“Okay, well, I’ll jump in the shower real quick and make us something while you get ready.” Throwing the comforter off, he rose, perfect in his nudity.
From his muscled arms and defined abs to the tattoos on his biceps and upper back, he was simply amazing. If she allowed her gaze to travel lower, there were even more things she could ogle, but she refrained. Because she, on the other hand, had pulled the blanket back over her and now held on for dear life.
She wasn’t one to flaunt her body on a good day. At four months pregnant, she wasn’t feeling particularly comfortable with herself, the curves she was developing, or the lack of a waist that had suddenly occurred. Last night she’d been too caught up in the moment to be shy, but that wasn’t the case this morning.
“Go ahead.” She waved him away, indicating he should use the shower first. And quickly.
His gaze dropped to her fingers, clutching at the blanket. “Erin?”
“Hmm?” she asked too brightly.
“You’re gorgeous, and if you didn’t need to get to work, I’d strip that cover off you and pick up where we left off last night.”
A small moan escaped her lips, but he was gone without indicating he’d heard. A few minutes later, she heard the creaking of pipes and the sound of water running in the shower. She was dying to join him.
With a groan, she snuggled deeper into the blanket. How she was going to keep her distance was beyond her, but she had no choice if she wanted to survive their enforced closeness with her emotions intact.
• • •
Cole was making breakfast in the kitchen. He removed the bread from the fridge and was opening the bag when Erin’s scream from the other room startled him.
He dropped the bread and bolted for the front door. “What happened?”
“I went to get the newspaper from the porch. I opened the door and . . . look!” She pointed beyond the entry, her hand shaking, her face pale.
He shifted her behind him and pulled his gun from his back holster before cautiously checking outside. A dead animal that looked more like roadkill than a pet lay on her porch in an open shoe box.
A gagging noise sounded behind him. He turned to see Erin run for the bathroom in the hall.
“Shit,” he muttered. Not wanting to taint evidence, he left the box outside and headed to help her first.
He stood in the doorway of the half-bath downstairs while she dry-heaved into the toilet. He cringed, something too near the region of his heart twisting at her pain and discomfort.
Without asking, he stepped inside and wet a damp towel, then knelt beside her.
“Go away,” she moaned into the toilet.
Cole ignored her, merely lifting her hair so he could lay the cold towel over the back of her neck.
“Feels good,” she said begrudgingly. He understood she was more embarrassed than angry at him for not giving her privacy.
“If you’re okay, I need to call your brother and get someone over here to process the . . . evidence.” Since her retching had stopped, he didn’t mention the dead animal specifically.
“Go.” She waved a hand and this time he listened.
A few minutes later, both Mike and Sam arrived in separate cars, Mike in an SUV, Sam in his patrol car. Erin was in the kitchen sipping ginger ale, and Cole met the men at the door.
Sam, in uniform, knelt in front of the box and frowned. “Jesus,” he muttered. “What kind of sicko would scoop an already dead animal off the road?”
“One who doesn’t want to do the dirty work herself to make her point,” Cole said.
“Her?” Erin came up behind him.
He glanced over, noting she was still pale. Unable to help himself, he wrapped a steadying arm around her shoulders. “Let’s sit down inside so we can talk this through,” Cole suggested.
“One of our forensics people will be here to process things any minute,” Sam said.
They all headed for the family room, where Erin curled on the couch. Her eyes were cloudy and shadowed, a far cry from the sexy, teasing minx from last night, and he realized how badly he wanted that Erin back, not this worried, fearful one.
“I suppose I should be grateful they didn’t throw it through the window I just had replaced,” she said.
All three men’s heads came up at that. “What window?” Cole asked.
“A baseball destroyed my front window a few months ago. I had to replace the broken glass.”
“Any reason you didn’t mention it?” Sam asked.
Mike cocked an eyebrow, pinning his sister with an annoyed glance.
“Get that look off your faces. It was a baseball! I’m sure some neighbor kid had an accident and was too scared to admit it. It happened way before the shooting and I forgot all about it until now.”
Cole frowned, not happy about any of this. Something niggled at the back of his mind, something that made him uneasy, but he couldn’t pinpoint what. Or why.
“Let’s get back to this morning’s . . . gift,” Mike said.
The doorbell rang, interrupting them. “That’ll be forensics.” Sam rose to answer.
Erin, Mike, and Cole sat in silence, waiting for details, while Sam observed the evidence collection outside.
Sensing Erin’s stress, Cole placed a hand on her stocking-covered ankle. She’d been dressed for work when she came downstairs and opened the door.
Mike’s gaze immediately shot to the intimate contact and he scowled.
Cole ignored him. Mike’s sister needed comfort, and Cole was the closest one who could give it to her. He didn’t give a damn if Mike liked it or not.
“Erin, did you call in sick to work?” he asked her.
“Oh God. I can’t afford to miss more time.”
“More?” Cole turned to face her.
“She had morning sickness but thought it was a stomach bug. But it figures you wouldn’t know anything about that, considering you were nowhere to be found.” Mike eyed him with a healthy amount of disgust.
“Can you just lay off?” Erin said to her brother. “I can’t deal with this right now. Give me a phone. By the time we’re finished here, I won’t have time to go in to work before my appointment.”
“What appointment?” Cole asked. They hadn’t yet discussed her schedule for the day.
“I have a doctor’s appointment at noon.”
“Is something wrong?” he asked, concerned.
She shook her head. “Regular monthly appointment. Every pregnant woman has them.”
He nodded. They could discuss this further later. He handed her the portable receiver lying on the table.
While she dialed and called in sick, Mike’s furious gaze didn’t leave Cole’s. Ah, well. He knew better than to think the Marsden brothers would give him any kind of pass on the situation with Erin. He didn’t have a sister, but he imagined he’d react the same way, so he let it go.
He wasn’t too thrilled with himself at the moment. He hadn’t known Erin missed any work because of the pregnancy, hadn’t thought about what she’d gone through the first three months alone. He closed his eyes and fought for calm.
“Let’s discuss what we know,” Mike said, drawing his attention back to what was important. “First a shooting, then a warning.”
“That’s de-escalation,” Cole said. “Normally the warning would come first.”
Mike nodded. “Unless . . . maybe the softball through the window was a warning.”
“Possibly, but that doesn’t explain going from shooting to another warning.”
Erin’s gaze traveled between them. She was listening. Processing but not participating—and that concerned Cole. In the short time he’d known her, he wasn’t used to her being a bystander in her own life.
“Shell casings left at the site, leaving roadkill in a condo neighborhood. Both of these things seem like they were done by amateurs,” Mike continued.
“Cole, you referred to the person who left the—present—as female before. Why?” Erin asked.
And there she was, Cole thought with relief. Erin was speaking up, which meant she was okay.
“Because a man would have no compunction killing a cat or a dog to make his point. A female would have more trouble with it. A woman is more likely to use an already dead animal. It’s easier to justify to themselves.”
Erin pulled in a deep breath. “But what woman would scoop up roadkill herself?”
Cole could tell she was trying to control her breathing and gag reflex response to the dead animal she’d seen.
“She probably has an accomplice,” Mike said. “A male who would do that kind of dirty work.”
Erin nodded. “That makes sense, but who? Who would shoot me? Who would target me like this?” she asked, her voice rising.
Cole squeezed her ankle in reassurance that he was there. Not going anywhere while she was in any danger.
“Hey, you might want to see this,” Sam said, returning with a sealed plastic bag, a note inside.
Erin scrambled to a sitting position. “What is it?”
“A note. Handwritten.”
“What’s it say?” Mike asked.
“‘Leave him alone,’” Sam said.
Erin wrinkled her nose. “Him who?”
“That’s the thousand-dollar question.” Sam sounded as frustrated as the rest of them.
“Someone’s telling me to leave him alone. That’s further confirmation we’re dealing with a woman, right?” Erin glanced at Cole, her confusion clear in her tight expression and troubled eyes.
He nodded. “On the roadkill, yes. On the shooting? I’m not so sure.” Something felt so off about this whole thing. It could be because the person was unstable—
“Are you suggesting it’s two people after me?” Erin asked, sounding more panicked by the second.
Cole kept a firm hand on her leg. “It’s possible, that’s all. Mike?” He looked to her brother for confirmation. They’d gone through similar training and they’d both been undercover. Both been given the same behavioral courses.
“Rifle shooting doesn’t sound like a woman,” Mike agreed. “This does. But like I said, could just be an accomplice or someone doing something on their own, not listening to the woman.”
“My head hurts,” Erin muttered.
“Look, let’s get this processed, see if we can pull any prints. You two didn’t touch anything?” Sam asked.
Cole shook his head.
“Are you insane?” Erin asked, obviously doing her best not to gag again. “I want answers,” she said. “I hope the lab can work faster than they’ve been doing on the gun.”
“They will.” Cole agreed and he’d already taken steps to ensure it. “I have a call in to my people along with a promise to get things moving. We should know something soon.” He’d given everyone involved time to work without stepping on toes, but he’d gotten tired of waiting and he was finished tiptoeing around her brothers’ egos. While Mike had contacts high up in Manhattan, Cole had people who owed him more recent favors, both federal and state. Erin was worth pulling them in for.
Mike looked ready to argue but obviously thought better. “Thank you,” he said begrudgingly.
“No problem.”
Mike rose from his seat and walked over to Erin. “You okay, sis?”
She nodded. “I thought morning sickness was over, but that just . . .” She closed her eyes against the memory.
“Yeah. But I didn’t mean just that.”
“He meant with me being here,” Cole clarified for her.
Erin let out a long sigh. “I’m fine. If I wasn’t, Cole wouldn’t be here. End of discussion.” She folded her arms across her chest, a sign she was digging in her heels.
Cole had come to know that about her at least.
“Fine.” Mike raised both hands in a gesture of defeat. “Just know—”
“You’re here for me. I know. And I love you for it.” Her voice softened. “But if you want me calm through this, I suggest you accept that Cole’s part of my life—my baby’s life now. Whatever we work out between us will have to be okay with you too.”
Mike inclined his head, then leaned over and kissed Erin’s cheek. “I’ll call you as soon as I know something.”
She nodded.
“You.” Mike stood and Cole did as well. “Don’t let her out of your sight.”
“They’ll have to go through me to get to her,” Cole told the other man. They might not agree on everything, but when it came to Erin’s safety, they were one hundred percent in accord.
Mike inclined his head, obviously satisfied.
Once he left, Cole turned to Erin. “Let’s get you reshowered and changed. You’ll feel better, and then maybe you’ll want to eat.”
Erin rose. Her color looked better, a touch of pink in her cheeks. “I can handle myself. I’ll meet you back in the kitchen in a few minutes.”
He backed off, recognizing that despite everything, she was still in withdrawal mode. He’d noticed it this morning but let it go without a fuss. Although he preferred her soft and giving, he understood self-protection only too well.
Besides, he didn’t want Erin getting attached to him, and her accepting how things needed to be was a good thing. He’d laid out the rules—no commitment, just sex—and today she was giving him the space that defined those boundaries. Part of him approved because it was safer that way, for both of them. But damned if her turning away from him hurt more than it should.
And it grated that she’d pulled into herself, since she so obviously needed someone to lean on. Another thing he liked about Erin: She might need him, but she wouldn’t let herself depend on him in that needy way some women did. His thoughts immediately traveled to Victoria Maroni and her begging him not to leave or to take her with him. It’d been a goddamned case, and she had made it sound like he was bailing on an actual relationship. He hadn’t slept with the woman or sent her mixed signals, that he knew for sure.
He refocused on Erin, guilt riding him that she’d been alone through three months of misery, when he was equally responsible for causing her pregnancy. Now she’d mentioned a doctor’s appointment he’d known nothing about. He was shocked by how possessive he felt about her in such a short time, warning signals going off in his brain. She didn’t want him hovering, but suddenly he needed to be there for her, to take care of her, to show her she wasn’t alone.
Which went against every instinct he had that told him to encourage her to preserve her independence because she’d need it when he was gone. But he couldn’t let her go through this alone when he was here, now. Especially because once he was gone, she’d be needing that independent streak of hers once more.
• • •
Already exhausted before her day had even begun, Erin made her way back downstairs, her nerves shot from this morning. What kind of sicko would leave a dead animal outside her door and not get specific about what they wanted from her? Leave who alone? Which case? Why?
Her stomach grumbled and she realized she was so hungry she could barely think. Well, at least the nausea had passed.
She found Cole in the kitchen with a delicious-looking breakfast of French toast and orange juice waiting for her at the table. “You really missed your calling,” she said with a grin.
He’d shocked her with his culinary skills, and she suddenly had an urge to learn how to feed herself this well. Not to mention her child.
“Not really. I just like to eat,” he said with an endearing grin.
“Would you teach me?” she asked. “You know, so I can give little him or her the kind of Sunday meals my mom gave us?”
Cole’s eyes warmed as she spoke. “Yeah, I can do that.”
She reached for the maple syrup and smothered her French toast. “I remember how my dad would go get the papers, and when he came home, mom would have the most amazing pancakes waiting for when he came back and we all woke up.” Erin would love to have that in her future.
Of course Cole wouldn’t be part of that scenario, an
d she quickly glanced down at her plate, not wanting him to see the disappointment in her eyes.
Instead she cut herself a piece and tasted. “Oh my God, you are a magician.”
He laughed and began eating his own food. “So tell me more about this doctor’s appointment you have today.”
She shrugged. “Nothing much to tell. Just a normal monthly appointment. You can just drop me off at the hospital. My doctor sees me there, and I’ll call you when it’s time to pick me up.”
“Erin,” he said, a distinct edge to his voice. “Just because you were alone before doesn’t mean you are now.”
She glanced up, noticed the tight set to his jaw, and realized he was worried about her safety. “You can sit in the waiting room if it makes you feel better, but nobody’s going to hurt me in a hospital.” She drank a long sip of orange juice and her body thanked her by perking up a bit more.
“Try again, sweetheart.”
She narrowed her gaze. “Surely you don’t want to sit in the same room while the doctor examines me!”
His grip tightened around his fork. “That’s exactly what I want.”
“But it’s just me and my doctor! Nobody can get near me!” Not even her brothers would make such a ridiculous demand, and they were as overprotective as they came.
“This has nothing to do with someone being after you.”
She placed her glass back on the table. “Then what? I don’t get it, and you’re going to have to lay it out for me.”
“Did it occur to you that I might want to be there for you? For our baby’s doctor appointment?”
No, she thought. It hadn’t occurred to her. She’d gone into this thinking she was alone. Even after he’d said he’d be there for her and the baby, she thought he’d meant just financially.
He was only living here now because she might be in danger, not because he wanted to be with Erin. He’d made that clear last night. Given a choice, he’d be in his room over Joe’s, ignoring her when they saw each other in town. Sex was a perk, nothing more. Even as obvious hurt and frustration flashed in his expression, she couldn’t understand it.
“You don’t have to go through this by yourself. I’ll be with you today, and I want a list of future appointments. I’ll be going with you from now on.”
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