Forbidden: A Shade Darker – The Complete Collection. Leslie Kelly

a little girl. She’d worked at one as a teenager, and she used the college money left to her by her parents to open the shop. It had done very well for a while. But times changed, and the internet, recessions and so forth were taking their toll on her dreams.

      The shop and her sister were the most important things in her life—they were all she had left. Erin was young when their father had died of a heart attack at the station. He was always at the station. Lived and died there, literally. Their mother was gone eight years later. Erin had been out working on a fire when their mom passed away.

      Sometimes Kit felt terribly alone. Feelings weren’t always fair, she knew. Sometimes, they were awful, confusing things. Like when the doctors said that Erin had amnesia and very likely wouldn’t return to firefighting.

      Kit had, on some level, been happy about that. It wasn’t very supportive, she knew that, but she was so happy to have Erin around again. But Erin seemed drawn to her old crew, even now. It was like an obsession.

      As Kit moved farther into the room, she didn’t see her sister anywhere, and her heart sank. So much for sister time.

      “Hey, you’re Riley’s sister...the flower lady.”

      Kit turned toward the voice and found a very, very large man standing near a tall table, where he put a beer down and faced her, holding out his hand.

      “I’m Hank Aaron.”

      She raised her eyebrows.

      “No joke, that’s my name. Dad was a huge baseball fan. Mom couldn’t talk him out of it. And you’re...Kathy?”

      “Kathleen, but everyone calls me Kit.” She smiled, looking into his face. “Now I remember. We met at the hospital a few times. I’m sorry. I was not quite coherent back then.”

      She reached out, shook his hand, which swallowed her own. His skin was rough, but not in an unpleasant way. It scraped on hers and made her wonder how those large hands would feel on the rest of her.

      “Understandable. That was hell, waiting to see what would happen, especially for you. Families have it hard in our business. Can I get you a beer?”

      She paused, took her hand back. She was going to say no. It was obvious Erin wasn’t here, but then Kit changed her mind as her stomach rumbled.

      “That would be nice, thanks. I might order something to eat, too. I was hoping to meet Erin here, but I guess she had other things to do.”

      Hank frowned. “Do you think she’s okay?”

      “I do. She shut off her phone. She does that when she wants to be left alone. I know what she’s going through is so hard...and I don’t know how to help most of the time. I try to give her space to figure things out, but I’m never quite sure what to do. Or if she needs me for anything at all.”

      She failed to keep the slight edge of resentment out of her tone, and Hank noticed.

      “I imagine this is difficult for both of you. Riley, um, Erin hasn’t been quite the same since she woke up. We notice it, too. She’s...I don’t know. Like she’s looking for something, I guess. There, and then not there.”

      “At least I get to see her more these days. I think you guys knew her better than I did before. She certainly spent more time with you all, and I know being around you now is a comfort to her. But I worry she’s too caught in the past to move forward. She doesn’t like hearing that, as you can imagine.”

      Hank drew himself up, all six feet who-only-knew-how-many-inches of him, and looked down at her with calm understanding. How did this big bear of a man come off so Zenlike? As he started to speak, she expected him to make excuses and find some means to escape her dumping all her problems on him. She never did that, not as a habit, and wouldn’t blame him for wanting to get clear of her.

      “Have you had anyone to talk to since this happened?” he asked instead.

      A beer came, magically appearing in her hand. Hank said something to the woman that she couldn’t hear over the noise.

      “I ordered some dinner and got something for you, too.”

      Kit was taken aback at his presumptuousness, but then she acquiesced as she knew he meant no offense. And he would know what was good to eat here anyway.

      “Thank you.”

      “C’mon, the back is quieter. It can get nuts around here on the weekend.”

      He led her to a table near the back, pulled out a chair for her and then sat himself. He looked sort of ridiculous at the small tavern table, being lumberjack-sized.

      “So you didn’t answer my question.”

      “What question was that?”

      Kit started to relax a bit. It had been a long time since she’d been out for an evening, even longer since it had been in a bar with any member of the opposite sex. She’d needed a break more than she thought.

      “Have you had a chance to talk to anyone about what’s gone on with Erin? The department has counselors for us, and they work with family, too, when it’s needed.”

      She shook her head. “I’m fine. I was just ticked off that she stood me up.”

      “Yeah, she gets caught up in her head these days. Can’t blame her, but it’s not easy to live with, either. None of this is. Our schedules, lifestyles...it’s hard on loved ones.”

      “Yours, too?”

      “I’m not married, if that’s your way of asking. Or involved.”

      Kit’s felt her cheek warm. “I wasn’t asking, really, that’s none of my—”

      “Then it was my way of letting you know.”

      Kit stopped, flustered. “Oh. Okay.”

      Luckily, the server arrived with their food. Kit was immediately in love—with the chicken.

      “Dig in. Don’t be shy.” Hank smiled, triggering another warm curl low in her belly that wasn’t caused by the spicy aroma of the food.

      Kit didn’t hesitate, starting in on the chicken and handmade fries without reserve, licking her fingers when she was done. Hank was working his way through his, too, and eyed the remnants left on her plate.

      “You and your sister both know how to eat, that’s for sure.” He said it appreciatively, and Kit couldn’t help but grin.

      “Yeah, my parents believed in healthy eaters. Good thing they also passed on their active metabolisms.”

      “You are in nice shape,” he said with a twinkle in his blue eyes.

      She couldn’t explain her response except that it had been a very long time since she’d been with a man. She was thirty-three, and had always imagined she’d be married with kids by now, but life hadn’t made time for romance. It did, however, make time for lust and the occasional fling.

      Things were definitely stirring here at the table between her and Hank. She wasn’t sure when she stopped thinking about having a long-term relationship—her work, her parents, her sister...it all had consumed the years. Still, she enjoyed a night of hot sex now and then, when it was with the right guy.

      But Hank wasn’t the right guy. He was a firefighter, for one—definitely not her type—and he had worked with her sister. It was best, when scratching an itch, to have things as anonymous as possible. There was a good chance her path and Hank’s could cross again, and that meant it would be a mistake to fan this little ember.

      They used the wet wipes at the table to clean their hands, and Kit figured it was time to leave. She didn’t want to send false signals by staying too long. She’d catch up with Erin tomorrow. She couldn’t imagine where her sister was, but Kit’s mood had mellowed on a full stomach.

      Some live music started in the main room, though, drowning out her voice. Hank said something,