Page 41 of Edge of Danger

“Hey, he’s a cute kid. And just about as smart as his uncle, but not quite.”

“Considering he’s barely more than five months old, I don’t know what that says about you.”

It was good to hear Brax laugh, and it felt good to laugh along with him. If it wasn’t for the whole Robert-on-the-run situation, they might be any other couple in the world enjoying a quiet night together.

Wow. Had she just thought of them as a couple?

“Like I said, nothing fancy.” Brax brought a steaming bowl of spaghetti to the table to go with the salad he’d already prepared and freshly warmed rolls.

“Nothing fancy? I lived on cereal and instant noodles for way longer than I feel comfortable admitting. This is a feast.”

Tessa attacked her food. It wasn’t until then that she realized that she hadn’t had much of an appetite for a long time. The weight of secrets and fear had been heavy.

“I have to ask you something.” He rested his elbows on the table, and she didn’t think it would be right to correct him. “What attracted you to Robert? I know you said he was charming.”

Yes, he used to be, and now that Tessa understood the specifics of his relationship to Brax, she knew their father must’ve been a real handsome devil of a man. He’d passed those looks on to both of his sons, along with his charm.

“What else did I need?” She shrugged. “Like I said, I was lonely. He must’ve seen that in me. Some people know how to home in on that and take advantage.”

“He’s the type, of that I have no doubt.” Brax shook his head in disgust as he took his plate to the sink.

Funny how his father had passed on his selfishness to Robert but not to Brax.

Brax was good. Honest. Decent. Even after being hit with some of the worst life had to offer, he hadn’t become hard and cold.

“At least let me help with the dishes,” she offered, bringing her plate to the sink. “How about you dry? I’ll wash up.”

“You won’t get an argument out of me.” He grinned. “I hate washing dishes. I’ll cook all day, but I’d have to use disposable plates.”

She only shook her head with a smile. “Let me guess, washing dishes was one of your chores as a kid.”

“How’d you know?” he asked as she giggled helplessly.

“Cooking was my chore once I was old enough to handle it. But unlike you, that only made me love it.”

“That’s because it’s possible to lend a little imagination to cooking, and it’s a lot more gratifying. There’s only so many ways to wash a dish. It’s not much fun.”

“It can be.” She shrugged, biting back a smile.

“How?”

She splashed him with sudsy water. “That’s how!”

“No fair!” He reached into the sink and splashed her, then blew a mountain of suds toward her face.

Laughing uncontrollably, she tried to duck out of the way, but the wet floor had ideas of its own. She slipped, arms pinwheeling as she lost control of her body.

“Careful!” Brax was still laughing when he caught her before she hit the floor. “See? That’s what you get for trying to be cute.”

She looked up into his shining eyes, breathless and giggling and having more fun than she’d had in a very long time. Something she saw there silenced her. She could hardly breathe.

He hooked a finger under her chin, tipping her head back. Her eyes drifted to his lips a heartbeat before those lips touched hers.

He was so different from Robert.

The fact that Robert came into her thoughts at all seemed like a sacrilege, but there was no helping the comparison at first. It came up on its own, without her consciously thinking about it.

Robert had been slick. Forcing his way into her mouth like he was staking a claim on her. Caring only about how it made him feel. Brax was in an entirely different league—no big surprise, since he was in a different league in every other way imaginable.

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