Hot Ink

Chapter 6

"Here we are." The brick apartment building was thoroughly ordinary, and a rush of relief swept through Mina as they stepped inside, safely ensconced in the narrow hallway, away from the cold wind. Eric led her to the third floor,and her heart beat as if they'd run all the way up the stairs as hepushed his key into the lock and turned it.

The inside of his apartment was just as ordinary as the outside - modest but reasonably neat and clean. Her eyes settled on a guitar propped in one corner, a couple yards behind the couch that sat in the middle of the living room. Did he play?

"I have a roommate," he explained."He's the one who plays guitar, but he's at work right now."

She nodded, settling onto the edge of the couch after he gestured toward it. He sat beside her, his blue eyes locked with hers as he opened his coffee again, releasing curling tendrils of steam. "So about last time," he said. "You're going to have to explain if you really want me to believe it wasn't something I did."

She took a deep breath and wrapped her fingers around her cup, drawing on its warmth for courage. "If it was something you'd done, I wouldn't have come here with you."

He waited patiently for her to explain, his blue eyes locked on her.

"I agreed to go on a date with you because, well, I really like you, but I figured that it would be our last, after I told you about my family situation."

"Family situation?" He blinked, like he thought he'd missed something.

She looked directly into his eyes,doing her best to ignore the way her heart fluttered as she did so."You know - that I'm Jess's guardian."

He still didn't look like he understood. Mina repressed a frustrated sigh. How could she possibly make it any clearer?

"So let me get this straight. You thought that I wouldn't want to continue dating you because you're caring for your little sister on your own?"

She nodded, clutching her barely-touched latte. The cup wasn't as warm as it had been. Soon her drink would be cold, wasted like the first one. She forced herself to take a sip, and the sweetness felt alien on her tongue.All she could think about was bitterness - she'd be up to her eyeballs in it once Eric confirmed her theory and turned her away.

"That's ridiculous."

She snapped her gaze back to his face."What?"

"I can't believe you thought I wouldn't be interested in a relationship with you because of that."

Relationship. She took another sip of her drink, just to hide her face, lest it betray the sudden sense of hope that had risen up in her. "Are you telling me I was wrong?"It sounded blunt, even to her, but she didn't think she could stand her emotions being toyed with. Not by him.

"Of course." He cocked a dark brow at her again. "I don't know why you thought that would deter me."

She sighed. Maybe he just didn't realize what her life was like. She glanced around the room, where all signs indicated that it was home to two single men. He just couldn't understand the responsibilities of caring for another person - a person who needed her help for even some of the most basic things. Not that she could blame him, but... She steeled herself for disappointment all over again as she looked him directly in his amazing eyes. "I don't think you understand. Eric,I love Jess, and I wouldn't give up my guardianship of her for the world, but I have a lot of responsibilities, and they might make dating difficult at times. Jess will always take priority over any man - or anyone else in the world, for that matter. I know a lot of guys can't handle that." She'd learned that firsthand - the relatively few times anyone had shown interest in dating her over the past few years, they'd backed off quickly after learning how much of her time and energy was devoted to her little sister.