Blood and Fire (McClouds & Friends #8)(102)

“It was a cheap trick,” he informed her. “Some evolutionary thing related to primitive mating behavior. I’m in survival mode now, so kiss the charm good-bye. This is the real Bruno. Hello, nice to meet you.”

“Oh, great,” she muttered. “That’s just peachy.”

“Time to go,” Kev McCloud called out.

The four men materialized and finished loading the equipment into the cargo space. They slid into their places in the SUV without looking her in the face. Lily crossed her arms over her chest. “Those bastards,” she said. “Trying to get you out of a tight spot.”

“Nice that they care,” Bruno observed. “I could use the support.”

“Yeah. And speaking of which. If you’re going to get cozy with the McClouds, make it count. It’s time you and Kev’s brothers got your ya-yas out with each other.”

His brows knit. “I told you. I’ve got no problem with them.”

“That’s a big fat stinking lie,” she said. “But I wasn’t referring to that, actually. I was talking about the problem they have with you.”

He looked blank. “Lily, we don’t have time for cryptic bullshit.”

She shrugged, shivering. “Nothing cryptic about it. You’re jealous of them. They’re jealous of you. Isn’t that just a big joke? Hah, hah.”

“Jealous? Of me? Horseshit. Why should they be?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know why. But it’s obvious. I’m shocked you haven’t noticed it yourself. Probably you’re just too self-absorbed right now. The new Bruno, sans charm and all that.”

He shrugged a leather coat on over his bristling weapons load. “Is this some subtle form of female mind-f*ck torture? To punish me?”

She shook her head. “It’s not a male-female thing at all,” she said. “It’s a gender-neutral thing. Ignore it if you like.”

He grunted his disgust. “I like,” he said. “We’ll save the group therapy for later. There’s no time for this emotional c right now.”

She swiped tears from her eyes. “I imagine that refers to me, too?”

“Yeah, it sure does,” he said. “Grow up, Lily.”

It popped out before she could stop it. “Fuck you, Ranieri.”

She regretted it like hell, but of course it was too late.

He’d been turning away, toward the SUV, but at that he turned back, considering her with narrowed eyes for a long moment.

Connor McCloud hit the horn, short but loud. Bruno ignored him and stalked over to Lily, grabbed her, and bent her over backward in one of those poster-worthy, soldier-going-off-to-war mega-galactic kisses.

Lily was too startled to resist. All too soon, he lifted his head, stared into her eyes. “I love you, too.”

She was speechless. He gave her a crooked smile, like he didn’t really expect an answer, and turned to the vehicle.

Blind panic surged. She lunged after him. “Bruno!”

Bruno caught her headlong rush, steadying her. “Yeah?”

Her mouth worked. She couldn’t find words for feelings that were just too big, too wide for them. Standard phrases were too small, too flat. Feelings backed up inside her, building pressure in the bottleneck. All that burst out was, “Thanks for the, uh, translation.”

The flash in his eyes made her heart thud. “I got it right?”

“Yeah.” The word squeezed out, strangled by the burning lump in her throat. “Thanks for not going off, leaving me with that as the last thing I said. It would have sucked.” If you never came back.

He rubbed his cheek against hers. “Took nerve, you know.”

“You’ll need nerve, hanging out with me.”

And they got sucked into the heart of that apocalyptic kiss again. Her heart bumped like it wanted to jump out of her chest, and her soul ached to braid itself together with his, and the world went away—

Except that the world started honking the car horn and strobing the brights against the garage wall. Smart-asses.

Kev popped open his door. “Hey! Save it for later, Romeo.”

Bruno cupped her face, stared into her eyes, breathing hard. His color was high. “Goddamnit,” he muttered.

She pulled his face back down, kissed him hungrily. “You be careful out there. Or I’ll kill you.”

His grin flashed as he got in, and the vehicle was in motion before the door swung shut. Fleeing Bruno’s hell-bitch girlfriend’s irrational demands. Headlights cut out abruptly. The doors groaned slowly open. The SUV backed out. The doors ground shut again. And her, alone, like an idiot. Wondering if she should have paid more attention to those last moments. Riveted every precious detail more deeply into her memory.

Tam stood by the door, closing the little control panel for the garage door. Edie, Kev’s fiancée, was in the doorway, too.

“You OK, Lily?” Edie’s voice was low and gentle.

Lily shook her head, pressed her hand to her mouth. She heard slippered footsteps padding, and Edie’s arm slid around her. “Worried?”

Lily nodded.

“If it’s any comfort to you, he’s got four of the toughest guys you’ll ever meet in that car with him. I’m talking rawhide. I pity the fool who messes with even one McCloud, let alone four of them.”