Page 39 of The Ampersand Effect

The sound of Harrow knocking snapped her back. Tobin straightened, leaning into her sister, at a loss for words as her mind and body continued to rage war against each other. She didn’t know which was winning anymore, but she did know one thing. She was falling for Grier.

And she was moments from having Grier’s hands on her body.

Twelve

Tobin was here. Outside her door.

Why in the hell did I agree to this? Glutton for punishment, much?

A quick adjustment—five minutes—then back to the dance party. In, out, no emotions.

Grier took a fortifying breath and swung the door open.

Her resolve failed her the very second she saw Tobin, hunched over the shorter woman Grier recognized from the photo in Tobin’s cockpit.Her sister,she reminded herself.

Tobin’s olive complexion had turned ashy, her skin faintly clammy. She was in obvious pain, but even that didn’t blunt the pull of her presence.

Grier’s eyes betrayed her, tracing the line of camo joggers that bunched loosely at Tobin’s calves before tapering up to the rounded curves of her ass. A simple cream cotton V-neck clung to her frame, sheer enough to reveal the hot pink of a sports bra beneath. Her torso was covered with a faded navy hooded zip-up, hanging loose around her collar bone.

The beguiling tattoo sleeve on Tobin’s left arm was hidden beneath the zippy, much to Grier’s disappointment—but she was recompense with intrigue when her eyes caught a flash of inkpeeking along Tobin’s left clavicle, ghosting through the thin fabric of her shirt.

“Hi,” Tobin offer sheepishly.

Grier nodded, uncertain she could trust her voice. The emotions she’d tried to bury were boiling too close to the surface. Somehow, she managed a terse, “Come in.”

She felt cold—disengaged. She’d built a wall against this woman, something she’d fought ridiculously hard to stop doing after Nora’s death, and something she’d instinctively returned to after Tobin’s curt, inexplicable text message following the gala. She’d treat Tobin, sure—but she didn’t have to make it pleasant.

The women hobbled over the threshold, immediately met with the wide-eyed stares of Grier’s family.

“Tobin, nice to see you again,” Grant offered, attempting to raise the temperature in the room.

“Hi, Grant. Sorry to crash your evening.” Tobin’s voice was soft. Grier could see the embarrassment in Tobin’s demeanor, even as she clung to her sister.

It didn’t matter. Sheshouldbe embarrassed. Grier refused to allow this woman to yo-yo her heart.

“Hi, Captain Maes!” Delta bounded over, blissfully oblivious to the tension thickening the air. Lake followed close behind, tail wagging, whining excitedly after approaching Harrow and then Tobin for introductory sniffs. She yipped when her wet nose met Tobin’s outstretched hand.

“Hi, baby! It’s good to see you again!”

The entire room looked at Tobin with widened eyes.

“You know our dog?” Delta asked, confusion creasing her brow. “I’d recognize this gorgeous girl anywhere. You rescued her from Fetch a Friend, yeah?”

Delta nodded excitedly. “Yeah! Lake was rescued by them before we brought her home.”

“I know.” Tobin’s voice softened. “She flew in my helicopter after we pulled her from her previous home.” And quieter, “If you can call that a home.”

She looked down, jaw tight with the memory.

Grant’s tone gentled, filling the silence Tobin left behind. “They didn’t tell us more than the basics when we adopted her, but they implied it was pretty bleak.”

Tobin gave a small nod, still not meeting his eyes. “Yeah. Not worth repeating.” After a beat, she added, “But I’m grateful she found a forever family.”

Grier noticed Grove’s standoffish posture—hips cocked, arms crossed, eyes piercing Tobin as she stood there, vulnerable in her pain. Grier met Grove’s gaze and, like only sisters could, held an entire conversation through eyelids, eyebrows and dilated pupils.

Grier: Behave.

Grove: Iambehaving. She hurt you.