rather than be insulted by his
come-on, she laughed.
Laughed.
“That wasn’t a joke.” For some reason, the sound of her
laughter turned him on more.
Still amused, she said, “Sir, you are too outrageous.”
Her mouth looked even sexier when she smiled like that. Such a
soft, full mouth. No lipstick. Nothing to get in the way of a nice, deep
kiss…
She waved a hand in front of his face. “Are you still with
me?”
He was with her just a little too much. “Yeah.”
“Then perhaps you’d like to focus—no, not on me.” She nodded
back at his table. “You have a bevy of women waiting on you, so we really should
wrap this up.”
A bevy? He glanced back. Sure enough, his small table now
overflowed with women—and it did look like they were waiting. Impatiently so.
Not a big deal. He’d had females after him most of his life.
Let them wait.
But when he turned back to the waitress, she was already gone,
disappeared into the milling crowd. Well, damn. He wouldn’t chase her again.
When she came to bring him another beer, he’d get a name and take it from
there.
Until then…he surveyed the women at his table with narrowed
eyes. Even the brunette from earlier had rejoined them.
They acted warm and friendly—flirtatious women looking for a
good time and a little fun, and he had no problem with that.
They didn’t really engage his awareness. Not like the waitress
had. But for right now, for an hour or so, he’d take what he could get.
No, he didn’t forget about Logan or Pepper, but with time to
kill, why not make use of the company?
Unfortunately, almost an hour later, it was a different
waitress who came to offer him another beer. When Rowdy asked after the petite
gal, he was told she’d gotten off half an hour ago.
She’d left without saying goodbye.
Playing hard to get?
He could play. He enjoyed a good game every now and then. He’d
be back at the bar over the next few days, and eventually he’d find her
again.
Putting her from his mind, he paid his tab, and amidst
complaints and more pouting, he bid farewell to the lovelies.
As he went back out to the parking lot, he surveyed every dark
corner, shifting shadow and person passing by. The caution was now an ingrained
trait; he never took safety for granted.
He saw nothing and no one of interest.
Time to thwart Pepper’s annoying neighbor. Everything else,
including cute waitresses, would just have to wait.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“O H , R OWDY , NO . ” Distrust for her brother’s plan added a quaver to Pepper’s voice.
“I can’t believe you’d ask me to—”
“Just keep him busy, that’s all you have to do. I’ll be in and
out in a flash.”
Somehow this might backfire. It was dangerous. Too dangerous. “I don’t want to.”
Resolute, Rowdy said, “Do it anyway.”
With her heart hammering, she dropped to sit on the edge of the
couch. “Please, Rowdy. Stop and think about this. There’s no reason—”
“I know what I saw, Pepper. You started this, so now I have no
choice.”
Unfair! He made her feel guilty for making one small move
toward companionship. “You’re a bully.”
“You have twenty minutes, so don’t leave me hanging.” He
disconnected the call.
Folding her arms around her middle and leaning forward, Pepper
struggled with a vortex of emotions—the guilt her brother had just heaped on
her. Sadness, exhaustion at continued deception, a yearning for something
different, something real.
She also felt sharp anticipation.
Rowdy wanted her to keep Logan preoccupied so he could put the
GPS tracker on his truck. She knew only one way to truly ensure Logan stayed
busy. Definitely not what her brother had in mind, but still—
Suddenly, as if she’d summoned him, Logan called to her from
his balcony. “Sue?”
At the sound of his voice, her heart stuttered and her eyes
flared. Logan! Had he heard her conversation?
For only a moment, she knotted her hands in her hair. And then,
because she’d just mussed
come-on, she laughed.
Laughed.
“That wasn’t a joke.” For some reason, the sound of her
laughter turned him on more.
Still amused, she said, “Sir, you are too outrageous.”
Her mouth looked even sexier when she smiled like that. Such a
soft, full mouth. No lipstick. Nothing to get in the way of a nice, deep
kiss…
She waved a hand in front of his face. “Are you still with
me?”
He was with her just a little too much. “Yeah.”
“Then perhaps you’d like to focus—no, not on me.” She nodded
back at his table. “You have a bevy of women waiting on you, so we really should
wrap this up.”
A bevy? He glanced back. Sure enough, his small table now
overflowed with women—and it did look like they were waiting. Impatiently so.
Not a big deal. He’d had females after him most of his life.
Let them wait.
But when he turned back to the waitress, she was already gone,
disappeared into the milling crowd. Well, damn. He wouldn’t chase her again.
When she came to bring him another beer, he’d get a name and take it from
there.
Until then…he surveyed the women at his table with narrowed
eyes. Even the brunette from earlier had rejoined them.
They acted warm and friendly—flirtatious women looking for a
good time and a little fun, and he had no problem with that.
They didn’t really engage his awareness. Not like the waitress
had. But for right now, for an hour or so, he’d take what he could get.
No, he didn’t forget about Logan or Pepper, but with time to
kill, why not make use of the company?
Unfortunately, almost an hour later, it was a different
waitress who came to offer him another beer. When Rowdy asked after the petite
gal, he was told she’d gotten off half an hour ago.
She’d left without saying goodbye.
Playing hard to get?
He could play. He enjoyed a good game every now and then. He’d
be back at the bar over the next few days, and eventually he’d find her
again.
Putting her from his mind, he paid his tab, and amidst
complaints and more pouting, he bid farewell to the lovelies.
As he went back out to the parking lot, he surveyed every dark
corner, shifting shadow and person passing by. The caution was now an ingrained
trait; he never took safety for granted.
He saw nothing and no one of interest.
Time to thwart Pepper’s annoying neighbor. Everything else,
including cute waitresses, would just have to wait.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“O H , R OWDY , NO . ” Distrust for her brother’s plan added a quaver to Pepper’s voice.
“I can’t believe you’d ask me to—”
“Just keep him busy, that’s all you have to do. I’ll be in and
out in a flash.”
Somehow this might backfire. It was dangerous. Too dangerous. “I don’t want to.”
Resolute, Rowdy said, “Do it anyway.”
With her heart hammering, she dropped to sit on the edge of the
couch. “Please, Rowdy. Stop and think about this. There’s no reason—”
“I know what I saw, Pepper. You started this, so now I have no
choice.”
Unfair! He made her feel guilty for making one small move
toward companionship. “You’re a bully.”
“You have twenty minutes, so don’t leave me hanging.” He
disconnected the call.
Folding her arms around her middle and leaning forward, Pepper
struggled with a vortex of emotions—the guilt her brother had just heaped on
her. Sadness, exhaustion at continued deception, a yearning for something
different, something real.
She also felt sharp anticipation.
Rowdy wanted her to keep Logan preoccupied so he could put the
GPS tracker on his truck. She knew only one way to truly ensure Logan stayed
busy. Definitely not what her brother had in mind, but still—
Suddenly, as if she’d summoned him, Logan called to her from
his balcony. “Sue?”
At the sound of his voice, her heart stuttered and her eyes
flared. Logan! Had he heard her conversation?
For only a moment, she knotted her hands in her hair. And then,
because she’d just mussed
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