Page 29 of Cross Me

I couldn’t deny that any more than I could deny the possessive urge filtering into my blood now. I began unbuttoning her coat. She cooperated, her teeth sinking into her lower lip in expectation.

“Tell me about your day,” I said softly.

She understood the invitation, or she thought she did. There was no way she could know what I was really asking. “It was crazy. Belle is into cars and racing. I can’t even wrap my head around that,” she told me, “and it’s very loud. Oh, and I threw up in Anderson Stone’s helmet.”

“You did what?” It was the last thing I had expected her to say. The rosiness which had begun to fade from her cheeks flamed again reaching all the way to the tips of her ears.

She buried her face against my shoulder. “It was terrible. I didn’t want anyone to see me having morning sickness, but the bathroom was locked and he opened the door and…the next thing I know I’m throwing up in his helmet. It was very regal.”

I bit back a laugh. Clara worried so much about what people thought of her as Queen. I didn’t want her to think I was laughing at her.

“How did he react to that?”

“He was kind—a knight in shining armor. He offered to let me keep it in case I needed it again.” She sighed, burrowing deeper into me.

“He sounds thoughtful.” I tried to keep my voice even, but it lifted, betraying my apprehension. Was he really just a nice guy or did he know? I couldn’t imagine he appreciated his helmet being used as a toilet.

“I don’t think he’s going to be asking me for dinner.” She poked me in the side. “There’s no need to be jealous of the guy. I’m sure I made quite the impression on him.”

There was another matter to consider. “Does he know why you were sick?”

She nodded. “I know I shouldn’t have told him. I was kicking myself the whole way home for doing it. There was just something about him—it was like I could trust him.”

My heart stopped and I stared down at her for a moment. Confusion crept into her grey eyes and I pulled away, moving behind her to draw off her coat. I didn’t want her to see my reaction.

“X?” Too late.

This was my chance. It was time to come clean. My hands took her shoulders gently and spun her around, but the words didn’t come. I saw my chance slipping away. I watched it go.

I forced myself to say something to end the awkward pause. “Any man would be lucky to have you vomit in his helmet, Poppet.”

“Belle thinks he’s handsome,” she told me. She searched my face as if looking for a sign that she shouldn’t have told me this.

“And you?” I asked in a strangled voice.

“He’s cute. I think they were right to choose him as the face of the games,” she said.

“The face?” I repeated. I had no idea what that meant.

“They want someone young. Hot. Henry’s words, not mine,” she quickly added. “Speaking of which, is he…”

“I have no idea,” I said honestly. That was the least of my concerns. My wife had just described my secret, younger brother as hot. She had just told me that she trusted him with a secret we’d shared with very few people. Things were spinning out of control. It didn’t matter what Norris had said. Coincidence or not, I needed to take things in hand. “And you thought he was hot?”

“I can’t find another man attractive?” she asked testily.

An alarm went off in my head, but I ignored it. Maybe another man, but not that man. “I’d prefer you didn’t.”

“Oh, X.” She shook her head.

“I don’t find other women attractive.”

“Really?” Clara pressed, lifting an eyebrow.

“I don’t even notice them.”

“I think you’re jealous,” she said, her voice soft with amazement.

“Of some race car driver?” I swallowed on the truth of her accusation, turning away so she wouldn’t see it.