“I’ll talk to you later. I know you’re busy, and Todd is here . . . Yes, do you really think he’d leave me alone right now?” She laughed and he smiled as he moved to her front door. “Love you too.”

He was letting Ben in as she walked out from her bedroom into the main room.

“Hey, gorgeous,” Ben said, moving straight to her to give her a hug. “I know you’re pissed I sent Todd your way, but suck it up. We like taking care of you so you’re going to have to deal with it.”

She let Ben hug her, even as she made that little snorting sound. It made Todd smile.

Ben kissed her forehead and stood back. “Here.” He dropped keys into her hand. “All delivered. I can call Cope to get him to pick me up, or even cab it. I’m not too far.”

“Shut up and stay,” Erin said to Ben, touching Todd’s belly as she passed on her way out to the balcony.

“Guess you’re staying or she’ll kick your ass,” Todd said in an undertone.

Ben looked at him, serious for long moments. “Are you sure?”

“Do you want to be here?”

Ben nodded. “Yes.”

“So be here.”

Ben took his hand. Something passed between them and Todd sensed the immensity of it.

“She needs you. I need you. You’re still my best friend. That hasn’t changed, has it?”

Ben shook his head.

“I know you love her. I know you two have a relationship. But I love you, man, and I feel very deeply for Erin. My instinct just now was to kiss her on the lips. I want to be really clear.”

Todd stepped to him and put his arm around Ben’s waist. “Be here with us both. Be what she needs. She’ll tell you if it’s too much. I’ll tell you if it’s too much. But I don’t want you to be half a person with us. I don’t know what this means, but can it hurt to just let things go wherever they’re supposed to?”

The rich scent of a clove cigarette caught his senses. She stood on the balcony, her skirt swirling in the breeze, designer sunglasses on, smoking.

“There are times like right now when she looks like she stepped out of a magazine ad,” Ben murmured.

“It’s hot.”

Ben laughed and they went to her.

“I didn’t know you smoked, gorgeous,” Ben said as he took her free hand, kissing it.

“In times of stress. It’s an old habit.” She shrugged and Todd brushed the hair from her face.

“Seems like today’s gotta be a time of stress.”

“Yes, but not like you think. I’m not afraid this will happen to me. I mean, there was a time at the hospital . . . the smells, the sounds . . . I’ve been there and it wasn’t pretty. But I’m not there now. This isn’t about what happened before. Ella is my friend! I knew this guy was bad news. I convinced her to get a protection order and I paid for an attorney to go through the process with her and to help with the divvying up of their assets. They weren’t married, but they lived together. She hoped if she was more than fair, if she gave him their car and most of their belongings, he’d go away. I knew that wasn’t the reason he wouldn’t let go. When people stalk you, when they obsess on you, it’s not about fair. It’s about control. This ass**le controlled her with fear and he got off on it.”

“She’s going to be all right.” Todd hated seeing Erin upset.

“Yes, on the outside. Thank god they never had kids.” She shivered, and this time it was Ben who wrapped her in his arms as he stood behind her. Todd watched, wondering why it didn’t bother him.

“Babe, it shouldn’t have happened. I can’t imagine hurting a woman that way. I hate like hell that you were involved in even an ancillary sense but I’m glad Ella has you as a friend.”

She took a drag off her cigarette and Ben brought it to his mouth and took one too. The sight took Todd’s breath away, so casual and yet sexy.

A phone rang inside and she sighed, easing from Ben’s arms. She brushed her mouth over Todd’s on her way past and both men watched her take the call.

A few moments later she hung up and turned to them. “Christ, when it rains.” She tossed her hands up in the air, frustrated. “Jeremy is in town. He’s at Adrian’s. I need to go over and sign some paperwork. Would you like to go too?” she asked Todd. “You might speak with him about the security stuff, so we can pretend you want to do that when you really just want to see him for yourself.” Erin fumbled through her stuff, sliding shoes on and smiling as she did it.

Todd laughed.

“You too, Ben, if you’d like,” she called over her shoulder as she got on her cell and began talking to Brody about something

“This is the ex? The one she had Adele with?” Ben asked quietly.

“Yeah,” Todd said.

“I’d like to take his measure.”

“And hear why he’s here so suddenly.” Todd didn’t like this little drop-in visit at all.

“You mind if I come?”

Todd turned to Ben and smirked. “Not at all.”

Erin stood there, the annoyance that Jeremy had shown up so randomly, after her phone call to him the day before about business stuff, flowing away. Instead, her body heated as she watched the sparks fly between Ben and Todd and had to stifle the need to go to them and lick them both from head to toe. Something had changed between the three of them, between each of them as well. She liked it even as it made her wary. She enjoyed the interplay between Ben and Todd. Always had. And now that the sexual charge had filtered to the surface, it made her ni**les hard and her breath come short. Todd had accepted the connection, the more-than-friends connection, between him and Ben. She loved how he openly accepted affection, even as he’d yet to really initiate more than a kiss or a caress with Ben. When that moment came, and Erin was pretty sure it would, she’d need to back off and let it unfold.