And why did he keep asking, trying to find a way to sway
her?
Turning in his arms, Pepper gave up with a disgruntled,
“Dinner, and only dinner.”
Satisfaction showed in his dark eyes, and she finally got that
smile she’d been watching for. “Come early. Say, five?”
Incredible. “Logan, are you sure you want to do this?”
Mocking her a little, he said, “Yes, Sue, I’m very sure.” He
released her and backed up to the door. “Stop being so skeptical. We’ll have
fun. I promise.”
It wasn’t possible to have more fun with him out of bed than in
it, but she only nodded. “Five o’clock, then.”
His gaze dropped to her mouth. “I’d kiss you, but I’m not
sure—”
“Better not to test things.” He might be able to resist, but
she’d crumble for sure.
As if he knew that, he looked down at the floor a moment, then
met her gaze resolutely. “I like you, Sue Meeks. Remember that, okay?”
She couldn’t help but shake her head—and she even laughed. The
sound so surprised her, she covered her mouth.
Logan’s expression warmed. “Tonight,” he said softly.
When the door closed behind him, Pepper sank down to her
couch.
She was in too deep, and worse, she liked it.
* * *
T
HREE
DAYS
LATER
, Pepper watched the sunset with Logan while
sharing an ice-cream sundae. The mood was relaxed and mellow—until her phone
rang.
Their gazes met.
He said, “Go ahead. I don’t mind.”
No, he wouldn’t, but she knew it had to be Rowdy. No one else
ever called her. “I’ll be right back.” She pushed up from the lounge chair on
his balcony and stepped inside. On the fourth ring, she had her phone out of her
purse. “Hello.”
“What took you so long?”
“I was…busy.”
“With your neighbor.” Rowdy made a sound of displeasure. “It’s
looking awfully cozy.”
Her heart hung heavy in her chest. “Yes.” Very cozy. She
relished her every minute with him.
And she missed the sex a lot.
“Should I check the GPS tracker?” Impatient, he asked, “Has he
had any unaccountable time away? Any reason for suspicion?”
“No.” And with every day, she became more convinced that Rowdy
was chasing down a dead end. Other than quick trips to the grocery, where Logan
often invited her along, he went very few places. Occasionally he jogged, and
she so badly wanted to join him…
“His hand’s still injured?”
“Yes. But it’s better.” He’d even grumbled about being
bored.
“Do you know when he’ll get back to work?”
Logan remained on the balcony, his back to her, seemingly
uninterested in her conversation. But just in case he could hear her, she
lowered her voice more. “Tomorrow.” And she’d grown so accustomed to having him
around she would miss him while he was gone.
“I’ll give him a little time, then, before I check it. If he’s
making any stops he shouldn’t, we’ll know.”
“Yes.” But she just couldn’t imagine it. From what she could
tell, Logan was exactly what he claimed to be: a bachelor who liked her
company.
They watched rented movies, shared newspaper articles, cooked
meals together. They talked and laughed. She liked him and admired him.
She loved the casual company.
Not quite as much as she’d loved the physical release, but
close enough to cherish their time together.
“While you’re making yourself at home there,” Rowdy said with
an edge in his tone, “at least scope out the place. Keep your eyes open to
anything that seems out of place, any clue that’ll tell us more about him. Don’t
let your infatuation—”
“Okay.”
Oh, shoot. She hadn’t meant
to snap. Logan looked back at her, smiled and then stood to lean over the
railing, watching the street traffic beyond. Pepper dropped her head forward,
took a breath. “Of course I will.”
Rowdy was quiet for several seconds. “I’ll call again in a few
days. Just don’t do anything crazy, okay?”
Like have sex with an almost-stranger whom her brother
suspected of nefarious dealings? She let out a sigh. “All right.”
“Love ya, kiddo.”
“You, too.” She disconnected the call but hesitated to rejoin
Logan.
He fixed that by coming in behind her, and though he didn’t
quite look at her on his way to the kitchen, she felt the tension surrounding
him.
She cleared her throat. “Sorry about that.”
“Don’t be.” He set the empty ice-cream dish in the sink. “Not a
big deal.”
He waited, but what could she tell him?
She shook her head and said again, “Sorry.”
Clearly disgusted, he smirked. “You can keep your secrets, Sue.
If you have another guy calling you, hey, we don’t have any agreements, right?
We’re not even having sex anymore. Is that why? You’ve found someone else?”
What?
That’s what he thought? She
laughed at the absurdity of it.
Eyes narrowing with menace, he crossed his arms. “That’s
funny?”
“Well…yes. A little.”
“Glad I could amuse you.”
Wow, he really did sound angry. “I’m sorry.”
He muttered, “Fuck.” Then with just as much annoyance, he said,
“Stop apologizing already.”
She approached him. “That wasn’t another man.”
“Then who was it?”
Blast. She’d really gotten herself into a corner. “I mean, it
was a man, but not in the way you’re thinking.”
“What other way is there?”
She made a split decision. A good way to test him would be to
give him just a tiny taste of information—and watch how he reacted to it. “My
brother.”
Chagrined, he took that in, then smiled. “Oh.” After an awkward
moment, the smile turned into a laugh. “Shit.”
She tipped her head, gauging the sincerity of the sound. “Now
you think it’s funny?”
“Considering I was jealous, yeah.”
“Jealous?”
“What did you think?” Taking her by surprise, he kissed her,
quick and light. “I didn’t know you had a brother.”
Jealousy was outrageous and sort of endearing. “We don’t see
each other often.”
“How come?” As if it didn’t really matter, he took her hand and
led her to the couch. “You’re not close?”
“It’s not that. We’re actually very close. We only have each
other. But he doesn’t live around here.”
“You lost your parents?”
She nodded. “A very long time ago.”
Solemn, he cupped her face. “You never told me.”
“Because it’s not an uplifting story.”
His thumb brushed her cheek while he studied her face. “I’d
still be a good listener.”
He seemed so sincere, so sympathetic, that she wondered how a
few truths would hurt. She’d never had anyone whom she could confide in. Only
Rowdy.
But no one knew the details of their background, so it wasn’t
information Logan could use against her—even if he was a threat, which she
didn’t believe. Out of necessity, she’d learned to be a good judge of
character.
Logan didn’t feel like a bad guy to her, not in any way.
“My brother and I grew up in a trailer on the riverbank.”
Memories crowded in: days spent swimming, playing in the mud; Rowdy teaching her
how to fish, and how to fight; sunburns and late nights camping out and watching
the stars. As kids, they’d had some good times—just not enough. “My parents
weren’t…great. Neither of them kept a job, and they drank too much. My brother
and I were pretty much left to raise ourselves.”
“Damn.” Appearing genuinely hurt for her, he took her hand.
“What’s the age difference between you and your brother?”
“Just three years.” She couldn’t help but smile. “But he’s so
alpha, way more outgoing than I am, you’d think there was a bigger age
span.”
“Alpha?”
Mega alpha. She smiled at Logan. “He’s pretty fearless, and too
daring for his own good.”
Logan stilled, then lifted her hand to his mouth to kiss her
knuckles. “How did your folks die?”
“Just a dumb car wreck. Dad was driving, but they were both
drunk. There were a total of about six cars involved, but luckily no one else
died.”
Though she’d tried to keep a physical distance between them,
she found herself leaning on Logan’s shoulder, accepting the arm he put around
her and the kiss he pressed to her temple.
“How old were you?”
“Fifteen. Young and dumb and…” Vivid memories settled over her,
making her heart heavy, her chest tight. “Unprepared for social services to take
me away.”
“Shit.” He turned her face up to his. “That’s what
happened?”
She nodded. In a mere whisper, she confided what only Rowdy
knew. “It scared me so badly, I spent two days crying. I didn’t want to go to a
foster home. I didn’t want to lose my brother.”
Logan’s strong arms closed around her, holding her tenderly,
protectively. “Of course not. No young girl should be put in that position.”
“My brother took care of it.”
He took care
of me.
“How’s that?”
Much as she enjoyed Logan’s embrace, his warm attention and
especially his caring, she put a little space between them. The more she
depended on him, the more she wanted to, and that was a dangerous path to go
down.
Rowdy wasn’t wrong about that.
“He knew they wouldn’t let him be my guardian, so he packed us
up and we ran off together.”
Disbelief, and maybe a little pity, showed in Logan’s
expression. “An eighteen-year-old and a fifteen-year-old?”
She nodded. Rowdy had promised her that they’d never be
separated, and he’d done his best. But despite all his efforts, too many
promises had been impossible to keep.
Introspective, too quiet, Logan stroked his hand over her head,
down the length of her ponytail. Finally he asked, “He got a job?”
“We both found work wherever we could.” They’d learned to be
pretty tough, too. Out of necessity, they’d stayed in cheap, sleazy places.
Danger abounded, so Rowdy taught her how to defend herself.
But more often than not, he followed up whenever he found out
anyone had hassled her. Guys learned to leave her alone unless she showed an
interest. And even then, Rowdy never missed a thing. He’d started hovering, and
to this day, he kept a quiet vigilance over her. There wasn’t much she did,
there wasn’t much she thought, without Rowdy knowing.
“Must have been really rough.”
Logan sounded far too maudlin, causing her to smile. “We
survived off a very limited budget. But it wasn’t all bad. I looked at it like
an adventure. My brother sort of made it seem that way. He’d tell me that we
were free, independent, that we could do anything, be anything.” Remembering so
many different times that Rowdy had been there for her, she grew somber. “We
didn’t have a lot, but we had each other.”
After a long stretch of silence, Logan spoke. “I’d love to meet
him sometime.”
That’d never happen. Not in this lifetime. “Maybe someday,” she
hedged. She sat back to look at him again. “But now you know I’m not talking to
another guy. I don’t even know any other guys that I’d want to talk to, or who’d
be all that anxious to talk to me.” She bit her lip but had to admit the truth.
“You’re the only one I’m interested in visiting. I promise.”
Logan’s gaze went to her mouth and then back to her eyes. “I’m
glad that I’m here, with you.”
But for how long? A man like Logan would quickly grow
discontented with celibacy. Maybe after her brother checked the GPS and found
out Logan was safe, she could resume a real relationship with him. If she told
him everything, how would he react?
Would he understand? Would he help to keep her cover?
Would he want her enough to live with the convoluted lie of her
life?
Pepper realized they were sitting there watching each other in
a taut silence. She’d gotten way ahead of herself, so she faked a yawn. “I need
to get going.”
Instead of trying to dissuade her, Logan nodded. They stood
together, and he walked her to the door.
“Sue?”
“Hmm?”
His hand slid around her skull, holding her still. “I could
really use a good-night kiss right about now. I promise it’ll be that and
nothing more.”
Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous, but… “Me, too.”
It felt different, the slow, gentle way his mouth moved over
hers, just as hot, but now somehow more personal. As he lifted away, he said,
“I’ll work tomorrow, but I’d love to share dinner again.”
“My turn to cook,” she said. And because she couldn’t stop
herself, she kissed him again, quickly, then not so quickly. It’d be easy enough
to segue into the bedroom, to get carried away one more time…
Again, Logan ended the kiss. “Soon as you’re ready, honey, let
me know.” He touched the corner of her mouth, put his forehead to hers. “The
second you give me the word, I’m as willing as any man can be. Until then, I’m
doing my best not to push you. But much more of that, and I’m going to forget
myself.”
So noble. So incredibly considerate. “Thank you.” Smiling from
the inside out, Pepper stepped out to the hall. “Good night, Logan.”
“Good night, Sue. Sweet dreams.”
Like a true gentleman, he stood in the hallway watching over
her until she got into her apartment.
Closing the door, choking on a resurgence of hope, Pepper
hugged herself. If she couldn’t have a normal life, she at least had this, now,
with Logan.
It was more than she’d learned to expect.
And maybe it was far more than she deserved.
CHAPTER NINE
A
LITTLE
MORE
THAN
A
WEEK
later, Rowdy sat in the parking lot of the bar, his
laptop in his lap, disbelieving the results of his GPS tracker. Every day he’d
wanted to check it, yet day after day, he’d put it off.
Pepper seemed so damned hopeful that he hadn’t wanted to burst
her bubble by grabbing solid evidence off the tracker any faster than necessary.
Neither did he want to check the damn thing too soon, thereby missing something
important.
He’d kept a close watch on things, waiting to attack if Logan
Stark made the wrong move, while hoping he wouldn’t. He knew he couldn’t put it
off any longer, so while his sister sat all cozy with the bastard, watching a
movie and eating pizza, he’d retrieved it.
With dread, Rowdy had anticipated how he’d break the news to
her, how he’d explained that she’d been used…
Now, with the results right there in front of him, it looked as
if he might not have to. Logan Stark had gone shopping, to various
establishments in the area to eat or get a quick drink, back to his construction
site only recently and to the apartment building.
The apartment where he spent an inordinate amount of time with
Pepper.
Sitting back, restless on many levels, Rowdy thought about
things. He and Pepper had survived by being cautious and by trusting
instincts.
For some reason, despite the data before him, everything about
Logan screamed a warning. But maybe that was Rowdy’s own prejudice.
How could any red-blooded guy be so attracted to Pepper for so
long? Most times when Rowdy saw her, she looked like a drudge, like a plain-Jane
with no redeeming features to draw in a man.
Being a guy, too, he understood how the male mind worked. At
first he’d written off the attraction as a challenge for Logan. After all, Rowdy
himself had recently suffered the same type of challenge with the little
waitress. He’d gone back to the bar a few times, but he hadn’t seen her again,
which accounted for part of his restlessness.
But Logan saw Pepper damn near every day, so that reasoning
didn’t make sense.
If he’d hoped to score with her…no, Rowdy hated thinking along
those lines. Besides, that’d be impossible without Pepper blowing her cover, and
she’d never do that. In so many ways, she was more protective than he could ever
be.
So what the hell was happening between them? It made no sense.
Logan had to be working an angle.
As a safeguard against all threats, Rowdy had furtively kept up
with his past, with Checkers and with any info he could find on Morton
Andrews.
For all intents and purposes, it was business as usual. Crimes
committed without proof of personal transgression. Accusations that didn’t pan
out. Cutthroat business that expanded by the day.
Ripe frustration among a select few in the police force.
But no mention, ever, of Rowdy or Pepper Yates. It seemed
they’d been forgotten. Perhaps even the most corrupt villains gave up on loose
ends after enough time had passed.
Could it maybe all be over?
Could Logan Stark really be no more than an honest guy looking
for companionship?
Rowdy snorted. Before he made that leap, he wanted some
assurances. And that meant breaking into Logan’s apartment, going through his
things and seeing what he could turn up.
He’d uncover the man’s entire background, one way or
another.
And he’d get started tonight…as soon as he got Pepper to
cooperate.
* * *
F
EELING
LIKE
A
HUNTED
MAN
, Logan paced his
small living room. Pepper would expect him in another hour. She didn’t realize
that her personal style of platonic socializing had left him tightly strung.
With lust. Sympathy. Concern.
But mostly lust.
Jesus, each small smile from her was so precious that it left
him in a vortex of conflicting emotion. And when she laughed—a very rare
occurrence—it reduced him to a basic male animal, an animal who wanted to make a
permanent impression on her in the time-honored way of men.
But she’d ruled that out. Though he knew she wanted him, too,
she continued to draw back anytime things got too heated. That put him back at
square one, having to cajole his way into her narrow social calendar all over
again.
Now that he knew part of her background, it only amplified his
growing feelings for her. God, but she’d had it rough, and her brother hadn’t
helped. As a kid, she hadn’t wanted foster care. But she hadn’t been mature
enough to decide what would be best for her.
And really…neither had Rowdy. Eighteen. Damn. That was so young
to have so much responsibility. Logan could understand how easy it’d be to get
off the straight and narrow. At eighteen, he’d had the world by the ass. Parents
who spoiled both him and Dash. Independence given to him by indulgent parents.
He’d wanted for nothing, certainly not security, comfort, support.
Or love.
Rowdy and Pepper had had none of that. Ever. As children,
they’d been neglected by disinterested parents. As very young adults, they’d
been threatened by an unknown system. He hated to admit it, but Logan could
sympathize with Rowdy. He’d made tough decisions.
But he shouldn’t have dragged Pepper into that atmosphere.
Though Reese had tried, he hadn’t found any clearer photos of Pepper. Nothing in
color. Nothing of her body.
Not that it mattered. He couldn’t be more obsessed.
Thanks to the paper-thin walls, Logan needed no more than a
handheld audio listening device to keep track of her routine. Whenever he wasn’t
with her, he could still hear her moving around, occasionally listening to the
radio or television, showering or doing dishes.
Or talking with her brother.
Many times, after he left her, she ran on her treadmill.
Endlessly.
She probably tried working off the same sexual tension that
plagued him. He could have told her not to bother. Nothing but the real deal
would do.
They could be so good together if she’d trust him a little, if
she’d…but then again, she had good reason not to trust him.
Logan rubbed his face. Everything was far more complicated than
he’d expected—because he couldn’t stay detached. He couldn’t stay cold and
indifferent to Pepper, because she wasn’t cold or indifferent. Warm, funny,
fickle and so damn sexy…yeah, he hadn’t expected that. Not from the grainy
little black-and-white photos of her. Not when she hid all that fire behind
concealing clothes and a reserved persona.
Her physical appeal wasn’t out there and in your face.
It was subtle, something that came from her as a woman, her
gentle nature and wounded soul. It was far more potent than a stacked body could
ever be.
When the rattle of her water pipes quieted, Logan paced closer
to the adjoining wall.
She’d finished her shower.
Closing his eyes, he tried to picture her naked…but came up
with an incomplete image. She hid so much from him, every inch of skin from her
collarbone to her elbows, her waist to her ankles.
And still, somehow, she turned him on until he almost couldn’t
take it. Her outfits were so well suited to disguising her figure that most
times he strained his eyes trying to figure out the curves of her body.
Frustration mixed with imagination kept him from sleeping at
night, leaving him mostly antsy.
She seemed so starved for company, his company, that it broke
his cynical heart and nearly corrupted his convictions.
If he only wanted sex, he could have it.
But he wanted
her.
Naked, lights on, hair loose and that special little smile in
place…
“Shit.” On edge, he scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck,
laughing at himself. Any more of that and he’d be prowling his apartment with a
hard-on. He had to work it out with her, and soon.
He’d tried things her way. Too many days of sensual torture
hadn’t gotten him the desired outcome. Tonight he’d press her, emotionally and
physically. Because of his end goal, he’d feel like a bastard, but he’d do it
anyway. If it blew his cover, then he’d suffer the consequences, but he had
to—
The ringing of her cell phone stilled his turbulent
thoughts.
He knew it was her damned brother keeping tabs on her. Calls
from Rowdy Yates were the main reason Logan had the handheld audio device;
bugging her apartment would have been too risky.
Listening through the thin walls was safer.
Retrieving the audio device from beneath a desk drawer, he put
in the earbuds and pressed the receiver to the wall. He missed the first few
words of Pepper’s greeting, but he caught her distress right away.
Every call from her brother seemed to cause her grief.
“What if he catches you?” she asked with worry, and then, “It’s
entirely possible. Even if I try to keep him here…well, no.”
Logan frowned. What if who caught him? He adjusted the volume
and waited.
“Rowdy, listen to me,
please.
” She
lowered her voice but not enough. “It’s too dangerous. Of course I trust you,
but if Logan catches you in his apartment, he’ll probably call the police. Then
what will we do?”
Rage coalesced, crowding out guilt, pity—annihilating every
other emotion. Rowdy Yates planned to break into his apartment.
Bingo, you bastard. I have you
now.
Even if he didn’t hear a specific time for this break-in, he’d
let Reese know. He’d get things set up in advance so that—
“There’s no reason. He’s just a nice guy.” A pause, and then,
“I just know, that’s all.”
Jesus. She thought he was nice? Logan closed his eyes, but that
did nothing to alleviate the remorse. Before it was all said and done, Pepper
Yates would be badly hurt. By her brother and by him.
In the end, she’d consider him far from
nice.
“When you find nothing, then will you let it go?”
Logan held his breath—until Pepper said, “Thank you.”
So she agreed to whatever scheme her brother cooked up? That’s
probably how it had gone throughout their lifetimes—Rowdy leading her down the
wrong side of the law.
Never mind that she didn’t know he was the law.
“I was supposed to go to his place tonight, but I can ask him
over here instead. Yes, I’m sure. I just want it done.”
Logan curled a hand into a fist.
Tonight
would be the night.
After so many dead ends, he should have been
relieved, even exuberant.
Instead, he felt the great weight of his conscience and sadness
for what he would lose, and for what he never had.
With Pepper Yates.
* * *
A
S
R
EESE
STARTED
UP
the steps to his
second-floor apartment, one of his female neighbors came out her door. He paused
to give her a smile, a greeting, but she didn’t acknowledge him. She locked her
door, checked it twice and went past him as if he didn’t exist.
No eye contact. Not even a quick glance. She avoided him like
the plague.
Because for sure, she saw him.
Not like anyone could miss a man of his size. Women teased him
about being a hulk. Men walked a wide path around him. He’d been blessed with
good genes from the males in his family lineage, giving him height and strength.
As a bachelor he had time to hit the gym a few times a week, so he stayed in
shape.
Women noticed him, damn it.
But she acted as if she didn’t.
Snooty gal. Alice-something-or-other. Sort of classic looks;
baby-fine brown hair cut in a blunt, shoulder-length style, soft brown eyes,
very fair skin, average build on the slim side.
He glanced back at her, but she appeared lost in thought as she
went out the entry door with single-minded purpose. He’d noticed that about her
a few times already. Wherever she went, it was as if she was on a mission. Even
when she took out her trash, she did it with extreme focus, as if it took a lot
of concentration to get anything done.
It was part of Reese’s nature to size up everyone in the
building. Hell, everyone in his area. This particular neighbor didn’t
necessarily interest him any more than the others, but male ego deigned that he
disliked being ignored. By anyone. He was a friendly guy. Jovial even, damn
it.
But he couldn’t be real jovial with a woman who shut him out so
completely.
Reese shook his head and continued on to his apartment. It had
been a hellishly long day at the station, and he looked forward to a beer,
televised sports and a thick ham sandwich. Alice-something-or-other wasn’t worth
additional thought.
Arms loaded down with purchases, he got the key in the lock—and
heard the maniacal barking.
With a heavy sigh, he opened the door to the destruction of his
belongings. The dog, all black with long ears and soft curly fur and a hyper
disposition, yowled and barked and whined while running a frantic circle around
him.
He left a wet trail everywhere he went.
Great. At least he had hardwood floors. Carpet would have
been…no, Reese didn’t want to think about that.
Resigned, he set down the bag and dug out the leash and collar.
“Thought I wouldn’t come back, huh?”
Dropping to his back in a submissive posture, the dog wiggled
his way toward Reese.
Reese couldn’t help but smile. “I think you’ve already drained
your pipes, but we may as well start a routine, right?” He fastened the collar
around the dog and attached the leash. After pocketing a few of the plastic bags
used for cleanup—a really distasteful idea—he stroked the silky fur along the
dog’s back. “Let’s go, Cash.”
With the dog alternately refusing to budge, then bounding this
way and that, Reese relocked the door and went back out front. Sweat glued his
dress shirt to his skin, heat wilted the tie around his neck, and an old injury
set his left thigh to throbbing.