Lauren fought the urge to smile – or worse, to laugh out loud – and picked up one of her tequila shots instead. As she set the glass down, she happened to meet Ben’s gaze and frowned at the somber expression she saw there. But before she could contemplate what might be troubling him, a familiar voice sounded behind her and two large hands squeezed her shoulders.

“Lauren, bella. You bad girl, not telling anyone you were in town. Why didn’t you let us know?”

She grinned, half turning on her barstool as the tall, swarthy man with shoulder length black hair, gold hoops in both ears, and a myriad of assorted tattoos covering his brawny forearms bent and kissed her full on the lips.

She gave Franco a fond pat on his heavily stubbled cheek. “Sorry, caro. I’ve been busy at work. You remember Karl and Chris, don’t you?”

“Yes, of course. How are you both? Keeping my little bella here out of trouble?” joked Franco as he shook the others’ hands.

Karl guffawed. “We’d need a whole army to do that. And she’s usually the one keeping us out of trouble, Franco.”

Franco Di Nardo had grown up on the same block where her grandparents had lived, in the house he had shared with his parents and siblings, just two doors down from the Benoits’. Whenever the McKinnons had visited, Julia had played with Franco’s sisters and female cousins, while Lauren had followed him, his brothers, and other boys in the neighborhood to the corner schoolyard where they had played soccer, basketball, and baseball. She had kept in close contact with the family over the years, and had attended Franco’s wedding to the fiery Brazilian girl he’d married a few years ago. She continued to visit Franco, Aricella, and their two small children as often as possible when she was in New York. Franco had always treated Lauren and Julia like they were his own sisters, even if he did tend to flirt with them a bit too much for it to be considered brotherly behavior.

Franco gave a quick glance around the table, his handsome mouth quirking up at the corners as he and Ben appeared to size each other up. “Introduce me to the rest of your friends, bella.”

“Of course. This is my co-worker George, our new boss Ben, and his friend Elle. Everyone, this is Franco Di Nardo, whom I’ve known forever.”

Franco nodded at George, gave Elle a wicked smile, and regarded Ben oddly. And then, as his gaze fell on Ben’s forearm, a knowing expression crossed his face, and Lauren only hoped her childhood friend would keep his big Italian mouth shut.

“Interesting design,” he commented, nodding at the tattoo that was mostly exposed by Ben’s rolled-up shirt sleeve. “In fact, it looks oddly familiar. Don’t you think so, bella?” he asked Lauren in a deceptively innocent voice.

Lauren gave Franco a not so nice smile, silently warning him to knock it off, especially when she glimpsed the mischievous expression in his dark eyes. “You know how it is, caro,” she replied lightly. “After awhile most tattoos look the same.”

Franco chuckled, not in the least bit fooled, and Lauren knew her secret had been exposed. “Not in this case, bella. I’d venture to say your boss’s design is one of a kind. Or maybe two of a kind, hmm? Which reminds me – I’ve got some new designs in at the shop. You should stop by, maybe pick out lucky number seven.”

Aware that five pairs of eyes were watching this exchange between her and Franco with great interest, Lauren shook her head with regret. “Not this trip, I’m afraid. I fly home in two days, and after work tomorrow I’m having dinner with my aunt. But I’ll definitely stop by the next time I’m in town, okay?”

“Okay. Say hello to your Zia Madelina for me, will you?”

Lauren nodded as he gave her a farewell hug and another peck on the lips. “I will. Give my love to Aricella and the kids, not to mention the rest of the family.”

Franco raised a hand in farewell to the others. “Enjoy your evening.” He gave Lauren a little chuck on the chin. “Ciao, bella.”

Elle was staring in mingled bewilderment and shock as Franco sauntered off with that tall, long-legged, and supremely masculine stride he’d possessed since the age of twelve. Lauren smiled a little to herself to note that even the buttoned-up Elle wasn’t immune to the overtly masculine charms of the brawny, tattooed Franco.

“Is that your boyfriend?” asked Elle after Franco had left the bar, her brown eyes still wide with both disbelief and unwilling attraction.

Lauren shook her head as she took another shot of tequila. “Not in the least. Franco is happily married with two small children.”

Ben’s eyes had narrowed dangerously, and there was a tight, rather unpleasant set to his mouth. “He’s happily married and still goes around kissing other women on the mouth?”

She shrugged, telling herself that Ben couldn’t possibly be jealous, and especially not with his girlfriend sitting right next to him. “It’s not a big deal. I’ve known him since I was a little girl. His family lived near my grandparents on the upper East side, and my sister and I would play with him and his siblings when we visited. He’s always been like a big brother to me.”

Ben didn’t appear to be mollified by her explanation. “That didn’t look like a brotherly kiss to me. And I can’t imagine his wife would think so, either.”

Lauren chuckled as she prepared another shot. “Considering that Aricella and their kids all kiss me on the mouth, too, I’d say she doesn’t give it a second thought. The Di Nardos have always been a very affectionate family, and Aricella fits right in with them. Besides,” she added with a wink, “Franco knows she’d gut him like a fish if he ever looked seriously at another woman. Not to mention the fact that he’s more than got his hands full keeping her happy.”

Elle looked distinctly uncomfortable at this topic of conversation, and subtly changed the subject. “What sort of designer is he? I must say he really doesn’t dress the part, so I’d have to guess he designs jewelry. Or maybe shoes.”

Lauren choked a little on the shot she’d just swallowed, and raised a grateful, watery gaze to a smirking Karl as he patted her on the back. “Uh, Franco isn’t that sort of designer,” she told Elle in a hoarse voice. “He actually owns a tattoo parlor. Those were the new designs he was referring to.”

“Oh.” Elle’s distaste at this revelation was obvious. “I suppose that makes more sense, given his appearance and all those tattoos on his arms. But what did he mean about lucky number seven? Do you have tattoos, Lauren?”

“Six of them,” she replied matter-of-factly. “Here. I’ll show you a couple.”

She proudly displayed the Gemini mark on her left wrist, explaining about her twin sister. “I have another tat on my left ankle – the Japanese letters for bravery in honor of my first judo teacher. Then there’s a little seahorse on my right foot to remind me of the ocean no matter where I might be in the world. And this one I got as a congratulations present to myself when I landed this job.”

She slid off the barstool and casually lifted the hem of her long T-shirt before presenting her back to the others. The shooting star tattoo at the small of her back was easily visible above the low-rise waistband of her jeans.

“That’s only four,” reminded Chris as Lauren slid back onto her stool. “And Karl and I have seen those dozens of times. How come we never knew you had two others?”

Playfully, she pinched his cheek. “Because those are private ones, Christina,” she teased. “Or at least they’re in private places. Places that no one at this table is ever going to lay eyes on.”

She drank down another shot just as she caught Ben’s eye, the expression on his handsome face downright ferocious. In response, she merely wrinkled her nose at him and glanced away, satisfied that he’d gotten the message loud and clear that he would never get so much as a glimpse of those other two elusive tattoos. And especially not when the lovely Elle was sharing his bed.