Lori Foster (14 page)

Alice said, “Baloney.” She sniffled loudly. “I trust you completely, Rowdy, especially in this. I’m sure if you want to talk to Marcus, it’s something worth hearing.”

Marcus looked hungry for him to continue, and Rowdy didn’t want to disappoint him. “I didn’t trust people much—until I met Reese and Alice and Logan. Now I have friends when I never thought I would.”

Talking to Marcus wasn’t bad, but he felt awkward as hell with Alice looking on like a proud parent.

He glanced at her. “Think you could scrounge up some cookies and drinks for Marcus and me?”

“Of course.” She touched Marcus’s shoulder. “Why don’t you sit with Rowdy and Cash while I do that?”

Rowdy patted the floor beside him and offered a bribe. “I brought you something.” He reached behind him for the bag he’d carried in. “Cash first, just to keep him busy.”

Marcus inched closer.

Offering the dog a new chew fresh from the pet store got him off Rowdy’s lap. Cash took his prize and loped over to the sunny spot in front of the patio doors.

When Rowdy dug in the bag again, Marcus breathed harder. He withdrew a small car. “I hope you like green. What do you think?”

Marcus didn’t move.

“It’s for you.” Rowdy sat it on the floor a few feet in front of him. “A car isn’t much good without track, though, so I got a length of that, too.”

The plastic track was meant to hook into additional pieces. Eventually, they could create a whole highway.

Bit by bit, Rowdy thought.

When Marcus kept his distance, Rowdy put the car at one end of the track and gave it a push. It slid over and off the other end. He looked at Marcus. “Your turn.”

Marcus swallowed hard, and then came and sat down cross-legged. Tentatively he lifted the car and looked at it.

“What’s your favorite color?” Rowdy asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Why don’t you think about it? Next time I visit I’ll bring another car, whatever color you like.”

Marcus slid the car back to him. “When’s next time?”

Good question,
Rowdy thought. “How about tomorrow? Same time?” He returned the car along the track.

“I like purple.” Alice stepped back into the room with the snacks on a tray. She didn’t suggest they come to the table. Instead she seated herself near them so that together, they formed a semicircle. “Tomorrow we’re going school-clothes shopping. Won’t that be fun?”

Rowdy winced, already sympathizing with the kid. “If you say so.”

Marcus grinned at him—and damned, but it almost broke his heart. The kid had a chipped front tooth, a bruise on his chin and his hair hadn’t been trimmed in forever. But he was an adorable little guy.

Rowdy had to take a minute, draw a deep breath before he could ask, “So how old are you, Marcus?”

“Almost nine.”

“Yeah? When’s your birthday?”

Marcus shrugged. “Soon.”

Fuck. If the kid didn’t know, then that meant his parents hadn’t done much to celebrate. No surprise there.

Alice touched Rowdy’s arm. “You know Reese and I bought a house?”

“Yeah, I heard about that.”

“We move in soon. Marcus will have his own room, close to ours, and a nice backyard to play in. But since we’ll all be moving together, we’re getting all the paperwork together to get him registered for school there.”

So she’d find out when he was born—and maybe they could throw a party or something. “I’m not much of a shopper. What about you, Marcus?”

“I dunno.”

“It’ll be fun,” Alice said. “We’ll get lunch while we’re out, and maybe Marcus can get a haircut if he wants.”

“Yeah, dude.” Rowdy reached over and ruffled the kid’s hair. “I can barely see your eyes.”

Marcus went very still as Rowdy touched him, almost frozen, but Rowdy pretended not to notice. “You going to get him some new kicks, too, Alice? Because I think he’d looked good in some boots like mine.”

Rowdy lifted his big foot to show his lace-up black steel-toed boots that had seen better days a year ago.

Alice snickered and put her hand on Marcus’s head when he inched closer to her.

“Well, shoot,” Rowdy said. “Looks like I need some new boots, too.”

“Tell me your size and I’ll pick them up when I get Marcus’s.” Her gaze drilled into his, letting him know she saw it as a ploy to make the whole thing easier for Marcus.

“Sure, thanks. Size eleven.” He’d have to pay her back later for that. No way was he letting Alice and Reese buy him shoes. He slid the car back across the track to Marcus and then grabbed up a cookie. “So if you guys are shopping tomorrow, when’s a good time for me to come by?”

“We won’t go until after your visit, so you tell me.”

Rowdy set a time with them. While he finished his juice—which was way too sweet for him—and tossed back two cookies, he saw Marcus hide a cookie in his pocket.

The emotional turmoil the kid generated had Rowdy ready to crawl out of his own skin.

Marcus talked a little more, played with the car and finally it was time for Rowdy to head to work. “So what’s it to be? A purple car for Alice and for Marcus—what color?”

Marcus thought about it for a long time before raising his pale blue eyes to Rowdy’s gaze. “I like green.”

And just like that, Rowdy felt like he’d conquered something monumental. His damned eyes burned and his tongue felt thick. “Well, since you already have green, how about I grab you a red one next?”

Hopeful, Marcus nodded. “Okay.”

Cash bounded over to see him off. Thank God the dog offered a distraction and a way to get his shit together. Rowdy took his time with Cash because, he realized, Cash was important to him, too. Then he went to one knee in front of Marcus and offered his hand.

“Marcus. It was good visiting. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”

Clinging to Alice’s leg, his face averted, Marcus reached out and took Rowdy’s hand.

All in all, great strides.

That rhino on his chest did a little stomping, but as he went out the door, he thought about seeing Avery next, and damned if he didn’t find a smile of anticipation.

CHAPTER TEN

E
VEN
BEING
A
few years old, Avery’s sporty little convertible was too valuable to be left in the parking lot. Rowdy rubbed the back of his neck, unsure what to do about it. He didn’t like the idea of her driving home alone any more than he’d liked the idea of her walking a block from the bus stop.

The security lights overhead would keep the area well lit. But with bright lights came heavy shadows, and even as he walked the lot, he felt an ominous stare. With plenty of daylight remaining, he looked around but saw that no one was noticeably watching him. That meant someone was trying to be covert.

Idiot.

He let his gaze wander, taking in minute details, studying everything, everywhere—and there. Parked on the side street, more hidden than not, he spotted the same damn BMW that had tailed him. That new, slick, silver four-door hybrid stood out even more noticeably than Avery’s little cherry-red ride.

Ready for a showdown, Rowdy took a step in that direction and the car peeled away.

You better run, you bastard.

“Trouble?”

Rowdy turned to find Cannon behind him. “Damn, but you’re sneaky.” Twice now, Cannon had come upon him without his noticing. It unnerved him and pissed him off. “Any reason you’re skulking around?”

“Just showing up for work.” Cannon grinned. “You were busy giving that car the death stare or you’d have heard me.”

Rowdy noticed that Cannon didn’t ask him why he’d been watching the car. “You’ve seen it before?”

“Haven’t been the recipient of that stare yet, thank God, but the car was here last night after you left for the hospital, basically doing the same thing.” Cannon shrugged. “Hanging around and looking suspicious. The windows are darkened, so you can’t easily see inside. I got the license plate number if you need it.”

Son of a...
“Already got it myself.” Hands on his hips, cold wind cutting through his clothes, Rowdy studied his new hire. “Any reason why you noted it?”

“Sort of a habit to pick up on those things.” Cannon remained utterly immune to Rowdy’s death stare. “You know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I do.” He started for the bar, and Cannon followed. “So how’d it go last night?”

“No problem.” He grinned. “Your buddy Reese is handy behind the bar.”

“You met Alice?”

Cannon nodded. “The kid took to her.”

“So I heard.” Rowdy opened the back door and waited for Cannon to enter first. “Alice has a way about her....”

“Hard to miss.” Pulling off his hat, Cannon kept pace with Rowdy straight to his office. “If there’s anything I can do to help with the boy, let me know.”

“Appreciate that.” So far, Rowdy wasn’t sure what to do. He understood Marcus, but he feared making a misstep, doing something that would somehow sadden Marcus more. Though they shared a similar history, not everyone felt the same about things, especially such weighty issues as abuse and neglect.

“You have a nice place here,” Cannon said.

“It’s better than it was.” Rifling through a desk drawer, Rowdy found an employment form. “Any hours you can’t work?”

“No.”

“Got an aversion to mopping floors or doing dishes?”

“Love it.”

“You’ll be bounced around, doing whatever odd job needs doing.”

“Keeps it interesting.”

They both knew Cannon would be wasted as a fill-in. “Think you can handle being a bouncer?”

He didn’t miss a beat. “Long as you’re asking me to keep the peace and not suggesting I randomly bust heads.”

“Someone wanted to use you as muscle?”

Cannon stared him in the eyes. “Several have tried to insist.”

By his own admission, Cannon came from a rough area filled with rougher criminals. You either joined in, or you got the hell out.

Rowdy had a feeling that Cannon hadn’t done either. “Will I find anything in a background check?”

“Clean as a whistle.”

Relaxing a hip on his desk, Rowdy asked, “Now, why does that surprise me?”

“Maybe because I live in the slums, I understand the way thugs think and you don’t intimidate me.” He gave a slight smile. “And by the way, it’s because I understand how thugs think that you don’t intimidate me.”

“I’m a thug?”

“Nope. And see, I can tell the difference even if you’d rather no one could.”

“Here’s a tip—save the psychobabble if you want to stay on here.” Rowdy handed him the paperwork. “I can pay you cash for last night, but fill out the forms and get them back to me before you start today.”

Cannon looked them over. “Got a pen?”

Twenty minutes later, after showing Cannon around and giving him a rundown on what to expect—though Cannon had a handle on it already—Rowdy located Avery at the bar.

For such a small woman who’d been up all night, she had an abundance of energy, as if all her hundred and ten pounds packed unleashed power. She never complained about the workload, but now that he’d hired Cannon, she’d have help with that.

And he’d be able to get her alone more often.

They had half an hour before they opened, so he went to her, took her hand and dragged her off to his office.

“Rowdy! I have to finish setting up.”

“You’re finished.”

Only partially under her breath, and with only a little annoyance, she said, “You’re causing a scene.”

“If you mean Ella smiling like a sap and Jones elbowing her, so what? They already know I have a thing for you.” A big thing. A thing that was so damned unfamiliar he didn’t quite know how to deal with it.

“A sexual thing,” Avery said. “Yes, I’m sure everyone has picked up on it.”

“A
lust
thing, since we haven’t yet had sex.” He got her into the office and shut the door behind her. “But I’m counting down the minutes now that you’ve promised we will.”

She surprised him again by leaning into him, her nose against his neck. “You smell like the outdoors. All crisp and fresh and sexy.”

Damn, he hadn’t expected that reaction from her. Had she missed him as much as he’d missed her? And since when did he miss women anyway?

To block the disquieting thoughts, Rowdy caught a handful of her hair and directed her face up to his so he could take her mouth in a grinding, hungry kiss. He wanted to draw her into him, use her to ease the edgy angst that had begun creeping up on him as soon as he left Alice’s apartment—as he’d walked away from Marcus.

The signs were all there; it was going to be one of those nights, a night when he needed the release of sex to bury the ugliness.

But Avery still wanted him to wait.
Shit.
He lifted his mouth from hers and instead hugged her tight.

Picking up on his mood, she asked, “How is your back?”

“Forget my back.” If she forgot about it, maybe he could convince her to—

“Can I see?”

“Nothing to see.” He set her away from him, separating himself from her and that damned mothering instinct that was both jarring and annoyingly nice. “I picked up the pain pills after I finished my visit with Marcus. If I need one tonight, I’ll take it.” But he’d rather have Avery near again. She was more of a drug than a pill ever could be.

Avery touched her mouth, now swollen from his kiss. “How’d it go with Marcus?”

He watched the movement of her fingers over her lips and should have felt regret, but instead he wanted to taste her again, deeper this time, longer and hotter and... “He’s fine.”

“How can that be?” she asked too gently. “His world has been turned upside down.”

“His world was never right in the first place, not with his parents, not with...” He trailed off, almost hating himself over the telling outburst. Through his teeth, he said, “Forget I said that.”

“I’d rather you talk to me.”

He gave her a sharp look. Kissing her again seemed like a better idea than unloading his emotional crap. “I’d rather change the subject.”

“But this is important—”

No, it was depressing and infuriating. “I told you, it’s fine.”

She made a huffing sound. “Just tell me to butt out if that’s what you want!” Bristling with attitude, she stalked toward him. “But don’t give me that ‘fine’ business when we both know it’s a lie.”

Rowdy pulled back. “What’s got you fired up?”

“Your back is not
fine.
Marcus is not
fine.
” Grabbing a handful of his shirt, she went on tiptoes and still only reached his shoulder. “This whole dicked-up situation is not
fine.
”

“Okay.” Damn, he’d never seen her blow like that before. “Take it easy.”

“Know this, Rowdy Yates. Talking to me, sharing with me, won’t make me misunderstand.”

Every time she got pissed at him, she used his whole name. Made him feel like a kid being scolded. “Misunderstand what? You’re not making any sense.”

The hand she had fisted in his shirt thumped his chest once. “You. I won’t misunderstand you or what you want. I won’t misunderstand your interest, or...or take simple conversation as a proposal of marriage.”

“Marriage!” Jesus, way to stop his heart, tossing a word like that out there. No other woman had dared—

“Don’t swallow your tongue, Rowdy. You can have a relationship that isn’t too serious but also isn’t just sexual, you know.”

“It can’t be
just sexual
when we aren’t even having sex, damn it!”

Cannon tapped at the door. “Room isn’t as soundproof as you might’ve hoped. Should I come back later with the papers?”

Fuck and fuck again. “Yes!”

Cannon laughed. “All righty, then.”

Avery, all but huffing in ire, still had her small hand twisted in his shirt. He covered it with his own. “Ease off, will you?”

Horror crossed her features. “Oh, my God, did I hurt you?”

“No.” Why did she have to consider him so weak? “You can’t hurt me. But I don’t want to be mauled by your temper, either.”

She threw up her hands. “Fine. Don’t tell me anything. But I’m still coming over tonight to change your bandages.”

“Glad to hear it. And from what Cannon said, everyone else probably heard it, too.” He caught her by her apron strings when she started to storm away.

She tugged, almost fell and he hauled her back, lifted her off her feet and plopped her up on his desk. Before she could slide back off, he stepped between her thighs, blocking her.

She went still.

Taking advantage of her silence, Rowdy suggested smoothly, “Let’s start over.”

A pulse tripped in her throat. She gave a cautious nod of agreement.

“Hello.” Only by sheer will did he keep his body from reacting to the suggestive alignment of their pelvises.

After one slow breath, she smiled. “Hi.”

It’d be so incredibly easy to lean her back on the desk, to cover her. He toyed with one long lock of hair. “You’re touchy today.”

“Not enough sleep.”

If he got her jeans off her, he could take her this way and it wouldn’t cause even a twinge in his back. “Because you stayed awake like a... What’d you call it? A pervert?” He liked how her face warmed. “Watching me sleep, right?”

“Yes, but it was worth it.”

“Personally, I don’t see the appeal. But I am more rested than usual.”

Ducking her head, she fiddled with his now-wrinkled shirt. “I’m glad.”

The crooked part in her heavy hair drew him. He skimmed his mouth there, inhaling the sweetness of her shampoo, of
her.
“I’m sorry I lost my temper.”

“Me, too.”

“It’s...difficult.” What an understatement. Talking about his past sent sharp claws of anger after his insides, shredding his heart, his guts.

Avery’s curious fingers moved over his shirt, teasing his chest, then up to his collarbone, over to his shoulder. “I know.”

Rowdy
had
to kiss her. He nudged her face up with small pecks along her temple, her jaw. He meant to take her mouth, to get some tongue action going, to lose himself in her taste.

Instead he heard himself say, “Marcus is so damned small.”

As if she didn’t realize how those words were torn from him, she nodded and carefully put her arms around his neck. “He’s a skinny little guy, but Alice will have him caught up in no time.”

Morbid reality settled over him, and he hid his face in Avery’s hair. “I saw him slip a cookie into his pocket.”

“Oh, Rowdy.” Proving she did understand, she said quietly, “Saving it for later.”

“Worried there won’t be more when he wants it.”

Sadness brought her closer. “I am so glad that you interceded.” Her small, soft hands cupped his jaw. “Alice and Reese will be very good for him. But, Rowdy, I think it’s important that you’re there, too. You identify with him and the things he does—the things he’ll do.” She kissed him lightly, and her breath touched his lips when she whispered, “How he feels.”

No, he didn’t want to start delving into his own twisted past. No good would come from revisiting that black void. It was too much.

He put his hands on Avery’s lush little ass, his mouth over her soft lips and he got her as close as he could, his tongue licking deep, her breasts and pelvis crushed to his body.

The hungry little sound she made spurred him on. She opened to him, kissed him back, stroked over his chest—and somehow, in some unfair way, she gentled him so that soon he was only lightly kissing her, caressing her.

The tenderness of it overwhelmed him, and ramped up his lust to a fever pitch. “I want to be inside you, Avery.”

On a vibrating moan, she said, “I want that, too.” Another kiss. “So much.”

He squeezed his eyes shut. “Then—”

“Shhh.” She stroked his jaw. “You have to let your back heal.”

“Forget that. There are positions that’ll work.”

“Like this?” With her legs open around his hips, she looked down at his erection straining his jeans. “I’ve already thought about it, you know.”

“Good, because I’m having a hell of a time thinking of anything else.”

“But what if I forget and wrap my legs around you? I’d die if I hurt you or made your injury worse.”

It’d be pure torture, more for him than her, but Rowdy said, “Let me show you, okay?”

“Show me?” Scandalized, she looked around his office. “Here?”