“Do you want your boyfriend to do that to you?” I brush the other side, and she shivers.
“Mmhmm.”
A grin spreads across my face before I can stop it. “Yeah?”
“Uh huh.”
“And what about this…” Her nipple pebbles under the thin fabric, her body giving me an answer before she can.
“That… Yeah.” Her voice falters, and she squirms, the movement flooding my bloodstream. I pull her closer so she knows exactly how much I need her.
“How about…”
The doorbell rings, exploding through the moment.
My whole body groans in protest. I drop my forehead to her shoulder. Of all the times for humanity to exist, it has to be now.
“If that’s your brother, I’m gonna kill him.”
Erin’s laugh is way too perky.
I force myself to step back, adjust, and breathe. Her eyes drop to my crotch, and goosebumps climb up her arms as she looks away and bites her lip.
We haven’t seen each other naked yet. I’ve seen her in my clothing, hair messy and skin heated with desire, but I want more. However, I don’t want it at the cost of rushing her or making her feel like she has to match my experience if we start shedding clothes. So, I tap into my self-control, waiting for the day she asks to see all of me.
I really hope she does.
I open the door to find Brax standing there. The second our eyes connect, the leftover heat in my body dissipates. While I’m glad that it’s Brax and not her brother witnessing my hard-on for the girl sitting on my counter, I doubt Brax is here for anything trivial.
“What happened?” I step aside to let him in.
Erin moves quickly to my side.
“I found Laurel,” Brax says.
My stomach tightens, and my voice is gravelly but full of hope. “She’s alive.”
His attention shifts to Erin. “She’s been looking into you and your mom.”
Erin’s eyebrows pull together. “Why?”
“Still trying to figure that out.” He reaches into his jacket and hands her a photo. It’s a picture of her and Rudy inside Bakes by the Lakes from months ago holding cupcakes. “Dom Westmont, the man who shot you, reached out and gave the address your mom was staying at in California. She wasn’t there but this was.”
Erin studies the image. “We already knew she was watching me and Griff.”
“Turn it over,” Brax says.
She flips it.
One word is there—Lucia.
Her fingers tighten on the edges of the photo until they tremble.
“There’s only a handful of people who know what my real name is,” Erin murmurs. She looks up at Brax. “You think this photo is part of the package someone sent to my mother?”
“I think so, and I think Laurel is who sent it,” Brax answers.
“How can you be so sure?” I ask.
