“This is getting to be a habit with you,” Tray said, stepping aside to let him in.
Giovanni glanced from Tray to me, his shock evident. He strode into the apartment and crouched in front of the sofa, his blue-black eyes filled with a concern I didn’t know he possessed. Not for me. Maybe not for anyone. “Are you okay?”
I waited a moment, expecting Tray to interject that I was fine. But he was waiting too.
“Yes. I’m…” What? Alive? Breathing? Maybe I should focus on what I was just this very moment, and let the rest come as it would. “I’m good,” I said, returning Tray’s stare until his lips curled at the corners and he looked down, his version of a blush.
God, I loved that man.
Giovanni rested his hands on his thighs and shifted his gaze between us, shaking h
is head. “Just when you think you’ve seen it all…”
“Keep interrupting us at the wrong time and you just might,” Tray said darkly, and I muffled a laugh into the blanket.
Giovanni surprised me by chuckling. “Yeah, well, stop doing it so damn much.”
“When I’m dead.” Tray crossed his arms and lifted a brow. “Whatcha want this time?”
“I assumed you’d want to go get your car.” Gio rattled his keys and Tray blinked as if he’d just remembered he didn’t have his ‘Vette.
If I hadn’t known he loved me more than anything—I didn’t understand it, but I knew it—that would’ve proved it.
“Oh yeah.” Tray’s gaze landed on me again and he shuffled his feet. “Well, uh…”
“I’ll be fine,” I said. “You can go.”
“Nah, I’m cool. I don’t need it right now.”
“I’m here, remember?” Carly said from the doorway, and three heads turned my sister’s way.
I was halfway to my feet to go to her when I realized my jeans and panties were still crumpled in a not-so-discreet puddle on the floor. Tray cleared his throat and I slumped back down. “We’ll be fine,” I corrected.
Giovanni chuckled again, but he was still staring across the room. If I’d been fully back to myself, I would’ve said to hell with the lack of pants, thrown the blanket around my waist wrap-style and dragged my sister into the bedroom. The sex vibes pinging all around weren’t just coming from me and Tray. Not by a long shot.
But I wasn’t ready to go back to being militant Mia just yet. It was so goddamn exhausting being on guard all the time.
For once, I just wanted to bask in the afterglow and talk to my sister. Just talk. Not argue.
“Go,” I said gently to Tray when he hesitated by the door. “I promise, we’ll be fine.”
“Yeah. Us girls can take care of ourselves.” Though Carly bounced down on the couch beside me with a smile, I didn’t miss the shadows under her eyes. If she’d slept, it hadn’t been well.
My fault.
“That so?” Gio asked, his voice as mild as the day outside. Easy. Almost relaxed. But the blue in his eyes had receded, leaving only unrelieved black. And those eyes were trained squarely on my sister, who was looking everywhere but at him.
“Don’t go down that road, man.” Tray moved behind me to gather my hair in his hands. Carefully, he worked out the knots and tangles. When he’d finished the task to his satisfaction, he tugged back my head and laid his mouth on mine. “I love you,” he said loud enough for everyone to hear, plain as day.
My face flooded with heat. So did the rest of me.
I wanted to say it back. God, I did. But the words got stuck somewhere between my mind and my vocal cords.
Gio whistled under his breath. “Damn, this is like those soap operas my mom used to watch.”
“It is pretty sickening,” Carly agreed, inching closer to me on the sofa. She tipped her head onto my shoulder and waved her hand at Tray. “My turn now. Scram.”
Tray walked backward to the door. “I’ll be back soon.”