Page 104 of Summer Heat
With all the emotion required to play Grand Theft Auto, Cash turned from her to Roman. “Sorry, man. I was doing your sister on the side. Beat my ass later. I’m going to bed.”
He ambled out of the kitchen, throwing a finger up in a fuck-you goodbye. Roman, the brother she’d once known so well, stared at her. Unreadable.
He opened his mouth, but it just stayed open. Nothing came out.
“I should have told you.”
“I don’t really know what to say.” He shook his head. “Cash? How did I not know about… you two?”
“I’m sorry,” she repeated for what felt like the hundredth time. It didn’t do any good for all the lies she was tangled in now.
“You’ve got that on repeat tonight, huh?” Roman rubbed his face, digging fists into his eyes. He sighed. “Look, sorry. I’m not trying to be a bastard. It’s just, that’s Cash. Cash. I’m a little shocked. He’s a piece of shit in the womanizing department. I mean, I love the guy, but shit. I wouldn’t have wanted you with him.”
“I don’t know if he was back when I knew him.”
“Cash has always been Cash.” Roman paused. “This is just a lot to take in. You’re alive. You were with Cash. You’re avoiding Mom and Dad. Heavy shit, Nic.”
“You should probably disown me and go back to thinking I’m dead. Everything was easier ten hours ago or so. Hurt a lot less too.”
“Nicola Beatrice, you’re my little sister. I can be angry at you. I might be furious or shocked or simply fucking confused, but I will never turn my back on you. You’re blood. You’re family, and for whatever fucked-up reason, you’re back. We need a sit down with Dr. Phil or some couch doc like that, ’cause I think my head’s going to explode. But I’ll deal.”
She nodded.
He wrapped her in a bear hug. “Promise me you won’t run off in the middle of the night?”
Nicola shrugged into his embrace, nodding. “Promise. Besides, I don’t have wheels, and my boss is going to question my ass for blowing my extraction plans.”
“The CIA, huh?” A proud grin snaked across his face.
“Uh-huh.”
He hooked an arm around her as they walked out of the kitchen. “Well, how about that, baby sister?”
“Pretty sweet, huh?”
“At least you made one great life decision that I can condone.” He twisted his face. “Cash, though?” Roman shook his head. “You’re one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. That was never a smart idea.”
“Don’t give Cash a hard time. It was years ago, and I made the first move.”
“Not likely.”
“I did. Kind of. Well, I—”
“Nic.” Roman stopped walking and looked down the hall, clearly uncomfortable that the conversation had continued. “The last thing I want to talk about is the details of you with him. He and I will hash it out mano a mano.”
“That’s stupid.”
“Now you sound like my kid sister, not some operative spewing extraction plan bullshit.”
She nudged him with a playful elbow. “Leave him alone. It was more than ten years ago.”
“I’m not having some guy do my sister and not have hell to pay. You deserve something, someone special or some crap like that.”
“It’s not like he was my fir—”
“Do not finish that sentence.” He shook his head, then all but covered his ears.
“Roman, I wasn’t a—”
