank you for the coffee though.” She took off at a near jog, leaving him behind. If it hadn’t been clear before, it was now – she wasn’t meant to date Eric. Her commitment to Jess didn’t leave any room for a boyfriend.

  Chapter 2

  The sterile smell of the hospital sent Mina’s heart racing and stomach churning. She walked as quickly as she could without running, her purse swinging at her side like a battle weapon. She forced down a wave of adrenaline as she stopped in front of an information desk and asked the receptionist where she could find Jessica Carson. “I’m Mina Lee, her guardian.”

  The receptionist studied her computer screen for a few moments and gave her a room number.

  An elevator ride and two corridors later, Mina was greeted by a particularly strong wave of antiseptic smell as she stepped into the coordinating room. It brought back memories she would have done anything to avoid revisiting. That was impossible thought, and her heart and body both ached as she was transported back in time seven years, to the most miserable weeks of her life. “Oh God, Jess, what happened?”

  Jess was sitting in her wheelchair, her face pale in comparison to an alarming patch of crimson at her hairline. A nurse was at her side and an unfamiliar mousy woman sat in a chair in the far corner, presumably the teacher who Jess had said had driven her to the emergency room.

  “Did you fall out of your chair?”

  Jess shook her head. “No, I hit my head on the corner of a locker bank at school. I’m OK.”

  “You’re her sister?” the nurse asked.

  Mina nodded.

  “It’s not a very large wound,” the nurse assured her. “It should only take about three stitches to close.”

  Large or not, it looked painful. A stream of blood began to streak over Jess’s forehead and the nurse dabbed it dry with a towel. The sight was far too familiar. Mina kept her eyes wide open, refusing to even blink. If she closed her eyes, she knew she’d see blood and glass everywhere, the memory painted across the back of her eyelids. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to focus on the present. “How did you hit your head on a corner if you were in your chair?”

  Jess’s gaze strayed from Mina and she folded her hands in her lap as she examined the large jars of cotton balls and tongue depressors that were lined up on a nearby counter. “Someone bumped into me.”

  “Someone? Your chair weighs over ninety pounds, and that’s not including you.”

  “OK, a group of girls bumped into me. I was on my way to the art room after classes ended and they ran into me in the hall. It tilted my chair and I hit my head.”

  Mina gripped the edge of the counter, struggling for the right words as anger began to replace the panic that had filled her as she’d raced to the hospital. How the hell did an entire group of girls accidentally run into someone in a wheelchair with enough force to tilt the sturdy base and throw the occupant’s head against the locker bank? “Was it an accident?”

  Jess appeared extremely fascinated by a jar full of wooden tongue depressors, but her fidgeting hands gave her away. “I don’t think so.”

  “Who did this?” Mina asked through clenched teeth.

  The woman in the corner finally spoke up. “Ms. Carson, I can assure you that I’ll be looking into this and that appropriate disciplinary action will be taken if it’s determined that your sister was deliberately harmed.”

  “It’s Lee,” Mina replied, “not Carson. And what do you mean if? Do you know how hard you’d have to bump into her to tilt her chair like that?” She’d hefted the chair in and out of her car’s trunk often enough to know exactly how heavy it was. It wouldn’t be easy for teenage girls to tip unintentionally, especially not while Jess was sitting in it. “If she says it wasn’t an accident, it wasn’t an accident.” She turned to Jess. “What are the names of the girls who did this to you?”

  The teacher looked uncomfortable, and the door swung open, preceded by a quick double-knock that saved her from having to reply. The doctor stepped in; tall, slender, middle-aged and cleanly dressed in blue scrubs and a crisp white lab coat. “Jessica Carson?”

  Jess nodded and he stepped forward, glancing down at her chart. “Let’s see.” He took a few moments to examine her injury. “Well, the good news is that it’s not a very large wound. I should be able to close it up with four stitches, tops.” The friendly smile he flashed Jess didn’t seem to have much of an effect.

  She made a feeble attempt at returning the gesture. “Do you think you could use one of, you know, those butterfly bandages instead of actually stitching it shut?” Jess’s hopeful tone played dangerously with Mina’s emotions and spiked her anger. As she thought of the girls who’d inflicted Jess’s injury, she couldn’t help but feel capable of snapping the brats in half like so many cheap, wooden tongue depressors.

  “Although the wound isn’t long, it’s too wide for just a bandage,” the doctor explained. “Without suturing it would take a while to heal and you’d probably end up with a very noticeable scar.”

  “Oh.” Jess held her own hands in her lap, both white-knuckled.

  “Here,” Mina said, forgetting her anger for a moment. “I’ll hold your hand.” She pried Jess’s hands apart and inserted one of her own between them. “It won’t take long, will it doctor?”

  He shook his head. “Not long at all. We’ll be done before you know it.”

  Jess didn’t seem convinced, but she nodded, white-faced. “I don’t want to see the needle.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “But tell me before you give me the shot, OK?”

  The nurse agreed and began to prepare a syringe full of anesthetic. The sight of the long needle made Mina want to cringe despite the fact that she’d just come from spending two hours having her own skin pierced continually. This was different – the numbing needle looked sinister and painful. Where exactly did all that length go when someone was receiving an injection in the head? Mina looked away as the nurse delivered the shot, squeezing Jess’s fingers in what she hoped was a comforting manner when Jess began to wring her hands.

  “There,” the nurse said. “The worst is over with.”

  Jess opened her eyes just a crack. “You’re done?”

  The nurse nodded, setting the syringe aside on a tray.

  Jess winced. “It feels like the needle is still inside my skin.”

  The doctor assured her that was normal and turned to a tray of gleaming silver instruments. The actual suturing was over within a couple short minutes. “That’s it,” he said as the nurse prepared a bandage. “This should heal up nicely.” He left a few moments later, leaving Mina, Jess and the teacher alone with the nurse, who handed Mina a yellow sheet printed with care instructions. “If you have any problems or questions, you can take her to your family physician or bring her back here.”

  Jess nodded, accepting the papers she’d need to drop off at the front desk before they left the hospital. “Just a minute.” She turned to the teacher, who had risen from her chair and slung her purse over her shoulder. “Miss—?”

  “Adams,” the woman said, extending a hand. “Ms. Lee, I really am sorry about all of this.”

  Mina nodded. “Thank you for bringing Jess to the emergency room. I’ll be dropping by the school personally tomorrow to speak with the principal. I’m not going to let something like this go.”

  ****

  “Ready?”

  “As long as you promise you
’re not going to put pictures of my boobs all over the internet.”

  Karen laughed. “Promise. Just tilt your chin down a teeny bit. That’s perfect. Now hold that pose…”

  Mina sat stone-still on a stool in front of a white paper background in Karen’s small photography studio. It was barely the size of her apartment, but it worked. Fortunately, it was also very private. Mina glanced at the window to her left just to make sure that the blinds were completely closed. After all, she was sitting topless in the middle of the room and she felt awkward enough without anyone seeing her. Her side and back faced the camera, exposing her new tattoo, and her front was facing the background, her breasts covered modestly by her arm. Being photographed in nothing but her jeans still felt weird, but any sort of top would have covered her tattoo at least partially.