Perfect Fling (5 page)

Mike shook his head. “They’re working on it now, scouring the area. We’re hoping to find the bullet so we can run ballistics. We’re interviewing people who work in the area, and when you’re up to it, I’ll need to talk to you.”

She nodded.

“Any cases you’re working on that scream trouble to you?” Cole asked.

“I—” Erin began.

“Police business, Sanders,” Mike interrupted before she could reply.

She rolled her eyes. “Cole knows what he’s doing. Another set of eyes, ears, and experience might help.”

“He knows what?” Mike asked Erin.

She opened her mouth and closed it again. Her brother was right. Just what kind of experience did she think Cole had, considering how little she knew about him?

“I don’t know,” she admitted. But she’d gone off and defended him like he’d been working for the Secret Service for the last few years.

Her brother and Cole eyed each other warily, as if in possession of some big secret. Erin had seen that look over the years between her two brothers when they wanted her left out of something—
for her own good
.

“What?!” she half yelled at them.

Cole inclined his head at Mike, obviously giving him permission to reveal
it
. Whatever it was.

“Your instincts are right,” her brother said through gritted teeth. “Cole knows what he’s doing. He’s been doing undercover work for the NYPD.”

Erin blinked in surprise. Not that her gut feelings about Cole had been on target, but because she hadn’t any idea where he’d been, what he’d done . . . or seen. She still didn’t have any inkling about the details, but with the darkness that surrounded him now being the beginnings of an explanation, she suppressed a shiver.

“When will you be released?” Mike asked, changing the subject from the shooter and from Cole.

“They aren’t keeping me overnight, but the doctor still has to run some tests, clean the wound, and bandage it better.”

Mike nodded. “Then Cara will take you back to our place.”

“I’ve got her,” Cole said, stepping close to the head of the bed, his voice firm.

“Whoa,” Erin said. “I don’t care who takes me home, but I’m going back to my place.”

“Not alone,” Cole said.

Erin scrunched her nose and looked up at him. “Why on earth not?”

The two men looked at each other, clearly coming to yet another silent understanding and agreement that didn’t bode well for her. “Well?”

“You were shot and you were in pain, or has the burn suddenly worn off?” her brother asked.

“No.”

“Then it’s not safe for you to be alone,” Mike said, sounding almost pleased.

Sadistic bastard,
Erin thought, uncharitably.

“That’s ridiculous. There’s no way someone deliberately aimed at me. I’m sure I was at the wrong place, wrong time. I don’t have any cases that would remotely lead to someone wanting to hurt me!”

“You think.” Mike narrowed his gaze, his mulish expression one she’d seen many times before.

“You can’t say for sure, so safety’s an issue until we know it’s not,” Cole said, not only agreeing with her brother, but clearly taking charge. “You admitted to being in pain, which will get worse before it gets better, and if they let you take painkillers, you’ll be fuzzy. Not to mention that you’re immobile with the arm being bandaged and in a sling.”

He leaned closer and met her brother’s determined gaze. “I’ll take her back to her place and stay. She’ll be safe with me.”

“The hell she will.” Mike’s expression morphed back to furious. “She’s coming to my place until we can ascertain who shot her and why, and until
I
know she’s safe.” Mike straightened his shoulders, preparing for a fight.

Erin had had enough of their posturing. “
She
is right here. And she will decide what’s best for herself.”

Cole lifted her good hand, taking her by surprise with his gentleness. “While you’re deciding, remember that’s my baby you’re carrying, which makes you my responsibility.”

“I can take care of myself.”

The two men did that silent communication thing again, but no way would they decide what was best for her. She’d choose for herself where she was going.

“I’m going home,” she told them in the strongest voice she could manage.

Mike set his jaw. “Then Cole’s going with you.”

Erin whipped her head around and glared at her brother. “Weren’t you the one who just questioned his ability to keep me safe?”

“I wanted you with me. I also know better than to think I’ll win when you make up your mind. So if you insist on going home, you’re not going alone. If you prefer, Sam can move in.”

“No!” Erin and Cole spoke in unison.

Erin loved her brother, but if they were staying under one roof, she’d probably want to throttle him within an hour. “Mike, go do your job. Cole and I need to talk, okay?”

Her brother braced an arm behind her head. “Promise me you won’t leave here by yourself?”

“I promise,” she said before Cole could answer for her—because she just knew he would.

Mike leaned down and kissed Erin on the forehead. “I’ll be by later.” He spoke to her, but his intense stare was on Cole.

Then he took off, leaving Erin alone with the father of her baby. Who wanted to move in with her. Which made Erin wonder just when her life had gotten so complicated.

Just as Mike left, the doctor returned, which put off any conversation. Exhausted and in pain, Erin was relieved, but she knew the reprieve was temporary. She had a hunch she and Cole would have plenty to talk about once she was released.

Seated in the waiting room, Cole watched the clock
while Erin was treated. Knowing basic protocol, it would be a while before they assessed the extent of the injury, flushed and treated the wound properly, and prepped her to go home.

He wasn’t surprised when Mike returned, cornering him in the hospital waiting room.

“We need to talk,” the other man said.

Cole nodded. “I’m listening.”

He owed Mike the respect due as Erin’s brother, but the decision had been made, and he refused to budge. As for Mike’s feelings on the pregnancy, well, Cole didn’t need to hear that either. Facts were facts, just like done was done. He couldn’t change things now.

To Cole’s surprise, Mike settled in beside him in a chair, instead of remaining on his feet to give himself the tactical advantage.

“You’ve been gone awhile so you missed the drama with my old man,” Mike said.

Cole hadn’t expected this line of discussion. “Simon?”

“No. Rex Bransom.”

Cole raised an eyebrow, then suddenly recalled old stories about how Simon Marsden had adopted Mike when he was a baby. Unsure where Mike was going, all Cole could do was listen. “Go on.”

Mike groaned. “Rex got my mother pregnant when they were dating. He was always the bachelor, the charming guy, but not the one anyone could really count on for the long haul.”

“Like me,” Cole said, not missing the similarities—or the dig.

Mike eyed him intently. “I’m hoping the jury’s out on that.”

Cole appreciated even that much leeway.

Mike leaned back in his seat. “Look, I know what it’s like to grow up feeling unwanted by my real father. It didn’t matter that Simon did everything right; those scars remained. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“I won’t be abandoning my kid,” Cole said emphatically. If he knew nothing else, he knew that.

He loved his job. It was dangerous and it took him away from any semblance of a real life, or even the chance of one. But it was all Cole knew. And it suited him. None of that meant he wouldn’t provide for his kid.

Mike inclined his head. “That’s a start. But it’s not everything.”

Cole swallowed hard. “Erin.” He said her name before Mike could.

“This is my baby sister we’re talking about. I know the hell my mother went through, loving Rex, or thinking she did.”

“It’s not like that between me and Erin.”

Mike scowled. “Somehow I think getting pregnant from a one-night stand is worse.”

Cole opened his mouth to speak, but Mike held up a hand. “Look, much as I love my sister, I respect that she’s got to live her own life and make her own choices.”

Cole narrowed his gaze. “But?” He heard the unspoken word.

“But she needs to have choices to make.”

“That’s between me and your sister,” Cole bit out tightly. He wasn’t about to be pushed into anything by her concerned brother.

Not only was it none of Mike’s business, but the pregnancy had just been sprung on him. He wasn’t denying responsibility, but whatever he and Erin decided, it wasn’t Mike’s call.

Mike rose to his feet. “She’s got an entire family willing to step up and help her. If you’re going to break her heart, don’t hang around.”

The other man hovered over him, but Cole wasn’t intimidated and refused to rise from his seat or take the bait. “Wasn’t it you who just said bailing on a kid leaves lingering scars?”

Mike glared at him. “It sucked but I dealt with it. All it took was the love of a good woman. Take a hike if you can’t handle it. Erin will find someone worthy of her to step up in your place.”

Cole’s stomach twisted, and he glared at the man he had thought was a friend. “And now we get to the real point. I’m not good enough for your sister.”

“
You
said it, man.”

Cole set his jaw, willing himself not to launch into anything physical. “I suggest you leave before we both say anything more we might regret. I’m that baby’s father and I’ll be around in whatever capacity Erin and I decide. Deal with it.”

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.”

“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.