Bare It All

chapter SIX

LEAVING THE UMBRELLA by the door, Reese allowed Pepper to usher them along the foyer to the living room, but drew up short at the sight of Logan sitting on the couch, his feet propped up on the coffee table, a pillow behind him and a throw over his lap. He knew Pepper had likely arranged his friend there, exactly like that, and he laughed.

Logan scowled. “I’d hate to see you have to turn around and leave again in this storm.”

“Surely even Pepper wouldn’t be that cruel.”

Pepper said, “Ha-ha,” at the same time Logan promised, “No, but I would.”

“He doesn’t like being sick,” Pepper explained.

“I’m not sick, damn it.”

“Wounded, then,” Pepper snapped right back. “You heard what the doctor said. You have to take it easy.”

“I’m seeing a whole new side to her personality.” Logan pushed the throw away from his legs. “She didn’t want to let me out of the bed even for company.”

“And you’re complaining?” Reese tsked. “From what I remember, that’s where she always wanted to keep you.”

Pepper cracked a smile. “He’ll be more agreeable to that again after his arm is healed.”

“No doubt.”

“I’d be agreeable now,” Logan grumbled, “if you’d only—”

Pepper smashed her fingers over his mouth. “Behave.”

Stepping out from behind Reese, Alice said, “Thank you for allowing us to visit.” She slipped off her shoes and placed them at the edge of the foyer rug. “I’m relieved to see you both in such good spirits.”

Logan’s attention shifted to her and locked there.

Even though Reese already knew what he’d see, he looked at Alice, too. The visual packed quite a punch.

Her usual persona was starched and standoffish, prim and proper.

But getting drenched had taken care of that.

With pink cheeks, tangled hair and dewy skin, her sweet summer dress outlining every understated curve on her willowy body, she resembled the woman from his dream.

No way around it, she was sexy as hell.

And damn it, Logan saw it, too.

“You might want to go dry off some,” Reese told her. “Bathroom is all the way at the end of the hall, past the stairs and the entry to the kitchen, last door on your right.”

“Of course.” She put a hand to her hair. “There’s a towel in there I can use?”

Logan continued to stare, so Alice shifted her attention to Pepper.

Belatedly Pepper shook off her surprise. “Sorry. I’m new here myself, so I’m not sure where everything is.” She nudged Logan.

He still looked thunderstruck but managed a reply. “In the linen closet across from the bathroom.” His gaze dipped over her once, then shot back to her face. “Help yourself to whatever you need.”

Reese understood why both Pepper and Logan stared. Did Alice have any idea of the picture she presented?

Doubtful, since she smiled without a care. “Thank you.”

As she walked off, they craned their necks to stare after her.

Annoyed, Reese toed off his own soaked shoes and strode over to Logan. “Knock it off already.”

Logan blinked. “Damn, man, seeing her so wet—”

Every muscle on Reese’s body clenched. He leaned toward Logan. “If you weren’t already injured, I’d—”

In the middle of his threat, Pepper reached past Logan’s bandaged arm to pop him in the other shoulder.

“Ow!” He jumped and then sucked in a breath at the pain it caused. “Damn it.”

Devastated over what she’d done, Pepper petted him. “I’m sorry, but you were ogling her.”

Logan gritted his teeth, then just as quickly tried to remove the discomfort from his expression.

Reese winced for him. Sure, Logan was manning up, trying not to make a big deal out of being shot, but any movement hurt, no two ways about that. He rubbed his own thigh in remembrance.

After a few metered breaths, Logan caught Pepper’s hand and kissed her knuckles. “I wasn’t ogling, honey, just making a surprised observation.”

“An unnecessary one,” Pepper insisted, unappeased. She tried to free herself.

Logan held on. “You were staring, too.”

“I’m allowed.”

Reese had to laugh. He saw a lot of fireworks in Logan’s future.

Keeping Pepper contained, Logan slanted a look at Reese. “Seriously, Reese, you realize I was commenting on clothes and hair, right? I didn’t mean wet as in—”

Reese cut off the half-baked, smirking explanation before Pepper killed him. He seated himself, saying, “Rowdy came to see her today.”

Logan’s eyebrows shot up. “You don’t say.” He was so surprised that he loosened his hold on Pepper. “Why?”

Bristling again, she pulled away to pace. “Not for the reason you’re thinking.”

“It might shock you, honey, but you don’t always know what I’m thinking.”

“Baloney.” Pepper crossed her arms. “You’re thinking Rowdy was there to hit on her, but you’re wrong.”

“I don’t know about that.” Reese didn’t like having Pepper at his back. In the time he’d known her, he’d found her to be very unpredictable—as just evidenced by the way she’d set Logan up like a pampered sheik, then punched him in the shoulder. Her life had been unconventional, and her reactions were often the same.

She rounded on Reese. “Alice isn’t his type.”

Using his uninjured arm, Logan caught her elbow and pulled her back around and down beside him.

Appreciating that, Reese relaxed again. “You’re that sure you know his type?”

“Bet on it.” She thought about it a second. “I’m guessing he’s worried about her and wants to protect her. Yesterday was...well, it wasn’t something most people would take in stride. But she did.”

“Yeah.” Reese watched for Alice’s return. “That’s what Rowdy said.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Then that’s what it is. My brother wouldn’t lie about it.”

Reese held up both hands. “Stand down, Pepper. I wasn’t maligning your brother.” Although in the recent past, he’d maligned both siblings more than enough to justify her current abrasive attitude.

“No, he was just exhibiting some possessiveness.” Logan grinned. “Isn’t that right, Reese?”

Reese shrugged, refusing to be baited into confessions, and instead concentrated on Pepper. “I thought you and I had come to a friendly cease-fire.”

“Poor Reese. Am I firing at you?”

“No, but you’re not currently armed either.” Thank God. “So what do you say?”

“You know you can blame all past transgressions on him being a cop.” Logan squeezed her shoulder. “A good cop is always suspicious of everyone.”

“Maybe,” Pepper conceded. Again leaving her seat, she approached Reese. “It’s mostly because you’re Logan’s friend that you can consider yourself on probationary forgiveness. But not if you start insulting my brother.”

“Glad to hear it—because I like you and Rowdy both.” He held up a hand to stall her from getting any closer. “It’s true. And I especially like that you make Logan happy.”

Logan, who looked anything but happy in that moment, again snagged Pepper to his side.

“But fondness aside, if Alice needs protection, I’ll protect her.”

“Who said anything about protection?” Logan shifted, struggled to hide a flinch from Pepper, and settled into his seat again. “Worrying about and protecting a woman are two different things.”

“But in Pepper’s case, it required both.”

After a long look, Pepper snorted. “Men are all the same.”

“Obviously not,” Reese denied, “but if you want to keep that narrow view, I won’t debate it with you.”

Logan groaned.

“So much for our truce.” Pepper pushed once more to her feet. “I think I’ll go check on Alice.”

Damn it. Why was it he couldn’t be around Pepper without sniping? Reese got to his feet, too. He even dared to catch Pepper’s arm. “I like matching wits with you, Pepper, I really do.”

“Is that what you were doing?”

“But if you’re going to get pissed every time, it takes the fun out of it.”

“Far as apologies go, that was totally lame.”

“Maybe because I wasn’t—”

She patted his face—a little more firmly than necessary. “Don’t sweat it. I’ll let you off the hook this time, but only because we’re all still out of sorts today.”

“I’m not out of sorts,” Logan denied.

“Me either,” Reese said.

Pepper rolled her eyes and said again, with more feeling, “Men!”

Reese waited until she’d left the room before he dropped into his seat tiredly. “Jesus, but she’s right, Logan.” He rubbed his face. “I’m on the ragged edge, here. Not enough sleep, a trashed apartment and...” He hesitated, but he trusted Logan enough that he had to bring him in. “Alice told me she was once kidnapped.”

Logan sat forward, his injury forgotten. “When? Who?”

He shook his head. “She doesn’t want to share the details, but she says she wasn’t raped.”

Silence filled the room for a moment until Logan asked quietly, “You believe her?”

“I don’t know. I hope that’s true. But whatever happened, it changed her life.” He met Logan’s concerned gaze. “One way or another, I need to find out everything.”

Logan agreed. “She’s still afraid.”

Reese knew Logan was harking back to the moment Alice had walked into his apartment with the gun in her hand. Sometimes it’s better when they’re dead. Never would he forget how she’d said that, the expression on her face at that moment. Reese closed his eyes, sick with some anomalous need. “I don’t have much to go on, but I think it’s possible the threat is still around.”

“That’s why Rowdy visited her?”

No astute man would miss the aura of fear surrounding Alice like a fragile veil. “He suspected things, same as I did.” Reese stared toward the hall. What was keeping Alice?

“She’s safe with Rowdy, you know that, right?” Logan fidgeted, trying to get comfortable. “He’s something of a lost soul, but he’s not abusive, especially not to women.”

“A lost soul?” What a lot of melodrama—but in Rowdy’s case, apt. “He’s been so used to looming over his sister, he probably needs a new target now just to keep himself occupied.” He glanced at Logan. “Since you’ve usurped his position and all.”

“He says he understands, and I know he’s happy for Pepper.” Logan eased back again with a sigh. “Once we’re married we can all get settled into being related.”

Reese moved away to look down the hall, but the bathroom door remained closed. Was Pepper in there with Alice now? What the hell were they talking about for so long? “At first I didn’t like Rowdy sniffing around, but as you said, that was based off jealousy.”

Logan stared at him in disbelief. “You admit it?”

“It is what it is.” And he felt very possessive where Alice was concerned. “And since I can’t always be there with her, it’s nice to know Rowdy can keep an eye out, too.” He’d spent the past few years doing just that for his sister. He and Pepper were as close as siblings could be.

They were steadfast people, unique but with a good moral compass. “She’s been getting by on her own just fine, but now she won’t have to.” Whether or not Alice would appreciate the intrusion, Reese didn’t know—and that was a good reason not to tell her just yet.

“God knows I’ll have plenty of downtime, so I’ll need a way to keep from going nuts.” Logan cautiously flexed his injured arm. “Tell me how I can help.”

* * *

WHILE ALICE WORKED a comb through her tangled hair, Pepper sat on the side of the tub, visiting. She wasn’t a chatty woman, Alice noted. Not intrusive either. She was just...there. Friendly but quiet. Interested but not nosey.

“This is hopeless.” Alice put the comb aside and smoothed her hair with her hands. It was neatly parted again, but continued to pull into wild waves. Making a face at herself in the mirror, she said, “It doesn’t really matter, anyway. We’re going to get soaked again when we leave.”

Pepper studied her. “You want some warm tea or something?” Then she looked struck. “That is, if Logan has tea.” She fingered a thick decorative towel over the towel bar. “I haven’t even looked at the whole house yet.”

“I’m sure you had other things on your mind by the time you got here from the hospital.”

Pepper nodded, swallowed hard, then closed her eyes. “I could have lost him.”

“But you didn’t.” Quickly, Alice sat beside Pepper. She’d done what she could to dry her dress, but it still stuck to her body in a very unattractive way. “I’m sorry he got injured, but I’m so thankful he showed up to help.” Imagining what might have happened otherwise was too painful.

“Me, too.” Pepper glanced at her, smiled and looked around. “You realize we’re sitting in a bathroom talking.”

Alice grinned. “I know. But I’m not in a big hurry to join the men.” Not while she still resembled a drowned rat.

“Me either.” Pepper tipped her head, watching Alice. “Thank God you keep weapons. Yesterday, Logan might not have been as successful otherwise.”

“Do you?”

She snorted. “Damn right. Rowdy’s always insisted. He even taught me how to shoot.” She eyed Alice in speculation. “Are you a good shot?”

“Good enough.” She could hit what she aimed at. “I go to target practice once a month.”

That pleased Pepper. “Really? Maybe we could go together some time.”

Just days ago, Alice would have avoided that much involvement with another person, but now...she liked the idea, and she liked Pepper Yates. “That’d be terrific.”

Pepper beamed at her. “Not to jump all over you or anything, but do you think you’d like to attend our wedding, too? You saved us yesterday, so it’d be appropriate.”

Saved them? “Oh, I didn’t—”

“You did,” Pepper insisted, “so don’t deny it. And besides, Reese will be there. He’s Logan’s best friend, you know.”

It sounded wonderful, and she badly wanted to accept, but she didn’t want to make assumptions about her new relationship with Reese.

Pepper misunderstood her long hesitation. “Am I being too grabby?” She wrinkled her nose. “I didn’t mean to pressure you.”

“It’s not that. I’d love to be there.” It surprised Alice to feel that way. “It’s just that I wouldn’t want Reese to misunderstand.” Or feel smothered.

“It’s not up to him. I can invite whoever I want.”

But if she accepted, and things didn’t work out with Reese, would he bring a different date? What if she had to stay through a ceremony, watching him with another woman?

Pepper bumped her with her shoulder. “I can almost read your thoughts.” She grinned. “But trust me, Reese wouldn’t dare. And besides, the only guests will be the ones Logan and I invite. And because I want to keep it small, we’re not inviting any ‘plus one’ guests.”

Alice bit her lip. Was she really that transparent? “In that case, thank you. I’d be honored.”

“Terrific! I’ll have to give you details when we get things figured out.” She bobbed her eyebrows. “We’ll wait for Logan to recoup so we can have a real wedding night.”

Alice laughed with her. It was so nice having another woman to talk to, a woman unlike Nikki and Pam.

That thought gave her pause; Pepper might be different, but she still wasn’t like Alice.

Again Pepper nudged her with her shoulder. “I can be really discreet, just so you know.”

Alice didn’t understand.

“If you want to talk about...stuff.” Letting out a breath, Pepper said, “I see the mask, because I used to wear one, too.”

Confused, Alice shook her head. “I don’t wear a mask.”

“Sure you do.” Lifting a twisting lock of Alice’s hair, Pepper smiled an apology. “The rain did you in.”

Her shoulders deflated. She prided herself on a nice appearance, but she’d never figured on getting caught in a storm. “I know.”

“No, I don’t think you do. You look great, Alice. Not that you looked bad yesterday, but now, with your hair a little wild and that dress showing off your figure...It’s a good look for you.”

Eyes widening, Alice said, “I look like a used mop.”

“Nope, not even.” Studying her, Pepper shrugged. “Truthfully, you look sort of sexy.”

Alice’s face went hot. She was both flattered and horrified. “Of course I don’t.” Hand splayed over her chest, she looked down at her dress. Her sturdy bra kept her mostly concealed, but the dress did outline her meager bust. “Do I?”

“You didn’t notice how the guys went all goofy when they saw you? They practically had their tongues hanging out. Reese was ready to beat his chest, he’s such a possessive ape.”

Still disbelieving, Alice shook her head. Sexy was not a word ever applied to her. Clean, neat, well-groomed, sure. Or as Rowdy had claimed, buttoned-up, and sadly, prim and proper.

But she was not—

“Anyway,” Pepper said, interrupting her private angst. “You are disguising yourself. I figured it was on purpose. See, until recently, I did my own type of hiding. That cretin who died in Reese’s apartment yesterday?”

Fascinated, Alice said, “Yes?”

“A few years ago, Rowdy and I worked for his club. Late one night, I saw him kill a city councilman. Cops were involved, so I couldn’t go to them. I tried talking to a reporter, and he got murdered, too.”

“Oh, my God.” How horrific. Rowdy had left out a few details when he’d mentioned why he and Pepper had lived the life they had. Empathy welled inside her like a giant balloon, crowding out all other thoughts and emotions. Maybe she and Pepper had more in common than she’d realized. “That’s why he was after you?”

“And my brother,” Pepper confirmed. “Rowdy doesn’t really run from anyone, but to protect me, he did.”

That gave her great insight into Rowdy, too. What would it be like to have someone that dedicated to your well-being? Her parents cared, of course. Her sister, too.

But this was different. Alice touched her hand in understanding. “I’ve met your brother, and I’m pretty sure he’d do anything for you.”

“True enough.” Pepper didn’t retreat from the touch. She looked down at her feet, but only for a moment. “We were in hiding for way too long. I had to look like a hag to ensure if anyone saw me, they wouldn’t recognize me.” Her mouth curled in distaste before she squeezed Alice’s hand and regained her grim humor. “It was such a drag, looking bad all the time.”

Seeing her now, Alice couldn’t imagine such a thing. “You’re so attractive I don’t know how you managed to not look good.”

That made Pepper laugh. “You should have seen Logan when I threw off the dregs and reverted back to me. It was a hoot. Well, sort of. At the moment I didn’t think so because I was worried about everything else.” She leaned close to whisper, “Logan was undercover, so I had no idea he was a cop when I slept with him.”

“Wow.” No other words came to mind. “That must have been...interesting.”

“Yeah, picture my shock when he arranged for Reese to show up and arrest my brother.”

And that, of course, would explain some of the bad blood between Reese and Pepper. Her heart broke a little, imagining what Pepper had endured. “That must’ve been really awful.”

“No kidding. I was so furious I wanted to take them both apart.”

“Furious...and hurt?”

Pepper shrugged. “In the end, it worked out. And thanks to them, Rowdy and I are now free.”

No more hiding. Alice envied her the freedom. “So you’ve forgiven the deception?”

“Yeah, sure. Don’t tell Reese, though.” She gave a devilish grin. “I like giving him a hard time.”

Given her carefree expression, Alice believed it. Pepper looked truly happy—and well loved. “I’m glad you and Logan found each other, regardless of the path you took to get there.”

“That’s about it.” Her fingertips tapped the edge of the tub before Pepper said, “This is nice—talking with you, I mean. You’re...comfortable.”

Alice gave a short laugh over that dubious compliment. “Thank you. I’ve enjoyed it, as well.”

“Maybe it’s because we’re both different.”

Not exactly a subtle hint, but Alice just smiled. “Maybe.” In such a short time they’d settled into an easy alliance. “Bullet wound aside, I’m glad to see that you and Detective Riske both fared so well after everything that happened yesterday.”

“You worry a lot, don’t you?”

About everyone and everything. “Sometimes.” Always. “As you said, I’m...different.”

“Different is good.” Pepper sized her up. “You know what? I think we should do a makeover on you.”

“On...me?”

“It’s not an insult, I swear.”

“I wasn’t insulted.” More like...intrigued. “I’ve never fussed much with the usual female stuff.”

“You don’t really need to, not with your dark lashes and brows. But it wouldn’t hurt to loosen you up a bit.”

“Loosen me up?”

“Is there an echo in here?” Pepper teased, but then suddenly stalled. “I’m rushing things, right?”

Alice waved that off. “No, of course not.”

“You’ve probably got better things to do—”

“I think it’s a wonderful idea.” Would she enjoy being loosened up? Possibly. “I wouldn’t mind looking more fashionable—that is, if it won’t be too much work for you.”

“Are you kidding? It’ll be fun.” Pepper paused to draw a breath. “God, it’s been forever since I just had fun. Especially with another woman.”

Alice got caught up in her excitement and her teasing mood. “You won’t expect me to go around in wet dresses, will you?”

“Reese has to be able to function, so, no.”

There was more laughter—until a tap sounded on the door.