Katie didn’t stop at the front door, but unlocked it, and went straight into the apartment, yelling as she went. “Cain!”

  They quickly followed her through the open apartment door, but stopped suddenly as a huge dog, that appeared to be a wolfhound of some sort, bounded out of nowhere, barking for all it was worth.

  “Gabriel, down.” The dog ignored Katie’s command and kept on coming towards them.

  Erin found herself looking at Abel’s broad back as he grabbed her arm and thrust her safely behind him. Abel glared down at the beast when it skittered to a stop in front of him. “Sit,” he commanded.

  The dog ceased barking and turned its head to look at Abel. After a moment, Gabriel sat and waited expectantly, his tail wagging behind him. Slowly, Abel extended his hand and allowed the dog to sniff it.

  “Sorry about his bad manners,” Katie said before making the necessary introductions. “As you probably already gathered, this is Gabriel.” Erin inched out from behind Abel and held her hand out to the large, but seemingly friendly dog.

  “What the hell is going on out here?” Erin’s head jerked up at the sound of the voice. For a moment, she’d thought that Abel had spoken. It took her a few seconds to realize that Abel’s gaze was fixed on a dark figure standing imposingly at the end of the hallway. The dog gave a happy woof and padded towards this new voice.

  “Cain, there’s someone you need to meet.” Katie held out her hand and the man walked towards it, never taking his eyes off Abel. When he reached Katie, he pushed her behind him and fisted his large hands on his hips.

  “Who the hell are you?” At the stranger’s surly tone, Erin found herself once again gazing into Abel’s back, and she was forced to stand on her toes and peek over his shoulder.

  The resemblance between the two men was amazing. The only difference was that Abel’s twin wore his dark hair long and had a patch on his eye that had scars radiating out from it. They were the same height and build, and their voices were uncannily alike.

  “I’m Abel Benjamin Garrett.” Abel’s reply was calm and steady. “And I’m your brother.”

  “I don’t have a brother,” came the quick reply.

  “Obviously you do,” Abel replied, his tone now as cold as Cain’s. The similarity in their tones of voice made Erin shiver. She could barely take her eyes off of Cain. It was like looking at a slightly distorted view of Abel. Katie seemed to be as fascinated by the two men as she did, and watched them just as intently.

  “It’s a long story, but suffice to say, we were definitely born to the same parents.” Abel waited for a moment, but Cain stood like a statue in the hallway with his arms crossed, all but ignoring him.

  Erin could feel the frustration and anger radiating from Abel, but he continued to speak evenly. “I have documented proof if and when you’re ever interested.” Reaching into his pocket, Abel drew out a white business card and held it out to Cain. When Cain made no move to accept it, he placed it carefully on a small hall table. Abel clenched his hand into a tight fist as he withdrew it.

  “I’m not looking for anything from you, except maybe some answers. Just think about it.” Abel frustration was obvious as waited, and waited. The silence was almost deafening. “But since we’re obviously not welcome, we’ll leave.”

  Abel grabbed her by the arm and began to tug her towards the door. Erin glanced over her shoulder, pleading silently with the other woman.

  Katie hesitated for a moment, looking from Cain to Abel and back again. “Wait!” she cried out.

  Erin planted her feet and refused to move. Short of dragging her all the way to the elevator or picking her up and carrying her, either of which was a distinct possibility, Abel was forced to stop. She heaved a sigh of relief when he came to a halt a few steps from the door.

  Abel kept his back to them all, refusing to give an inch. She knew he felt that since he’d made the first move and been rebuffed, it was up to Cain to make the next move. Male pride could be such a pain in the ass at times like this.

  Erin was trying to think of what to say to break the tension when Katie did it for her. It was all Erin could do not to laugh when the smaller woman turned on Cain and poked him in the chest.

  “What’s wrong with you? I know you’ve only got one eye, but it’s obvious that this man is your brother.”

  Cain heaved a sigh. “Katie…” he began, but she cut him off.

  Katie ignored him and turned back to Abel. “Please don’t leave.” Her voice was soft and pleading. “I, at least, want to talk to you.”

  Erin could see Abel’s resolve softening at Katie’s request. It faltered completely when she placed her hand on his arm and surprised him even further. “I’m your sister-in-law.”

  Erin held her breath and waited to see what Abel would do.

  Abel looked down at the small hand resting on his arm. Her strength was nothing compared to his, but she held him prisoner with a simple touch. It was almost too much for him to take in. He had a brother and a sister-in-law. Blindly, he sought Erin, needing her advice. When she looked at him and gave him a slight nod, he knew he had to see this through to the end or he’d regret it for the rest of his life.

  Reaching out, he tugged Erin under his arm and felt better immediately with her by his side. “Erin and I are getting married in a couple of weeks, so I guess you’ll be sisters-in-law.”

  Katie grinned with delight. “How wonderful! We’ve only been married a few months ourselves.”

  “I don’t mean to break up the family reunion.” Cain’s laconic voice made them all turn towards him. “But what proof do you have that we’re related?” He crossed his arms across his chest and pinned them with his laser glare. “I find it interesting that you waited so long to find me. Perhaps it had something to do with my recent wedding announcement and the fact that they listed some of my various business assets in the article.”

  His brother wasn’t giving an inch, and oddly enough, that reassured Abel. He’d have done the exact same thing in his brother’s position. It gave him a respect for the man who was his brother. It was time for an explanation.

  “My parents were killed when I was eighteen, but it was only a week ago that I started going through their papers. Imagine my surprise when I found out that I was adopted and that my parents had purchased me from a couple who’d had twin boys. You’re older by the way. They sold their second born.” He laid it all on the line and held nothing back. He heard Katie gasp, but he was more interested in Cain’s reaction. “As for your money, I have more than enough of my own.”

  “Abel’s a very successful writer,” Erin put in hastily. Abel glared at her, but she just glared back at him, totally unrepentant.

  “Were your parents good to you?” Cain stood stiffly, his head cocked expectantly to one side.

  Cain’s question took him by surprise. It was not the response he was expecting. “Yes, they were.” Abel wondered where his brother was going with this.

  “Then you were the lucky one.” Cain shook his head and sighed deeply. “Nothing those people did would surprise me.”

  Abel swallowed back the emotion that rose within him. It had never occurred to him that his brother’s childhood hadn’t been as good as his, and he was slightly ashamed for only thinking about himself. Anyone who could sell one of their children to strangers was indeed capable of anything.

  “I’m sorry.” Abel didn’t know what else to say. Then a horrible thought occurred to him. “They didn’t have anything to do with your…” He didn’t quite know how to phrase his question.

  “My deformity?” Cain seemed to have no problems addressing his appearance. “No, that was a fire when I was in college, but that’s another story. As for my childhood, that’s all water under the bridge.” He shrugged off the concern. “Life is good now and that’s all that matters.” As Cain spoke, Katie went to her husband and wrapped her arm around his massive frame.

  “Why don’t we all go into the living room and get acquainted?” Katie said.

  Cain nodded and seconded her invitation. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to do a little more convincing, Garrett. But, I’m curious to know how you found me.”

  Abel grinned at his brother as they all walked into the living room. “Didn’t I mention that I’m a true crime writer? Investigation is what I do best.”

  Cain gave a snort of laughter, but it quickly died when Abel reached into his pocket and pulled out his mother’s journal and the documents that both their parents had signed. He took the documents without saying a word and walked towards the window before opening them.

  Abel stood in the middle of the living room with his hands in his pockets, waiting to see what his brother’s reaction would be when confronted by such irrefutable proof. Now that he’d met Cain, he felt connected to this other man. It would be a hard thing to swallow if Cain decided he wanted nothing to do with him. Cain was the only remaining family he had.

  Then again, no, that was no longer true. He could feel Erin waiting patiently beside him, and just her mere presence soothed his battered soul. Erin and her brothers were his family now. As long as he had Erin, he didn’t need anyone else, but he really wanted the opportunity to know this stranger who was his brother.

  Cain finished reading the papers and then took another minute to flip through the journal before closing it. Tilting back his head, he closed his eye and swallowed hard. Katie went to him and laid her hand on his chest, and Cain gathered her into his arms. It was an intensely personal moment, and Abel felt like an intruder. He felt himself backing away from the other couple, but Erin stopped him simply by placing her hand on his back.

  Cain bent down and planted a tender kiss on Katie’s forehead, and she clung to him for a moment before releasing him. Turning, he walked back across the room and handed the documents back to Abel. “So, where do we go from here?” Cain gave no indication how he felt about the situation or even if he believed they were indeed twins.

  Abel hesitated before gradually extending his hand. “I’m Abel Benjamin Garrett, and I’m your brother.”

  Cain looked at Abel’s hand and swore softly. A second later, he wrapped his arms around his brother and held him tight. The sight of the two strong men embracing each other brought tears to Erin’s eyes. Katie swiped at the tears running down her face and gave Erin a watery smile. It was a good beginning.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Abel was still wired late that night as he stood in front of their hotel window and gazed out the window. They had made plans to meet Cain and Katie for lunch tomorrow, and Abel was surprised at just how excited he was about spending time with them. Erin and Katie had already made tentative plans for Cain and Katie to come to Meadows for the wedding. It seemed that he and his brother were alike in at least one way. They both would do whatever it took to make their women happy.

  Erin chose that moment to roll over in bed. Her eyes sought him through the darkness. “I can hear you thinking all the way over here, and it’s keeping me awake.” Climbing out of bed, she padded silently across the carpet and cuddled up next to him.

  “Sorry.” He absently kissed the top of her head.

  “For a first meeting, I thought everything went really well.” Erin began to trace circles around his nipples as she spoke, distracting him from his thoughts.

  “Yeah, surprisingly enough, it did go well.” He still had a hard time wrapping his brain around the fact that he had a twin brother. It was one thing to know it intellectually and quite another to be faced with a physical mirror image. “I wonder if he’ll ever tell us the whole story about how he came to lose his eye. He said it was in a fire, but there’s obviously more to the story than that.”

  “Katie said that he’d got burned in an apartment fire when he was in college. He got trapped inside after going back to help rescue some other people.” Erin continued to caress Abel’s chest. “He was a real hero that day, but he doesn’t talk about it at all.”

  Abel looked down at her in amazement. “When did she tell you that?”

  “When I asked her to show me some of her paintings.” Erin shot him an amused smile. “Her work is really amazing. She said she can’t wait to visit us in Meadows, because she’d always wanted to paint nature scenes. Katie also promised that I could pick out one of her paintings for a wedding present.”

  “You and Katie certainly seemed to have packed quite a bit into the ten minutes you spent in the den by yourselves.”

  Erin grinned. “You have no idea.”

  Abel wasn’t sure he liked the sly smile on Erin’s face. “What exactly does that mean?”

  “Don’t you worry. I didn’t tell her any secrets. We just talked about men in general.” She bent forward and playfully nipped at his chest. “We now have not only an author, but an artist in the family as well.”

  Abel laughed and tugged playfully on her hair. “Brat. How did she come to tell you about Cain?”

  Erin shrugged. “I asked her.”

  Abel shook his head in amazement. He should have known because of his years of research, but he was still surprised at how much more easily women communicated than men. He had so many questions about his brother, but they would have to wait until tomorrow.

  Right now, he had more pressing issues on his mind, like how damned good Erin felt pressed against him. His mind might have been distracted, but his dick was as hard as a rock, clamoring for attention.

  “It’s amazing how alike you both look, but you’re obviously the more handsome of the two.” Erin’s hand left his chest and began to inch its way towards his erection.

  “Obviously you’re biased,” he teased, sucking in a breath when her fingers skimmed the length of his cock.

  Erin ran her fingers up and down his shaft several times before wrapping her hand around his cock and stroking it. “Obviously,” she readily agreed.

  “I love you, Erin.” He needed her to know how much it meant for him to have her with him, not only today, but also every day.

  “I know. I love you too,” she told him. He could tell by the tone of her voice that she understood what he meant without having to explain himself.

  Capturing her lips with his own, he stroked his way into her mouth with his tongue. Taking his time, he kissed her thoroughly. She rubbed her breasts against his chest, and he loved the feel of her hard nipples against his skin.

  Pushing her hips forward, she spread her pussy lips with her hand, and snuggled his cock between her spread legs. Wrapping her hands around his neck, she began to slide her moist sex up and down his length. She moaned as she stroked her clit against his throbbing dick. Her obvious pleasure made him even harder.

  He grabbed her ass and ground her against his cock, pulling her up on the tips of her toes as he did so. Her nails dug into his shoulders for support as she arched against him. Abel gripped her with one hand, reached out, and pushed the curtains open all the way so he could see her better. The bottom of the window was at knee level so the light caught her writhing body in it pale yellow glow.

  Erin squealed and hid her head against his chest. “Close the curtains before somebody sees us.”

  “No. I don’t care who sees me fuck you. You’re mine and I want the whole world to know it.” She stiffened, but he could feel the slick wetness of her pussy against his cock and knew she was aroused by the thought.

  “Turn around and face the window.” She peeked up at him uncertainly before turning around. “Place your hands on the glass and spread your legs wide.”

  Erin hesitated for a moment before turning and spreading her legs. Her hands automatically braced against the window for support. Abel eased her slightly backwards until she was at more of an angle with her ass thrust backwards, and then pushed her legs further apart so that she was spread wide for him.

  “Perfect.” Stroking between her legs, he found her pussy was wet and dripping for him. He eased one finger inside her and slowly pulled it back out. Erin moaned and pushed her ass back towards him.

  “Stay just like that.” Abel walked away and left her there, totally exposed to anyone who happened to walk by and look up at their bedroom window.

  Erin stood with her hands pressed against the cool glass, totally naked, with her legs spread wide. She felt totally exposed and vulnerable as she waited for Abel to return. Today had been hard for him, and she knew that he needed her tonight more than ever. It was if he was trying to stake his claim on her, to assure himself that she was his.

  She could hear him rummaging around in his overnight bag, and then he was back, standing behind her. He slipped his fingers over the cleft of her ass, and she could feel something cool slide across her flesh before he pushed one finger inside the tight opening.