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“When I was eighteen, I met this guy, Jason, who was an apprentice at a local tattoo shop and we started hanging out. I’d go over to the shop to chill and one of the artists saw me sketching something one day. He said that I had a lot of talent and he wanted to teach me if I was interested. I started apprenticing with him later that week and the rest is history.”

“Wow. Sounds like you were in the right place at the right time.”

He nods, taking a bite of his burger. “Yeah, something like that. So, what do you do when you’re not tending bar for my uncle?”

My mind goes blank and I try to think of anything to tell him besides painting. “Uh… I like movies,” I say with a shrug and he laughs.

“Yeah? What’s your favorite movie?”

I gasp dramatically and shake my head, throwing my hand over my heart. “I could never pick just one.”

He throws his head back and laughs and I find myself giggling along with him, feeling lighter than I have in months.

“You’re cute as hell,” he says, locking eyes with me and my cheeks heat as I drop my gaze to the table. Damn, this man gets to me like no one else ever has. He nudges my foot under the table and I glance up, his bright smile rending me stupid once again. “I mean it, Emma.”

“Thank you.” My voice is weak but I know that he heard me.

He sighs and the sound draws my gaze back to his face. “There’s something that I really want to say to you.”

“Okay,” I whisper, my mind going crazy with the possibilities.

“First off, I want you to know that I’m not that guy.”

My brow arches in question. “And what guy is that?”

“You know, the guy that says all the right things because he does this kind of thing every day of the week. I’m not here playing games with you and I’m sure as hell not looking for some quick hook-up. I need to make sure you know that.”

“Okay.” I’m not sure that I believe him completely but the look on his face is sincere and I haven’t seen any evidence to the contrary. Not that it matters since this lunch is as far as anything will go between Phoenix and I.

“Also, I want you to know that you can talk to me. About anything,” he says, leaving the statement hanging in the air between us and I wonder what he’s not saying. For a split second, I consider telling him the truth, spilling my deepest, darkest secrets to him but even the thought sends panic rushing through my body so I shut it down quickly but the more I analyze what he said, the more my mind begins to race. What does he know? Why would he say that to me unless he knew something? Oh, God, what did Moe tell him? The panic consumes me and I stand up quickly, my chair scraping along the floor. His concerned gaze locks on me and I grab my bag off the back of the chair in a desperate attempt to escape.

“I have to go,” I blurt out. Slinging the strap of my purse over my shoulder, I try to brush past him but he grabs onto my arm, stopping me. My eyes find his and the fire dancing in the ocean of his gaze steals the air from my lungs and urges me to lean into him.

“Emma, wait. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

I shake my head. “You didn’t. I just need to go.”

“Okay,” he murmurs after a second, pulling me closer and it doesn’t freak me out nearly as much as it should. “I’m not going to push you but I’m not going away either. You’ve been a constant fixture in my mind, driving me crazy, since the moment you walked into my shop and I’ve never felt anything like what I do with you. If you’re honest with yourself, I think you know exactly what I’m talking about.”

My eyes flick back and forth between his face and his hand on my arm as my mind spins. Finally, my gaze settles on his face and he gives me a little smile of encouragement. I rip my arm out of his grasp and take a step back.

“Good-bye, Phoenix,” I whisper, my voice not nearly as firm as I’d hoped it would be. He smiles and nods.

“See you around, Emma.”

* * * *

“You okay, Emma girl?” Moe asks, nudging me as he passes and I wince at how ridiculously obvious I am. I had been really hoping that no one would notice how distracted I’ve been all night but I should know better than to think that I had been hiding it well or that these guys would let me off the hook if they did notice my weird behavior. Although, the reason for my silence tonight is far more innocuous than it usually is.

Ever since I left Phoenix behind in that restaurant today, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him. His words run in a loop through my head, one minute exciting me and the next scaring the shit out of me. I’m terrified of opening up to him, of letting him into my damaged, fragile heart and yet, at the same time, I’m excited by the possibilities. For a brief moment this afternoon, I toyed with the idea of starting something casual with Phoenix but after what he said today, I don’t think he’d be okay with that and deep down, that’s not who I am. I’m a relationship kind of girl through and through.

“Yeah, I’m good, Moe. Just a little tired today.” I cross my fingers, hoping and praying that he’ll buy that story but I know my chances are slim.

“Why don’t you go home and get some rest,” he says, surprising me. “Trey and I can finish up here.”

Trey glances up and smiles, offering me a nod of support and I decide to take his advice. I really am exhausted. Not that I think I’ll actually get some sleep tonight. I’ll probably spend hours tossing and turning as I think about Phoenix and all of these feelings that he’s stirring up in me.

“Thanks, Moe.” I toss my rag down on the bar and he nods, giving me a quick hug before disappearing into the office.