Pain for him ticked through her, and she made a sound of protest.
He kissed her bare shoulder. “It’s okay. Then I learned how much you can see and hear when you’re not the one talking, so I kind of kept quiet. After a while, it became normal to remain quiet, so I didn’t bother to talk. Then my brothers picked up the slack and made it even easier.”
She wiggled to get more comfortable and brushed against his erection. He groaned. “Sorry.”
“No problem.” The hand on her abdomen heated all the way through to her back. “I’d like for you to, ah, meet my brothers sometime.”
The offer shot through her with a thrill that stole her breath. Meet his family? God, she wanted that. But she had to remain calm and not freak out. She could feel his lips against her hair. “You love them.”
“They’re my brothers,” Denver said simply.
Sometimes the sweetness he kept deep down spilled out, and it slayed her. Her heart turned right over and rolled in everything that was Denver. How was she going to let him go again? He was finally opening up to her, but there was a sense of finality to his tone. “You really don’t think you’re going to beat Madison and Cobb, do you.” She’d said it as a statement because it was one.
“Oh, I’ll beat them.” He nipped her shoulder and sent tingles down her body. “I just don’t know if I’ll walk away intact. But it’s time to take them down.”
Ouch. Didn’t that sound dismal? “Is there any way I can help?” she asked. Besides praying her heart out for him.
“No.”
He didn’t even think about it, and much as she tried, she couldn’t drum up much anger. They’d just gone through a gang fight, and she hadn’t fired her weapon once. All she’d done was point it at a door and then fall over fences. “I wish things were different,” she whispered.
“Me too.”
“What if you win against them and live?” she asked, knowing it was a question she was stupid to ask. What did she want? Did she want a shot with him? A real one? She was just getting to really know him. What if he said this was still temporary? And hopefully she’d have a daughter to think about. Anybody she allowed into Talia’s life had to stay there.
The door opened, and light from the hallway spilled in. Damn it.
Detective Malloy stuck his head in. “Denver? We need to talk.”
“I figured,” Denver said wryly, planting a harder kiss to Noni’s shoulder. “Go to sleep now.” Something rustled and then a zipper echoed. He loped out of the room just wearing ripped jeans, his back one long line of muscle. The blood brother tattoo, with its intricate and deadly looking lines, glowed darkly on his skin.
Then he was gone.
CHAPTER
11
Malloy’s kitchen smelled like new paint and Sheetrock. The cabinets were yellow, the granite sparkly, and the floor a polished wood. Denver drew out a chair at the table where Tina had sewn up Noni. The slight smell of lemon and ammonia wafted up. Apparently Tina took cleaning up seriously.
“You still drinkin’?” Malloy asked, setting down two crystal tumblers.
“Yeah. Just not as much and not to forget.” Denver scrubbed his hands through his messy hair, shoving it away from his face.
Malloy reached into a cupboard above the fridge and drew out twenty-year-old single malt. He poured generously and then sat, his brown eyes hangdog. He’d drawn on a dark T-shirt that showed his impressive biceps along with the same sweats as before.
“You been working out?” Denver asked.
“Yeah. Tina is a health nut,” Malloy said, taking a deep drink and then watching him over the rim.
She had looked pretty healthy. Denver grinned and took a sip.
“Shut up,” Malloy muttered, flushing. “She’s not that much younger than me. Twelve years.”
“Love is blind, buddy,” Denver said, letting the alcohol warm his chilled gut. “My family, all of them, want you happy.”
Malloy sipped slowly. “Your family has been a pain in my ass since the first time I met any of you.”
Denver nodded. “We do have that effect, I agree. How long have you been together with Tina?”
