Page 41 of Made in Love and Blood

“Don’t rub it in. I feel like it’s obvious.”

He snorted. “God, these are the problems I wish I could have, I’m telling you.”

She shot him a dirty look. “Be nice.”

“Hey, I didn’t say they weren’t valid. Just...less problematic and painful.”

“Not to me.”

“Fair point. Sorry. You better get going, or you’re going to be late.”

She already beelined it to the door.

Nico headed the opposite way.

“Hey,” she called his way.

He peered back over his shoulder. “Yeah?”

“Ask my dad for game details. You should come.”

A smile found him. “You want me to come?”

“I just want some people there.”

His head tilted further.

“My people,” she clarified.

•••

Once again, it seemed Nico would unintentionally interrupt someone else’s private moment for a second time that morning. He truly was on a roll.

“Thank you for agreeing to do that for her,” he heard Salvatore tell someone down the hall. Nico made it a point not to hide his oncoming footsteps, taking them a little harder with each step. “And for what she doesn’t know quite yet.”

“That’s the one I’m excited for,” came the second voice.

Fuck.

For two whole seconds, Nico forgot about his older sister. The almost two decades between them couldn’t possibly begin to explain how large the gap was where they were concerned.

“You know, we could—”

“Nope, not doing that, darling,” Salvatore suddenly muttered, a chair squeaking.

“I knew you wanted it,” Carina returned scathingly. “The opiates always do it for you.”

“Nope. We’re not doing that, either. I don’t know why you’ve always got to be looking like that whenever you bring up the worst time in my life, woman.”

Nico cleared his throat about five feet from the doorway. Something moved fast inside the office, enough to cause things to fall to the floor. A quiet shriek followed.

Salvatore simply uttered, “Come in, Nico.”

Nico walked into the office, replying, “Morning.”

He understood exactly what Salvatore had meant by saying Carina was looking like that. She covered her obviously braless chest, mostly exposed by a low-cut silk camisole, with her oversized trench coat at the sight of Nico. Her knee-high leather boot snapped against the floor.

“Goddammit, what, were you just going to let me get naked?” she hissed at Salvatore.