Page 208 of Sin With Me

“When?”

“Tomorrow. Everyone will be home. It’s the perfecttime.”

“Why don’t you let me take care of something for once and finish your breakfast?” He pushed my plate towardme.

I enjoyed being taken care of more than I thought I would. And just as I was ready to straddle Eric right in that seat, a loud knock came at my door. No one knocked here unless they could get past the security downstairs, and since I’d just heard from Grace, who lived only three floors below me, it couldn’t beher.

“Eric, it’s my brothers.”

“So, let themin.”

“Shit, they’re gonna tear you apart.” I quickly rushed to my bedroom and pulled on a pair of sweats, throwing Eric’s dry jeans towardhim.

“Emma, I can handle this. You’re a grown woman, baby, and you need to stop feeling like you’re their underage sister.” He slowly slid his pants up, closing up only the first three buttons and leaving the last one open. My eyes feasted on the inverted triangle, lightly sprinkled with dark hair, provocatively sinking into the waistband, and those hips that barely held the pants on him, and I wondered how in the world my brothers would not punch him out at the mere sight of his nakedness.

Yet Eric casually strolled toward the front door, and I just stood there with my mouth wide open. The motion of him pulling on the handle appeared so slow – I just couldn’tmove.

“Good morning,” hesaid.

As expected, both Julian and Tristan stood in the doorway, my younger brother casually leaning against the frame. I crossed my arms over my chest, only then realizing that I didn’t have a bra on and made a mental note to keep myself covered until I got a chance to get away to my bedroom.

“Eric, may we comein?”

“Of course.” He opened the door wider and they both strolled in as if this was thenorm.

“Hi,” I said. “Did your phone batteriesdie?”

“We were in the neighborhood.”

On Sunday at eleven in the morning? Neighborhood my ass,I thought.

“Emma, I won’t talk to you unless you go put something on,” Juliansaid.

I swiveled on my foot, knowing my choices at this point were limited: argue with my poking nipples, because the sight of my brothers did nothing to prevent me from drooling over Eric, or get dressed and come back to see what they wanted.

While I was in my bedroom, I heard unexpected hellos and a quieted conversation among them. Were they really getting along? Was it possible that my brothers would finally give me the respect I’d sought?

“What are you doing here?” I asked as I came back into the livingroom.

“We had some business to take careof.”

“Oh, you mean, pay your employee.” I rolled my eyes out of habit, making a note that I hadn’t done that in a longtime.

“No, Emma. Can you please stop rolling your eyes? It makes you look too young to have a man in your apartment.”

I sighed, deciding not to argue and take the higher road. I came over to Julian, hugging him tightly, “Thank you for getting himhere.”

“We’re discussing your case,” Tristan said. “Am I chopped liver?”

“No.” I strolled over to my other brother to embrace him as well. I’d forgotten how good it felt to have their loving arms around me. It’s been too long since I’d let them hold me like this. “It’s still my case, isn’tit?”

“It’s more dangerous than we thought itwas.”

“Like hell. There’s no way you’re buttingin.”

Eric’s pulse, pumping through the vein of his strained neck, was beating off the charts, and I knew that whatever my brothers were proposing, he didn’t likeit.

“Emma, it’s betterthat…”

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