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The rest of the ice disappears and he drops his hand from Stefan’s throat, shoulders relaxing, big body becoming more teddy bear and less murderous FBI agent. “Come here,” he mutters, wrapping me in his arms and kissing the top of my head. “Missed you, kid.”
Warmth in my belly.
My soul settling.
My big bro is here and everything will be all right.
“Missed you too,” I whisper.
He lifts his brows. “Want to fill me in on what’s happening here?”
I don’t even pretend to not know what he’s talking about, just lift up on tiptoe and press a kiss to his cheek. “It’s complicated.” I drop back down onto my heels.
He shoots me a droll look.
“No, Laila after all?” I ask, inquiring after his wife—also an agent—instead of letting him pursue a conversational gambit I’m not ready to traverse.
Stefan and I had sex.
We’re talking.
We’re…coexisting peacefully.
I’m the only woman for him.
He has a secret.
My head starts throbbing.
Dan brushes a finger over my temple. “She got called away on a case.”
“Darn.”
His mouth curves into a ghost of a smile. “You’re just saying that because you want to team up and destroy me in Ticket to Ride.”
“Maybe.” He grins now, though that disappears when he looks over his shoulder.
I follow his stare, see that Stefan has come close.
Murder is back on the table, folks.
“Did you eat?” I ask, distracting my brother in one of the few effective ways I have—through his stomach. “Stefan made pizza.”
He finally settles, his expression relaxing. “With homemade dough?”
“Do I make any other kind of pizza?” Stefan asks dryly.
Dan scowls, but it’s more big brother and less I’m going to kill the person who hurt my sister. “I don’t know,” he mutters. “You’ve done a lot of shit that doesn’t make any sense over the last year.”
“I—”
“Uncle Dan?”
We all freeze at the sound of Roxie’s voice then turn as one, though only Stefan and I do it with quiet groans.
“Uncle Dan!”
Roxie’s face transforms—sleepy confusion into blatant excitement—and then she’s moving, pounding down the stairs, running over to us, throwing herself in Dan’s arms.
