Free Inked in the Steel City Series by Ranae Rose

your friend Karen. Besides, I didn’t mind. She seems like a great kid.” His smile seemed to waver for half a second, the lapse so brief that Mina wondered whether she might have imagined it. “And very talented, too.”
     
    Mina grinned, remembering their night at Ruby’s, when Eric had been caught in the crossfire of Karen and Jess’s characteristically enthusiastic conversations. “Yeah, now that you mention it, I guess I tend to surround myself with loud people.” Maybe that was another reason she was so attracted to Eric. He was calm and relatively quiet, but not in a brooding way – more in a laid-back fashion. Her cheeks warmed as she remembered his complacency at Karen’s studio, where he’d agreed to her suggestions without batting an eyelash – including her request that he pose half-naked with Mina. Was he always so agreeable, or had he wanted to wrap his arms around her with nothing but a sinfully thin layer of silk between their bodies?
     
    They shared an appetizer, discussing the reason why they’d met in the first place – tattoos – between bites. By the time their fajitas were delivered hot and sizzling, she knew she’d only be able to enjoy the meal if she got her ultra-condensed life summary out into the open. Then they could enjoy dinner together and Eric would have a little time to contemplate it. It wasn’t an easy thing to bring up. She’d just have to plunge right in. “I should probably tell you; Karen is keeping Jess company for me right now. Jess doesn’t have parents – just me. I’m her legal guardian.”
     
    Eric set his water glass down on the table and Mina couldn’t help but notice the moisture that gleamed on his tempting lips. “Wow. I wouldn’t have guessed.”
     
    Mina nodded. “Yeah. We’ve been living that way for three years now. We’re both used to it – I just thought it was something you should know if, you know…”
     
    He nodded. “I understand.”
     
    His tone was easy and decidedly neutral; impossible to really interpret. She tried not to read too much into it. The moment of truth would come when dinner ended. For now, she’d just try to enjoy the meal as best she could.
     
    She wasn’t sure whether to be pleased or not when he suggested that they order dessert. On one hand, she was enjoying being with him, even when they were simply eating, making little conversation. On the other hand, if he was going to tell her he wasn’t interested in seeing her again, she’d rather their date end sooner. Just like peeling off a Band-Aid, it would hurt less the faster it was done. Wouldn’t it? She eyed him across the table as he gave the waiter their order, and couldn’t deny the wave of longing that swept over her. Instead of tasting the tea she’d just sipped, she tasted him. His lips had been soft, and his hands hot on her skin…
     
    “The flan here is great too,” he said, causing her to divert her gaze from his arms to his face. He was wearing one of those sinfully simple cotton shirts again, which allowed her make out the curves of his biceps underneath. Now that she knew exactly what lay beneath, it was harder than ever not to think about it. “Are you OK?”
     
    She snapped out of her muscle-dazed trance, realizing with embarrassment that she’d been staring at his arms again. She must have looked like she’d been zoning out. “Yeah, I’m fine. I was just thinking about work. Sorry.” It was sort of true. She’d never really gotten over the way Ashley had assaulted her and Amy that afternoon and the incident had been a prominent fixture in the back of her mind ever since.
     
    “You said you work at a bank, right?”
     
    She nodded. She’d mentioned it in passing but had steamrolled over the topic in her haste to confess her family situation. “I’m a teller.”
     
    “Do you like your job?”
     
    She shrugged. “I did, but I have a new co-worker who’s been making work miserable for all the tellers lately and I’m