“Don’t thank me.” Theo moved toward her, his smile slipping away as an intense look took its place. “I have an ulterior motive.”
“Yeah?” Suddenly, inhaling was difficult, which would explain why the word came out sounding so breathless. “What’s that?”
He was in front of her now, a uniformed wall of muscle and lustful intentions that made the bubbles of excitement in her stomach go a little crazy. “I wanted to see you. Alone.”
“What?” she teased. “You used Viggy for nefarious purposes? Officer Bosco, how could you?”
“Easily.” Cupping her face in both hands, he lowered his lips to hers.
It was immediately apparent that her brain hadn’t exaggerated how wonderful this was. He backed her into the curved surface of the ancient fridge, kissing her with an almost frantic edge, as if he needed it for his survival. Making a small sound, she pressed closer, her fingers grasping the stiff material of his starched shirt on either side of his waist. She felt like she needed to hold on to something, needed him to anchor her before arousal and happiness launched her into space.
“G-g-get off of h-h-her!”
At the sound of Sam’s voice, she crashed down to earth as quickly as she’d rocketed away from it. Sam swung for Theo, but Theo caught Sam’s wrist before the blow could land. He pulled it behind his back and turned Sam, gently but firmly pressing him against the wall in a motion so quick that it stunned Jules.
“Let him go,” she said, and Theo did, although he stayed between them. Sam lurched back several steps, and Jules shifted so she could see her brother. He looked…stunned. Stunned and gutted.
“Theo…” Moving around so she could face him, she saw she didn’t need to finish the sentence. She could tell by Theo’s expression that he already understood.
After a sharp, assessing look at Sam, he said, “I need to head to work. See you tomorrow morning.”
“Okay. Be careful.”
Sending her a warm, tender glance that was almost as good as a good-bye kiss, Theo left the kitchen.
Sam’s glare was not nearly as sweet. As he tried to follow Theo out, Jules grabbed his arm. “Nope, Sam-I-Am. We’re talking.”
Although he didn’t look happy about it, he let her tow him to the kitchen table and plopped down in his usual chair. Jules lowered herself into the chair across from him, and they sat in silence for a few minutes. She shifted, not knowing how to begin this sure-to-be-awkward discussion. It turned out that she didn’t have to.
“H-how c-c-c-could you?” The words burst from Sam in an explosive rush.
“How could I what?” Even as she asked, she knew what his answer would be. After all, she’d accused herself of the same thing over and over. How could she endanger her family’s new life by getting involved with a cop? How could she put this crazy infatuation before her siblings’ safety and happiness?
“K-k-k-k…” His inhale shook. “Touch h-him like th-th-that. H-how c-c-c-can you st-stand it?”
Shock made her go silent. They stared at each other, Sam breathing hard, as if he’d sprinted a mile. The goal had always been to get custody, to get the kids away from Courtney. She’d never thought beyond that point. Jules had always just assumed that, once her siblings were living with her, once they were in a safe place, they would be okay. And that, she saw now, sitting across from her wonderful, sweet, tortured brother, had been really dumb of her.
What could she do, though? For now, therapy was out. With the big secret they were keeping, it would probably do more harm than good. It was up to her, then, to muddle through. Suddenly, Jules felt useless. If she couldn’t fix the stupid water heater, then what hope did she have of fixing her brother? As she searched for words—the perfect words, the words that would make him feel right and whole again—the silence stretched between them, and Sam started to look alarmed.
“D-d-did h-he f-f-f-force you?” he demanded.
“No!” Mentally, Jules swore at herself for already messing up. “No, sweetie, no. I wanted to kiss him.”
That didn’t lighten his horrified expression. “Wh-wh-why?”
“Um…” She never thought she’d have to explain attraction to her little brother. Jules would have paid a lot—all of her tips for a month—not to have this conversation. “Because I like him. He’s kind and brave and handsome and he saved our lives. At first, he was really surly—well, he still can be surly—but when he smiles, or listens to Dee like what she’s saying is really important, or checks the house for any danger before I come in, or looks at me like I’m the most interesting and beautiful woman in the world… Well, then I want to kiss him.” She didn’t mention that she also wanted to kiss him when he was at his crabbiest. Since Jules didn’t even understand it herself, it would be impossible—and embarrassing—to explain that to Sam.