My shoulders sagged a little. “Because what if I was wrong? And it isn’t exactly my place.”
“She’s your sister.”
“I don’t really know her,” I argued. “And the two of you are . . . well, you’re everything to each other.”
A hum of understanding and agreement sounded in his throat. “She’s your sister,” he repeated resolutely.
“That’s weird, isn’t it?” I mumbled, earning a rough laugh from him.
“It’s been weird,” he countered before capturing my lips for a brief kiss. “Just talk to me. It’s easier and safer for us than you keeping things in your head.”
I let my fingers trail forward to his jaw before kissing him again, letting that be my response since there were still things he didn’t know.
“You’re quickly becoming everything to me,” he said against my lips, sending my heart into a beautiful sort of chaos.
“Reed—”
He sighed in irritation when someone loudly cleared their throat behind him.
“I mean, we can leave if you want,” Nick said, smirking when I peeked out around Reed’s shoulder.
“Night,” Reed called back, coughing out a laugh when I smacked his stomach.
Jenn rolled her eyes from beside Nick. “We actually are leaving. I didn’t realize what time it was, and some of us”—she cast an annoyed look at all the boys—“have to work in the morning.”
Nick just smiled and pulled her against his side. “I told her she could come work our schedules.”
“I like working nine-to-five,” she said as she cupped her hand around his neck. “I would just maybe like it more if Mondays weren’t included.”
“But then Tuesday would be Monday,” Reed argued, and Nick held out an arm toward him.
“Exactly. Thank you. Glad I’m not the only one who understands that.”
“If you don’t want Mondays on a Monday, your best bet is to come work with us,” Reed added.
“Like I said.” Nick smirked victoriously. “Don’t we need a dispatcher?”
Reed shrugged. “We could use a new one.”
“Done,” Nick said. “Application in tomorrow.”
Jenn just sighed and focused on me as she gestured between them. “This is what you’re getting into. Think really hard before—” Her feigned warning cut off into laughter when Nick dug his fingers into her sides.
I glanced over to see Peter desperately trying not to look at where Leah was smiling softly, cheeks red with heat, stare bouncing all around—the same way it’d been all night. The two dancing around each other and pretending they weren’t stealing glances or that the tension in the room didn’t grow each time Peter side-stepped her to avoid touching her.
She tensed, eyes widening with obvious worry when Nick tapped her arm.
“You heading out?”
Her head bobbed. “Yeah, um—yes.” She pointed behind her and cleared her throat. “I’m just going to use the bathroom first.”
“Want us to wait?” he asked, pausing when he and Jenn had started stepping away.
“No, go on ahead. I’m right behind you.” Leah grabbed his hand and squeezed it. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Let us know you got home.”
Leah scoffed at Nick’s demand as she walked away and sarcastically mumbled, “Okay, Dad.”
Nick gave Reed a frustrated look as he and Jenn slowly began walking away. “She isn’t even supposed to be driving right now.”
“This is Leah we’re talking about,” Reed tried to reason, “she’ll probably drive herself to the hospital.”
Nick sighed heavily as if he’d been worrying about that before he and Jenn called out their goodnights.
I awkwardly waved goodbye to them but didn’t move from my place at the edge of the kitchen as Reed walked them out. Once they were out of my line of sight, I glanced to my side to see Peter with his head down and to the side, looking over his shoulder.
“You have to stop,” I mumbled under my breath, knowing he could hear me.
The breath he’d been taking paused before he sucked it in quickly and shifted his head toward me, shame clouding his eyes.
“I don’t know you well, but the guy who’s been here tonight isn’t you. You’ve barely spoken five words, and they had to have noticed,” I continued in the same whispered tone. “They’re going to notice why soon.”
His head bobbed slowly. “Yes.” When my brow furrowed, he said, “Yes, I’m in love with her.”
My chest ached at the pain in his confession, my words twisting when I said, “I know, but you can’t be.”
His expression creased. “You think I want this?” His stare snapped to the side and he forced out a deep breath as his features smoothed just before the front door closed.
A few seconds later, Reed rounded the corner, silent and handsome as ever.
That smirk doing dangerous things to my body as he pulled me close and pressed a faint kiss to my neck. “Can I take you to bed now?”
An exhausted hum sounded in my throat, but I said, “I need to rinse off first. I smell like the hospital.”
One of his hands curled tight, all possession and need just as Leah came back.
“Is there anything else I can do before I leave?” she asked, stopping near Peter.
“And Leah’s still here,” I said helpfully, a soft laugh tumbling past my lips when Reed mumbled a curse as if he’d completely forgotten.
“No,” Reed said, turning but keeping me in his arms. “You guys did so much. And, Leah . . . you did way more than you should’ve. You need to be resting.”
“So everyone keeps telling me.”
“Because your doctor told you to,” Reed reminded her.
She swept her hands over her stomach and smiled adoringly. “There’s no resting anymore anyway. I can’t get comfortable, and he wakes up whenever I’m ready to sleep.” A tired laugh left her as her fingers trailed higher up on her belly. “On cue.”
“Getting you ready for when he’s here,” Reed teased, and Leah gave him an irritated look.
“Maybe I’ll make you come take the night shift since you’re already awake.”
“You have a husband for that,” he shot back just as easily, his words making my lungs stall and sending Peter back another step from Leah. “Speaking of, where’s he been all day? Not that I wanted to see him.”
Leah shrugged. “Big case—you know how it is. He—”
“Works so hard,” Reed finished for her, sounding annoyed and earning an eye roll from her.
“Be kind.”
“That’s my middle name,” he said sarcastically, a soft laugh rumbling from him when she scoffed.
“Did you want to feel him kick?”
I looked at Reed when he curled his fingers tighter against me for a brief second, then over to see Leah watching me. “What?”
“Did you want to feel him kick?” she asked again, her tone inviting and her face curious, and it was only then that I realized I’d been staring at her stomach as they’d bantered. “It’s fine, I really don’t mind.”
I didn’t move from Reed’s side. “I . . .” My head shook slightly. “I’ve never, um . . .”
Her eyes brightened. “Really? Oh, you have to!”
I pressed harder against Reed for a moment before cautiously stepping forward to meet her when she approached us, hand outstretched for mine. Hesitation curling through me as she grabbed my fingers and pressed them all too firmly against her belly, excited stare on mine as if she were waiting for something.
Just as I was about to step away and avoid touching her stomach ever again, I sucked in a gasp when something hit my palm.
A soft giggle left Leah as she pressed my hand harder, voice all affection as she whispered, “There he is.”
I tensed when another two bumps pressed against me in rapid succession. “Oh my God, that’s incredible.”
“Right?”
After another few nudges to my hand, I pulled away
and stepped back to Reed’s side. “Thank you for that.”
She looked at me as if my gratitude were the funniest thing. “Of course.” With another sigh, she turned, her stare lingering on Peter before falling to the floor as another blush crept over her cheeks. “I guess I should—whoa!”
“What’s wrong?” Peter demanded, stepping closer.
A breathless laugh left her. “Nothing, he just started going crazy. Feel this,” she said, reaching for Peter even when he shifted away.
“It’s a baby, not a bomb,” Reed teased.
Peter’s jaw ticked, but he took another step back until he was pressed to the counter.
“He’s never been this wild—you have to feel this,” Leah said as she managed to take hold of his hand and press it to her stomach.
The tension mounting all night came to a tangible high as soon as Peter’s large hand curled around her stomach. As if the excitement over what was happening in her body had Leah forgetting the dance they’d been in until that moment, and then she realized they were there.
Invisible line crossed.
Touching each other and closer than they’d allowed themselves to be.
His stare lingered on where he was touching her for long moments until he brought his other hand up to cradle her belly, his eyes shifting to meet hers in a moment so intimate that it made me hurt for them.
Reed went still beside me for long seconds before asking, “Leah, you need a ride home?” The low tone of his voice snapping Leah and Peter out of the moment they’d fallen into and forcing the two apart.
Peter pressed back against the counter, hands gripping the edge so tightly his knuckles turned white instantly as Leah stepped away.
“Um . . . no,” she said, looking partly dazed and a whole lot horrified. “No, I’m fine.” She smoothed back her hair, stare darting all around as she forced a smile. “But I should go. Let me know if you need any help with Nora.”
I looked up to see Reed’s glare set on Peter and offered, “I’ll walk her out.” Hurrying after her when she seemed intent on running from the house as fast as her pregnant belly allowed.
“I’m not a bad person,” she whispered when I caught up to her at the door, her eyes filled with tears. “I’m not—I wouldn’t—”
“I know,” I said, trying to assure her even though I didn’t know her nearly well enough to say that.
However, I was sure Peter would do anything to prevent it.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, her voice strained as I followed her onto the porch. “Please don’t think of me like this.”
“Like what?” I gestured to the door with a nod. “We were just feeling your baby kick.”
Her face creased and she nodded because we all knew that moment had been so much more than that for them. “Goodnight, Emma.”
“Goodnight. Get home safe.”
I waited until she was in her car to walk back into the house. The tension thicker than when I’d left it, the guys in the exact positions they’d been in, neither speaking. Reed looked ready to unleash a day’s worth of worries and fears on Peter, while his friend looked sick.
“I think we should go to bed,” I said as I neared Reed. “You guys can talk in the morning.”
He watched Peter for a moment longer before reaching for me and pulling me close to his side as we left the kitchen.
“Reed—”
“She’s married,” Reed snapped, turning on Peter as if he’d been waiting for him to make the first move. “And that’s Butler’s sister. She’s like our sister.”
“No, she’s like your sister,” Peter fired back, pushing from the counter and gesturing to himself. “And I know she’s married. I fucking know that. But her husband’s an asshole.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Reed said on a laugh that was pure frustration. “We’re all aware he’s a piece of shit, but that doesn’t mean anything because Leah’s married to him, Rowe. For some unknown fucking reason, she likes him, and they’re about to have a kid—as you just witnessed.”
Peter looked like he was about to concede before his attention shifted to me. “Emma—”
“Don’t bring her into this,” Reed said in low warning.
“You said Jarrod wasn’t a good man,” Peter went on. “You said Leah shouldn’t be in the marriage she’s in. Why?” His expression alone was desperate and pleading, but it felt like ice was being shoved through my veins when Reed turned to look at me.
“You knew about this?” He lifted a hand and pointed to Peter. “Wait, what he just asked . . . why would you say that and how do you even know Jarrod?”
“I don’t,” I said weakly. “Not really.”
“Lie,” Reed mumbled, the word sounding at once wary and wounded.
“I’m not.” I tried to meet his stare but couldn’t hold it as I fought back every memory tied to the man in question. “I hardly know him.”
“You don’t know Jarrod, but you’d say that to Rowe about him?” Reed asked in disbelief. “You have a hard time grasping how anyone can move on after a relationship, but you’ll talk to my best friend about why he should have an affair with someone?”
My head jerked back at the accusation. “I said something I shouldn’t have because other peoples’ relationships aren’t my business, whether it’s Leah’s marriage or the way she and Peter are very clearly trying not to feel about each other. But I never once told Peter to have an affair with her,” I said, offense weaving through my tone.
“Which I’m not,” Peter added. “I don’t touch her. I keep my distance.”
“And you’ll continue to,” Reed said definitively.
Peter nodded, contradicting the words that left him. “She shouldn’t be with him.”
“We all know that. But until the day Leah decides not to be and makes it legal, there’s nothing you can do.” Reed’s voice dripped with hidden command and effectively ended their conversation.
He reached for me, but I stepped past him and walked up to where Peter was staring at the floor, gripping the back of his neck.
“Thank you for everything you did for Nora,” I whispered when I was a step away.
His head bobbed. “Anything.”
I tried for the easy physical contact Reed’s family and friends all effortlessly had, but my hand shook, and I nearly brought it back to my side a handful of times before I finally placed it on his shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured, voice even softer than before. “I’m sorry you’re hurting.”
“Why’d you say it?” he begged.
“I wish I never had.”
His hand fell and he glanced up at me, a strained smile on his face. “That isn’t an answer.”
“Yes, it is. I’m sorry it isn’t the one you want, but it’s all I can give you.” Turning, I walked from the kitchen and past Reed, heading for his room without him.
But he was there, following silently even though I felt his storm of emotions like a weight pressing against me.
“You honestly think I would’ve told anyone to have an affair?” I hissed when he shut the door behind us, not bothering to look at him as I stepped out of my heels on my way to where our bags from this weekend were.
“You knew, and you didn’t tell me.”
“How did you not know?” I demanded as I furiously searched for clothes to wear. Once I had them out, I turned on him as I pulled my hair into a messy knot on top of my head before pointing to the door. “The times I’ve seen them, it’s been exactly that. All night tonight, it was that.”
Reed’s head shifted back, shaking slightly as if he couldn’t believe it—as if it was bothering him that he’d missed it. “If Butler finds out—”
“Don’t you think Peter’s beating himself up enough?” I grabbed my clothes off the bed on my way to his bathroom, my steps coming to a jarring halt when Reed spoke.
“How do you know Jarrod?”
“I told you, I don’t,” I said softly as the memory of Jarrod’s hands on my body had m
e all the more eager to get to the shower.
“And you’re lying.”
I thought for a moment, trying to think of anything to say to ease his curiosity and worries, and finally continued walking away without saying anything at all.
Once I was under the warm spray of the shower, I closed my eyes and released a heavy breath as I focused on forcing away the wraiths releasing memories that were better left locked away.
When the shaking in my bones settled and my breathing eased, I finally opened my eyes in time to see Reed walk into the bathroom, pulling his shirt over his head as he did.
I twisted away and covered my chest instinctively, even though he’d already seen every part of me. But there was something different about standing there, waiting for him this way that was a territory all on its own. And it had my heart racing as I watched him shed the last of his clothes, leaving all those long muscles and decorated skin exposed to me in the most devastating way.
His eyes searched mine as he stepped into the shower, all question and carnal need. “I’m gonna touch you.”
My eyebrows lifted at the question posed as a statement, and I fumbled over a nod.
His hands slid over my slick hips, pulling my back to his chest and forcing a stuttered breath from me at the feel of him pressed to me.
“Pushing?” he asked as his mouth brushed along my shoulder.
I tried to swallow, but my throat had gone so dry as heat and need flared in my body. “No,” I managed to say.
With another kiss to my shoulder, he reached past me for the soap and rubbed it between his palms. Once his hands were on me, slowly and tenderly washing my stomach and hips, he asked, “What are you keeping from me, Emma?”
My eyelids had closed from the intoxicating feel of his hands slipping over me and his length pressing against my butt but snapped open again at the question.
And despite how hard I’d tried to shut the box, Jarrod’s words slipped free.
“Who do you think silenced those strippers? Who do you think destroyed all evidence of any of us being in the building that night? Being me has its perks. Having Ron as my father-in-law has more. I told you, you can’t touch me.”
Forcing it away and fortifying the walls on my mind, I softly pleaded, “Can we forget this for tonight?”
Lie to Me Page 37
