Oh God. How embarrassing is this. I give her an abrupt nod, then pull away. “I’d better get going. It’s almost dark. Fuzzy will freak if I’m still here when the sun sets.”

Shayla barks a laugh. “Why? You turn into a vampire or a werewolf or something?”

“No, but he does.”

Her cheeks redden, and she licks her lips. “I’d like to see that. Fuzz as a werewolf. He’d be covered with fuzz for real. Fucking hot. What I wouldn’t give for a bit of that.”

I glance over at Ray, but he’s watching me and doesn’t seem to care that his girlfriend is lusting over another guy in front of him. Also, AWKWARD. Tag is my brother and he belongs to Jess, although he doesn’t know it yet.

“I’ll leave you two…together.” I pick up my portfolio and head for the door.

“We’re not together,” Shayla calls out in an indiscreet, embarrass-the-hell-out-of-Sia tone of voice. “Me ’n’ Ray are just friends. I’m him, but a girl. Not a good combo when you got two dominant personalities in the bedroom.”

Stunned into inactivity, I stare at the front door. He’s not with her. My brain gets stuck in an endless loop of wondering if he would ever want to be with me and knowing it could never happen.

“Uh…thanks for that.” I turn and force a smile. “Actually, I was just here for business reasons.”

Shayla gives me a sly grin. “Sorry. I got confused. I guess all Ray’s petting was because you had something on your cheek, or maybe it’s that perpetual lost-kitten look that has men falling at your feet.”

What men? What the hell is she talking about?

“Shayla.” Ray’s warning growl does nothing more than egg her on.

Shayla grins. “And Sia was—”

“Leaving.” No way am I sticking around to have my feelings brutally exposed, especially when I’m not used to having feelings at all. I’m used to bland firefighters and blander accountants. I’m used to cold sheets, hot fantasies, and a box of vibrators under the bed. I’m used to staying strong, staying safe, staying sane. And yet I’m inexorably drawn to Ray, body and soul, as if we somehow fit together.

“Sia.” Ray’s deep growl stops me in my tracks, and I look over my shoulder.

“Seven o’clock. Tuesday. We go late, I’ll take you home. Keep Tag happy.”

“Sure. I’ll be there.”

Ray gives a satisfied grunt and I turn and walk away. But I can feel his gaze on me, burning into my skin. A shiver ripples down my spine, but I don’t know whether it’s from anticipation or fear.

Or both.

Chapter 5

He didn’t pee on my feet

“You’re going to ink Ray tonight? Shut the front door!”

Jess shrieks after I tell her about my meeting with Ray at Redemption, the “sexy” comment, the cheek stroking, and my oh-so-exciting evening ahead. Of course, shrieks don’t go down very well in tiny vegan cafés in the Haight District, and her outburst attracts a lot of attention. The unwanted kind.

“I kinda wish he was still a fantasy man.” I stir my lentil chili and then take a little nibble. Not bad. Jess is always trying to convince me of the benefits of a vegan lifestyle, and although she’s introduced me to some tasty dishes, I just can’t give up my hamburgers. “He’s a bit much to handle in real life. Very intense. Very dominant. And so damn hot I think I’ll combust every time I’m near him.”

“And taken.”

“Well…no.” I sigh and lower my spoon. “Which is a shame because I’m not looking for a relationship right now.”

“You haven’t been looking for a relationship for years.” She gives a sarcastic snort. “Even when you were in a relationship, you said you weren’t looking for a relationship.”

“They weren’t real relationships. What I had with Charlie and James was comfortable, and I was so grateful for everything they did for me, I felt I owed it to them to try to be in a relationship. And Peter was—”

“A pig.” Jess curses as she has done every time I mention the name of the man who broke it off with me because I had too much “baggage.”

“Seriously,” I say. “I need to focus on my work so I can help out Mom and Dad, and save money so I can open up my own studio one day. And I’ve got to shake off the Tag shackles.”

Longing flickers across her face. “Tag’s overprotective because he cares.”

But not about her. The unspoken words hang between us. Tag has always treated her like another little sister; never once did he give any sign he saw her as anything other than a friend.

She takes a bite of her tofu scramble. “If you really wanted to throw off the Tag shackles, you’d just tell him. You wouldn’t call him up when you need help. You wouldn’t ask his advice about everything. You wouldn’t ride home with him after work. You wouldn’t ride criminal-shotgun in the back of his police car. Of course, there are some of us who would die for a big brother like that, but if you want to throw it all away for a little independence, well, that’s up to you.”

“Sarcasm doesn’t become you.” I try for a withering stare and make her laugh instead.

“And anger doesn’t become you. People with a smiley face generally look smiley even when they’re annoyed, which I know you are because you’ve stirred that chili into mush.”