Page 43 of Perfect Fling

“Yeah, I got it. I’ll pass it on to someone who can run down the lead. Expect a call from a Mike Marsden. Thanks. I owe you one.” He ended the call and looked at Erin. “They traced the bullet to a gun used in a shooting last year. With a little luck, the guy who owns it is someone for hire or he can tell us where he unloaded the gun or who has it now. It’s a long shot, but it’s all we’ve got.”

Erin drank a long sip of water to ease the dryness in her mouth. “At least it’s something.”

“I’m going to step outside and call Mike. Let him get the information and start to run down the lead. I’ll be right back. Don’t move,” he ordered Erin.

Since she was suddenly dizzy and shaken, she wasn’t about to argue with the command.

***

Although Erin haddecided to go all in with Cole, after his possessive show about sleeping with her and her not seeing other men, she’d also expected him to act first. But in the last forty-eight hours, he’d been on his best behavior, leaving Erin with the decision about how to start showing him the kind of future he could have with her. It wasn’t all about sex; that much she understood.

A life with her included friends, family, dinners out, and work functions. She had the latter coming up Saturday night and she’d already informed Cole he’d need a suit and tie, which had necessitated a mall trip after work the other day. They had Nick’s party on Sunday, which was another place she could out them in public by being affectionate in front of others,ifthat was her intention. But she couldn’t do any of those things if she and Cole didn’t establish a change in their relationship here. At home.

It would have to be tonight, then, Erin decided, nerves making her stomach dance and flutter. But first, she had to deal with welcoming her parents home and of course telling them her news. From the shooting to her pregnancy, they were completely in the dark.

She had no desire to have such a personal conversation in front of her brothers, who were already biased against Cole. In fact, she decided she’d have to talk to her mom alone, and discuss how to break the truth to her father. She didn’t think her brothers would have the nerve to be the ones to tell Simon that news.

Erin changed from her work clothes, choosing a sexier panty and bra set than normal because she planned to end up in Cole’s bed. But when she attempted to button her jeans, she had no luck closing them. Overnight they had stopped fitting. She stripped them off, walked to her closet, and began a systematic trying-on of her casual clothes, only to have the same result.

Frustrated, she tossed item by item onto the bed.

“Erin, almost time to go,” Cole called from the hallway, knocking on her door.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she yelled back, eyeing the pile in disbelief.

He entered without knocking.

She didn’t bother to cover up. First, he’d seen it all before. Second, she was too upset with herself for not thinking ahead about buying maternity clothes. And third, she had a plan, and belly or not, she might as well see if he responded.

He did. One look and his eyes glazed with desire, and relief flowed through her. She did everything she could not to squeeze her legs together in an effort to alleviate the sudden ache in her core.

“What’s going on?” he asked, his voice gruff, the raspy sound setting her nerve endings aflame.

“Umm, I’m having a... malfunction.”

He cocked his head to one side, his gaze never leaving her exposed body. “Explain.”

She gestured to the bed. His gaze followed the direction of her hand and blinked in shock. “Whoa. Your closet explode?”

“Along with my middle,” she muttered. “Nothing fits.”

He was gentleman enough not to comment. “Why not wear what you had on for work?” he asked, rather diplomatically, she thought.

“That was tight too.” She felt her cheeks heat. “I had to unbutton the skirt and then untuck my shirt so the blouse covered the waist. The skirt kept falling down and it wasn’t comfortable.” She knew she sounded like a grumbling, whiny pain in the ass.

She didn’t care.

Cole chuckled, annoying her further. “What’s so funny?” she snapped.

“Nothing.” He held up both hands, the nervous expression of a man dealing with a hormonal female on his face. “Look, I don’t think your parents would appreciate it if you showed up in my sweatpants. Don’t you have something you can put on until we can go shopping?”

“We?” Though she ought to be used to him grouping them as a couple whenever she needed to go somewhere or do something, he always caught her off guard.

Or maybe it was the lurch in her chest when he used the termwe, causing hope to settle in her heart, that upset her so much.

She folded her arms across her chest while he attempted not to look down at her bare legs and the slight swell of her stomach that peeked beneath her silk camisole.

“If you need to go shopping, I’m going to have to drive you, so yes. We. Now, are you going to get dressed for your parents, or is show-and-tell the way you want to break the news?” Cole studied her patiently.