Page 13 of Exposed Ink

She’s wearing a similar outfit to the one she was wearing at Neptune’s—a black Exposed Ink shirt and ripped jeans that mold to her shapely legs. Instead of the black Chucks she was sporting, she’s in white today. And unlike the high ponytail her hair was in, it’s down in two braids, making her look younger than her twenty-eight years.

“Hey, I don’t know if you remember me …

“I do,” she says without so much as a smile, her expression giving absolutely nothing away. “You’re the guy from the hospital.”

“Yeah.” I step closer to her, ignoring the guy who’s now back to sitting behind the desk, watching our exchange. “How are you doing?”

“Wow.” She laughs softly—a tiny smile curling up at the corners of her mouth—and tilts her head slightly to the side. “First, a hospital call, and now, you’re at my work to check on me. They should give you a Paramedic of the Year award.”

I chuckle. “I swear, I normally don’t do this. It’s just that I couldn’t stop thinking about you, and I was wondering if you might want to hang out sometime.”Holy shit, I sound like a fucking teenage boy.“I mean, I was hoping you might want to go out with me … to eat.” I push out a harsh breath and shake my head. “I’m sorry, I seriously suck at this. It’s been a while since I asked a woman out and …”

Kinsley snorts out a laugh, her blue eyes brightening with mirth, and I realize it’s the first time I’ve seen her laugh and smile, and, holy shit, she was beautiful before, but when she smiles, she lights up the whole damn place.

“What I’m trying to say is, would you like to go on a date with me?”

Kinsley’s smile drops, and before she speaks, I already know what her answer is going to be. “I’m sorry,” she says, “but the only way we can spend any time together is if I’m inking you … or you’re treating me in an ambulance. And since I don’t plan to consume any more raw fruit, the second option is out. I appreciate you saving me, and you seem like a nice guy, but I’m unavailable.”

I’m confused by her words since her cousin said otherwise at the hospital, but before I can seek clarification, she dismisses me by quickly telling me to have a good day and then heading back down the hallway, disappearing into the room the front-desk guy went into.

“Sorry, man,” front-desk guy says, shooting me a sympathetic look.

“Honestly, it doesn’t surprise me that she’s taken,” I say as the guy from the hospital and picture steps out of the first room, his eyes focused intently on me.

“I’m Lachlan, Kinsley’s dad,” he says, pulling his glove off his hand and extending it.

“Shane.” I shake his hand. “I’m the paramedic who brought her in last week.”

“I know who you are. Thank you for saving my daughter’s life. And FYI, she’s not taken.”

“But she said …” I begin, confused as hell.

First, her cousin suggested I ask her out, then Kinsley told me she’s unavailable, and now, her dad is telling me she’s single?

“That she’s unavailable. Yeah, I heard,” Lachlan says. “But it’s not because she’s in a relationship. She’s single. Hasn’t dated in years. But in her head, she’s emotionally unavailable. Got a ten-foot wall erected around her big-ass heart.”

“More like fifty-foot,” front-desk guy mutters. “And the only way you’re getting to her is by breaking down that wall, and in order to do that, you’d better be damn strong.” He eyes me from head to toe with a smirk. “How strong are you, Shane?”

When my eyes go wide, unsure how to respond, Lachlan chuckles. “Ignore Scott’s flirting. He’s harmless. But he’s not wrong.” His features turn serious. “It would take someone extremely strong and determined to break down the wall my daughter has built.”

I nod in understanding, her reluctance now making sense. “Gotcha.”

I turn on my heel, ready to admit defeat, but as his words play on repeat, I stop at the door, unable to open it.

If I were smart, I would heed their warning and walk away. Kinsley made it clear she wasn’t interested, and trying to break down the wall of a woman like her won’t be easy. Hell, I’ve barely dated in the past seventeen years, focusing on being a single dad, so I’m no expert on women, and I’ll probably fail miserably. But there’s just something about her that I’m drawn to, making me want to try.

It’s obvious from my two short encounters with her that she doesn’t smile often, but when she does, it’s worth the effort. Watching her laugh at my expense made me want to make her do it again. And when she frowned, I wanted to ask what had caused it.

I want to spend time with Kinsley, but instead of breaking down her walls, I want her to open the gate for me. I want her to let me in and show me every part of her. For the first time in a long time, I want to get to know a woman on a deeper level.

Why was she terrified of being brought to the hospital? What happened to make her emotionally unavailable? Why is it that even when she smiled at me for a brief moment a few minutes ago, she still looked like she was in pain?

“Is there something else you need?” Lachlan asks, shaking me from my thoughts and reminding me that I’m still standing in the doorway like a weirdo, thinking about his daughter.

“Actually, yeah,” I say, turning around and walking back up to the desk. “I’d like to make an appointment to get a tattoo … with Kinsley.”

Scott tries to hide his smile, but Lachlan doesn’t even attempt to hide his smirk.

“You ever been inked before?” Lachlan asks, eyeing me skeptically.

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