Perfect Fling (6 page)

“It’s rude to remind me of that,” she muttered.

He chuckled and she turned to walk out of the room.

“Where are you going?”

“To take a painkiller and watch some TV.”

“Not on an empty stomach,” he said. “I’ll make you some eggs.”

She whipped her head around to face him. “You cook?” Because she didn’t.

“If I want to eat, I cook. Living over Joe’s and the coffee shop, I haven’t bothered much, but in this place? Yeah. I’ll cook. How about you?” he asked.

Her mother always said she’d regret not spending any time in the kitchen with her, and Erin never thought she’d agree. “Umm . . .”

He raked his gaze over her. “Really? How the hell do you survive?”

“Takeout! Mom lives half a mile away. My best friend’s family owns the diner in town. I’m hardly starving.”

“You’re skinny, though, and now you’re eating for two.” He opened and closed drawers until he found the skillet and other cooking utensils he was looking for. “Sit.” He tapped the chair with a spatula.

She eased herself into the chair, unwilling to confess that her legs had been about to give out, the pain from her arm making her dizzy and weak.

“I hope you’re always going to be this easy,” he said, his pleased smile causing a distinct flip in her stomach.

“Don’t count on it,” she muttered.

“Considering you don’t cook, your house is filled with all the right tools.”

“What can I say? My mom still holds out hope.” Her mom. Whom Erin would soon have to tell she was pregnant.

Nausea that had nothing to do with hunger or morning sickness filled her at the realization, and she lay her head on the table to wait for her food.

• • •

Erin survived Cole’s first night at her house by passing
out and not waking up until late the next morning. Since she was in her bed with no recollection of how she got there, she realized she must have fallen asleep watching TV after dinner. Which meant Cole must have carried her to bed.
Quite the knight he’s turning out to be,
she thought.

A dark knight who’d spent years undercover doing who knows what . . . or with whom. He obviously carried the emotional scars, and he’d been a brooding bad boy when she’d known him before. But now? She couldn’t read his moods or feelings about their situation, but he was certainly stepping up and taking care of her.

For Erin, who’d never found a guy who treated her like she was precious or meant something to him, she found she appreciated being pampered when she wasn’t feeling well. And that was the thought that had her ready to get up and back on her feet.

She couldn’t get used to Cole taking care of her. From here on out, she’d take care of herself and their child. He’d have a say in their baby’s life, and she wasn’t an idiot . . . she’d accept reasonable financial help. But for Erin, this pregnancy meant giving up the dream of having the love and marriage her parents shared. That her brother and Cara now had. That Alexa and Luke had. Finding a good man was hard enough. Finding one willing to take on another man’s baby? Those were few and far between. But her reality didn’t mean she could allow herself to mistake Cole’s obligation to her baby as caring for her. He’d made himself clear each time she’d seen him post-one-night-stand.

The truth sent a knifelike pain to her heart, and as she climbed out of bed, the throbbing in her arm added to her torment. But she managed. Once again, she awkwardly used the bathroom and brushed her teeth with one hand, and she was starting for the kitchen when the doorbell rang.

Cole beat her to the front door. She heard him talking to someone outside, looking around before letting whoever it was inside.

Macy barreled past him, waiting until he shut the door and turned toward her before getting in his face. “What are you doing here, and where’s Erin?” her friend demanded.

“I’m right here,” Erin said from the top of the stairs.

Both Macy and Cole turned as Erin walked down the few steps to greet her friend. Macy’s gaze ran over her, her wide-eyed panic subsiding when she saw for herself Erin was okay. “Oh, honey,” she said, her gaze falling on the bandage and sling. “Come sit.”

“I take it you heard what happened?” Erin asked.

“Good news travels fast,” Macy said with sarcasm in her tone.

“I didn’t know you were awake,” Cole said. He hooked his thumbs in his jeans pockets and stared at her with that intense look that set her nerves on edge.

His black T-shirt showed off well-defined muscles. He hadn’t shaved, and he was even more appealing scruffy than any man should be, while she looked like roadkill. She could only imagine the sight she presented, and she did her best not to wince.

“How’s the pain?” he asked.

“Bad,” she admitted.

His eyes darkened.

“Can you take anything given your condition?” Macy asked, startling Erin.

She’d forgotten she and Cole weren’t alone. Par for the course around this man, it seemed.

Suddenly Macy cleared her throat, her eyes widening in sheer panic. Erin managed not to laugh at her friend’s distress. “He knows.”

“Oh? Oh!” She whipped her head around to look at Cole, whose expression, true to form, was bland, giving nothing away. “So can you take anything?”

“Tylenol, definitely. And the doctor gave me a prescription for something stronger to take sporadically if I’m in agony but . . . I’m trying not to use it.”

Macy squeezed her hand. “Well, I’m sure that makes rest all the more important then. You need to be still.”

Cole nodded. “She’s right. Sit. I’ll go get you something for breakfast.”

Macy narrowed her gaze, obviously not sure what to make of him yet. “I’ve got loads of food for you in my car. My mom sent me over with enough meals for you to heat up for a good couple of days.”

Sonya Donovan, Macy’s mother, was a sweet woman who treated her children’s friends like they were her own. “Thank her for me.”

“I will.”

“Well, I’ve got eggs ready to cook, so you can eat those this morning,” Cole shifted his gaze to Macy. “Leave your car keys on the counter and I’ll unload for you when I’m through.” Without waiting for a reply, Cole turned and strode back into the kitchen.

“He always so chatty?” Macy asked, not bothering to hide the sarcasm in her tone.

“That was actually Cole at his most charming.”

“So how’d it go when you told him?” Macy asked as she and Erin settled into club chairs in the den and Macy curled her legs beneath her and leaned forward in her seat.

Erin cringed at the memory. “He overheard the doctor say something about me being pregnant. He was shocked, obviously. But it’s all taken a backseat to the shooting. We haven’t really talked much about it yet.” Erin bit her lower lip.

“Well, he’s here and obviously taking care of you. So does that mean you two are . . . together?”

Erin shook her head. “Not even close. He’s my bodyguard. He and Mike almost had a brawl over who would take me home and where I would stay. When I insisted on coming back here, Mike relented and let Cole play watchdog.” And she hated being his responsibility just as much as she hated the idea that he was now saddled with her and a baby for the rest of his life.

When Erin envisioned her future, it was with a man she loved and who adored her in return. Maybe it was old-fashioned and silly, but she’d seen her parents together and watched her brother Mike fall hard for Cara, turning himself inside out to make her happy. She didn’t want to settle for anything less. Like being a man’s burden.

“What was that big sigh for?” Macy asked, too observant for Erin’s liking.

“Nothing. No sigh. It’s fine.”

Macy’s scowl let Erin know her friend didn’t buy the lie. “For a man who’s just your bodyguard, he’s pretty concerned about you.”

“Yeah, well, that’s just a sense of obligation.” She frowned. “As soon as I can get this sling off and move my arm a little, he won’t need to hover.”

“We’ll see. Meanwhile, any word on the shooter? Word around town is that it was a stupid kid who shouldn’t have been playing with guns.”

Erin cocked an eyebrow. “Really? As far as I know, they have no idea, so until the police find something, the overprotective men in my life are calling the shots.”

She laughed at her bad pun and Macy rolled her eyes. “He’s unbelievably sexy. You know that, right?” Macy said of Cole, lowering her voice as she spoke.

“And brooding, and moody . . .” And occasionally charming and caring, but she wasn’t giving Macy any ammunition. “And he’s also a complete enigma who doesn’t seem to want to let anybody in.”

“Well, you’re his baby mama. He’s living here. If anyone can get through that gruff exterior, I’m sure it’s my sweet, gentle, caring best friend.” Macy waggled her eyebrows.

“You aren’t warning me away?” Erin asked, surprised. She, too, kept her voice to a whisper. “Because my brothers are livid, my parents will freak, and nobody in town will socialize with him except his cousins.”

“And you,” Macy helpfully reminded her. “Besides, you weren’t focused on that when you slept with him,” she said with a grin. “I trust your judgment completely. I always have. So unless you’ve changed your mind about him—”

“No!” She wouldn’t share with Macy what she’d learned about his past, but her friend was right. Erin had good instincts. She’d always thought Cole was a decent guy, and what she’d learned about him yesterday and his actions toward her proved it—no matter what he’d seen or done.

She drummed her fingertips on the chair. “Look, I know he’ll be responsible for the baby, but I want more from life, from a relationship. You know that.”

Macy nodded, her expression sober, as she met Erin’s gaze. “Then I suggest you find a way to get it from the man who fathered your child.”

Erin opened her mouth to reply, but Cole’s voice calling from the kitchen stopped her. “Food’s ready.”

“He cooks,” Macy said with an already devoted sigh. “He might just be a keeper.”

Not wanting to argue with her friend, Erin pushed herself up from the chair with care. Cole Sanders wasn’t a keeper. He wanted nothing to do with hearth, home, family, and most of all, love.

Macy stayed with Erin through breakfast, then to help
her shower without getting her bandage wet, as well as to wash and dry her hair.

Afterward, Erin collapsed onto her bed, exhausted. “Thank you so much. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Macy grinned. “My pleasure. Mr. Bodyguard might have his uses”—she wagged her eyebrows to emphasize the point—“but only a girlfriend can help with things like this. Unless . . . you wanted him to see you naked again?”

Erin peered up at her friend from her prone position. “Are you crazy? That’s what got me pregnant,” she muttered.

“Clearly his sperm is as potent as he is.” Macy chuckled. “Need anything else before I go?”

“Between the food and the help, you’ve gone above and beyond.” And Erin appreciated the bond between them more than she could express at the moment.

“Hey, I know you’d do the same for me. I’ll check in on you later.” Macy blew a kiss and started for the door, turning before she walked out. “If you’re interested in more from Cole than him keeping you safe, you’ve got the man exactly where you want him. Do something about it,” she said, then bounded out of the room before Erin could reply.

Not that Erin had a ready response anyway. She needed to think, not act spontaneously. Again. She placed her hand over her still-flat belly, unable to believe there was life growing inside her. Whatever happened between her and Cole, it wouldn’t be because Erin pushed him beyond what he was capable of giving—or worse, more than what he wanted to give. No matter what Macy wanted to whip up in her fairy-tale-oriented brain.

As she thought about Macy, Erin bolted up in bed, groaning in pain as she did. “Shit!” She just realized Macy had gone downstairs alone, which meant she was free to corner and grill Cole.

Unwilling to let that happen, Erin rushed downstairs in time to hear her friend say, “Not that I’m one to meddle, but that’s my best friend up there and if you hurt her, I’ll come after you with a shotgun.”

“Get in line behind her brothers,” Cole said, arms folded across his chest, an amused half-grin on his sexy mouth.

Erin didn’t know what he found funny, but
she
was plain embarrassed.

“This isn’t high school revisited,” Erin said to her best friend.

“What are you doing out of bed? You said you were exhausted.” Macy shooed her away with the back of her hand.

Instead of taking the hint, Erin continued down the stairs. “I was trying to stop you from making an ass of yourself—and of me—but I see I was too late.”

“Nothing wrong with someone having your back,” Cole said to Erin, taking her by surprise.

“And I believe he’s got yours.” Macy nodded toward Cole.

“Message received,” he assured her.

Erin rolled her eyes. “Go home, Macy.”

Her friend blew a kiss. “Check in on you later!” With a wave, she let herself out the front door.

“You want to watch TV and rest?” Cole asked.

She nodded.

A few minutes later, they were in the family room, where they watched a half hour of television before her heavy eyelids drifted closed. Cole insisted she go back up to sleep, and instead of being annoyed by his bossy tone, she bolted to do his bidding, needing space from her ever-present awareness of him as a man. A sexy, potent, desirable man.

She was just about to head upstairs when her doorbell rang. Erin stood, but Cole held up a hand to stop her.

“I’ve got it. Stay here.”

She scowled, but again let him take charge. Her arm throbbed and burned, she was exhausted, and appeasing him seemed easiest, at least for now.

Once at the door, Cole looked out the glass on the side and opened the door a crack, his hand on his holstered weapon.

Jeez,
she thought.
Overkill much?

He spoke to someone through the small crack in the door, then opened it wider and returned with a vase full of yellow roses. Her favorite.

“I wonder who they’re from,” she said, excitement in her voice, since what woman didn’t like receiving roses?

Cole’s expression darkened as he placed them on the table. She reached for the card, reading the short inscription:

Take care of yourself and don’t rush back till you’re up to it. Evan.

“Well?” Annoyance threaded through Cole’s tone.

“No one important.”

He reached out and snatched the card from her hand.

“Hey! That’s private!”

“What if it’s from the shooter?”

He read the words and his scowl deepened. “Who the hell is Evan?”

“Evan Carmichael. My boss.”

Cole muttered something under his breath.

“What did you say?” she asked, attempting for civility. At this rate they were going to kill each other.

“Nothing.” He sat back down in front of the television and didn’t say another word.

Erin rolled her eyes. If she didn’t know better she’d think he was jealous. But Cole’s past actions taught her he wouldn’t get jealous of anyone or anything in Erin’s life. And he never would.

• • •

A couple of days into their new living arrangement,
Erin’s head cleared enough for her to remember she had someplace to be on Thursday night.

She knocked on the guest room door. “Come in.”

She stepped inside to find him doing push-ups on the floor. He was wearing black gym shorts and no shirt, his muscles flexing and bulging with every move he made.

She swallowed hard. “I forgot, but I need to go out.”

He easily maneuvered to his feet. “I see that.” His gaze took in her jeans, black silk top, and ballet flats. “Where are we going?”

The
we
reverberated through her. “I meet clients on Thursday nights at an office downtown.”

“You’re not supposed to work for a week,” he reminded her.

“It’s just tonight, and I don’t want to argue about it.”

He raised an eyebrow and asked, “How far downtown?”

“All the way. Next door to Lynette’s Diner.”

He folded his arms across his chest. “Not a neighborhood I want you in at night.”

“Too bad. I’m going. Which, as you so eloquently told me, means you’re going. It’s bad enough to bail on my day job, but these people count on me in a whole different way.” Without explaining further, she started to leave, but turned back for a minute. “Meet me downstairs when you’re ready.” She paused. “Please.”

He hadn’t expected to go out tonight, but one look at her determined expression and he decided not to fight this particular battle. A little while later, Cole parked Erin’s jeep in a dimly lit parking spot and walked with her into a small office next door to Lynette’s.

When he reached the entrance and looked up at the writing above the door, the name explained everything. “Pro bono, huh?”

Erin shot him a proud grin and grabbed the door handle before he could do it for her.

Inside, the waiting room was full of people, mostly women, many of whom had young children with them. Although some didn’t look up when they walked in, and others glanced warily at Cole, the kids all perked up when they saw Erin.

“Erin!” A little girl with two missing front teeth ran up to her with a huge grin.

“Hi, Merry!” Erin knelt down so she was eye level with the child. “How are you?”

“Good. Mommy said if you can get money from my dad, then maybe we can leave the shelter soon and find a real ’partment of our own.”

“I’ll do my best,” she promised the child.

Cole’s heart clenched at the seriousness of the girl’s words. Such huge hope and such a sad situation. Yet she looked up at Erin with such faith, even Cole wanted to believe she could perform miracles.

He accepted her request that he sit outside her door, client confidentiality being of paramount importance, especially to this kind of client. And he waited for the next four hours as she worked with as many people as walked through her office, never turning anyone away. Not even when her eyes were closing from exhaustion and he caught her mid-yawn when she walked her second-to-last client out.

He knew it was her second-to-last client, because he’d turned the lock on the front door. She was pregnant, had been shot, and needed rest. She’d have to forgive him, assuming she even realized. But thankfully she didn’t.

“Arm hurt?” he asked, as he helped her get settled in the car after the final client of the night.

“Badly.”

He managed not to growl at her for overdoing it, and climbed into the driver’s seat and got them on the road. “Those women rely on you.”

“They do.” She leaned her head against the window.

“Makes me wonder what my mom would have done if she’d had a place like this to come to,” he said, staring into the dark night as he drove.

“What?” Erin lifted her head.

“Never mind.” He didn’t like to talk about those years.

She studied him through wise eyes. “The one thing I always knew was that I had it good growing up. And my mom? She had it good because Simon stepped up when Mike’s real father wouldn’t. But what would have happened to her if there had been no Simon? If she had been pregnant, alone, with nowhere to turn? I want to make sure these women know they have somewhere. Someone.”

Oh, man, she was too good to be true. His mother would love her. “They’re lucky to have you.”

She shot him a grateful smile. “That’s nice of you to say,” she said through a yawn.

“I’m not nice.”

She rolled her head to the side. “You have your moments,” she countered.

Thankfully he pulled into the driveway of her condo before he had to reply.

• • •

Somehow Erin survived the first week of living with
Cole. They made little progress in any kind of breakthrough in their relationship, which made her uneasy, as she’d have a future of dealing with him. Neither of them discussed her pregnancy, though she sensed he was taking the time to process his new reality. And since she, too, had needed time after she’d found out, she couldn’t deny him the same.

For now, Erin had enough to deal with, including the immobility of one arm and the pain from the bullet, which was getting slightly better day by day. For the baby’s sake, she took as little medication as possible, which meant she hadn’t slept much.

Still, she returned to work, grateful to be getting out of the house and even more grateful to be back in the office.

Trina greeted her with a welcome-back cake, which nearly brought Erin to tears. She blamed it on hormones. Her first two days back were harder than she’d anticipated. She tired easily, a combination of lingering pain and the drag on her body from the injury combined with the pregnancy.

Always observant, Evan noticed and stepped in, assuring her that he’d spread out her workload until she could handle everything again. She appreciated it and stopped insisting she could do more when she knew better. This unexpected pregnancy had certainly shown her limitations, and accepting them was better than thinking she was Superwoman.

Her biggest problem at the office was Cole. His hulking presence outside her door had everyone talking, providing an endless source of gossip and speculation among the women. Erin, who’d always been a private person, told them he was her bodyguard because of the shooting and he’d stay until they figured out who’d shot at her and why. She could only imagine how her colleagues would react when her stomach ballooned and the truth about her and Cole came out.

Especially Evan. He postured around Cole, and Cole returned the favor. And for what? Yes, Evan had asked her out in the past. Yes, they’d gone on one date when he moved back to town, before he’d been elected and become her boss. But no, she hadn’t found the chemistry needed to go out with him again. Not that he didn’t keep trying, but it had become a game between them. She was his challenge, and he enjoyed the chase. But Evan respected her legal abilities and she felt the same about his, and that was that. Harmless. Not that Cole understood.

Since the flowers had arrived, Cole acted like Evan was both the enemy and direct competition who needed to be chased off. Unfortunately, Evan treated Cole the same way. In reality, neither man had a claim on her, and the endless stress of the two men’s reactions was slowly driving her insane.

As for her shooting, the bullet had been found lodged in a nearby car, as well as the shell casing, near the woods. Only an amateur would leave evidence behind, but at least they had something to work with. Mike sent the evidence to the state police crime lab, which was backed up with
more important cases
, and that news sent her brother over the edge. To calm him while waiting on ballistics, Erin had given in and gone over her cases with her brothers, even though she believed the possibility was ridiculous. Still, the Serendipity police were questioning people she was prosecuting—and, as Erin had predicted—with no results.

With Cole around, a reminder of his presence in Erin’s future, her brothers were in constant bad moods just as she was in a constant state of awareness. How could she not be? A sleepy, just-awake Cole was as sexy as a ready-for-bed, sleepy-eyed man. Knowing he was just a room away added to her tossing and turning.

At least she was now allowed to remove the sling and use her arm as far as was comfortable, which helped her feel better and improved her mood.

She glanced at her watch, noting it was time to leave for her three
P.M.
appointment. She walked out of her office and nudged her bodyguard. “Time to go.”

“Where are we off to?” he asked.

“It’s a long story,” she said as they made their way out of the office and to the elevator.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he reminded her.

She sighed. “I’m doing a favor for Macy’s aunt Lulu. You see, she had an argument with her sister, Macy’s grandmother, over the pies at the restaurant. So Aunt Lulu applied for a job at the new supermarket that just opened in town.”

She glanced at Cole to see if he was really listening and was surprised to see his eyes on her, rapt and attentive. With a shrug, she followed him onto the elevator. Cole hit the ground-floor button, and while they took the short ride down, she continued her story.