Page 68 of Red

When she brought her eyes up to his, her breath caught. His mesmerizing stare pierced her. She’d gotten used to his dominant glares, but this was different. There was care, interest, genuine warmth dancing with his usual dominant exterior.

“I had it done after my parents died.” He broke the spell. She dropped her touch from his arm.

“I’m going to be making shepherd’s pie for dinner, so I need to run to the market.” Marianne walked out of the pantry and whirled through the kitchen, her coat already bundled up.

“I can drive you,” Melinda piped up. “Since my car’s here,” she hedged.

The right side of Erik’s lips curved upward, and he gave another low chest-rumbling, panty-wetting laugh. “You’re not taking it out yet.” He set his coffee cup on the counter.

“Melinda, you ready?” Nico stepped into the kitchen, tugging on a pair of leather gloves.

Erik tilted his head, probably waiting to see if she would argue with him. The little fire brewing in her wanted to, she wanted to assert her independence, but with Nico and Marianne bearing witness, she decided to take it up with him later.

“When do you think I’ll be able to drive myself places?” she asked, doing her best to keep her tone even.

“Once we figure out Bertucci’s angle,” Erik said. She couldn’t dispute the oddity of Bertucci’s interest, and his aggression at the library had left her standing on shaky legs.

“Fine.” She breathed out. “Nico, can you take Marianne to the grocery while I’m at the attorney’s office? You can swing back around to grab me after?”

Nico’s gaze flicked to Marianne then Erik. “I’m not dropping you off. I’m gonna stick around,” he said. “Just in case.”

“I’ll drive myself, like I always do.” Marianne jingled her keys and walked off toward the garage.

“She’s stubborn,” Melinda commented, eliciting another laugh from Erik.

“Yes.She’sthe stubborn one around here.”

“You’re in a good mood.” Nico frowned.

Erik straightened his stance. “Nothing wrong with that.” He wrapped his arm around Melinda’s waist and pulled her to him, pressing a quick kiss to her temple. “Be a good girl today,” he whispered in her ear.

She would have melted into a puddle of arousal at his feet if Nico hadn’t broken the moment with his presence.

“I’m not sure how much trouble I can actually get into while talking with a lawyer, but I’ll try.” She tried to sound casual, but even she could hear the little wisp in her voice.

“No other stops, Nico. Straight there and back.” Erik returned to drinking his coffee.

Melinda didn’t have a chance to argue the point of being talked about because Erik gave her hip a squeeze and abandoned her to the hands of his youngest brother. Nico shook his head with a grin playing on his lips.

“He’s awfully relaxed today,” Nico reiterated.

Melinda followed him to the front door in silence. Telling Nico what a powerful exchange she’d experienced with his oldest brother wasn’t exactly the conversation she wanted to have.

In the car, Nico checked his phone, swiping through screens and typing quickly. His brows clumped together as he continued tapping away.

“Everything okay?” she asked, noticing the time on the radio. They would need to hurry, or they’d be stuck in morning traffic.

His fingers tightened around his phone as he looked up at her. The fierce expression faded into a blank slate within a blink of an eye.

“Yeah. Fine.” He dropped the phone into the middle console and pulled out into traffic.

“I’m sorry you have to play babysitter so often. I’m sure you have much more important things to do.” she tried to fill the silent air between them.

Nico cleared his throat. “It’s fine. Once Erik’s sure you’re safe, you won’t need someone hanging over you all the time.”

His knuckles whitened with his grip on the steering wheel. The lighthearted dance of his humor was missing.

“You sure you’re okay?” After having had him acting as her warden since the beginning, she’d gotten used to his easy smile and calm demeanor. The lit firecracker driving the sedan seemed out of place.

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