Cole chose this moment to rise to his feet.
“I’ll be watching over my sister, Sanders. And over you.” With that, Mike stormed off, leaving Cole alone to wait for Erin, his entire body tight and wired.
It didn’t matter that half of what Mike said echoed things Cole had thought himself. Hearing someone else say it only made it that much more real, and he was glad he had time to cool off before Erin was finally brought out in a wheelchair.
By then, Cole had calmed down, although her brother’s words reverberated in his brain. Mike had said plenty, but the one thing that hit Cole hardest was the idea of Erin with another man. But with her in front of him, he had to focus on the present—taking a groggy, hurting Erin back to her place.
In the car, she remained silent, and when he glanced over at the passenger seat, he realized she’d fallen asleep.
Watching her, his lips curled into a grin. She was exactly the girl he remembered, innocent and sweet. That she’d been a wildcat in bed, a perfect match for him in every way, in no way detracted from the fact that she was still pure of heart. Her brother knew her well, whether Cole liked it or not. But she was in his life for good, that much he knew. So was his child. A lifelong commitment he hadn’t planned—and the thought made him break into a sweat.
Pushing those thoughts aside, he gently woke Erin up and helped her out of the car and to her condo unit. Injured or not, he was way too aware of her as a sexy female. She wore a soft tank top under a cream silk blouse, which hung loosely off her slender frame. Thanks to the surprisingly cool August temperature, her nipples were puckered and visible through the sheer top, and he figured he was a pig for noticing when she was in such bad shape.
But he was a man, and she leaned against him as he walked her from the car to her house, upping his awareness of all things Erin. From the fragrant and still-familiar scent of her perfume to the way her hair fell loosely around her face, he was struck by her fragility and how much he wanted to take care of her.
The thought caused him to catch his breath and nearly trip. He ground to a halt, pausing for a minute.
“Bedroom’s upstairs,” Erin said, misreading his sudden halt.
He wasn’t about to correct her assumption. “Thanks,” he said, heading up the short flight of steps and into the master bedroom, where he helped settle Erin on the bed.
Around him, the room was a mixture of feminine touches, silk flowers, and small accessories, and sturdy light wood furniture.
“Cole?” She opened her hazel eyes and focused on him.
“Yeah?”
“I just . . . Thank you,” she said softly, and peered up at him with such trust that his entire body absorbed the warmth floating through him.
“You’re welcome,” he said. “Now rest.”
She was out cold before he left the room.
Once downstairs, Cole ran a hand through his hair, feeling more like he was in the twilight zone with every passing minute. A pregnant woman. A stubborn pregnant woman. One he was more than attracted to, even in her disheveled, injured state. If anything, seeing her vulnerable and hurt triggered something in him he’d never felt before. Moving in with her was a mistake.
Unfortunately for him, he had no choice.
• • •
Erin woke, immediately aware of excruciating pain in her arm and the sound of male voices coming from downstairs. She dragged herself out of bed and stopped in the bathroom, groaning when she got a look at her face. One-handed, she washed off what was left of her makeup, brushed her teeth, and headed downstairs to deal with the men in her life.
She found Mike and Sam seated at her kitchen table, stacks of folders around them, Cole hovering in the background. She recognized her work documents, many of them confidential, open in front of Mike.
Furious, she cleared her throat. “Just what do you think you’re doing?”
Mike glanced up, his expression not the least bit remorseful. “I had your recent and open cases sent over. I want to figure out who’d have a stake in getting you out of the way or scaring you into backing off.”
“And you couldn’t wait until I woke up?” The pain in her arm became secondary to the blood boiling in her head at the sheer gall of her brother.
Sam jumped up from his seat and came up beside her. “You okay?” he asked, concern in his hazel eyes as they stared into hers.
He was her baby brother and he loved her, but like Mike, he took overprotective way too far. “I was fine until I found you two in my personal work files.”
“Relax,” Mike said, ignoring her concerns.
“You know we have a job to do—” Sam began.
“Then go do it!” She cut him off. “Don’t you have a bullet to find? And if you want information on my cases, here’s a novel idea . . . ask me!”
Ever the distanced observer, Cole watched from across the room. His very presence in her small condo unnerved her, but she wasn’t about to deal with him before she let her brothers know how unwelcome their meddling was.
The strain of yelling took a lot out of her, pulling at the muscles in her arms and the stitches, and she couldn’t prevent the groan that escaped.
“That’s it. You two heard her. You’ve done enough here, and Erin needs to rest.” Cole stepped up, his tone brooking no argument as he faced down her siblings.
Most men in Erin’s life lived in healthy respect and awe of her large, bossy cop brothers. Not Cole Sanders. When he faced them down, he dominated his space. Erin knew she’d be exchanging one set of overprotective males for another one, but at this point, she felt more comfortable handling Cole. He was right. She just wanted her brothers to give her some space for a while.
Mike rose to his full height, and Erin still felt Cole’s presence loom larger.
“Look, just because you knocked up my sister doesn’t give you the right to boss her—or us—around.”
“What the hell?” Sam asked, obviously getting the memo about Erin’s pregnancy for the first time.
“Thanks a lot,” Erin muttered.
Cole clenched his jaw. “One, watch how you talk to or about your sister, got it? Two, I’m just backing her up since she told you to go away and you refuse to listen, and three, I’m here to protect her. If that means against you two, so be it.” Cole folded his arms across his chest.
Silence echoed around the room in waves as Cole’s words sank in. Erin knew her brothers, and if she didn’t do something, she’d have a brawl in her kitchen. She exhaled hard. “Let’s take a breather and talk again tonight or tomorrow, okay? I’ll go through my cases myself, and you two go back to work.”
“You’re pregnant?” Sam asked, his mind still obviously reeling from the news. “By him?”
Erin nodded. “Yes. And that’s a discussion for another time. I’ll talk to you about everything. I promise. Just give me . . . us . . . some space now.”
Sam straightened his shoulders, his body language obstinate. But when he turned to face her, he reached for her hand. “You’ll always be the sister I protect, but I get it. I’ll back off for now. But we will talk.”
“Yes. And thank you.” She kissed his cheek, then turned to her older brother. “Mike?”
“Yeah,” he muttered, clearly unhappy.
Erin would call Cara later and warn her she’d need to soothe her brother, the beast. “Thank you too,” she said to Mike.
She finally got them out the door and turned to Cole. “Well, they’re gone.”
“Yep.”
“So what happens next?” she asked, wondering just what he thought guarding her entailed.
“If you go out, I go with you.”
She nodded. “And if I stay in and watch television?”
“I do that too.”
Short and to the point, she thought. “Uh-huh. And . . . you leave at bedtime and return in the morning before I go to work?”
Cole narrowed his gaze. “I thought we went over this at the hospital. I’m staying here. With you.”
&
nbsp; “And I thought once I got settled you’d calm down and realize I can be alone. I’ll respect the notion that when I’m out I need protection until we figure out who took the shot, but here?” She swept her free arm around the condo. “I’m perfectly safe.”
“The alarm system looks pretty standard,” he said with a scowl.
Erin shrugged. “It does its job. It’ll dial Central Station if someone breaks in. If the condo and its alarm was good enough for Cara when she lived here, it’s good enough for me.”
His frown deepened. “I’m staying.”
From the determined set of his jaw, she decided not to argue. “Then let’s see what I’ve got for lunch,” she muttered, pulling open the refrigerator.
Cole came up behind her, his body heat warm, his masculine scent drifting toward her. She didn’t know why he had such a potent effect on her, but just his nearness aroused her, despite the pain she was in. And arousal and desire for this man were what had gotten her pregnant to begin with. So why wasn’t a complete one-eighty in her life enough to dampen her need?
He peered over her shoulder at the contents of the fridge. “That’s it?” He sounded alarmed.
She took in the Greek yogurt, orange juice, eggs, skim milk, and fruit. Oh, and the multiple bags of Oreos she’d been craving when she wasn’t nauseous. She preferred the cookies hard, cold, and crunchy. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s no substantial food in there, that’s what. No wonder you were ready to pass out and starving,” he muttered.
She blinked. “Uh, that was morning sickness,” she informed him.
He cocked an eyebrow. “Maybe.”
Stubborn man. “Fine. Go fill up a shopping cart to your heart’s content.”
“I plan to. And you’re going with me when I do. I’m not leaving you alone, remember?”
She decided not to dignify that comment with an answer.
“We’ll order in today so you can rest, and we’ll go food shopping tomorrow. You’re not working until next week. The doctor said you should take it easy.”
Erin frowned. He might be right, but he was also bossy and controlling. “Any other orders for me?”
He lifted his head from the fridge and pinned her with his dark stare. “As I recall, you liked it when I gave orders.”
Her heart skipped a beat. Yikes! The man went right for the jugular.
“It’s rude to remind me of that,” she muttered.
He chuckled and she turned to walk out of the room.
“Where are you going?”
“To take a painkiller and watch some TV.”
“Not on an empty stomach,” he said. “I’ll make you some eggs.”
She whipped her head around to face him. “You cook?” Because she didn’t.
“If I want to eat, I cook. Living over Joe’s and the coffee shop, I haven’t bothered much, but in this place? Yeah. I’ll cook. How about you?” he asked.
Her mother always said she’d regret not spending any time in the kitchen with her, and Erin never thought she’d agree. “Umm . . .”
He raked his gaze over her. “Really? How the hell do you survive?”
“Takeout! Mom lives half a mile away. My best friend’s family owns the diner in town. I’m hardly starving.”
“You’re skinny, though, and now you’re eating for two.” He opened and closed drawers until he found the skillet and other cooking utensils he was looking for. “Sit.” He tapped the chair with a spatula.
She eased herself into the chair, unwilling to confess that her legs had been about to give out, the pain from her arm making her dizzy and weak.
“I hope you’re always going to be this easy,” he said, his pleased smile causing a distinct flip in her stomach.
“Don’t count on it,” she muttered.
“Considering you don’t cook, your house is filled with all the right tools.”
“What can I say? My mom still holds out hope.” Her mom. Whom Erin would soon have to tell she was pregnant.
Nausea that had nothing to do with hunger or morning sickness filled her at the realization, and she lay her head on the table to wait for her food.
• • •
Erin survived Cole’s first night at her house by passing out and not waking up until late the next morning. Since she was in her bed with no recollection of how she got there, she realized she must have fallen asleep watching TV after dinner. Which meant Cole must have carried her to bed. Quite the knight he’s turning out to be, she thought.
A dark knight who’d spent years undercover doing who knows what . . . or with whom. He obviously carried the emotional scars, and he’d been a brooding bad boy when she’d known him before. But now? She couldn’t read his moods or feelings about their situation, but he was certainly stepping up and taking care of her.
For Erin, who’d never found a guy who treated her like she was precious or meant something to him, she found she appreciated being pampered when she wasn’t feeling well. And that was the thought that had her ready to get up and back on her feet.
She couldn’t get used to Cole taking care of her. From here on out, she’d take care of herself and their child. He’d have a say in their baby’s life, and she wasn’t an idiot . . . she’d accept reasonable financial help. But for Erin, this pregnancy meant giving up the dream of having the love and marriage her parents shared. That her brother and Cara now had. That Alexa and Luke had. Finding a good man was hard enough. Finding one willing to take on another man’s baby? Those were few and far between. But her reality didn’t mean she could allow herself to mistake Cole’s obligation to her baby as caring for her. He’d made himself clear each time she’d seen him post-one-night-stand.
The truth sent a knifelike pain to her heart, and as she climbed out of bed, the throbbing in her arm added to her torment. But she managed. Once again, she awkwardly used the bathroom and brushed her teeth with one hand, and she was starting for the kitchen when the doorbell rang.
Cole beat her to the front door. She heard him talking to someone outside, looking around before letting whoever it was inside.
Macy barreled past him, waiting until he shut the door and turned toward her before getting in his face. “What are you doing here, and where’s Erin?” her friend demanded.
“I’m right here,” Erin said from the top of the stairs.
Both Macy and Cole turned as Erin walked down the few steps to greet her friend. Macy’s gaze ran over her, her wide-eyed panic subsiding when she saw for herself Erin was okay. “Oh, honey,” she said, her gaze falling on the bandage and sling. “Come sit.”
“I take it you heard what happened?” Erin asked.
“Good news travels fast,” Macy said with sarcasm in her tone.
“I didn’t know you were awake,” Cole said. He hooked his thumbs in his jeans pockets and stared at her with that intense look that set her nerves on edge.
His black T-shirt showed off well-defined muscles. He hadn’t shaved, and he was even more appealing scruffy than any man should be, while she looked like roadkill. She could only imagine the sight she presented, and she did her best not to wince.
“How’s the pain?” he asked.
“Bad,” she admitted.
His eyes darkened.
“Can you take anything given your condition?” Macy asked, startling Erin.
She’d forgotten she and Cole weren’t alone. Par for the course around this man, it seemed.
Suddenly Macy cleared her throat, her eyes widening in sheer panic. Erin managed not to laugh at her friend’s distress. “He knows.”
“Oh? Oh!” She whipped her head around to look at Cole, whose expression, true to form, was bland, giving nothing away. “So can you take anything?”
“Tylenol, definitely. And the doctor gave me a prescription for something stronger to take sporadically if I’m in agony but . . . I’m trying not to use it.”
Macy squeezed her hand. “Well, I’m sure that makes rest all the more important then. You
need to be still.”
Cole nodded. “She’s right. Sit. I’ll go get you something for breakfast.”
Macy narrowed her gaze, obviously not sure what to make of him yet. “I’ve got loads of food for you in my car. My mom sent me over with enough meals for you to heat up for a good couple of days.”
Sonya Donovan, Macy’s mother, was a sweet woman who treated her children’s friends like they were her own. “Thank her for me.”
“I will.”
“Well, I’ve got eggs ready to cook, so you can eat those this morning,” Cole shifted his gaze to Macy. “Leave your car keys on the counter and I’ll unload for you when I’m through.” Without waiting for a reply, Cole turned and strode back into the kitchen.
“He always so chatty?” Macy asked, not bothering to hide the sarcasm in her tone.
“That was actually Cole at his most charming.”
“So how’d it go when you told him?” Macy asked as she and Erin settled into club chairs in the den and Macy curled her legs beneath her and leaned forward in her seat.
Erin cringed at the memory. “He overheard the doctor say something about me being pregnant. He was shocked, obviously. But it’s all taken a backseat to the shooting. We haven’t really talked much about it yet.” Erin bit her lower lip.
“Well, he’s here and obviously taking care of you. So does that mean you two are . . . together?”
Erin shook her head. “Not even close. He’s my bodyguard. He and Mike almost had a brawl over who would take me home and where I would stay. When I insisted on coming back here, Mike relented and let Cole play watchdog.” And she hated being his responsibility just as much as she hated the idea that he was now saddled with her and a baby for the rest of his life.
When Erin envisioned her future, it was with a man she loved and who adored her in return. Maybe it was old-fashioned and silly, but she’d seen her parents together and watched her brother Mike fall hard for Cara, turning himself inside out to make her happy. She didn’t want to settle for anything less. Like being a man’s burden.
“What was that big sigh for?” Macy asked, too observant for Erin’s liking.
“Nothing. No sigh. It’s fine.”
Perfect Fling Page 5