No Damaged Goods

Something about the way Blake looks at Holt, head cocked…it’s odd. Wary. “Yeah. Something like that. It’s my job.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not Andrea’s. Wait—” Holt holds both hands up sharply before Blake can do more than bristle, baring his teeth. “My point is, you can probably work easier if someone else is keeping an eye on her. And I’d like to get to know my niece. She’s seemed pretty pissed at you lately, anyway. Mostly over Ma, but kind of over me. So kill three birds with one stone. Get her out from underfoot, get me out from underfoot, and maybe get her to forgive you with a little space.”

“Like hell.” Blake curls his upper lip. “You might be talking country, bro, but you’re still full of too many goddamn city words. My family’s not some fancy contract negotiation.”

“No,” Holt drawls softly. “But your family is my family too.”

Then, suddenly, his gaze snaps to me, and I realize he’s known I was there all along.

I swallow hard.

He grins, tawny gold eyes glittering, making him look positively carnivorous. “Looks like your family’s gotten bigger, if my eyes aren’t deceiving me.”

I jerk back, stumbling over words, but Blake tilts his head back, looking up at me upside down before sighing. “You don’t have to eavesdrop, Peace.”

“Sorry,” I say in a tiny voice, unsure if I should laugh or just run.

But I peek back over the railing, then straighten and slip down the stairs, approaching them tentatively. “Hi, Holt.”

“Hey, sugar,” he says, his grin widening as he jerks a thumb at Blake. “Sorry our last conversation got cut off by this big fucking lunk.”

Said lunk immediately snares his arm around my waist, making me squeak again as he pulls me in close against his side right there in front of his brother.

It’s almost crazed, jealous, overprotective.

My heart turns over, and I stumble against him, resting a hand to his side.

I guess that answers one of many questions about his intentions.

“Go ahead and put your damn eyes back in your head,” he growls at his brother.

I feel it vibrating through him into me with a little thrill.

“I’m just being nice to a pretty lady,” Holt says, once again raising his hands, his brows arching innocently, but wow does he have the devil’s own smile.

Not my type—I’m not into the clever guy who can make you believe fallen angels walk the earth—but I can see why women fall all over him.

He sniffs loudly. “I guess you finally decided to do something about it before this girl pined to death. Nice.”

I choke on a flustered sound. “I wasn’t pining!”

“She was pining,” Holt says firmly. “And so were you, big brother.”

“The hell I was!” Blake sputters.

But when I look up at him…his face is almost as red as mine feels.

It’s impossible not to laugh, burying my face in his side. This is so ridiculous, whatever it’s all about.

“Holt, stop. You’re embarrassing both of us,” Blake says.

“I’m just glad I didn’t have to nudge you two too hard. Thought I was going to have to play matchmaker, but you took care of it pretty well on your own.” Holt chuckles, shrugging and stuffing his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket, looking at Blake rather frankly. “So what do you say? In exchange for that big fat kick in the butt, I get to spend a few days with my niece?”

Blake narrows his eyes, watching his brother mistrustfully. “Only if you tell me why you want to so bad.”

Holt’s gaze flickers, and he sighs, his smile fading. “It’s not obvious? I’ve got no family left but y’all, Blake. Ma’s gone, don’t even know my dad’s name, and I’m not taking one of those mail-in DNA tests. So maybe I’m sick of being alone. I’m trying to actually have something that matters, instead of a bunch of bimbos and fly-by-night flings.”

For several seconds they stare each other down. Holt almost pleading, Blake stone-still and forbidding.

Then he just sighs. “Fuck. Fine. I’ll ask her if she wants to and make sure she doesn’t have any school projects. But if she injures you, breaks anything, or tries to feed you to the boa constrictor, that’s on you. And you’d damn well better keep her away from Clark Patten.”

Holt’s smile transforms in an instant: broad, crooked, genuine, and suddenly I can see the faint resemblance between the brothers when Holt drops his smarmy mask. It’s totally the lopsided smile more than anything.

“I’ll be just like her own good daddy,” he says. “Promise. I’ll make sure she does her homework and won’t feed her junk food or let her stay up too late.”

“Hey,” Blake says. “You gotta give her some special treatment, or I can’t use you to get her to forgive me.”

I can’t help but laugh, watching them with relief. Crisis averted, thank God.