Sweet On You - By Kate Perry Page 0,46

softly.

He melted, damn it. He didn't know whether to growl or roll over and expose his belly.

Fortunately, her phone rang them. She shifted to pick it up from the table. Making a sour face, she tossed it aside.

He wondered who it was that got such a reaction. "You didn't want to answer it?"

"It was my brother. He's just going to be overbearing."

Maybe because he was already on edge. Maybe because his perspective was different. Maybe because he could understand how frustrating it was to care for her. But he couldn't keep quiet. "Your brother cares about you. You should appreciate that. I'd give anything to have my older brother meddle in my life."

"But he doesn't, because he knows you're capable."

"He doesn't because he's dead."

She gasped, her hand tightening on his as she shifted to face him. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

He was just as startled by the statement as she was. He'd never told anyone. Nico swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. "He died protecting me," he said, his voice low and raw even to his own ears.

Then she wrapped herself around him and squeezed. "I'm so sorry," she whispered against his neck. "I didn't know."

He squeezed her back, like she was his anchor, grounding him. He shifted her onto his lap and buried his head in the crook of her neck.

"Want to tell me about it?" she asked after a while.

"No." Sighing, he relented. "Our mom was into drugs, and everything else you could imagine, so Eddie took care of me. I don't remember a time when he didn't look out for me. He cooked for me and made me go to school, even though he dropped out in the fifth grade. He told me I had a brain, and that I had street smarts, and with the two I'd be able to do things."

"And you did."

"Eddie made sure of it. He wouldn't let me get distracted. He was so determined that I get out of that shithole that he joined the local gang to make money, to keep a roof over our head and to save for my college fund."

"Oh no," Daniela breathed, holding him tighter.

"He got in over his head. I don't know what they wanted him to do, but he refused, and the next thing I knew, he turned up on our doorstep, shot five times. I found him. It's been over twenty years, and I still remember every detail of that night."

She shook her head, a small sob escaping under her breath. "I didn't know."

Frowning, he lifted her chin. "Are you crying?"

"Of course, I'm crying," she exclaimed. "It's sad. I hate my brother right now, because he's a high-handed, selfish bastard, but I'd be devastated if he died. I'm so sad for you I want to go bake you sugar cookies."

Amazingly, he felt the hard spot on his chest loosen, and the beginning of a smile curve his lips. "Will that make me happy?"

"My grandmother always said they would." She sniffled, wiping her eyes on his shirt. Then she kissed his jaw. "If they don't work, there's always me."

"Yes, there is." He kissed her, gently, wholly, the way she deserved to be kissed. "It's working already."

Chapter Twenty-two

Marley stood outside of Valentine's subterranean office, her hand on the door handle. She should just go in. She started to open the door.

No, she shouldn't. She stopped, biting her lip. Maybe getting Brian's address wasn't a great idea.

Except she missed him. She'd been sitting in her office, surrounded by the mildly disappointed faces of the Justice League, trying to work on the list Tony had given her in his effort to "set Marley and his sister right."

She rolled her eyes. So far, the only thing he'd managed was to drive Daniela out of the house. They hadn't heard from her in days. She wasn't even returning Marley's calls.

That made Marley feel bad, like she let down someone who was supposed to count on her no matter what. She wanted to talk to Brian about it, but he wouldn't answer her calls either.

Which made her feel doubly bad. She'd lost the only two friends she had.

The days since she'd last seen Brian were awful. They'd dragged on forever, gray and dull, without anything to look forward to. She'd have given anything to hang out with him—to see a movie or dangle their feet over the stone wall as they shared cookies.

She missed kissing him.

She sighed. She really missed kissing him.

So she pressed on the handle and went inside.

Sitting