I find an empty spot and park my car, then head inside. There's a line to check in, but since I have an appointment, I sit and wait for my name to be called.

A harried-looking man with messy dark hair calls out, "Piper Ross."

"Right here," I say cheerfully as I stand.

"Frank Crestman." He gives me a bland smile. "Follow me."

We walk to the back of the building, down a long hall of closed doors until we get to his. Once inside, I sit across from his desk while he pulls up my records on his desktop.

"Will you be paying with a check or credit card today, Ms. Ross?"

I feel my face heat. "Neither."

"Then I'm not sure why you're here today," he says.

"Because I need help paying for school." I pause, then look him in the eye. I refuse to be shamed by my situation. "I don't have enough money to pay for school."

With a slightly annoyed expression, he reaches behind him and pulls out a folder. "Here is the hard-copy form to fill out for a student loan. You'll need to get your parents to cosign."

My eyes widened. "But-but they won't sign." I can only imagine the look on my mother's face if I were to show up with this paperwork.

"I'm afraid you have no other options. You don't qualify for aid and you're still considered a dependent, so your only choices are to pay in full, with a payment plan, or get a loan, but that window is about to close. You'll have to act fast."

"Payment plan? How much would that be a month?" I ask, grasping at straws.

Frank gives me a number, and only years of my mother's training to sit still and not make a scene enable me to remain calm-outwardly, anyway.

"I'm unable to do that at this time, either." I swallow. "Is there any other way to pay for my classes?" There has to be a way. I can't do anything with my bachelor's degree. No one will hire a social worker without a master's degree on her resume.

Frank gives me a sad smile. "I'm sorry, Ms. Ross. Your only alternative is to cancel your classes and defer until you can pay or get a student loan in place for the following semester. You have less than a month to notify us of your decision."

Crap. Now I have no other choice but to actually talk to my parents.

Jase

I spend the rest of the day inking clients. While Piper is on my mind, I don't let that interfere with my work. Customers come first. If I screw up because my head's not in the game, they won't come back and neither will their friends.

There's a thirty-minute break between clients, so I start gathering everything Piper will need to get our books in order.

"When's your girl coming in?" Emmett asks as he steps inside the office we share.

My girl. Yeah, that will never happen. "Not sure. She's just moved in today."

"Your sister gave me the link to a program we could download. She offered to teach Piper how to use it, but I told her that I'd take care of that."

The fuck he will. Emmett is a cool guy, but he's more of a manwhore than I'll ever be-his random hookups make me cringe and that's saying something. I'm not judgmental about what he does with his body, but he should at least be on a first-name basis with the chicks he bangs. If he sets his sights on Piper, then I will be forced to beat the ever-loving shit out of him.

No way in hell will I allow his dick within ten feet of her-my girl or not.

"I got it covered, but thanks."

Emmett leans against the wall. "What's the deal with the two of you?"

I glance up at him. "Me and who?"

"You and Piper."

"She's my roommate and that's it."

"How long do you think that will last?" he asks with a shit-eating grin.

My jaw clenches. "Piper is welcome to rent a room from me for as long as she needs to."

"That's not what I'm talking about and you know it." He pushes away from the wall. "I saw y'all at Rowan and Seth's party. Could barely fit a piece of paper between the two of you. Not to mention you watch her like a hawk," he points out.

"So."

"Hate to break it to you, brother, but this white-knight-to-the-rescue shit ain't going to last. Once it gets around Forrestville who she's living with, her daddy will be down here with a Special Forces team to fuck you up."

My buddy is probably right, but I'm not breaking any laws. I'm not sleeping with his daughter. I've barely touched her. "Piper's a grown woman. Where she lives is her business and since we're not together, I don't see how her daddy will have a problem."

"Uh-huh," Emmett says. "Which brings me back to my original question: How long do you think it will be before the two of you are...together?"

"Can't I be nice to a woman without you questioning my motives?"

"Ninety-nine point ninety-nine percent of the time, I would say yes, but this is a fucking anomaly since you have no motive."

I glare at him. "Piper's a nice girl. A girl down on her luck who needed some help. Yeah, I'd be lying if I said that I don't get a bit of an ego stroke by rescuing her, but other than that, my conscience is clear. I'm not fucking around with her. She's not the type anyway."

"Maybe you're tired of that type."

Maybe I am, but it sure as shit isn't his business. I grunt noncommittally. "Whatever you say, man."

"Your next client is already here. She's early, too."

Relief flows through me. I'm not the type to run away, but I don't exactly revel in getting the third degree by a guy who has worse morals and motives than I do.

- Carefully applying healing salve, I glance up at Lola-my last client of the day-before I begin cleaning up my station. She's a hot blonde who has legs for miles and a very nice rack. Bonus, she knows her way around a garage and cars. "Go check it out in the mirror and let me know what you think."

She holds out her hand. "Help a lady up?"

Always the gentleman, I do as she asks. Her fingers linger on my hand until I pull away. Playing hard to get always gets them going. I don't think I've ever had to chase a woman, not even as a kid. They always came to me. Things haven't changed since I got out of prison, either. In fact, women want me more than ever, especially those high-in-the-instep types. They love to slum with me. Love all the dirty things I get them to do.

But I don't love them. I barely like them, only use them for sex, and they know it.

Her pouty mouth twists a little. "What do you think?"

Slicing my gaze to the koi fish and lotus flower I'd spent three hours inking on the side of her rib cage, I say, "Looks damn good."

"Hmmm. It's not too big, is it?" She stands, posing a little and bringing her shirt up on one side, teasing me with a glimpse of the underside of her breast.

"It's perfect." Snapping off my latex gloves and tossing them in the trash, I grab my phone and move to her. "Mind if I take a pic to share on Instagram?"

"Not at all."

Kneeling, I get in close so that the camera can focus on the detail. Lola scoots even closer. Yeah, I know where this is headed. I don't hook up with clients-at least not at work. After hours are a whole other matter entirely.

"Are you busy after this?" she asks, blowing her bangs out of her eyes.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the door open and a woman walk inside. Emmett greets her and they begin to walk our way. My heart kicks against my chest repeatedly the closer she gets.

Piper.

Just the sight of her profile gets me going.

God, it's wrong. So fucking wrong. I still remember what she looked like as a kid, nothing but these huge eyes behind thick-ass glasses in a small face. I still remember the way she used to stutter when she spoke. The way she shrunk in on herself in a crowd, as if a part of the background, but no matter how hard she tried to blend in, I'd always noticed her, ever since we first met.

Rowan drags me through the crowd of people as she attempts to get to her locker. With a scowl from me, everyone in the hallway parts like the Red Sea. It's the best fucking thing about being a senior and a juvie regular. That, and the pussy I get.

A short, plump girl with shiny dark hair stands by the lockers, her eyes nervously darting around behind her thick glasses. She's wearing a dress that's the same dull green as the lockers.

"Piper," Rowan squeals. "We're locker mates."

Piper's eyes widen as she smiles shyly. "I-I kn-now."

Immediately, I pity her. She's all soft and scared...reminds me of a kitten. High school is not for the soft and scared. She's going to have one hell of a year as a freshman.

Yeah, I'll have to watch out for her.

"What's up, Piper? I'm Jase, Rowan's favorite brother."

Piper turns a violent red color before she manages to say, "You're her only b-brother."

I pretend to wince. "Ouch. The kitten has claws."

Rowan elbows me in the side. "Shut up, Jase. You have to excuse him, Piper. He just turned seventeen and thinks he's the shit."

As the red fades from Piper's face, I notice how pretty her eyes are. How innocent and open. She's not staring at me like the other girls in this school do, or their mothers, with undisguised lust.

"If I d-did, I w-wouldn't use them on y-you."

I lean up against the locker, focusing every bit of my attention on her. She's such a sweet and shy little thing. "Want to know a secret?" I ask before I can stop myself.

She nods and leans closer. The smell of vanilla washes over me. I swear my mouth waters. Breathing deeply, I bend down to her level and put my mouth close to her ear. "I'd like it if you did use them on me."

Her breath hitches. She turns to me, searching my face. "Are y-you m-making f-fun?"

"Nope." I shake my head for emphasis.

The prettiest hazel eyes I've ever seen get all dreamy-looking, but before she can say anything, the bell rings.

"Gotta go."

"'Bout time you leave," Rowan grumbles before she shoots Piper a look. "Brothers are such a pain."

"I d-don't know ab-bout that." Piper gives me another shy smile and my chest puffs up.

There's something about her, something sweet and kind that makes me feel manly. Like a real type of manly, not just screw-the-girls-and-see-how-much-trouble-I-can-get-in type of manly. But Piper is the same age as Rowan, only fourteen, and no matter how bad I can be, there's no way I'm going to mess around with a kid. Not even a kid who has the body of a woman and looks at me like I hung the moon.

"Bye, ladies," I say, then saunter off to class without looking back. But I want to look back. I want to go back to Piper and talk to her some more, but deep down, I know the truth.

Girls like Piper are too good for a guy like me.

I stand up, pocketing my phone as I do. Piper's gaze crashes into mine before she turns away and begins to intently study the wall to her right.

She's not being shy or coy, and for damn sure, she's not attempting to manipulate me. Yeah, I've been in prison for the past seven years, but I know people.

I know Piper and she's upset.

My protective instincts roar to life, wanting to bash in the head of the person who's hurt her. Doesn't matter that I would go back to jail-some people are worth getting locked up for.

"Uh, Jase. I asked if you were busy," Lola reminds me.

"Yeah, I'm busy."

Chapter 4.

Piper