Dylan’s mouth slanted over Trey’s as she pressed her hips against his hardness. Just feeling him caused her body to burn hot.

His fingers moved upward until he touched her skin underneath her shirt. She wished he’d yank the damn thing off, but instead, his fingers slowly circled her, making her want more. She twisted slightly and had her hands under his shirt. Her nails dug into his skin and a low growling sound came from his chest, sending shivers racing through her system.

“Trey,” she started to say, just as her phone started ringing. Rolling her eyes, she thought of ignoring it.

“Do you need…” He nodded to her phone, which she’d tossed on the coffee table behind her.

She reached for it. “It is my work phone.” She smiled and answered the call.

She could barely hear the voice on the other end and had to press the phone against her ear to hear the voice.

“I’m sorry, can you—” A loud bang over the line made her scream and drop the phone. Her head exploded with pain as her ear rang from the shock of the loud noise.

She was sitting on the sofa holding her head when arms wrapped around her. She looked up into Trey’s worried eyes and realized he was talking to her. His voice was muffled, and she frowned and tried to concentrate on what he was saying.

“Are you okay?” he repeated. She nodded in response.

“What… was that?” She shook her head clear.

“You tell me?” He leaned down and picked up her phone.

“No.” She worried as he put the phone to his ear.

“The line’s dead.” He set the phone down and turned to her. “What happened?”

“Someone was talking.” She started rubbing her ear. “I couldn’t hear them, so I pressed the phone up to my ear, then…” She took a deep breath. “It sounded like a gunshot.”

When the words were out of her mouth, her heart stopped. “Oh god!” She reached for her phone. “Brent.” She punched the speed dial number for the house.

“I’m sure he’s okay.” Trey reached for her hand, which she noticed was shaking.

Her brother picked up on the third ring.

“What?” he barked out.

“Are you…” She took a deep breath and swallowed her fears. Even though he’d made her life hell in the past few years, he was still the only family she had. “Are you still up?”

“I wasn’t, until the damn phone started ringing.” She could hear the annoyance in his voice.

“I’m on my way home.” She stood up and realized she was still shaking and tucked her free hand into her pocket. Her eyes met Trey’s and she could see the worry there.

“Whatever,” her brother said before hanging up.

“I take it he’s okay?” Trey stood up and she had to reach for him as he almost tipped over. “Damn ears.” He shook his head and almost fell over backwards.

She chuckled, the phone call all but forgotten. “Let me help you to bed.” She gripped his arm.

When his eyebrows shot up, she sighed. “As much as I’d like to spend the night with a man who can’t even stand up on his own… not tonight.” She nudged him towards the hallway.

“We won’t be doing much standing.” He wiggled his eyebrows as he bumped into the wall and cursed under his breath.

“What did the doctor say?” She frowned as worry flooded her once more.

“He gave me pills, told me to rest.” He shrugged as they walked into the last room, which she assumed was his bedroom.

“But you’re coming into work tomorrow anyway?” She shook her head. “What will you do if I don’t pick you up in the morning?”

“I’ll call one of the workers to come get me.” He sat on the edge of the bed. She smiled as the dog jumped up and circled first, then lay down next to Trey.

“You won’t try to drive yourself?” she asked.

“I’m not that stupid.” He leaned back on the bed. “I’m having vertigo strong enough to make me think I’m going to fall of the mattress. Getting behind the wheel would be suicidal.” He glanced up at her and smiled. “And I haven’t gotten everything I want in life, yet.”

She laughed. “Go to bed. I’ll be here at a quarter to six.”

“Are you sure I can’t persuade you to climb in with me?”

“Good night, Trey.” She turned to go.

“Dylan.” She stopped just inside the doorway and glanced back at him. “I’m sure it was just a prank call.”

She nodded slowly. “Night.”

The entire drive back home she ran over what she’d thought she’d heard the voice say.

“You’re next.” They had been the only words before the bang.

What did that mean? Was it a direct threat?

When she pulled into her spot beside her brother’s truck, she glanced around nervously before getting out and racing to the back door, keys in hand.

Leaning against the inside of the door, she flipped the lock and gave a deep sigh of relief. Flipping on every light as she walked through the house, she figured that a hot shower would calm her nerves. But when she stood naked in front of the glass, she realized that’s exactly how most horror movies started.

Shivering, she glanced over at the bathtub and that scene from A Nightmare on Elm Street flashed quickly in her mind. She raced across her room, and jumped quickly onto her bed, covering herself in all the blankets. She reached for the remote and found a cartoon channel and watched SpongeBob until she fell asleep.

She woke to more cartoons when her alarm went off. Walking around the house, she shut off all the lights and felt completely ridiculous about freaking out. She’d never been one to fear the dark, even after her parents’ death.

Her brother must have already come and gone that morning, since there was a new mess in the kitchen. She took a few minutes to clean up the mess, then she made her own lunch and nibbled on dry toast.

Glancing out the window and seeing the snow slowly falling, she pulled on her thickest coat and slipped on her boots.

Once again, she glanced around and made sure she was alone before heading to her car. She had promised herself she’d never be caught in a situation like before with Darla.

The trip to Trey’s place was slower going, thanks to the new layer of snow on the roads. When she pulled in behind his truck, he came out, Dopey on his heels. He opened the back door and the dog jumped in the back seat before he climbed in the front.

“I figured I was disabled enough to have a helper today.” He motioned for Dopey to sit. The dog quickly obeyed, causing her to smile.

“How did you sleep?” she asked, as she pulled out of the driveway.

“Better than the night before.” He shifted and looked at her. “Sexy.” He tapped her glasses, then frowned. “Looks like you had problems sleeping.” He gently ran a finger over the dark circles under her eyes that she’d tried to hide with makeup and her thick glasses.

Shrugging, she tried to think of an excuse. “I was worried about the phone call. I know I shouldn’t be, but…”

He ran his hand down to her shoulder and gently rubbed the tension away. She relaxed slightly.

“You’re a fast learner,” she said when she noticed he was mimicking what she’d done to him last night. She pulled into the parking lot and tensed when she saw his uncle’s truck in the parking lot.

“Just what I want to deal with this morning.” He groaned as he got out of the car. He opened the back door and Dopey followed him to the front door. She tried to catch up with him, but he was already engaging his uncle in front of the glass doors.

“Well, he’s not here today, you’ll have to deal with me, instead.” Trey unlocked the front doors and motioned for his uncle to go through them. Dopey didn’t wait for an invitation but darted between Trey’s legs towards warmth.

She followed them inside and began her morning ritual as Trey guided his uncle towards the back room.

It surprised her slightly to see that the older man was somewhat contained. The last time she’d seen him, he was being carted away in the back of a police cruiser. She remembered what Trey had told her that first day and wondered why he hadn’t asked her to call Mike or Tony this time. Still, she kept her phone close as she listened down the hallway.

She was surprised when half an hour later, the two men walked out of the office and shook hands before his uncle walked outside.

Trey stood in the entry, looking out the front door, his hip leaning against her desk as Dopey settled at his feet.

“Well?” she finally asked. “Are you going to tell me what happened?”

She noticed the frown on Trey as he bent down to pet his dog.

“My uncle had some news he wanted to tell the family.” He stood up and leaned further onto her desk. “Some… medical news.”

This time, it was her turn to frown. “Is he… sick?”

Trey nodded. “Of course, it won’t come as too much of a surprise, since he’s spent years abusing his body.” He shook his head. “Still, can you make arrangements for lunch to be delivered here from Frankie’s for my entire family? I’ll start calling them and tell them to come in at…” He glanced down at his watch and groaned. “Noon. I’ve got a few things to deal with this morning.”

“Sure.” She stopped him from walking away by placing a hand over his. “I’ve seen what your uncle is capable of and, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

Trey nodded before walking back down the hallway with Dopey following close behind.

* * *

Trey tried to focus on his work, but the word “terminal” kept circling his mind. When Dylan buzzed that his mother was waiting in the conference room, he logged out of the system and made his way down the hallway.

The next hour was going to be interesting. By the time he walked into the meeting room, his brothers were already there, and so was the food, which meant he was the last to grab a sandwich.

Thankfully, Dylan had given instructions to mark the sandwiches. Frankie’s knew who liked what and Trey’s long-standing order of turkey with American cheese was waiting for him, as was a Dr. Pepper.

Dopey sat at his feet and begged as he dug in. He dropped a few chunks of meat to his best friend.

“Well?” Tyler asked, sitting down and digging into his food. “Want to enlighten us on why you called a family meeting in the middle of a Monday?”

“Carl paid me a visit this morning,” he answered, dropping another chunk of turkey to the begging dog. He noticed that his brothers were doing the same. Dopey was almost getting more food than they were.

“Is he rotting in a cell at the moment?” Trent asked.

“No.” He waited until he had everyone’s attention. “He’s been told by the doctors he has less than a month to live.”

The room was silent.

“We all knew it was coming sooner or later. After his last scare,” Tyler said, setting down his sandwich and pushing it away slightly.

“Cancer, it’s everywhere,” Trey added with a sigh.

“Looks like we’ll have to update our family medical history,” Trent added.

“Be quiet,” their mother snapped, causing the three boys to glance her way. Trey hadn’t expected to see the sadness in her eyes.

“Mom,” all three of them said at the same time.

“I didn’t mean to upset you,” Trent added. “I was trying to lighten…” He shook his head. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled.

“Regardless of how many problems he’s caused, he is still your father’s brother. Which makes him family, even if we don’t like it.” Gail stood up and started pacing. “Did he want anything?” She turned slowly towards him.

“He… asked if I’d take care of the arrangements, after he was gone.”

“You?” Tyler frowned. “Why you?”

“Because you weren’t around this morning when he came in,” Trey snapped, then instantly felt bad when his mother glared in his direction. He knew he was moody. His ears were ringing, and his head was pounding from having to remain upright instead of laying down and letting his body recover. “Sorry,” he mumbled just as Dylan walked in. Just seeing her in the stylish pencil skirt and flowing white top had all his blood rushing away from his head.

“Mr. McGowan.” She chuckled lightly when the three brothers all glanced in her direction. “Tyler,” she corrected. “You have a phone call.”

His brother groaned and then followed Dylan out of the room.

“What are we going to do?” Trent asked once the door was closed again.

“About?” He turned to his brother.

“Carl…” He motioned as if Trey should have known what he was talking about. He should have, but his mind was too busy with images of Dylan’s hips swaying as she walked out of the room.

Trey shrugged. “Nothing until the time comes, then…”

“Your father would have wanted us to handle it like family, no matter what.” Gail stood up. “We have an obligation to the man, even if it is after death.” She started walking out of the room but stopped to glance back at him. “For god’s sake, ask the woman out. I didn’t raise a fool.” She narrowed her eyes at him, then turned and walked out.

Trent’s chuckle made him want to punch his brother, but since he was hungry and only had a few more minutes before his next call, he mumbled, “Shut up,” and shoved the rest of his sandwich in his mouth instead.

The rest of the day he was either stuck on the phone or reading and responding to emails, and he didn’t have a chance to talk to Dylan. But she was obligated to drive him home, and he figured he could properly ask her out then.

At least he thought so until her brother showed up a few minutes before closing time.

“I hope it’s okay, but Brent needed to ride along tonight,” Dylan said as she peeked her head in his office door.

“Sure,” he replied before really thinking about it. When she shut the door, he groaned. That’s just what he wanted, to spend the drive home with Brent.

Shutting down his computer, he took his time standing up and was surprised that he only felt a slight tilt in the room. Not bad, he thought as he walked down the hallway, Dopey following close behind him.

In his mind, he swept into the front area as light from the large window behind Dylan’s desk played over her face and hair. He imagined himself walking up to her, swooping her into his arms, and kissing her, there, at the receptionist desk, until both of their knees went weak.

“Trey!” Dylan’s cry caused his eyes to open. Instead of standing on the other side of the reception desk, he was staring up at the ceiling of the hallway. Dopey was shoving his nose in his face, trying to lick every part of his face.

“Call 911,” Dylan called out.

“No!” He groaned. “I’m fine.” He tried to sit up, but Dylan’s hands on his shoulders stopped him. “Damn it, tell me I didn’t just faint.” He nudged the dog aside.

He was sure she was going to laugh, but her eyes were filled with concern. “You did.” She nodded slightly. “After you turned sheet white, and your eyes rolled to the back of your head. Luckily, I was here…”

His groan stopped her next words.

“If you tell me you caught me…” He sighed. “Just don’t.”

She did smile this time. “Okay, I won’t say it out loud. But”—she leaned closer—“it is the first time a man has literally fallen at my feet.”

He groaned, then realized her brother was standing behind her, looking down at him. His inner masculinity cringed and forced him to rise faster than he should have. He had a death grip on Dylan’s arm in an effort to remain upright.

“Head colds.” He tried to roll his eyes and look nonchalant about it, but he probably looked like he was going to faint again instead.

Brent shrugged and start walking towards the door. Turning to Dylan, he noticed the worry in her eyes.

“I’m okay,” he assured her. “I just got up a little too quickly.”

“I really think you should be in bed.” She reached over and grabbed her purse as they walked past her desk.

“Yeah, but work…”

“Trey, how do you expect to get better when you won’t give your body time to heal?”

“That’s what meds are for.” He was half-joking.

She made a tsking sound as she locked the front door behind them. Her brother was leaning against the car, looking annoyed at having to wait in the cold.

The fact that he was still holding onto Dylan didn’t go unnoticed by the man. Okay, so Trey didn’t need the support any more. He liked holding onto her and kept doing so.

He thought about how he was going to ask her out the entire car trip up to his house. He almost stopped her from walking him to his door, but instead, he allowed her to take his hand and guide him. Dopey sprinted off to do his doggie business as soon as he opened the car door.

“You should really think about taking tomorrow off,” she said as she unlocked his front door for him.

“I have a few calls…” he started.

“Which I can forward to your phone here.” She stepped inside with him and waited until he removed his shoes and jacket. Then she held the door open as Dopey shook himself off and rushed in to lay on the floor by the heater.

“In my new place, I’ll have a fireplace.” He thought that his dog would love lying by the fire. He didn’t know why he’d said it, other than wanting her in on his plans.

“I still don’t know why you need a different place,” she said, glancing around his space.

“I’m leasing this place,” he told her. “I’ve got another year before I turn it back in. Which means that this spring and summer, I’ll be busy.” He smiled at the thought of starting on his home. “Want to see my plans?” He nodded to the kitchen table, where the blueprints were laid out. Everything was already approved through the city and county. They were just waiting for a break in the weather to finish clearing the land and start work.

She glanced towards the front door and he could tell she was worried about her brother waiting. Just then, the car horn honked.

“Go. You could come over tomorrow after work, maybe bring some takeout?”

“So you’ll take my advice and work from home tomorrow?”

He smiled slightly. “If you say you’ll stop by after work.”

She chuckled. “It’s a deal.” She held out her hand towards his.

Instead of shaking it, he gripped it lightly and tugged her until she was pressed up against him. “Make no mistake, this won’t be a working dinner.”

“No.” She shook her head. “I didn’t think it…” She didn’t finish since his mouth was covering hers in a light kiss.

“Go.” He nudged her back. “Before your brother comes pounding on my door.”

“Rest.” She touched his forehead and frowned. “You’re burning up.” Worry flooded her eyes again.

“I’m fine,” he assured her.

“Lemon and honey tea.” She narrowed her eyes towards him. “A warm shower and rest,” she said in a stern voice, causing him to smile.

“Yes, doctor.” He saluted her. “See you tomorrow.”

“I’ll make sure to forward your calls.”

“Thanks.” He waited for her to leave, before falling back onto the sofa. Collapsing, was more like it.

He must have fallen asleep because he felt his feet being lifted and a warm blanket being wrapped around him. He was pretty sure it was a dream, but then his mother’s soft voice drifted into his sleep.

“Sit up and drink this,” she urged.

He followed her instructions and felt hot liquid slide down his throat.

“Mmm, homemade chicken soup.” His eyes opened, and his mother’s face came into view.

“Dylan called.” His mother’s eyes scanned him. “She was worried.” Her cool hand rested on his forehead. “About one-oh-one, I’d wager.” She frowned. “Do you think you can get more of that down?” She nodded to the soup.

“For you.” He smiled and took another sip. “Isn’t she great?” he said between sips.

“Dylan?” His mother settled next to him. He nodded and took another drink. “I like the girl.”

“So, do I.” He frowned. “She’s had a hard time. Her brother is an ass.” He took another sip and as the hot liquid hit his stomach, he sighed at the warmth it caused. “She needs to experience what it’s like to be in a good family.”

His mother was silent and if he’d been paying attention, he would have seen the proud look in her eyes.