Heart Trouble (10 page)

“I don’t know if I can make it, Livvie. I’m on an assignment,” he said.

Erin stopped in the hallway, wrestling with a sharp stab of unfamiliar jealousy.
Livvie
was a woman’s name, no doubt about it. But there had to be other women in his life. She reined in her imagination before it could run away with her. He hesitated, listening to the other end of the line, she guessed.

“Of course I know it’s Dad’s birthday. I’ll see what I can do, Sis, but I can’t make any promises.”

Relieved, Erin let out the breath she’d been holding.

Another pause, then, “Talk to you later.” He snapped his phone shut and dropped it on the counter.

She walked into the kitchen. “Everything okay?”

He glanced up from spreading butter on a piece of toast. “Sure. Juice or coffee?”

“I’ll get it,” Erin said, taking the carton of orange juice from the fridge.

It was mildly unsettling the way Sean seemed to be so comfortable anywhere. Erin had one place she fit—the hospital, medicine, among chaos and health puzzles. That was it. Her cooking skills were dismal; her social skills even worse. She had no hobbies, one real friend, and a threadbare relationship with her brother. There was a lot of love between them, but it was buried beneath doctors’ hours, flight schedules, and distance.

Work was her life, but when had it become her excuse to avoid living?

“Something wrong?” Sean asked.

She’d zoned out holding a container of orange juice in her hand.

“Not at all,” she said as she poured them both a glass. “You didn’t have to go to all this trouble. Cereal would’ve been fine.”

“It’s no trouble. I enjoy cooking. Sit. Everything’s ready.”

He slid two plates of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast across the bar, grabbed up his coffee cup and sat down beside her.

“Well, I think you’ve mastered the skill. This looks delicious.” Erin picked up her fork and dug into her eggs.

“When I first became a cop, my eating habits were awful.”

“Spend a lot of time in the doughnut shop?” she asked.

He chuckled. “Funny, but true, so to speak. Every meal was takeout. After I gained twenty pounds, I decided things had to change, so I started preparing my own meals. Along the way I discovered I liked to cook.”

“I try, but it’s hard when there’s just one of you. Which reminds me, I should probably go shopping. There can’t be much left in the refrigerator.” Erin pushed her food around on her plate, worry making her stomach tighten. But she couldn’t very well hide inside her apartment forever, even though Sean’s presence made it damned tempting.

“My sister called a few minutes ago. Today is my dad’s birthday. They’re having a little family get-together for him this afternoon at my parents’ house.” Sean looked up at her. “Would you like to go?”

Erin blinked, and opened her mouth to speak, then snapped it closed, thinking. Meet his family? The two of
them
had just met. There would be lots and lots of personal questions—about her. What she did, where she was from, how she and Sean knew each other. How would she and Sean define their relationship?
This is the girl I’m trying to protect from a murdering serial rapist. And oh, by the way, we’re screwing each other silly.

“Forget it.” He must’ve mistaken her hesitancy for apathy, because he shook his head at his plate, adding, “It’s crazy for me to expect—”

“I’d love to.”

He gave her a doubting look. “Are you sure? It’s not a big deal if I don’t go. I can call him later and wish him happy birthday.”

“Yes, it is a big deal,” she said. Tears stung her eyes, and she turned her head, blinking them away.

It was a very big deal. What she wouldn’t give to have her parents back around to celebrate birthdays, holidays, and graduations.

Erin picked up her glass of juice and sipped. Sean brushed her damp hair back over her shoulder, then pulled his hand away. Just enough contact to let her know he understood. It seemed as though he always knew when to touch her and how much, when to say something, and when to not ask what was wrong. The last thing she wanted to do was discuss her feelings like some needy head case.

“I’ll call Luke and have him come up around two this afternoon. We can switch places, and it’ll look like you’re being picked up for a date if anyone’s watching. We’ll grab a few groceries when we leave my parents’ house.”

“Can we rent some movies too?” Erin asked, thankful for the shift in topic, although the jitters were still there in spades over meeting his folks.

“Sure. And I’ve been meaning to ask if you have a deck of cards. Maybe we can play penny poker later.”

“Are you sure you want to play me in poker? I’m pretty good.”

“We’ll see about that,” he said.

“Just consider yourself forewarned.” She popped a piece of bacon in her mouth.

While they finished breakfast and cleaned up, Erin made a list of everything they’d need for the next few days. It was odd, planning meals for two, agreeing on food and movies they both liked, but she had to admit she liked it. A lot. Maybe too much.

Her relationships rarely ever stretched beyond the occasional sleepover stage. None of them lasted very long because her demanding work schedule always seemed to get in the way. Unless the men were in the medical profession, they couldn’t get past the long hours and her need for alone time to decompress after a rough shift in the ER. And to be honest, Erin hated dating fellow doctors. Every one she’d ever gone out with had the rest of his life planned out to the letter. Marriage, three kids staggered like porch steps (which of course she would be expected to quit work and care for, or hire a full-time nanny), the pedigreed Labrador, the big house in the exclusive gated subdivision, and the matching Mercedes SUVs parked in the garage. The thought of that kind of predictable life gave her hives.

Erin could see herself married and with kids someday, but she’d never been a planner. Hell, her checkbook went unbalanced for months. She pretty much lived one day to the next. Let the chips fall where they may. Losing her parents too soon had taught her to take each day as it came and appreciate simply being alive.

It was true; she didn’t have much of a life outside the hospital. She had Tess and…well, Tess. Most of the time she preferred quiet over company when she wasn’t working, and that seemed to be okay. Or it had.

Now here she was, playing house with a man she’d just met but felt like she’d known forever, and loving it. What an unexpected surprise Sean had been.

If she could just forget that the sexy cop settling into her life so comfortably might be the only thing standing between her and a knife-wielding rapist.

Chapter Nine

“Erin, are you almost ready? Luke will be here in twenty minutes,” Sean called out from the living room. The smart man knew how long it took most women to get ready. Normally Erin didn’t fall into that stereotype. Today, however…

“Fuck a duck,” she muttered.

Here she stood in the middle of her closet, staring at a wall of clothes while wearing nothing but her bra and panties. And even those didn’t match. But in answer to Sean’s question, no, she wasn’t ready.

Why couldn’t she be one of those women who had fashion sense? Who could throw together a cute outfit blindfolded? She thought about calling Tess for advice, but since her shift had ended just a few hours ago, she was deep into a fatigue coma by now.

Growing up, Erin had been a tomboy, preferring ripped denim over frilly lace. When she’d sprouted breasts at fourteen, Will became more vigilant about the type of clothing she wore, since his male friends were always hanging around their apartment. That conservative attitude carried over into her adult life. Except now she was regretting that she had nothing new or feminine in her closet. She wanted to look pretty when she met Sean’s family, make a nice impression. She wanted to look pretty for
him.

Where the heck had that come from?

She heard Sean’s footsteps coming down the hallway; then he propped himself in the doorway of her closet, arms crossed over that broad, mouthwatering chest.

He quirked a mischievous eyebrow. “Problems?”

Erin threw her arms out at her sides. “I don’t have anything to wear.” Sean curled his lips in to hide a smile, and she tossed a discarded shirt at him, which he caught with one hand before it smacked him in the face. “Don’t say it or I’ll start throwing shoes.”

That drew a laugh. He sidled up behind her and placed his hands on her hips, burying his face in the curve of her shoulder. “Well, you sure can’t go dressed like this. My brothers are gonna drool over you enough as it is.”

“
Brothers
?” Erin said. “How many of you Remberts are there?”

“Four, not counting my mom and dad. Caleb is the oldest, me, then Travis, and Olivia’s the baby. Plus there’s Caleb’s wife, Anne, and my three-year-old nephew, Max. Travis’s girlfriend, Lisa, may be there as well.”

Erin groaned and buried her face in her hands. “Holy hell. And to think I was nervous about meeting your parents and a sister.”

Sean turned her around. “Why are you nervous about meeting my family?” he asked, tipping her chin up with his index finger so she had to look at him. “They’re just normal folks, sane if not a little rowdy. They’re going to smother you to the point of near suffocation. Trust me, you’ll be sick of them after an hour, tops.”

She chewed her bottom lip. “I don’t know why I’m nervous. I just am. Aren’t you when you meet new people?” She sighed. “What’re you going to tell them about us?”

He cocked his head to the side, studying her. “What do you
want
me to tell them about us?”

“Is this a test? Because it feels like one,” she said.

Sean grinned. “Maybe.”

Erin’s throat closed up a little. “We slept together after knowing each other for
three hours
,” she whispered.

“Why are you whispering? There’s no one here but us.”

“Because it sounds much tawdrier when I say it out loud.”

“Tawdrier?” He clapped his hand over his mouth to try to stifle a laugh.

Erin punched him in the arm. “It’s a high-dollar word for sleazy.”

Sean tipped his head back to stare up at the ceiling for a moment.

“There’s nothing sleazy about our relationship. So we slept together rather quickly. Big deal. It’s not like either one of us did the walk of shame the next morning. It wasn’t some drunken bad decision. We’re both responsible adults, above the age of consent. Besides, I don’t share the details of my sex life with anyone, including my brothers. Unless you feel some insane need to confess, I think our secret is safe.”

“They’ll figure it out. I can’t look at you without getting turned on.” It was Erin’s turn to cover her big mouth. The admission had tumbled out before she could stop it. She felt the heat of a blush crawling up her neck and into her face.

A grin of pure devilry split Sean’s face. “Is that so?” His hands coasted down her back to slide under the waistband of her panties. He tugged her closer while he kneaded the cheeks of her ass. “I guess that means you’re turned on right now then, huh?”

Tiptoeing her fingers up his chest, she said, “Maybe you should check for yourself.” She moaned when he grazed a finger through her pussy.

“Yep, someone’s turned on.” His rough fingertip danced across her wet clit, making her shudder against his chest. “We should do something about that.”

Erin nodded her agreement. “You’re just trying to distract me so I won’t worry about meeting your family.” She ground her hips into the movements of his hand as he slid one long digit deep inside her. Her head tipped back, and Sean took advantage, brushing his lips across her throat.

“I bet it’s working.”

“Mm-huh,” Erin murmured, forgetting the topic the more his agile finger teased her clit.

He chuckled into her ear, nipped at her earlobe, then withdrew his hand from its hiding spot in her panties. Erin whimpered her disappointment.

Sean unhooked her bra and slid it off her arms. “Turn around. Put your hands on the mirror.”

Oh heavens, his bossy tone made her even wetter.

Erin’s body lit up like she’d been dipped in gasoline and set on fire. She did as he asked, placing her palms flat against the large floor-to-ceiling mirror mounted in the corner of her closet. Sean’s eyes were dark as they met hers in their reflection, intent. He pushed her underwear down to her knees. She heard him fumbling with his belt, then the soft rasp of his zipper lowering, the crinkle of a condom wrapper being opened. A shiver of anticipation raced up her spine.

“Spread your legs farther apart.” She adjusted her stance, wiggling her panties down and off one foot.

Unhurried lovemaking was the preferred method, but there was something to be said about a quickie too. That powerful, immediate, undeniable need to just fuck each other’s brains out, hard and fast. When done right it could be explosive for both partners. With Sean, there would be no other way.

She watched in the mirror as his hands smoothed over her hips, took in the contrast of his golden skin against the paler flesh of her stomach. They slid up to cradle her breasts. He pinched her nipples to taut peaks while he stared over her shoulder. Erin fought to keep her eyes open. “You have the most perfect tits I’ve ever seen,” he said, giving the side of her neck a sharp nip with his teeth.

“They’re too big.”

That earned her a firmer pinch. “Nonsense.”

Erin shuddered under his rough touch and pushed her bottom back, giving Sean’s cock a needy bump. She watched his reflection. He licked his lips and squeezed his eyes closed before opening them again to look down.

“Now,” Erin whispered.

“Step up on top of my boots.” Doing so raised her a few inches higher, better access.

His hands moved from her breasts. One splayed across her stomach, bracing her, while the other grasped his cock. He pressed it through the crack of her ass in a slow, teasing stroke, then guided it to her opening. Her pussy clenched, anticipating that first mind-melting stretch.

“Say it, Erin. I want to hear filthy words spill from that sweet mouth.”