Standing in the Shadows (McClouds & Friends #2)(92)
Sean whistled softly. "That's, uh, really brave of you, bro."
Connor gave them a fatalistic shrug. "Why waste time?"
Sean and Davy exchanged glances, and Sean stared down into his coffee, grinning. "That's what I love about you, Con," he said. "You're a human laser beam, too."
The waitress tossed the check on the table. Connor pulled a bill out of his wallet to cover it. "Let's get going."
Erin smiled at Sean, Davy, and Miles as they said goodbye in the parking lot. "I feel so much better now that you guys are helping," she told them. "Thank you. It makes all the difference in the world."
Davy grunted and looked away. Miles blushed and kicked the Jeep's muddy tires. Even Sean was at a total loss for a smart comeback for several seconds. "It's, uh, our pleasure, Erin," Sean said finally. "C'mon, Miles. Let's hit the road. Good luck with the mom, Con."
"Yeah. Watch yourself," Davy added.
The two cars pulled out and drove away. Connor laced his fingers through Erin's and tipped up her chin. Erin lifted her face for his kiss.
"So," he said. "The complete set of McCloud brothers for you."
"I like them," she said. "I like Miles, too. And I really like it that three smart people who give a damn are out there helping look for my little sister. Thank you for making that happen, Connor."
"Save the thanks for when we find her," he said brusquely.
"No." She kissed him again. "I'll thank you right now, no matter what happens. For being so sweet For caring so much."
His arms tightened. "For God's sake, Erin. Don't get me all worked up in a public parking lot. It's embarrassing."
She smiled up through her eyelashes. "Does it excite you to be thanked, Connor?"
"Yeah." His voice was belligerent. "By you, it does. So sue me."
"Must go along with that hero mentality your brother was talking about," she murmured. "I'll remember. For future reference."
"Let's go. I don't like displaying my hard-on to the whole world."
The closer they got to her mother's house, the heavier Connor's silence became. "Are you nervous?" she asked.
He shot her an are-you-kidding look, turned the corner, and parked on her mother's block. They sat for a long, silent moment, and Connor let out a sharp sigh and shoved his door open. "Let's do it."
She got out of the car, marched up to him, and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Connor?"
"Yeah?" He sounded apprehensive.
"Just a detail I'd like to straighten up, before we go any further."
"Let's hear it."
"Your two brothers? They're both very good-looking. I might even go so far as to say extremely good-looking. But they are not more good-looking than you."
A radiant grin chased the tension out of his face, and he leaned his forehead gently against hers. "You're my girlfriend now," he said. "You have to say that kind of stuff. It's part of your job description."
"Oh, bullshit," she said. "You're such a—"
He cut her off with a kiss, pulling her close. She wound her arms around his neck and clung to him, wishing they were a million miles away from all her problems and worries, someplace where she could just wrap herself around his generous heat and strength and power, and soak it up like tropical sunshine. His lips moved over hers, sweet and coaxing and seductive, weakening her knees, making her—
"Erin? Honey? Is that you?"
They jerked apart with a gasp.
Barbara Riggs was standing on the porch in her bathrobe, squinting at them. "Who's that with you?" She fumbled in the pocket of her bathrobe, pulled out her glasses, and put them on.
"It's me, Mrs. Riggs." Connor's voice was flat and resigned. "Connor McCloud."
"You?" She gaped. "What are you doing with my daughter?"
Connor sighed. "I was kissing her, ma'am."
Barbara picked her way down the leaf-strewn steps in her slippers, her gaze horrified. "Honey? What is the meaning of this?"
* * *
Chapter Seventeen
Connor braced himself to be martyred. His doom was averted when the next-door neighbor's front door popped open and a chubby gray-haired lady came out onto her porch. Her eyes were bright with curiosity. "Hi, Erin!" she called. "Well, well! Who's your young man?"
"Hi, Marlene," Erin said. "Um… Mom? Could we have this conversation inside the house?"
Barbara Riggs glanced up at her neighbor. "That might be best," she said icily. "Under the circumstances." She marched toward the house, head high, back straight, just like Erin when she was royally pissed. He followed. His doom was not averted. Just delayed.
He followed Erin's glance into the living room, saw it flinch away. Sure enough, the gutted TV lay there on its back like a dead bug in the gloom. A poker stuck out of its belly, just as Tonia had said. Ouch.
Barbara turned on the kitchen light and folded her arms over her chest. Her mouth was a flat, bloodless line of fury. Even as disheveled and haggard as she was, he could see where Erin's regal air came from.