Inked in the Steel City Series(29)

She let him guide her up the sidewalk, and couldn’t help but turn to stare at the posters in Hot Ink’s windows as they approached them.



“Pretty nice, huh?” He stopped beside her to admire their poster, still holding her hand. The husky tone of his voice suggested that ‘nice’ wasn’t exactly what he meant.



A wave of heat swept through Mina as she stood, entranced by the image of their entwined bodies and almost-touching lips. She could vividly remember how the firm planes of his stomach had felt pressed against hers, with little more than a thin layer of silk between them. And his heat…she could feel it even now, the warm rush of his breath against her cheek as he spoke, so close beside her. “Yeah,” she replied, her eyes glued to the tattoo winding across Eric’s toned back. That same body was pressed against hers now, firm even beneath the thick layers of their clothing.



“I don’t know about you,” he said, “but I really like this one, too.” He stepped to the side, indicating the poster displayed in the window on the other side of the door.



Mina followed his gaze, her lips cracking open in surprise as she looked closely at the poster for the first time. There was just one person on this poster – a glamorous woman inked from shoulder to hip, a soft cut of red silk wrapping around her body, not quite managing to hide the curves beneath. It was her. She hadn’t realized that when she’d first stood in front of the shop – she’d been too distracted by the image of her and Eric together. It was obvious now, though the way she looked in the picture wasn’t exactly how she pictured herself. “Karen is a real artist,” she said.



“Why do you say that?” Eric was still admiring the poster, his eyes slowly tracing the curves of her body.



Heat warmed her cheeks. “Well, look at me. I don’t look that good right now.” Not that she wasn’t happy with her appearance, but the glamorous woman she’d been transformed into for the sake of the photo shoot was bound to turn more heads than she did as her everyday self. Of course, that was the point.



He surprised her by looking away from the poster, turning to face her instead. His gaze swept from her head to her toes, and though she was more than modestly dressed in her work clothes and high-buttoned jacket, she felt as if she were wearing nothing but the red silk again. “Yes you do,” he said, his voice firm and sure.



She was suddenly hyper-aware of his hold on her hand, of his closeness. All it would take would be for either of them to lean a few inches, and their lips would be locked as solidly as they had been half a moment before the picture on the first poster had been taken. The thought released a swarm of butterflies in her stomach.



He began moving again. “Let’s try the whole coffee thing again.” His clear blue eyes met hers and one corner of his mouth turned up in a smile. “What do you say?”



“All right.” How could she say no to coffee? It was innocent, even if her secret thoughts weren’t.



They went to the same café they had the first time, and Mina ordered the same thing, vowing not to leave it behind this time. “I don’t think there are any open seats,” she said, clutching her vanilla latte and turning to scan the shop’s small interior. Most of the tables were occupied by people with laptops, their bags and coats filling the seats they didn’t. Here and there, couples sat together, and the sight of them made Mina glance toward Eric, wondering if he’d reach across the table to touch her hand or kiss her lightly with lips that had been warmed by coffee. She shouldn’t have been thinking about it, as if they were a real couple like the others scattered around the shop, but she couldn’t help it.



“There are a few tables outside,” Eric said, frowning as he glanced at a man whose computer and accessories took up every inch of a table made to seat four.



Mina nodded as she glanced out the window. All three of the outdoor tables were empty, their umbrellas closed and bound shut. No one wanted to sit outside in the cold fall wind, but it didn’t look like she and Eric had much of a choice.



“So how’s Jess?” Eric asked, settling into his seat across from Mina as he opened his coffee’s lid, letting the steam rise to be blown away by another harsh rush of wind. “Does she still have those stitches?”



Mina shook her head, inwardly pleased that he’d remembered Jess’s injury and cared enough to ask. “The doctor removed them yesterday. The wound has healed nicely. He says it shouldn’t leave too bad of a scar.”



“Great.” Even his short hair was visibly moved by the next gust.