Free Fated by Carly Phillips Page A

brother a cup of water from his tray. “It hasn’t come up.”
    Sam drank and put his cup down. “You mean she hasn’t brought it up, so you won’t.”
    â€œWhy the hell did you wait until you were lying in a hospital bed for this discussion? It’s not like we couldn’t have had this talk weeks ago.” Or preferably not at all , Mike thought.
    â€œBecause you’ll pay attention to me now.” Sam smirked at that little bit of truth.
    â€œIt’s none of your business,” Mike tried reminding his brother. He shifted his gaze to the white hospital walls. Unless . . . A sudden thought came to him. “Did Cara say anything to you about us?” The word sounded awkward on his tongue.
    â€œNo. She knows not to expect anything from you,” Sam muttered.
    â€œGood.” Mike exhaled the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
    The last thing he needed was a woman he’d slept with and who now worked for him having any expectations. He shuddered at the thought. It was taking all he had inside him to focus on staying in Serendipity, working at his father’s job, and worrying about his old man.
    â€œGood?” Sam clenched his fists at his side.
    When it came to Cara, his brother’s protective instincts came out like crazy. Another reason Mike knew he’d made a mistake sleeping with her.
    Except it hadn’t felt like a mistake at the time. And he wanted to do it again.
    â€œJust because she knows doesn’t mean you aren’t making her feel like shit by ignoring what happened. Jesus, Mike, was it that bad?”
    â€œNo, it was that good. Now can we drop it?” Mike barked at his brother.
    To his shock, Sam grinned. “Just one question first. What would you do to someone who treated Erin the way you’re treating Cara?”
    Mike preferred to think of his younger sister as a sweet innocent, not a twenty-seven-year-old woman. “I’d kick his ass,” Mike said immediately.
    Sam’s knowing stare, full of meaning and, yeah, disappointment, stabbed Mike in the gut, and blood rushed to his cheeks in embarrassment. Shame quickly followed. Okay, so he and Cara had some talking to do.
    And clearly Mike had walked right into his brother’s trap. “I’m still not discussing Cara with you.”
    â€œGood, because I don’t want details. I just wanted you to look at things the right way.” Sam gestured to the water, and Mike poured him some more. “Besides, I figure you two can only ignore the obvious for so long before something gives.”
    Sam had a point. Which brought Mike full circle to his earlier thoughts. No matter how much he denied it or tried to pretend otherwise, the woman got to him in a way that made her more dangerous than any potential suspect or case. And now that he realized he could no longer ignore the past, putting it out for discussion would only make the feelings between them more real.
    No, not feelings, he thought with a hard shake of his head. That word involved emotion. What he and Cara had shared was hot sex. Hotter than any he’d ever had—
    â€œSo how are you feeling?” Mike asked Sam, deliberately changing the subject.
    His brother’s wince said it all. “Like my head’s about to explode, and my abdomen’s bloated and hurts like a son of a bitch.”
    Mike nodded in understanding. “Rest. I’ll tell everyone at the station to hold off visiting for a day or two.”
    Sam’s eyes began to close. “I’d appreciate that. I’m getting kicked out in two days, so they can come by and visit me then.”
    â€œDo you need me to move in for a couple of days and help you out?” Mike asked.
    Knowing his stay in town wasn’t permanent, and never needing much space, he’d rented the empty room over Joe’s Bar. Sam, like the true Marsden son, had already bought himself a small house in