No Place to Run (KGI #2)(30)

“Hey, get her settled?”

Sam looked up to see Garrett and Donovan coming up the stairs. He grimaced. “Uh yeah. Sorta.”

Garrett gave him a look.

“She needs a bra. Something about pregnancy and big boobs and I sort of tuned out after that.”

Donovan’s chest heaved in silent laughter. The bastard.

“So get her one,” Garrett said.

Garrett almost pulled off that somber, stick-up-his ass look. Oh yeah, he was good, but Sam saw the flicker of amusement in his eyes.

“There are three women in this house on a constant basis. Surely we can come up with a bra,” Sam muttered.

“Uh well Rusty and Rachel are smaller,” Donovan said, hedging. “Not that Sophie is like big or anything, but she’s bustier.”

It dawned on his brothers about the same time it did on Sam. Their faces contorted, and Garrett’s mouth flapped open and shut.

“Christ. That leaves Mom,” Sam said.

Garrett started backing away, hands out. “Oh no. Hell no. I’m not asking Ma for one of her bras. That’s just . . . wrong.”

Donovan looked like he’d swallowed a bug, and then both he and Garrett stared at Sam.

“Your woman. You do it.”

Sam cleared his throat. “Rock, paper, scissors?”

“Fuck that,” Donovan snorted.

“You pussies.”

“You go. We’ll pay for your therapy later,” Garrett said.

Sam turned in disgust and stalked away.

“You should probably know Ma’s not very happy with you right now,” Donovan called after him.

Sam turned. “What the hell does that mean?”

“Garrett and I filled her in. You know on the story. About how you knocked Sophie up, came home, then fished her out of the lake.”

Sam blew out his breath and turned his face up toward the ceiling. “Yeah, and I bet you really hated telling her all that, didn’t you?”

Garrett shrugged. “You can thank us later, man.”

Sam held up his middle finger and hurried down the stairs to face his mom.

CHAPTER 11

SAM hovered near the bathroom door and checked his watch. She hadn’t called out, and he kept returning for fear he wouldn’t hear her when she did. He couldn’t decide whether to go in and check on her or wait it out.

The decision was taken from him when he heard her soft call filter through the door.

“Sam?”

He pushed in, hastily tossing the items his mom had given him on the counter. When he turned to her, he saw her drowsy eyes watching him. Her face was flushed with the steam from the bath, and her hair lay damply against her cheeks.

“You okay?”

She nodded slowly. “I tried to get out, but it hurt. I was afraid of falling.”

He frowned and moved forward. “I told you I’d help you. You ready to get out now?”

Again she nodded, and he reached down, sliding his arms into the water. His hand glanced off her lush bottom and then went to the tender flesh underneath her knees. He lifted, and the water rushed over her skin like silk. He was riveted to the sight of her swollen, lush body.

He stood her up long enough to get a towel around her. She glanced shyly up at him, her blue eyes sweet. Just like they’d been the first time he ever saw her.

He’d hated seeing her work in that dive. She was too young, too innocent to be exposed to the ass**les who frequented the joint. Now he felt like an idiot, because after living with her father, the guys at the bar had to have seemed like Boy Scouts.

“I can dry myself,” she said after clearing her throat.

He turned to the counter and gingerly raised the bra with one finger. “I know this isn’t ideal, but it was the closest thing we thought would fit you. The uhm underwear, well as long as it doesn’t fall off . . . You could pull it up over your belly.”

Amusement twinkled in her eyes, but she smiled as if he’d just given her diamonds.

“Thank you. This will be perfect.”

She bobbled just a bit when she tried to step forward, and he picked her up and set her on the counter.

“It’s all that hot water,” he explained. “It’ll make you light-headed, especially when you’re pregnant. You probably shouldn’t have stayed in so long.”

She arched one golden brow at him. “How do you know so much about pregnant women?”

An uncomfortable prickle assaulted his neck. “I uhm must have read it somewhere.”

He turned right and then left and realized she was still trapped in her towel and she needed to get dressed.

There was a short knock at the door, and he scowled as he turned. He opened it just a crack so whoever was outside wouldn’t see in. Donovan stood there holding a pair of pants and a T-shirt. He thrust them toward Sam.

“Figured she’d do better if she wasn’t running around in just Ma’s bra and underwear.”

There was a hint of a grin on Donovan’s lips, and Sam glared a giant hole through his head.

“Thanks,” he muttered.

“Any time.”

He grinned again and then sauntered off.

Sam called him a few choice words and retreated into the bathroom, where Sophie was still perched on the counter, the towel gripped tight at her chin.