7
ETHAN
We were deadlocked on this case, and we all knew it. Max Skinner wanted Beth, but we had her under lock and key so he couldn’t get to her. The problem was that if he knew he couldn’t get to her, he wasn’t making any moves that could land his ass back in prison where it belonged. Mila and I did surveillance one more time before Brody pulled us back in, knowing it was a huge waste of time, especially after we told him we’d been in the house and found nothing.
I’d been spending more time with Mila alone than anyone else, and I was starting to feel frustrated. Not with her, but with myself. The more time I spent with her, the more time I wanted to spend with her, even knowing nothing could happen. Not only because Brody asked but also because I knew Mila wasn’t interested. That didn’t stop my mind from conjuring up all kinds of situations where she was.
Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I sat on the bench and grabbed my phone from my duffel bag—another quiet Saturday at the office. I’d been finding myself here a lot more now that I had some frustration to work out.
Me: How’s the packing?
I tapped my phone against my leg, waiting for Everly to reply. I’d offered more than once to go to Florida and help her pack, but she refused. She hired a moving van to drive her things to North Carolina next weekend and said she was taking it slow, packing a little at a time. She planned to be in town on Saturday to give her a little time to get settled before starting her new job on Monday. I was relieved when she found a townhouse for her and Riley. That meant less maintenance, and I felt a little better knowing she was in a community with good security. I offered to look for a bigger place than my one-bedroom apartment so she could just live with me, but again, she refused. She was determined to make it on her own, and I understood that all too well. The truth was, I respected her for it, but as her brother, I also wanted to take care of her.
My head snapped up when I heard the door open seconds before Mila walked through wearing nothing but yoga pants and a sports bra. My body tensed and flooded with heat when her eyes landed on me, and she smiled.
“Here on a Saturday?” She threw her bag down. “You must be really committed.”
“Could say the same about you,” I grumbled.
She looked a little surprised, and I knew why. I’d been less friendly with her lately, pissed that I couldn’t get a handle on my attraction, and even more pissed that I was having trouble hiding it. We’d been spending too much time together, and today was supposed to be my reprieve, but here she was, standing in front of me wearing next to nothing.
Her eyebrows drew together. “You good?”
“Yeah, why?”
She shrugged. “You just looked at me the same way Striker does.”
“How does he look at you?”
“Like I don’t belong here.”
I didn’t want her here, and she was perceptive enough to know it. Not only that, she wasn’t afraid to call me out, but there was still no way in hell I was admitting anything. She wouldn’t have any problems asking me why I felt the way I did, which wasn’t a conversation I wanted to have. “You just surprised me, that’s all.”
When my phone beeped, I shifted my attention back to my phone and grinned.
Everly: Slow. Especially with your niece asking me the same question over and over again.
I heard Mila moving around in the gym, but I kept my attention on my phone.
Me: What question?
Everly: When am I gonna see Uncle E?
I snorted out a laugh before typing again.
Me: Tell her I have a surprise for her.
Everly: Absolutely not. She’ll never stop asking what it is. Gotta get back to packing.
Me: I’ll call you later.
Everly: K
“Your sister?”
My head snapped up when I heard Mila’s voice and realized she stood in front of me.
Tossing my phone in my duffel bag, I pushed off the bench to my feet. “How’d you know?”