Ryan (Mallick Brothers 2)

"Promise I will explain that, honey. But now is not the time."

"Okay," she agreed, understanding there was at least a small amount of urgency right then. "Can we get this part over with?" she asked, and I took it to mean the move.

"Yeah," I agreed, pressing her forward, dropping my hands, and moving away. "Just let me grab both our laptops and then we can hit it."

I packed them up, along with other random items I saw lying around, including three of her books that I could fit in the bag with the electronics.

"Don't," I said when I saw her eyes land on the litter box. "I'll pick up new shit when we get where we're going," I said and she nodded tightly and reached for the cat carrier. I moved to the door, pulling it open, and flying backward on a hiss. "Mother fucker," I growled, exhaling hard.

"That's what a lot of people call me. Usually women," Mark said, completely ignoring me and looking over to Dusty who he winked at.

"The fuck you doing just standing outside my apartment like a goddamn peeping tom?"

"Dusty," he said, holding a hand to his heart and completely fucking ignoring me. "My love, I called dibs before him, you know."

Caught off-guard, she let out a surprised laugh. "What? You don't even know me."

"Piqued this Eunuch's interest, that's all I needed to know," he said, jerking his head toward me.

Dusty's gaze followed and she gave me what I could only call a wicked smile before looking back at my brother. "You must be Mark. The cheerleader."

Completely not expecting that, I threw my head back and laughed, a deep, rolling one that I hadn't done in a long ass time.

Mark, unphased as usual, gave her a smile too. "Angel, do you have any idea how many of those cheerleaders I got beneath me or above me... or in front of me?" he asked.

"Let me guess, all of them," she said, still deadpan, but she was smiling.

"All except pretty little Jenny Anderson," he admitted. "But only because she fractured her pelvis when one of the other guys didn't catch her after a tuck jump. Shame really."

"Yes, I'm sure she was sorely disappointed," Dusty added dryly.

"That's good, sugar plum," he said with a nod. "You're going to need that sense of humor to survive in this family."

"If you're done flirting with my fucking woman," I said, no malice in my voice because Mark flirted with everyone. We were all pretty much convinced he couldn't help it. Though he had laid off Fee and Lea once they got serious with Hunt and Shane. "How about you tell me what you're doing here?"

"Oh me? I'm the security caravan. Pops thought you would want someone else looking out for you."

"Pops should have asked," I corrected, but knew that our father was not the kind to ask any goddamn thing. "Well, right now," I said, tossing the electronic bag at him along with the suitcase, "you're a pack mule. Get a move on. We need to get her out of here," I supplied as he gave me a knowing look, took the items I gave him, along with the goddamn cat, and moved out.

"Your brothers are..." she trailed off, thinking.

"Intrusive?" I offered, being as true as anything else.

"I was going to say interesting characters. Are the others like Eli and Mark?"

"There's only one Eli and one Mark. Shane is loud and opinionated. He doesn't have much of a filter. Hunter is a bit calmer. He's got kids and a woman and a business that keep him grounded."

She gave me a bit of a shy smile and admitted, "Well, I like Eli and Mark so far. I think I'll like Shane and Hunter too."

I liked that.

And I liked that she was thinking ahead enough to plan for that eventuality.

"If you can handle Mark, you can handle the others," I assured her. "You about ready?" I asked as her gaze went to the open door.

"Did you get my cell?" she asked, feeling in her pockets.

"With the laptops."

"Okay," she said, going toward the door and stepping into the flats I brought over from her place for her. "Then, well, I guess I'm as ready as I can be," she agreed, giving me a wobbly smile.

But she didn't move toward the open door. She froze on the spot, her hands down at her sides clenching and un-clenching over and over.

"Just going to the car," I told her, moving up and wrapping her hand in mine and giving it a squeeze. She didn't look up at me. She didn't relax. There was no remedy attached to my touch. But she nodded her head and we moved into the hall, pausing just so I could lock the door and then making our way down the hall.

"No," she said, her voice a little frantic when I moved toward the elevator.